M2 Discussion

[Skysailor]

Is it too soon to start a discussion on the new Mobius 2 as it relates to dashcam use? There is lots of talk on the RCgroups.com forum about the "almost released" new version of the Mobius so perhaps for those of us interested in the dashcam end of things should tag along?

 

[jokiin]

considering they directed people with the first Mobius that were interested in dashcam use over here anyway it's probably appropriate to have something here for the Mobius 2 as no doubt some of the people buying will be wanting it for dashcam use

 

[Dashmellow]

Someone on the RCgroups Mobius 2.0 support thread posted an interesting test video this morning demonstrating the 720@120 fps slow-mo capabilities of the new camera.

I found the results impressive, especially considering the initial complaints regarding the few other samples we've seen so far. The video was shot at dusk with a lot of bright sky in the FOV and the camera handled itself fairly well while at the same time managing to hold reasonably good shadow detail in the field and trees at the bottom of the image considering the time of day. The camera seems to respond quickly and smoothly to changing lighting as it is panned around the scene, there is no banding and the slow-mo is impressively smooth and effective. RAW video would likely appear better, of course.

There is obviously plenty of room for improvement and a video like this only provides limited data but it suggests a better initial launch of the camera than some people have been implying.

 

[spytec]

Hi,

We will try having somebody record some Mobius 1 vs. Mobius 2 dash camera video footage tonight...

 

[Dashmellow]

Hi,

We will try having somebody record some Mobius 1 vs. Mobius 2 dash camera video footage tonight...

Thanks!

Personally, I'm not sure what comparing the Mobius 1.0 vs Mobius 2.0 at this stage tells us since they are different platforms with both very mature firmware and very early firmware, but why not?

Either way, could you please make a notation of the firmware version(s) along with the posts so we can keep track and have a point of reference going forward?

 

[spytec]

Thanks!

Personally, I'm not sure what comparing the Mobius 1.0 vs Mobius 2.0 at this stage tells us since they are different platforms with both very mature firmware and very early firmware, but why not?

Either way, could you please make a notation of the firmware version(s) along with the posts so we can keep track and have a point of reference going forward?

Sure. If you have requests in terms of sample footage / settings on the Mobius 2 let us know.

 

[Dashmellow]

Sure. If you have requests in terms of sample footage / settings on the Mobius 2 let us know.

How about some 1080/60 base jumping footage from the top of One World Trade Center? You guys have a wing suit, right?😀

Well, OK, if not that then, perhaps some brief everyday NYC traffic scenes, maybe even one during the day and one at night? 🙂

 

[spytec]

How about some 1080/60 base jumping footage from the top of One World Trade Center? You guys have a wing suit, right?😀

Well, OK, if not that then, perhaps some brief everyday NYC traffic scenes, maybe even one during the day and one at night? 🙂

1 WTC is a bit far from our offices, but the Empire State Building is right around the corner. We'll see what we can do...

 

[thancam]

1 WTC is a bit far from our offices, but the Empire State Building is right around the corner. We'll see what we can do...

I am looking forward for it. 😱😎 Are you ready gonna do this ? Wearing a swing suit and jump ? 😀 😉
well, think twice. It's a good PR opportunity your company has. 😉

 

[jokiin]

There is obviously plenty of room for improvement and a video like this only provides limited data but it suggests a better initial launch of the camera than some people have been implying.

I notice a few people in that thread saying how bad this was, I thought it looked ok, not really sure what they were expecting, looked better than the stuff I captured while driving which to be fair is a lot harder for the camera to deal with than this type of scene

 

[Dashmellow]

I notice a few people in that thread saying how bad this was, I thought it looked ok, not really sure what they were expecting, looked better than the stuff I captured while driving which to be fair is a lot harder for the camera to deal with than this type of scene

Yeah, that's why I mentioned in my earlier post that "a video like this only provides limited data" but I thought it didn't look too bad, all things considered. I did like the slow-mo performance though and look forward to experimenting with the 120 fps capability myself.

In the meantime the one I ordered last week from eletoponline365 showed up in this afternoon's mail. Shipped next day and delivered to my door in eight days from China, amazing! Those guys have outdone themselves this time. Last order from them was 9 days as I recall.

Initial results were somewhat discouraging but I have had very little time to devote to the new camera since it arrived so I won't have much to report until I can become more familiar with the unit and do some actual testing.

