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

Yes I see what she is doing ,, thanks for the photos cause it clears things up ,, can only surmise what the camera is seeing is what it's focused on ?? and what to do with the information it's giving being
it's proper information you can work with.
I
Yes I see what she is doing ,, thanks for the photos cause it clears things up ,, can only surmise what the camera is seeing is what it's focused on ?? and what to do with the information it's giving being
it's proper information you can work with.

I bought 2 lenses thinking they had the IR filter in them but they didn't so had to make sure any I bought did have the filter in it ,, even bought 2 filters for them
but they are just a touch larger than the hole and it would be difficult glueing it in ,, so cheap just bought 2 more with it in ,,
 
I have a 24mm magnetic CPL I bought for a mini 0906 which is not in use, I wonder if it's possible to get a magnetic ring to stick to the end of the lens housing so I can just add/remove and adjust the CPL at my leisure.

Also it seems like from this thread the best mounting solution in terms of reducing vibration is the balljoint mount Dashmellow showed, this is handy as that's what I currently have.
Of course, I will probably have to do a test fit etc, as the lens makes the camera a lot longer!
 
3-D printed wedge and dual-lock tape - $8 incl. postage :)

y4mdo6ryoTBrtQ1e6jgSBjN9hoF6EOPzZvd0ba0P0TQOojmdMyQ5Yeiu3UjSQbwTcS6EdRGMfxmnZCxyHzGkUYztXt6DMgB5vuoo-ffLbbK0-QIyWgJ8rxTAGpbzeHNEA0WFG0dIeJBUFdVPN2mfSGW10krzWbZbtEF3tqgH_NwNTQW-wj_gh3Jspld742DfQePY3nzMOt9X6Iqb-Hb96TmxA

How did you end up with the correct shape for the wedge? I guess it must have taken lot of trial and error?
I think I may start off with the balljoint mount tightened down well and take it from there.
 
The easy way to find an angle is to tape a piece of cardboard to the windshield along one edge, hold the cam and mount where you want it, then draw a line across the cardboard to match. Measuring the cardboard pattern with a protractor gives you that angle in degrees. If it's not a true wedge with a point, the pattern cam be marked and measured for height and width too.

Phil
 
After more thought, I think I will just spend some time with the balljoint mount just trying to get the lens setup nicely for my needs.

I'm still waiting for my replacement case, it seems to have gone missing, I hope customs have not destroyed it.
 
How did you end up with the correct shape for the wedge? I guess it must have taken lot of trial and error?
I think I may start off with the balljoint mount tightened down well and take it from there.
I setup the camera with a ball-joint, then measured the angle between the camera body and the mount plate :)
 
Hello guys! I've been reading and reading and it's kind of hard to understand what parts to get for the dash camera. Could you help me get the right parts please? I want to get installed 2 cameras, one wide angle, another one 12mm zoom lens for plates.
So far:
1. The camera Mobius Maxi
2. Lens. Not sure which one would be best.
- Second one 5.0Megapixel Varifocal 6-22mm CCTV
or with the IR filter?


What else will i need to get? Such as windshield holder and wires?
And the last question, let's say I got it all, is it plug and play with a new lens or do I need to calibrate focus somehow?
Thanks in advance!
 
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Hello guys! I've been reading and reading and it's kind of hard to understand what parts to get for the dash camera. Could you help me get the right parts please? I want to get installed 2 cameras, one wide angle, another one 12mm zoom lens for plates.
So far:
1. The camera Mobius Maxi
2. Lens. Not sure which one would be best.
- Second one 5.0Megapixel Varifocal 6-22mm CCTV
or with the IR filter?


What else will i need to get? Such as windshield holder and wires?
And the last question, let's say I got it all, is it plug and play with a new lens or do I need to calibrate focus somehow?
Thanks in advance!

Your questions seemed a bit complicated to answer but I see you edited your post which makes it a bit easier to provide some advice.

1. You can use the Mobius Maxi or you could use the original Mobius 1. The original M1 will be more reliable as many unresolved issues still remain with the Maxi. Still, the Maxi should be fine if you choose to go with it, just expect you could have a few issues now and again.

