C lens going out of focus?

[Johny]

So I bought the C Lens Mobius in February from Banggood and as you can see below the time stamps that C lens on my camera ( I bought as a whole unit ) is having focus difficulties with being warm. first is the image on cool day in February, temp was 65 F outside.

Then similar spot


look at the right side fence detail




trying to see details of the cars ahead on sunny warm day


cold evening/low light



The camera definitely seems to go out of focus as the right edge gets to be very sharp the middle gets very blurry. I have other images to show if requested.

 

[niko]

Going out of focus then "coming back" usually happens when lens holder is made of soft "expandable" plastic which may react on temperature. I dont know if this is the case with present Mobius models ( I might be wrong ), but the model I have ( very first production batch ), - is performs well, however we do not get here extreme hot temperatures.

 

[Johny]

Temperature variance was from 45 F to 65-70 F and that's what scares me, as the temp barely reached 19 C to 21 C. As you can see the metal lens holders are still superior. Yes they are more expansive to make but work excellent.

 

[Johny]

I guess now I have to shop for B lens module.

 

[Padwanjoe]

Nowadays is hard, almost impossible, to find a Mobius B Lens Camera. I sincerely hope the producer of Mobius will not stop selling the B Lens Mobius and switch back to metal for the C lens holder.

 

[Johny]

Well losing sales of C lens plastics could be a wake up call to go back to metal. I'm just surprised that no one has reported this yet. Of course not everyone checks footage everyday but I was actually asked by a relative to show this camera. Beginning of the video was impressive as the footage was pulled from morning, then afternoon footage was shown and the guy thought it came from a second cheap camera. It was embarrassing.

 

[jokiin]

Well losing sales of C lens plastics could be a wake up call to go back to metal. I'm just surprised that no one has reported this yet. Of course not everyone checks footage everyday but I was actually asked by a relative to show this camera. Beginning of the video was impressive as the footage was pulled from morning, then afternoon footage was shown and the guy thought it came from a second cheap camera. It was embarrassing.

I think because they don't use these cameras for car use this kind of situation doesn't get as much attention

 

[Johny]

@Isoprop was saying that this lens was tested and is superior to B lens. That may be the case for the lens itself but not it's holder. RC users would not see a difference even if a piece of putty was being used for lens holder, because the flights are short and always expose camera to wind.

 

[sofaspud]

I guess now I have to shop for B lens module.

I think you will find all the models use the same body, with different lens' screwed in the front to make them an A,B, or C. The body is now FRP (fibre reinforced plastic?) rather than metal according to this (see the pics near the bottom of page).
I ordered some replacement A's & found they used the newer body.

Any that use the new 'light pipe' type case should be using the new lens body as this is slightly larger than the metal body version, & the mounting bosses in the case have been enlarged to suit. Conversely the older case does not accept the new lens body.

 

[Johny]

My whole camera is new. So are you saying that B lens module might not fit?

 

[sofaspud]

My whole camera is new. So are you saying that B lens module might not fit?

From my recent experience, all the lens' currently supplied (to me) are the new body.
From Bang Good I ordered a new complete unit with C lens, along with a replacement B lens for a another failed unit. Seperately in UK I also ordered 2 A lens' replacements, they are all the new body. When this change by the developer happened I don't know
The current case design (with the light pipe) I have has larger mounting bosses. With this the later lens fits obviously, but the metal body version is not held securely. I have tried using an old lens (B) body in a new style case & find it rattles around so would need packing to stabilise it.

 

[airgreek]

Would replacing the battery with a capacitor not help him with his problem since temps would be cooler with a capacitor?

 

[Dashmellow]

Would replacing the battery with a capacitor not help him with his problem since temps would be cooler with a capacitor?

This isn't really so to any degree that would make much of a difference. The heat inside the camera is caused by the processor and the lens sensor. Even if the camera were to run cooler with a capacitor rather than a battery, we are talking about ambient temperatures inside a car which would vary dramatically (especially on a sunny day) and far exceed any influence on the internal temperature differences caused by the electronics inside the camera case.

 

[Johny]

Any suggestions how to fix this besides buying a whole new camera?

 

[dashtalk]

Any suggestions how to fix this besides buying a whole new camera?

DIY heatsink and supercapacitor

 

[sofaspud]

Any suggestions how to fix this besides buying a whole new camera?

Well 'if' the camera is subject to direct sun then the first step is to shield it, maybe 'expand' your dotted area visible in the pics with a sticker?
You could try drilling some holes in the case top & bottom directly behind the lens (you'll see where if you open the case) to get some airflow over the imaging sensor.
Even if you go for a heat sink, this will still need airflow over it to work effectively.
If as suspected the body is expanding/contracting you have to question why they still use heat conductive tape to conduct the heat from the imaging plate to the body...

 

[country_hick]

Any suggestions how to fix this besides buying a whole new camera?

I would contact the store you bought it from. They may send you a replacement lens module. If not you can buy just the lens module.

 

[manijak]

here is mine v3 C banggood narrow setting
half a minute , and couple minutes after first start that day at about 5-10°c / 40-50F


and 15 minutes later it seems a lot sharper top right


screenshot from datakam EVR mode at lcd resolution 1680

what do you think what should i do about that? i wonder how it will react in the summer

 

[Johny]

I have emailed Banggood about this issue but have not heard back from them for awhile.

 

[Signhere]

here is mine v3 C banggood narrow setting
half a minute , and couple minutes after first start that day at about 5-10°c / 40-50F


and 15 minutes later it seems a lot sharper top right


screenshot from datakam EVR mode at lcd resolution 1680

what do you think what should i do about that? i wonder how it will react in the summer

Put your Mobius in your oven ( don't over cook it - it does not smell good ) and test it by recording something obvious a few meters away in the kitchen.