Mobius 5MP Varifocal Zoom 6-22mm ƒ/1.6

[Harsh]

I've always found white cars to be a bit problematic for the M1 regardless of lens, although each lens provides differing results. Of course, night time performance with the M1 has never been stellar.

Have you made any adjustments to the exposure, contrast and saturation settings? Some trial end error experimentation should improve your results. I think adjustment choices will depend on whether you want to optimize for day or night driving.

No changes. Was just sharing what I saw, don't plan on using it set to 6mm.

Once I'm done comparing the Varifocal to the fixed one at 12mm, plan on setting it somewhere in between 8 and 12mm. As 12 can be a bit much at times and there aren't any good 10mm options, I think this should fill that gap nicely.

 

[Dashmellow]

No changes. Was just sharing what I saw, don't plan on using it set to 6mm.

Once I'm done comparing the Varifocal to the fixed one at 12mm, plan on setting it somewhere in between 8 and 12mm. As 12 can be a bit much at times and there aren't any good 10mm options, I think this should fill that gap nicely.

The 6mm setting on this varifocal lens will not likely be equivalent to a fixed focal length lens due to the flange distance/back focal length distances on the varifocal. This can differ based on the positioning of the lens module as well as the particular module's barrel depth. At this point I just set the lens to my preferred FOV but no longer really concern myself with what precise focal length it is yielding.

 

[Harsh]

The 6mm setting on this varifocal lens will not likely be equivalent to a fixed focal length lens due to the flange distance/back focal length distances on the varifocal. This can differ based on the positioning of the lens module as well as the particular module's barrel depth. At this point I just set the lens to my preferred FOV but no longer really concern myself with what precise focal length it is yielding.

I mean while focusing, will take a photo in webcam mode with the 8 and 12mm placed at the same exact location and then set the Varifocal somewhere in between. A little time consuming as I have just 2 M1's but I think I'll give it a go.

 

[Dashmellow]

I mean while focusing, will take a photo in webcam mode with the 8 and 12mm placed at the same exact location and then set the Varifocal somewhere in between. A little time consuming as I have just 2 M1's but I think I'll give it a go.

Sorry, I didn't understand what you were getting at. Sounds like a good plan for getting the FOV you want.

 

[Harsh]

Sorry, I didn't understand what you were getting at. Sounds like a good plan for getting the FOV you want.

Probably because I didn't clearly explain how I was planning to go about it.

If I like what I see, will permanently replace the 12mm with the Varifocal. Has to be pretty good as the additional weight does let vibrations creep in sooner than the fixed lenses.

 

[Dashmellow]

Probably because I didn't clearly explain how I was planning to go about it.

If I like what I see, will permanently replace the 12mm with the Varifocal. Has to be pretty good as the additional weight does let vibrations creep in sooner than the fixed lenses.

Yeah, you'll want the mount to be as tight and rock solid as possible. I'm not quite so sure the helmet style mount is the best for this job as they seem to flex a little when stressed. I find a ball joint mount to be more secure and stable.

 

[Harsh]

Yeah, you'll want the mount to be as tight and rock solid as possible. I'm not quite so sure the helmet style mount is the best for this job as they seem to flex a little when stressed. I find a ball joint mount to be more secure and stable.

Already did, mounted it and then took it off. Though it was low profile , didn't like how the camera looked dangling off it.

This one (12 o'clock)

Was vibrating a lot of yesterday. Added another foam pad, much better.

 

[Dashmellow]

Already did, mounted it and then took it off. Though it was low profile , didn't like how the camera looked dangling off it.

Dangling? Well, that's no good!

 

[Harsh]

Looking for suggestions for a good quality low profile mount.

 

[Dashmellow]

Looking for suggestions for a good quality low profile mount.

During my "three time's the charm" (four times!) windshield replacement saga I managed to break the low profile DIY mount I've been using with varifocals for almost a year while in the process of removing it for the third time. I replaced it temporarily with one of these old reliable tripod ball joint mounts I've had on hand and at least for now it works so well that I'm continuing to deploy it. At some point I will either repair the one that broke or perhaps build another low profile mount.



These low cost commercially available tripod balljoint mounts were the source of parts for making my original low profile DIY mounts.

When I get some time I may build a new mount based on the old designs but for the Varifocal equipped Mobius a large stable base seems the best option. In fact, I have the above model mounted with the base vertically attached as it seems more stable than having it horizontal and puts the camera into a more optimal position on the glass peeking out under the tinted strip across the top of the windshield.

I'll probably go with something similar to this one but "upgraded".


I might even go with the "Super low profile" DIY mount but with a much bigger base.



For anyone with a modicum of DIY skills, it's not too hard to build these DIY mounts and they provide something you just can't go out and buy.

 

[Harsh]

One in the first pic I had ordered with my very first Mobius, came without the ball + tripod head.

Really like the one in the 3rd pic, need to find the pic with Fry holding dollar bills - "Shut up and take my money".

 

[Dashmellow]

One in the first pic I had ordered with my very first Mobius, came without the ball + tripod head.

Really like the one in the 3rd pic, need to find the pic with Fry holding dollar bills - "Shut up and take my money".

If you like the one in the third photo you don't need to spend a lot of money, you can just build one with a few parts after cutting down the original which you can buy for less that 2 dollars USD.

 

[Lola]

Is (original) the threaded shaft screwed into the ball or part of the ball ? Did you use epoxy to glue new/modified parts together?