2. Yes, go with the 5.0 Megapixel Varifocal from Treeye. They would be my recommended vendor so you've picked a good seller. For dash cam purposes you want the one with the IR filter.

To answer your question, yes, you will need to adjust and focus the varifocal lens to your requirements. The two knurled rods on the side of the lens are for adjusting the zoom and focus. Once you put the lens on your Mobius, plug the camera into a USB port on your computer and open the image in "web cam mode". This will allow you to zoom and focus. (See the Mobius owners manual for web cam mode instructions.)

3. Depending on your requirements go with either the 10 foot or 15 foot Monoprice USB-A to mini-B - 28/24AWG cable. They also offer a 28/28AWG cable but I'd recommend the thicker heavier wire gauge one with the ferrite bead.

https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=5447

4. Any good quality USB car charger should work fine. Just make sure it outputs at least 2 amps per port.

https://www.amazon.com/car-charger-dual-usb/s?k=car+charger+dual+usb

5. For a mount I would recommend one of the following or similar. If you look around on AliExpress, eBay and elsewhere you may find them for less than on Amazon but this is what they look like. For my Mobius M1 set-up I use the mount in the first image but the second one may be more flexible to use depending on the slope of your windshield.


t-mount.jpg

dt-mount.jpg

https://www.amazon.com/gp/B00BPRLNQ2

https://www.amazon.com/gp/B00QSFKJ8E
 
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Your questions seemed a bit complicated to answer but I see you edited your post which makes it a bit easier to provide some advice.

1. You can use the Mobius Maxi or you could use the original Mobius 1. The original M1 will be more reliable as many unresolved issues still remain with the Maxi. Still, the Maxi should be fine if you choose to go with it, just expect you could have a few issues now and again.

2. Yes, go with the 5.0 Megapixel Varifocal from Treeye. They would be my recommended vendor so you've picked a good seller. For dash cam purposes you want the one with the IR filter.

To answer your question, yes, you will need to adjust and focus the varifocal lens to your requirements. The two knurled rods on the side of the lens are for adjusting the zoom and focus. Once you put the lens on your Mobius, plug the camera into a USB port on your computer and open the image in "web cam mode". This will allow you to zoom and focus. (See the Mobius owners manual for web cam mode instructions.)

3. Depending on your requirements go with either the 10 foot or 15 foot Monoprice USB-A to mini-B - 28/24AWG cable. They also offer a 28/28AWG cable but I'd recommend the thicker heavier wire gauge one with the ferrite bead.

https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=5447

4. Any good quality USB car charger should work fine. Just make sure it outputs at least 2 amps per port.

https://www.amazon.com/car-charger-dual-usb/s?k=car+charger+dual+usb

5. For a mount I would recommend one of the following or similar. If you look around on AliExpress, eBay and elsewhere you may find them for less than on Amazon but this is what they look like. For my Mobius M1 set-up I use the mount in the first image but the second one may be more flexible to use depending on the slope of your windshield.


View attachment 55822

View attachment 55823

https://www.amazon.com/gp/B00BPRLNQ2

https://www.amazon.com/gp/B00QSFKJ8E

I really really appreciate the detailed answer, thank you so much! There is so much information to process, so yes the questions were a bit confusing. I was looking for this type of zoom dash cam after trying UltraDash Z3 (wasn't satisfied with it) and found this awesome thread and such cool custom lens solution :) I have the last question, is the mobius the "best" camera to use to the date (quality/resolution/fps wise)? No offense just curious. However, the amount of threads and messages on Mobius brand tells me it's probably the great choice. Thanks
 
is the mobius the "best" camera to use to the date (quality/resolution/fps wise)?
The Mobius 1 is a very versatile camera for use in and out of the car. It is fairly easy to remove the supplied lens and replace it with a telephoto / varifocal lens.

As for the best quality, resolution and fps: No, there are higher performance cameras available for dashcam use with higher resolution, better low light performance, higher frame rate etc. A simple wedge dashcam like any of the Viofo A119 series is probably a better choice for a regular dashcam.

