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

I was playing around with different camera positions earlier this week, wondering where to use a spare camera. Normally I have my cameras as close to top-middle of the windscreen as possible, to be close to my viewpoint without getting in the way. I figured a 'telephoto' could be dash-mounted since it has such a narrow field of view that the window frame and car body do not enter the frame.

This is the view from my standard Mobius Maxi front camera at top-middle of the screen:
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On a Mobius Maxi with the 6-22mm lens (mounted alongside the other Maxi) it looks like this - close-up, but it can't see much of the road ahead:
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This is the view from a Mobius 1 with the same 6-22mm lens, at full 22mm extension, hand-held at the driver's edge of the windscreen just above the dash:
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This camera position is a bit like the view I get when leaning my head to one side to see if there's a suitable gap for overtaking. Not sure it really merits having another camera, and the mounting position is rather awkward as I have vents in the dash.
 
Will this lens work with Mobius Maxi?
 
Where do I buy Mobius Maxi with supercap installed? or where do I buy the supercap for mobius maxi?
So far it's easiest to buy from here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/B07FCSB523Does the lens need to have IRCF or is there an IRCF on the sensor or just before the sensor?
 
How have you dealt with vibration issues in your vehicles with telephoto lenses making the whole thing heavy and the zoom exacerbating the vibration artifacts?
 
@Dashmellow Do you set your Mobius to 'narrow' or 'wide' FOV when using this 6-22mm lens? I can see that narrow would gain a bit of extra zoom without the penalty of a smaller aperture. But does the direct 1920x1080 crop give better or worse image quality than pixel binning on the wide setting?
 
@Dashmellow Do you set your Mobius to 'narrow' or 'wide' FOV when using this 6-22mm lens? I can see that narrow would gain a bit of extra zoom without the penalty of a smaller aperture. But does the direct 1920x1080 crop give better or worse image quality than pixel binning on the wide setting?
In theory, it should give better sharpness than binning mode because 4 non-adjacent pixels are binned. Now depending on the architecture, binning would usually reduce image noise. Considering the noise in 1080p with wide FoV is already ****, I don't know if narrow FoV would be a better choice.
 
@Dashmellow Do you set your Mobius to 'narrow' or 'wide' FOV when using this 6-22mm lens? I can see that narrow would gain a bit of extra zoom without the penalty of a smaller aperture. But does the direct 1920x1080 crop give better or worse image quality than pixel binning on the wide setting?

I use the wide setting. I'm extremely pleased with the focal length setting I've been using for quite some time now with this lens/camera combination and have no desire to "gain a bit of extra zoom". As it is, I don't use the maximum zoom on the lens as too much magnification would be counterproductive and would also increase the likelihood of excessive vibration in the image, especially on the rural dirt/gravel roads I often drive on.

As for sharpness, this lens produces remarkable results on the M1 using the full sensor with pixel binning. I see no reason to mess with results like this. Pixel binning's effect on the M1 is barely perceptible as far as I can tell but all in all I've always found the full sensor provides a "slightly" better image. As an aside, another thing I can't help but marvel at with this 6-2mm ƒ/1.6 lens is the dramatically enhanced upper end dynamic range this lens provides to the Mobius, a camera not really known for good handling of bright highlights. Look at some of the images in the link, especially where bright reflections are seen in car windshields.
 
I use the wide setting. I'm extremely pleased with the focal length setting I've been using for quite some time now with this lens/camera combination and have no desire to "gain a bit of extra zoom". As it is, I don't use the maximum zoom on the lens as too much magnification would be counterproductive and would also increase the likelihood of excessive vibration in the image, especially on the rural dirt/gravel roads I often drive on.

As for sharpness, this lens produces remarkable results on the M1 using the full sensor with pixel binning. I see no reason to mess with results like this. Pixel binning's effect on the M1 is barely perceptible as far as I can tell but all in all I've always found the full sensor provides a "slightly" better image. As an aside, another thing I can't help but marvel at with this 6-2mm ƒ/1.6 lens is the dramatically enhanced upper end dynamic range this lens provides to the Mobius, a camera not really known for good handling of bright highlights. Look at some of the images in the link, especially where bright reflections are seen in car windshields.
Thanks for sharing your experience with this lens. I use it close to its widest end of the zoom range. I was curious whether going to the widest setting then choosing narrow would be any better.

