Changing the Lens on GS8000l

[Louis40]

Hi,
I just bought a GS8000L from Aliexpress. It is working fine but my purpose is not to install it into my car, i need it to make it as a scope cam for my air rifle.

I need to change the lens so i can get the required focus. I tried to disassemble it but it looks well mounted so i don't want to ruin it.
Is there a way to dismantle it? if yes is there any pictures or video showing how to?
Thx for your help

 

[ddnut]

Niko made a tutorial on this. https://dashcamtalk.com/forum/threa...-focus-a-dashcamera-lens-video-tutorial.8166/

A note of caution: one person had to cut their lens holder and I broke mine trying to rotate the lens. https://dashcamtalk.com/forum/posts/117829/

 

[parklawn]

Hello Louis40. Greetings from Canada, and welcome to the forum.

You could save yourself a lot of hassle, and time in trying to modify your GS8000L by getting yourself a 'ready-made' scope cam. I'm referring to the Innovv C3. You can take a look at it at www.innovv.com

I am not a gun guy but members such as @kamkar1 would most certainly have a wealth of knowlege to share.

 

[Louis40]

To ddut, thx i saw this thread but it is not the same model as mine. The GS8000L is different and has no visual clues to disassemble it.
To parklawn, thx for the innovv but i still would need a different lens. Beside it's for a more sophisticated purpose.

 

[kamkar]

Hi louis. i am a airgun shooter myself and have been playing around with scope cams for a while, first i started out with the deben mount and a camcorder on that.
But that was a pretty large setup and it did not support IR light, and i like to hunt rats at night.

What i found out so far is that you need to use a lens with a little zoom to be able to zoom into the scope and have the whole image be filles with the view from the scope.
So far i have been trying 2 setups.
First i used this setup as i wanted to be able to record and see the footage on a screen, and i wanted to use a regular CCTV camera for the scope.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/161533591833
I did not use the original rear camera as it have a IR cut filter, and allso i wanted to use a true CCTV camera as they change to B&W in low light and is much more light sensetive.
This is night footage from that setup using a 7 watt IR lamp allso meant for CCTV use.

This is same setup but with another more focusable IR light, here i am shooting about 20 M

Camera i used on this setup.
http://www.securitycamera2000.com/products/SONY-Effio%2dE-DSP-650TVL-1{47}3''-Sony-super-HAD-CCD-Color-Board-Camera.html

This is the other setup using a G1W dachcam in 1080p and using same IR pass zoom lens i used on the low res analog setup, as you can see footage is purble as the G1W is not a true cctv camers so it capture all light.
This will be a fine setup for daytime use, but its not good for night use as the CMOS is not light sensetive enuff, and as soon as i zoom a little on my scope the image go dark.
For short range ( 10 - 15 M ) night it will be okay as no zoom is needed to be able to hit a fat rat.
the distance here is 20 for the licenceplate on the car, and around 10 M inside my apartment.

This is the samsung camcorder using the deben mount in my friends garden, first a shoot a green plastic softair ball ( 12 M ) and then i use the scope and camera to film a pigion at 20-22 m distance.
As you can see when i zoom in on my scope the image turn darker, my scope is a 56 mm 6 - 24 X hawke scope.

I dont have any daytime footage using the dashcams, and the first setup with the analog cctv camera died for me this summer, or at least it stopped working and i have not gotten around to have a look at it yet.

The G1W setup is working, i will try and capture some daytime footage for you tomorrow.

Normally the lenses in dashcams is secured with a little glue, but on my G1W it was easy to take apart with a little force.
You can allso unscrew the whole socket from the PCB in the dashcam, it is just held in place by 2 screws, this might be good if you need to apply a little heat to the lens/socket in order to make it come apart.
I have a old bullet action cam myself and the glue used there is very strong, so that i cant take apart.
The housing on my G1W is snapped together and there is 2 screws holdint the plastic part around the lens itself.
This is the zoom lens i use 9-22mm
http://www.securitycamera2000.com/products/9%2d22mm-Manual-Zoom-Manual-Focal-MTV-Interface-Lens.html
if you wish to film in daytime you need a lens that block for the IR light, otherwise colors of footage will be off as you will see on the footage i make for you tomorrow.
For this you might allso be able to place a large IR filter on the front of the scope.

Link to pic of airgun fitted with g1w dashcam, made a adapter for scope using plastic tube.
http://peecee.dk/uploads/052014/_DSC0014.JPG
http://peecee.dk/uploads/052014/_DSC0007.JPG

If only the panorama X1 was a little smaller where the screen is it sould make a excellent scope cam i think, but the main unit seem a little big for clamping onto a scope.
I would love to give it a try is some one have a surplus X1

 

[Louis40]

Hi Kamkar 1, thx for the great info regarding the set ups for the night vision cam. I actually been trying to do such set ups. I have tried set ups like the ones i see on youtube " diy night vision air rifle scope " and gave me certain ideas. So i tried the 4.3 inch screen with a cctv camera and the 12v battery recharger, as a result 2 screens to throw. Then i bought about the dashcam GS8000l from aliexpress. From the readings it seems that i would need a 16mm lens to be able to get the exact focus on the scope.
My issue now is how to unscrew the dashcam, because i don't want to scratch it nor break it because it seems fragile.