A telephoto Mobius can work well as a second camera, providing additional coverage to compliment a normal dashcam. The small size also offers discreet mounting options if you are willing to be creative.
 
At this point very few cams other than the Mobius1 have been tried with "zoom" lens types. Equal or better results are certainly possible, but will require a much more in-depth effort than following the recommendations found here from those who have done that work already with this cam. Other than poor nighttime performance the old Mobius is still one of the best 1080P cams, and 1080P done well is still a good choice for dashcam use even with 4K becoming commonplace.

Regardless of the cam, you will lose some low-light capability with any of these types of lenses by their nature so I wouldn't expect them to be as useful then compared to daytime. And no cam but the Mobius1 offers the wide range of adjustability needed to get the best out of this type of lens. I'd recommend following the already-mapped path with Mobius versus trying to break another trail so to speak. But I'm also interested in seeing what else can be done with what should be better cams too, so experiment if you want to.

Phil
 
I really really appreciate the detailed answer, thank you so much! There is so much information to process, so yes the questions were a bit confusing. I was looking for this type of zoom dash cam after trying UltraDash Z3 (wasn't satisfied with it) and found this awesome thread and such cool custom lens solution :) I have the last question, is the mobius the "best" camera to use to the date (quality/resolution/fps wise)? No offense just curious. However, the amount of threads and messages on Mobius brand tells me it's probably the great choice. Thanks

One consideration that makes the Mobius camera combined with a varifocal zoom lens far more effective than any other camera is that the Mobius has far more ability to adjust and control the exposure, color and other parameters of how it functions than any other camera on the market. This alone sets the camera apart from every other and is one of the reasons that it lends itself to all the unique and creative things that people do with Mobius cameras such as installing aftermarket alternative lenses on them.

Among other things you can control the sharpness, contrast, exposure, saturation, color, white balance, image rotation, video file type, FOV, data rate, etc. These adjustments and settings allow you to optimize the image you can obtain from
a varifocal or other alternative lens and can mean the difference between success and failure in the quality of the images you end up with.
 
Hello fellas! Hello @Dashmellow ! I got the mobi and the parts a while ago. Had some time today and figured I'd attempt to replace the 6-22mm lens and install this lovely piece of equipment in my car :) Right away have some questions, lol.
1. Do I fasten the lens all the way till it stops?
2. Probably more obvious, but just in case.. Do i cut the outside round plastic housing so the new lens fits? Or is there an adapter?
3. And the last one, i think @Dashmellow you posted somewhere a screenshot with the settings for this lens, i can't seem to find it, I went through many pages. Could you give me a link to that post?
Thank you!
 

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Hello fellas! Hello @Dashmellow ! I got the mobi and the parts a while ago. Had some time today and figured I'd attempt to replace the 6-22mm lens and install this lovely piece of equipment in my car :) Right away have some questions, lol.
1. Do I fasten the lens all the way till it stops?
2. Probably more obvious, but just in case.. Do i cut the outside round plastic housing so the new lens fits? Or is there an adapter?
3. And the last one, i think @Dashmellow you posted somewhere a screenshot with the settings for this lens, i can't seem to find it, I went through many pages. Could you give me a link to that post?
Thank you!

1. Yes.

2. No, don't cut the camera housing! Just screw the lens into the lens module inside the closed housing until it is tight.

3. You are thinking of the settings for a similar 2.8-12mm varifocal lens I posted a different thread about except that one was an infra red lens with no IR cut filter. Those settings won't work for this one (assuming you've got an IR-cut filter installed on your new lens) The post you are referring to with the settings is HERE but don't use them. This varifocal lens should be fairly typical like any other standard lens although you may have to experiment with "A"-"B"-"C" lens types as well as the usual sharpness, exposure, contrast settings, etc. The A"-"B"-"C"lens choices are simply to accommodate the basic color balance inherant in each lens. Try the "C" type to start. I need to check which setting I actually used. It's been so long since I last set that lens up I forgot and would need to remove my cam from my vehicle to check.

See how it goes and come back with any questions you may have. Don't be afraid to experiment with the settings, focus and zoom.
 
