Mobius ActionCam Wishlist 2015

Surprised no one has pointed out that the Mobius is an action cam not a dash cam, the clue is in the name, it just happens to make a very good dash cam.

In fact, what the Mobius really does show is how poor those marketed as dash cams are that we all choose an action cam over them.
 
biggles said:
Surprised no one has pointed out that the Mobius is an action cam not a dash cam, the clue is in the name, it just happens to make a very good dash cam.

In fact, what the Mobius really does show is how poor those marketed as dash cams are that we all choose an action cam over them.
Click to expand...

Based on what I see out there on the roads everyday, dash cams ARE action cams! ;)
 
My wish isn't for new features.

My wish is for the Mobius quality to return to what it used to be.
 
map said:
My wish isn't for new features.

My wish is for the Mobius quality to return to what it used to be.
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I think Mobius camera quality is just fine as it has always been. The problem seems to be specific to the current generation of lens modules. For a developer who has a reputation for going to great lengths to procure the finest Japanese lenses and modules for this camera, something seems woefully wrong.
 
Dashmellow said:
I think Mobius camera quality is just fine as it has always been. The problem seems to be specific to the current generation of lens modules. For a developer who has a reputation for going to great lengths to procure the finest Japanese lenses and modules for this camera, something seems woefully wrong.
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I should have been more specific, I was referring to quality control and the current lens modules, rather than overall quality.

It is this reputation that you speak of that makes me surprised that both versions of the frp modules appear to be having issues.

So, my wishlist is to return to the "good" modules.
 
I would like to see an extra 5v input socket on the pcb much like the one used for the battery/super Cap connection. This would allow the möbius to be powered with a hard wire kit without a comparatively bulky mini usb plugged in the back.

They could even offer a hardware kit with plug attached and print a removable notch into the rear of the case where the two halves come together.
 
Perhaps black anodise the aluminium heat sinks for the next update so that users can determine the newer model from the earlier model.

Might also be an idea to add a few holes to the side of the Mobius casing to vent the hot air, or perhaps manufacture the Mobius casing from aluminium so the whole casing acts as a heat-sink.
 
Recently posted by Tom Frank at RCGroups...

"... plans are underway for a second generation Mobius 2, that will have 1080p-60fps and 720p-120fps capability if all continues to go well in the development and testing ..."
 
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I'd guess the Mobius would be using the A7LS chipset that's pretty popular right now - if it does not sure how that would stand up to long term automotive use.

Unless they're using the new Novatek 96660?

I'm looking forward to seeing some camera with the new Novatek chipset anyway :)
 
To me cold weather capability is very important. I would like to see a dash cam capable of working to at least -10f if not -20f.
 
russ331 said:
Recently posted by Tom Frank at RCGroups...

"... plans are underway for a second generation Mobius 2, that will have 1080p-60fps and 720p-120fps capability if all continues to go well in the development and testing ..."
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I understand the 1080/60p and 720/120p for the RC Group, 1080/60p is the universal format that converts to other lower formats and 720/120p converts to a smooth slow motion.

Still, for the dashcam people, a higher resolution, even with a reduced frame rate would be important. Even at 10FPS, there are enough frames to show what happened and higher resolution means more detail.
 
BobDiaz said:
I understand the 1080/60p and 720/120p for the RC Group, 1080/60p is the universal format that converts to other lower formats and 720/120p converts to a smooth slow motion.

Still, for the dashcam people, a higher resolution, even with a reduced frame rate would be important. Even at 10FPS, there are enough frames to show what happened and higher resolution means more detail.
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So 3840 x 2160p @30fps might be of some interest then you think? ;)
 
BobDiaz said:
I understand the 1080/60p and 720/120p for the RC Group, 1080/60p is the universal format that converts to other lower formats and 720/120p converts to a smooth slow motion.

Still, for the dashcam people, a higher resolution, even with a reduced frame rate would be important. Even at 10FPS, there are enough frames to show what happened and higher resolution means more detail.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, even with higher resolutions, slower frame rates are a problem for capturing important details and eliminating motion blur in digital dash cam capture. This topic has come up before here on DCT and there was some good discussion and debate about it. My wish along these lines is for Mobius to transition to a DSP solution that provides both higher resolutions than 1080P and higher frame rates.

Here are some good FPS demonstration images from the thread I linked above, courtesy Red Digital Cinema.

10 fps
10fps.png

24 fps
24fps.png

60 fps
60fps.png
 
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I think that we must here differentiate the CMOS shutter speed and the actual movie frame rate !

The first being dependent on how much light is comming to the sensor and how fast this sensor can upload its data to its cache and be resetted for a next image to be captured, which has the benefits of reducing actual motion blur but at same time lightness in every frame

the second being dependent on the desired bitrate that can be handled by the procesor and the SD card and has only the benfits of being able to play slow motion playbacks or to show specific frames

If both are obviousely welcomed, the fist is typicaly what actual dashcams realy need to get a single frame with ledgible licence plates while the second is typically what action cams needs to make nice pictures and/or movies.

if cheaper (and/or multichanel) dashcams cannot suport higher bitrates, then why not focus on the use of bigger lenses/sensors and record only one frame on the two captured.
 
RE: Here are some good FPS demonstration images from the thread I linked above, courtesy Red Digital Cinema.

When shooting video that will be in a movie, it's best to have the shutter speed be around 1/2 of the frame rate. 24FPS should have a 1/48 of a second shutter speed. 10 FPS should have a 1/24 shutter speed. This is the best balance between sharpness and the strobe effect.

Here's a time lapse with a high shutter speed:
Notice the strobe like effect.

Here's a timelapse done correctly with a 1 FPS shutter and a 1/2 second shutter speed:
After the driving footage, there's the longer shutter speed, notice how much more natural the movement looks.

However, we are not shooting movies here and in full sunlight a shutter speed of 1/200 of a second (or higher) is possible at any frame rate. Now as the light drops, the camera must increase the gain of the video amplifier and lengthen the shutter speed. That's why night footage isn't as good as day footage.

A bigger image sensor would capture more light and have better low light performance.
 
If the Mobius is being used as a dash cam in a car then I think the crucial points are:

Is nearly 100% reliable and easy to setup and use.
Sharp video footage recorded in the daytime and lowlight or at night.
Sharp rendition of number-plates even when moving vehicles at speed.
Long term memory retention (2 x 128GB+ SD cards) for perhaps two to three weeks video recording, for use as evidence for lack of speeding following a court summons.
 
A few more thoughts:

Add the ability to user-set a title in the bottom left where the date and time information is displayed (like you can with the Mini 0806). Perhaps the manufacturer could set the default as 'MOBIUS ACTION CAM' in that space, which would act as a bit of free advertising whenever anyone uploads videos onto YouTube or anywhere else for that matter.

GPS would be a real benefit for accurately setting the time and date, but also for displaying the speed if required, just so long as KMH and MPH are user selectable.

State clearly whether it is 14:53 GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) or BST (British Summer Time).
 
New person here. I would wish that motion detect could be set for ONE vid mode only, not both as it is now. That would eliminate a trip to msetup, and let me switch between modes on the fly. Thanks.
 
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