In recent testing and comparison of the M1 and Maxi at 1080p, I found myself wondering whether the M1 and Maxi look better with a direct 1920x1080 crop or using the full frame. I thought the full frame looked better to me - seems you think the same.
 
Thanks for sharing your experience with this lens. I use it close to its widest end of the zoom range. I was curious whether going to the widest setting then choosing narrow would be any better.

In recent testing and comparison of the M1 and Maxi at 1080p, I found myself wondering whether the M1 and Maxi look better with a direct 1920x1080 crop or using the full frame. I thought the full frame looked better to me - seems you think the same.

I guess an inveterate camera tester like you could do some more precise testing so you can analyze the differences between the cropped and full frames. I'm just reporting a casual impression based on long time observations.

These days I'm way too busy to indulge in elaborate tests or camera mods trying to ascertain how many pixels will fit in the head of a pin and since this works so well for me I will just leave well enough alone for now.
 
I do tire of testing and pixel peeping. My varifocal had been in a drawer for a while to make space for testing. Today I decided I'd done enough testing, and wanted to install the cameras that I want to use long-term. As I was setting up the M1, I saw the narrow/wide toggle and couldn't remember which one worked better.

Anyway, it's installed now and the results look good, which is all that matters.
 
You know @TonyM, an interesting test might be to compare telephoto camera vibration between wide mode using a zoom magnification and the equivalent magnification (but less zoom) using narrow mode. I wonder if there might possibly be a difference? It strikes me that it is "possible" that a wider zoom setting in narrow thus mode creating a "faux" telephoto magnification "might" yield less apparent vibration in the image than a stronger magnifaction in wide mode.
 
You know @TonyM, an interesting test might be to compare telephoto camera vibration between wide mode using a zoom magnification and the equivalent magnification (but less zoom) using narrow mode. I wonder if there might possibly be a difference? It strikes me that it is "possible" that a wider zoom setting in narrow thus mode creating a "faux" telephoto magnification "might" yield less apparent vibration in the image than a stronger magnifaction in wide mode.
Engaging my tired head for a moment tells me that both approaches will have the same end result. It's like comparing camera shake between a full frame sensor & 300mm lens against a 1.5x crop sensor & 200mm lens (thereby 300mm effective focal length). Both have the same vertical and horizontal field of view. For any given angular movement during a single exposure, the amount of blurred pixels in the 1920x1080 output will be the same.
 
Engaging my tired head for a moment tells me that both approaches will have the same end result. It's like comparing camera shake between a full frame sensor & 300mm lens against a 1.5x crop sensor & 200mm lens (thereby 300mm effective focal length). Both have the same vertical and horizontal field of view. For any given angular movement during a single exposure, the amount of blurred pixels in the 1920x1080 output will be the same.

I dunno. The lens would still throw the same size image circle but at a lower magnification so the theory is that a center crop at a lower magnification may be prone to less apparent vibration in the image. Needs to actually be tested I guess.
 
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Is the iPhone App for Maxi not capable of switching Wide vs Narrow FoV for 1080p30 mode? I didn't see a difference in picture between these two modes. Haven't tried to program via computer yet.
 
Thanks, that was a very good explanation, when you have said before, a verty small spec of glue you were not kidding(y):cool:.

ANYWAYS ,, on my 5.0 MP Varifocal 6-22 mm Lens I bought a 30 - 28 mm step down ring and put just a little 2 component epoxy on the indent at the end of the lens with a tooth pick then
fit the step down ring over the indent and it fit perfectly and on the outside spread a light layer of epoxy over where the ring fit over the indent so just a bit was on the lens making a more secure
fit when it cured and was dry ,, once dry I screwed the CPL filter on and Woopy - D everything was nice and tight and can turn the filter nicely and or take it off whatever you wanted ,, still in the
process of putting together a 3 in. 12 volt monitor for the dash to focus the lens but generally like it where it is but have 2 cameras and will use the filter for the other one ,, just play toys .
 

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