So according to you what is the most appropriate set up for you. Is it using the cctv or the dashcam? BTW, you have a great scope.

 

[kamkar]

I think the dashcam is okay to use but you will need a strong IR light as all the glass in the scope stop a lot of light, but if you dont use much of the zoom on the scope itself its okay.
And here i rarely shoot rats longer than 15 -.20 M
The setup using the cctv camera is much better for shooting long range, in the footage where i shoot ( with too low power and too heavy pellets ) the zoom on my scope is at 24 X and still there is plenty of light to see everything.
Using 24 X zoom using my G1W dashcam is not possible as its not near as light sensetive as proper CCTV cameras is.

My current dream is to get a small WIFI 1080P IP camera and then display and record the footage from that on my Smartphone.

I plan on getting this IP camera with the WIFI module and then use it with the zoom lens i allready have, and then use a app on my phone to view and record the footage.
http://www.securitycamera2000.com/products/1080P-Network-IP-Board-Camera-3-Mega-170deg-Wide-Angle-IR%2dCUT-%2d-DE.html

This way i will get the high light sensitivity of real cctv camera and the 1080P resolution
This bord camera allso have the build in active IR filter which disengang when it get dark, and com back on when its daylight.

The IR lamp i use is this one just in 840 nm wavelength.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/350960341020
It is big and allso heavy, but i shoot from a fixed place so it dont bother me much.

Dont mind the little IR light on top of my scope in the 2 pictures, its far too weak for anything that is not true night vision and have a light intensifier build in.
When i hunt rats i have my bipod off and have the IR lamp where the bipod is, i can not have the lamp on top of my scope as the IR light bounce off my silencer and blind the camera.
If you hunt without a silencer and have a scope on taller mount it might be okay to have light on top of scope, i want higher mount too but i can not afford it as i have no job.

The 16 mm lens you mention might be right, but i have allways used the manual zoom & focus lens, and with the large scope i have its not too big ( i think the lens is around 25 mm where it is most thick )

All this experiments allmost cost me so much money i could have gotten a nitesite eagle or simmilar

I will do some pics about how my G1W is put together tomorrow, your camera is proberly the same, mine is held together by 4 "hooks" thats is on the front half of the housing, so it do take a little force to get them to seperate.
First time i think i used a blade on a pocket knife to pry apart the 2 parts.

The night sights this guy make is allso cool, dont use a rifle scope but just a cctv camera and a big lens, and the crosshairs is made with the camera privacy zones.
It seem a bit problematic to set up and build, but when that is said and done its really cool scopes.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjYZbJUmr0q6W1uGvjrthFA

 

[Louis40]

I have ordered the below IR light, hope it will do the job..
http://www.aliexpress.com/snapshot/6525836386.html?orderId=66110973283843

The idea of having an IP cctv board camera, i think it is a great one. Since we can't purchase from ebay etc.. from my country, only aliexpress is allowed so i found this link similar to yours. So IP cam meaning no need for a screen since you will use the 3g/4g smartphone right?

Before moving to the next trial, i would like to try the dashcam first.. ;-)

 

[kamkar]

That camera seem to be a IP camera like some i have in my apartment, but the one you link to do not have wifi so it can only be viewed via computer or a dedicated network recorder like i have for my 3 cameras in my apartment.

It is allso possibel to get whole wifi IP cameras with housing and all, then you just need to strip it of the hardware you need, and becuz it have a housing and all dont allways mean it will be more expensive than the bord camera i likned to above.

I might end up getting somthing cheaper like thsi and then strip it for the stuff i need.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/221545544472

 

[Louis40]

Hi, I succeeded in changing the lens . All is good and now i have to mount it on the scope..
Kamkar what did you use for the mount..?

 

[kamkar]

you can see that in the 2 pics, i used some plastic pipe normally used for drain in a sink, and the dashcam sits in a end plug for that pipe that i have a hole in.

Will start to make some photos for you now, got out of bed a little late + i had some shopping to do too.

To power my G1w i use a USB power bank, the build in battery only last for 2 minutes or so, but i guess you will be doing the same.

 

[kamkar]

Here is some pics and a little video i made today, dont mind the dust in the video footage when i zoom in, its just trown togther and i dident bother with dust.

