No I'm fully aware of the implications and the benefits of using a narrower angle. The OP has never indicated a specialist use and to that end, a wider view than 30 degrees is better for most to ensure you capture front side impacts. I'd fully agree that if you're running multiple front cams there are benefits to having a narrow angle 2nd cam to get a better plate view / distance view.
If you read just one or two posts above, I've mentioned a CCTV article which explains how the pixel density, which is the sum of several of parts including fov from the lens, is a major factor in the identifiability of objects such as faces (and text).
Really?....Earlier you claimed that using an 8-10mm lens is
"more suited to drone use" and then went on to advise, "
60 degrees minimum, and even then some might say that was too much." So now, suddenly, you are
"fully aware of the implications and the benefits".
I find it rather interesting that you have nothing whatsoever to say about the excellent 8-12 mm focal length examples posted recently by three different DCT members on the forum. In each and every case, all of us have stated and demonstrated right from the start that our telephoto dash cams are intended for use as a
companion to a traditional wide angle camera and have presented examples, yet for some odd reason you feel the need to argue that "
wider than 30 degrees is better....to ensure you capture front side impacts". Again, your comments seem based on speculation and theorizing rather than personal experience with lenses like this. And, as is self evident to everyone but you, side impact is not the purpose or motivation for anyone interested in telephoto lens dash cams. Nevertheless, while posted examples demonstrate the ability to capture extreme detail at closer range these longer focal lengths also demonstrate an ability to capture a fairly wide swath of traffic out farther ahead from the vehicle which will include at least two lanes of traffic or more, even at 12mm. But side impact capture is not the point of this exercise anyway, so why drag it into the discussion? I'm guessing you are trying to ignite another one of these tedious circular arguments you are so fond of.
You repeatedly advise others to go out and purchase specialized high end Back-Bone lenses. It doesn't seem from anything you've ever indicated that you personally own any of those. Even if you do, do you think
@Lola or most of us others are willing or able to purchase individual high end lenses that cost in most cases as much or far more than the dash cameras they would be installed on like a Mobius in this instance or the fact that some of these expensive high resolving power lenses exceed the capabilities of the sensors they would be mounted on? While I do advocate buying good quality lenses perhaps like the one kamkar1 invested in, selecting these 90 dollar and up lenses would be a waste of money, not only because the resolution isn't needed but also because longer lenses have virtually no issues with barrel distortion and don't need the level of optical correction you advocate.
Anyway, thanks for the lecture on resolving power. It sounds like you must have watched the presentation about the "debunking the megapixel myth" I linked to before you decided to explain this to all of us. Pixel density is all well and good if you have the correct sensor to make use of the capability but it is really a different subject than the use of longer lenses. Granted, this thread started out on that topic before Lola inquired about the 8-10mm purchasing, but we're talking apples and "meatballs"here.
FYI, @Lola, has been talking about her requirements and interests in a dash cam and has been slowly zoning in on accomplishing her objectives since her very first posts here on DCT and so asking about longer 8-10 mm lenses has been part of that process as far as I can tell
.