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1. Yes.

2. No, don't cut the camera housing! Just screw the lens into the lens module inside the closed housing until it is tight.

3. You are thinking of the settings for a similar 2.8-12mm varifocal lens I posted a different thread about except that one was an infra red lens with no IR cut filter. Those settings won't work for this one (assuming you've got an IR-cut filter installed on your new lens) The post you are referring to with the settings is HERE but don't use them. This varifocal lens should be fairly typical like any other standard lens although you may have to experiment with "A"-"B"-"C" lens types as well as the usual sharpness, exposure, contrast settings, etc. The A"-"B"-"C"lens choices are simply to accommodate the basic color balance inherant in each lens. Try the "C" type to start. I need to check which setting I actually used. It's been so long since I last set that lens up I forgot and would need to remove my cam from my vehicle to check.

See how it goes and come back with any questions you may have. Don't be afraid to experiment with the settings, focus and zoom.
Thanks a lot for the info! Yes, I got the 650nm IR version lens. Lol, that was an easy installation)) well, it has more tension on the housing because the sensor has to be a little bit further and slightly off its place but i got it. I will test and experiment then :) Will come back if I had any more questions. Much appreciated brother!
 
This has been on my things to do to my M1 ever since I came aware of the thread.

Funny how a scratched lens and wrong item order have kick me back to this.

Can't remember my M1 being this clear at night. but here are some screen shot vs my 6yr old sg9665gc (still improving on the mount)






Aside from my 6 year old sg9665gc, that need some cleaning. What bugs me is lens focus when it reaches a certain temp. see vid

Don't know the exact term, but I do know its temperature related as you can see at the start of the video the wobbliness only start when the car is outside the house and to add I do not notice this in my night time videos.
Not a deal breaker entirely as this will be a backup camera, but is this behavior normal/fixable?
 
As you mentioned, the mount needs work. What kind of mount are you using?

I use a helmet mount with some thin foam tape on the windshield mounted piece. No vibrations or wobbling with the 12mm.
 
the mount I used is a repurposed smartphone magnet mount. replaced the magnet with a N42 (Pot Fishing Magnet). I want for the camera to be as near to the car window (out of sight out of mind setup). Magnet is strong enough and cannot be easily pulled out, but it could still slide hence the 3m tapes.



The placement of the expressway rfid have limited where I can put the camera. Current setup is my 2nd time mounting it. As you can you can see in the picture, it was initially place a little higher. It was ok with out of sight out of mind setup up until my wife use the car , she always adjust the rear view mirror and as the first set of pics posted above it has nudged the camera a little bit to the left. The thing about helmet mount is the need to use of the cradle which add length when the camera is mounted (making the M1 visible in the driving seat).
 
@jaro, nice to see you resurrect your old M1 with this lens. I think once you get it sorted out you will really enjoy what it can do.

I have a few suggestions.

First, I would try using less zoom for a shorter telephoto setting. This will give you a more useful image with a bit wider coverage and it will dramatically reduce the amount of vibration and "jello effect" you are getting.

Second, you might try refocusing so that the hyper-focal distance covers more of what you want to capture - close and far. I find that with this lens, if I focus very carefully on an object about 100 feet way, then objects near my truck as well as objects much farther way are both in good focus. So, basically you are optimizing your depth of field for your particular use of this lens.

Finally, I agree that you need a more stable and solid camera mount. The varifocal lens is a pretty heavy and when attached to a lightweight camera like the Mobius is needs a really strong mount that will be more secure than the magnets.

These days I've been using one of these generic, widely available mounts for my M1 varifocal and it works very well. It can depend on the slope of your windscreen whether this mount will work for you.

mount_a.jpg

Another mount I have which I am going to be switching to soon is this one from iSaddle. It is very versatile for aiming and positioning the camera and once you tighten the thumbscrew it is ROCK solid.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/B00QSFKJ8E


https://www.ebay.com/itm/194764881944


mount_b.jpg


I also spoke about these mounts a few months ago in a different post and I think one of these two would be a good option.
 
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The iSaddle mount looks like a good alternative to the helmet mount.
 
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