Nice thinking. I do think the bigger base would be the best way to go, more stability which it will need with the 6-22.

 

[Dashmellow]

Is (original) the threaded shaft screwed into the ball or part of the ball ? Did you use epoxy to glue new/modified parts together?

Nice thinking. I do think the bigger base would be the best way to go, more stability which it will need with the 6-22.

The "original" has a shaft that is molded into the ball.

On my DIY version the shaft is inserted into a hole I drilled in a ball I sawed off of an old unused dash cam mount (without a shaft) and epoxied in place. The shaft is from a standard 1/4-20 hex head bolt from the hardware store that I saw the head off of.

You can read more about how I built these DIY mounts and see more explanatory photos in my old thread about them HERE. In fact, if anyone has further questions or just wants to talk about DIY alternative mounts some more it would probably be best to discuss them over in my DIY thread so that we can keep this thread on the topic of the 6-22mm varifocal ƒ/1.6 lens itself.

The take away from this off-topic discussion of mounts though is that anyone considering putting one of these CCTV varifocal lenses on their Mobius is that you will need as stable, tight and secure of a tripod mount as possible to accommodate the additional weight and added length of the camera. Installing this lens on a Mobius comes very close to doubling the length of the camera and the lens adds significantly more than the weight of the original camera to just the front half of the unit.

 

[TonyM]

I may have to try out one of my 24mm CPLs now because it would make for a cleaner, more discreet install except that I'm still enjoying the 30mm's ability to be adjusted on the fly by turning the front ring after the filter gets glued to the bezel.

I'm wondering if a DIY CPL could work, by cutting a 24mm aperture in the push-fit lens cap then gluing a CPL glass element to the lens cap. Harsh has already shown that there would be no vignetting at 24mm, and I would still be able to rotate the lens cap at any time, or remove it easily. I would need to find a CPL of the right size - I don't know how easy it is to disassemble a metal screw-in filter without damaging the glass element. There's usually a retaining spring clip in there to hold the glass in place. Alternatively I could extract the glass element from a Viofo or SG compatible CPL. I've just measured the Viofo one at 23mm diameter. @Harsh - what's the visible glass diameter of your 24mm CPL?

 

[Harsh]

22mm

 

[TonyM]

View attachment 40430
When I get some time I may build a new mount based on the old designs but for the Varifocal equipped Mobius a large stable base seems the best option. In fact, I have the above model mounted with the base vertically attached as it seems more stable than having it horizontal and puts the camera into a more optimal position on the glass peeking out under the tinted strip across the top of the windshield.

The take away from this off-topic discussion of mounts though is that anyone considering putting one of these CCTV varifocal lenses on their Mobius is that you will need as stable, tight and secure of a tripod mount as possible to accommodate the additional weight and added length of the camera. Installing this lens on a Mobius comes very close to doubling the length of the camera and the lens adds significantly more than the weight of the original camera to just the front half of the unit.

I agree that a strong, stable mount is necessary when using these heavier lenses with high magnification. Ideally the mount should also allow fine adjustment up/down left/right and tilt(horizon), since precise aiming is more important as the FOV reduces. I struggled to find a satisfactory position with the helmet mount that has defined up/down positions and no tilt adjustment, so I switched to the same ball-joint mount. I have the 6-22mm set at about 10 or 12mm and I do notice some jello in my video when the car is stationary.

 

[Dashmellow]

I'm wondering if a DIY CPL could work, by cutting a 24mm aperture in the push-fit lens cap then gluing a CPL glass element to the lens cap. Harsh has already shown that there would be no vignetting at 24mm, and I would still be able to rotate the lens cap at any time, or remove it easily. I would need to find a CPL of the right size - I don't know how easy it is to disassemble a metal screw-in filter without damaging the glass element. There's usually a retaining spring clip in there to hold the glass in place. Alternatively I could extract the glass element from a Viofo or SG compatible CPL. I've just measured the Viofo one at 23mm diameter. @Harsh - what's the visible glass diameter of your 24mm CPL?

I'm quite sure it would be possible to build a DIY CPL such as you are describing but I don't see the point of going to all that trouble when an inexpensive 30mm rotatable CPL works as well as it does right out of the box. Yeah, it's bigger in diameter than it really needs to be but I find it doesn't particularly bother me in any significant way. Then again, if I really wanted to install a 24mm dash cam type CPL I think I would try to take advantage of the fact that it can attach magnetically.

The more I run with a CPL on the varifocal lens the more I'm hooked on the concept. Here's a screen shot of something interesting I noticed the other day. With a CPL installed I can clearly observe and record traffic out ahead of the car in front of me through BOTH his darkly tinted rear window and front windshield! And the CPL turns out to have been slightly out of adjustment so the view could have been clearer.

 

[Dashmellow]

As I mentioned above, my CPL was slightly out of adjustment and I needed to fix that and decided to post the results "as it happened". So, I performed and recorded a short "CPL tune-in" real time adjustment video in the field using my 7 inch LCD monitor, the Mobius AV wiring harness of course, and a power bank. I think you'll find the results interesting. Living out on the middle of rural nowhere I needed to drive about 10 miles or so to my local supermarket parking lot to find a good subject for doing this task. So, this is a cheapo 30.5mm CPL I paid about 6 bucks for about three years ago that you can still find for that price. (needed to mask the glass and spray paint the bezel black) Works amazingly well!

https://www.ebay.com/itm/371592175245

 

[jokiin]

very effective