First a pic of the old setup that dont work anymore i have just messed a little with it and it seem like the camera is dead, the recorder and the other camera in it work just fine.
In the picture is 12 V battery to power camera and IR lamp, the main unit for viewing and recording, and then on the left the dead camera unit.
I forgot to add the plastic spacer to this pic, but it is just a pice of the plastic tube, i then heated one end to make it square so that the camera housing would fit in there.
http://peecee.dk/uploads/032015/DSC_0026.JPG

Next picture is the G1W with the little zoom lens fitted.
http://peecee.dk/uploads/032015/DSC_0027.JPG

Next up is a pic with the plastic end cap fitted to the Dashcam, and the spacer part in the background.
http://peecee.dk/uploads/032015/DSC_0029.JPG

Pic of all the plastic parts on the dashcam, ready to push onto the scope.
http://peecee.dk/uploads/032015/DSC_0030.JPG

Final picture is of the end of my scope, there is some ajustment rings there that is a little larger then the tube of the scope, so to make that a bit larger i used insulation tabe and a little solder.
I was without a job when i made this, if i had been working i would have made the 2 plastic parts in aluminium on a lathe, and i would allso have made a ring to the scope instead of the plastic and solder solution.
http://peecee.dk/uploads/032015/DSC_0031.JPG

And finally a little video, again dont mind the dust, i would clean it if i was going hunting.
Allso as you can see its hard to focus the scope 100% when looking at a small screen.

 

[Louis40]

Very explicit thx. About the 3 rd picture where we can see the plastic on the G1W, is it glued or thickened by some insulation tape to fit?
Did you film the video at night because it gives red color..

 

[kamkar]

Not glued, i just made the hole in the plastic end cap so large that the dashcamera can be pushed into the hole,

On the G1W there is a round pice of plastic around the lens, its this that i push into the plastic end cap.

You can see it in this picture, the crome pice i have removed, but the black part with the rippels on is what i push into the hole in the end cap.

You might be able to glue that later on, but while you get things assembled and lined up it is nice with a little bit of play.
Just make sure when / if you glue it later on use slow hardening glue so you can line everything up before the glue harden.
The round shape around the lens on the G1W is allso a bit smaller then the plastic tube i have been using, so instead on a end cap like i use you could make some adapter that fit inside the tube and make the hole the same size as you need for your camera.

I just did it this way as i was able to find the plastic tube and end cap in a DIY store. ( my scope is around 46 mm in the end where the camera go, and the tube i found is 46 mm too, so i was pretty lucky there )
I allso think i will try to make the part that go on the scope shorter in order to get my lens closer to the glass in the scope, and make the whole thing more compact.

Ps. when i hunt rats i normally find a place where they allready are and then put some bait there, peanutbutter is popular, and then i just sit and wait for them to come and feed.
Sadly we dont have landfills here, most of trash here in denmark get burned, so i cant go to a dump to shoot rats, and that seem to be good spots acording to some videos on youtube.

 

[Louis40]

You are doing a great favor to the environment by pest controlling ..
I guess i will have to be creative in order to set up the GS8000L the front shape is different than the G1W because mine has the led light.
If you notice the plastic around the lens is not straight on the surface, it is wavy. You are right about adjusting the lens before final gluing or hardening it.
Thinking about getting a focusable lens like yours just as a trial.
What about the last video it's a bit red.. What air rifle do you have, calibre... I have a Benjamin Marauder synthetic stock. .22.

 

[kamkar]

The wavy part is allso what i use on my G1W it make it a little bit more easy to press onto the plastic end cap, if you dont like that maybe you could glue a thin ring of plastic on to the wavy part to have a clean surface.

Yes that strange color is what you get when you film in the daytime with a camera without IR filter, but that have to go when you shoot aided by IR light at night.
My airgun is a FX cyclone with the walnut stock as you have seen, it is allso .22 like yours ( only .117 is legal here now )

I am thinking about picking up one of the new SIG airguns, but first i will have to see some reviews and rob / find some mony
Both the pistols and rifles look good, and the rifles are semiauto with a 30 shot magasine.

I am not sure running around with a so real looking gun in Lebanon will be the smartest thing to do, i only know about the situation down there from the news witch allways focus on the bad parts.
Sadly Lebanon not the place old sailors have told me about, and they said Lebanon once was the best port in the whole mediterranean sea.

 

[Sabe]

And finally a little video, again dont mind the dust, i would clean it if i was going hunting.
Allso as you can see its hard to focus the scope 100% when looking at a small screen.

Somehow this last video reminded me one Dirty Harry movie,
that one where a guy shoots a woman in the swimming pool looking through scope, such a nice man.

 

[kamkar]

Well living in a gun fearing country, and never having been allowed to serve my country in the army ( though it was mandatory )

I do know to NEVER point a gun at somthing you are not willing too kill.

AT 100 M i need so much holdover my scope cant ajust for it, so for that distance i will need ajustable scope mounts.

But for the most we shoot 60 - 80 M when we shoot long, and that i can just deal with, and its quite hard to do with so light and slow pellets, must be like shooting Km with a proper 50 cal rifle.

 

[kamkar]

Just found the new FX Impact, finally a bullpup design i can relate to.

New Wildcat aint bad looking either.

Sadly they dont come for free which is all i can afford at the moment and i can not sell my cyclone to partly finance it as it is illigal now.

 

[Sabe]

Here we have paranoid situation, every 18 years old can buy that airgun freely, but if i want to buy starter pistol (blank gun) i need gun permission to that.