 

[thancam]

I think they mean: Video is not sharp.
The light balance, colour seems good and only demand a little fix. But there is something wrong with compresstion, methinks. With 40 Mbps bitrate, video must be so much sharper than this.

 

[Dashmellow]

The video in the example I posted above is only 720p so the lower resolution will effect the apparent sharpness. I think you may be onto something with the compression though and that is one of the things I first want to explore with the camera.

 

[kamkar]

Would be interesting to see two Mobius 2 cameras in a head 2 head, one on H264 and one on H265 and otherwise same settings.
And then start to drop the bitrate on the H265 camera.

I an currently experimenting with 45 mbit firmware on one of my x cameras, that give me 1 Gb large 3 minute files 😱
But it do wonders for blocking in busy situations for the sensor, but i have not noticed the footage becoming sharper due to the elevated bitrate.
Sadly i can not compare them head to head as its the camera with the 8 mm lens that is on the elevated bitrate.
Also i cant get the camera to not stop/start every 30 seconds or so on the 1080/60 resolution i use on the production camera, all other resolutions is alright even the two resolutions that's larger than 1080p but 30 FPS.
And i have tried my 3 U3 cards ( all +70 MB/s write speed ) in that camera with the modified firmware😵 and other ppl have the 1080/60 working just fine on the modified firmware.😵😵

But i might give that modified firmware a short try on the production sample too as i cant seem to feel any worthwhile differences in temperatures between the 2 cameras ( using the back of a finger to feel the cameras )
I was expecting the camera with 45 mbit to be a whole lot warmer, but that don't seem to be the case so i have decided to keep the high bitrate on the camera with the 8 mm lens.

 

[thancam]

The video in the example I posted above is only 720p so the lower resolution will effect the apparent sharpness

i cant agree because youtube show it 1080p 60 fps

i think lack of sharpness because of compression. It's similar with blackvue dashcam. A good CMOS, good sensor, good lens, then compression is a only reason I could think.

 

[Dashmellow]

i cant agree because youtube show it 1080p 60 fps

i think lack of sharpness because of compression. It's similar with blackvue dashcam. A good CMOS, good sensor, good lens, then compression is a only reason I could think.

I see your point. Here is what the original post from the RC groups thread looked like and says regarding the 720@120 fps clip.

EDIT: Closer examination of the video shows the different time stamped clips that were edited together which were probably then exported in 1080p before uploading to YouTube. I think the poster was probably more interested in demonstrating the slow-mo capabilities of the Mobius 2 than in demonstrating video quality.

EDIT 2: Speaking of slow-mo on the M0bius 2, here is an interesting post from Tom Franks this morning: "The original eBay site ad does not mention that the M2 also does WVGA (848X480 16:9 aspect ratio) @ 240fps. This can give some REALLY nice slow motion. Though the resolution is small, it can make a nice PIP insert into a 1080p video."

 

[Dashmellow]

Today I tried an experiment with the wiring harness that comes with the new Mobius 2. I attached the RCA video out cable that comes with the Mobius 1 wiring harness since it has a compatible male plug. I was able to see a video signal on the 7 inch portable LCD TV I usually use for aiming my older Mobius cams but unfortunately the signal is badly garbled.

With the Mobius 2's lack of web cam ability for focusing I was counting on at least having the video out for my "screen" needs. I wonder why Mobius doesn't supply the various compatible connectors that came with the original Mobius 1 wiring harness?
What are these guys thinking with this camera? The notion of removing key features or connectors makes no sense.

On the plus side , I've gotten some halfway decent looking footage out of camera but it will take far more testing to really analyze this thing.

 

[thancam]

I was able to see a video signal on the 7 inch portable LCD TV I usually use for aiming my older Mobius cams but unfortunately the signal is badly garbled.

With the Mobius 2's lack of web cam ability for focusing I was counting on at least having the video out for my "screen" needs. I wonder why Mobius doesn't supply the various compatible connectors that came with the original Mobius 1 wiring harness?

You should post this on rc forums too.

 

[jokiin]

I wonder why Mobius doesn't supply the various compatible connectors that came with the original Mobius 1 wiring harness?
What are these guys thinking with this camera? The notion of removing key features or connectors makes no sense..

mine came with the AV out cable, the pinouts are different to the Mobius 1

 

[Dashmellow]

mine came with the AV out cable, the pinouts are different to the Mobius 1

Do you mean an RCA AV out cable?