Mobius C2 1080p 30fps camera review

[VIIVIIIXIII]

Mobius C2 1080p 30fps camera review

Thanks to Gearbest for supplying this unit.
Official website: https://www.mobius-actioncam.com/
Product link: Price: $69.29USD w/ free shipping

Review:

For a while now, the Mobius camera is one that I have recommended to RFD users as one of the top dashcams to get. Today, I am reviewing the Mobius action camera with the all new C2 lens. The Mobius has been around for quite some time. I originally purchased my Mobius (B lens) back in 2013 and have been using it ever since as a rear dashcam in my daily driver. The Mobius developers have released 4 versions of the camera to date.

How has the Mobius improved or changed over the years? The primary change has been the lens. The four production lenses are: A, B, C and C2 -- each with varying properties (such as FOV, colour balance). The remaining hardware has mostly remained the same with some minor internal tweaks (ie. brighter LED, bigger battery, minor circuitry changes). Developer support and firmware updates have also been a huge part of the evolution of the Mobius. You can expect a new firmware to be released (free) every few weeks or months for various bug fixes, added features, or optimization. There is an extremely easy to use GUI (PC and Mac) for users to change settings and update firmware. The developer recommends using the newest lens and most up to date firmware for the best performance. See official website for more information on GUI and firmware revision history.

The Mobius is designed to be an action camera first. The newer Mobius cameras have an 820mAh (up from 520mAh) battery rated for over 2 hours of working time. The camera is straight forward to use out of the box 1) charge via mini-USB port, 2) insert microSD card, 3) record. Video quality is fairly good at 1080p 30fps (see original sample videos). The Mobius comes with a standard tripod attachment which means there are a various mounts you can use. There are also some mounting packages and accessories (ie. waterproof case) available.

The Mobius can also be used as a respectable dashcam. Using the GUI, a ton of settings can be tweaked to optimize the Mobius for dashcam use, such as: auto start-stop, loop recording, clip length, flip video, motion detection, power off delay, colour balance, resolution/fps, time stamp, etc. IMO, the Mobius makes an ideal dashcam due to its discrete form factor and ability to house a capacitor (see post below for capacitor install). Note: the Mobius does not come with a lengthy USB cable or suction/tape mount out of the box.

The Mobius has been around for just over 2 years now. In that time, a ton of other cameras have been released with better hardware, firmware, and overall performance. I would actually recommend the Xiaomi Yi as a better budget action camera. Similarly, I would recommend the Mini 0805 (or 0806) as a better budget dashcam.

On the other hand, the Mobius has managed to stay relevant as it does have unique features. It is versatile and can be used as both a full-fledged dashcam or actioncam (quadcopters too!). You are getting ongoing developer support with a huge community. Based on price, form factor, and ability to house a capacitor -- there aren't many other cameras that can compete with the Mobius. If you are looking for this niche camera, the Mobius is still a respectable camera and one that I would recommend for the money.


Sample Clips:

Recorded with lastest firmware v2.37

Photos:

Specifications and features list:

• Special Function: WDR, Photograph, Loop recording, USB function, AV-OUT, Cycle recording, WDR, Motion detection
• Max External Card Supported: TF 32G (not included)
• Class Rating Requirements: Class 4 or Above
• Battery type: Built-in
• Capacity : 820mAh
• Charge Way : USB charge by PC
• Wide Angle: 131 degree wide angle lens
• Image Sensor: CMOS
• Decode Format: H.264
• Video Format: MOV
• Video Resolution : 1080P 30FPS (1920 x 1080), 720P 60FPS (1280 x 720)
• Video System: PAL, NTSC
• Video Frame Rate: 30fps
• Video Output: AV-OUT
• Image Format : JPG
• Image Resolution : 2M (1920 x 1080), 1M (1280×720)
• Audio System: Built-in microphone/speacker (AAC)
• Auto-power on: Yes
• Interface Type: TF card slot, Mini USB

Box contents:

• 1 x Mobius C2 Action Camera with lens cap,
• 1 x Mobius Mounting Sleeve with Mount Adapter,
• 1 x USB Cable (short),
• 1 x L-Shape Screwdriver,
• 1 x Velcro

 

[VIIVIIIXIII]

 

[VIIVIIIXIII]

Mobius capacitor install

Remove screws and open up the Mobius, you will see this:

Locate and remove the battery connector. Easy peasy.

Battery removed.

Add some adhesive so the capacitor won't move around. I stuck it onto the SD card holder.

Connect the capacitor connector to where the battery connector was. Stick the capacitor to the adhesive. Voila!

 

[GearBest]

Thanks for your amazing review.

I am looking forward to comparison video between Mobius C2 and Xiaomi yi.

 

[russ331]

... Mobius makes an ideal dashcam due to its discrete form factor and ability to house a capacitor ...

Will you test the C2 for resistance to heat-related focus shift?

 

[VIIVIIIXIII]

Will you test the C2 for resistance to heat-related focus shift?

Sure, but I am from Canada. Not exactly sure what type of heat we get. It gets cold for sure though during the winter months.

 

[russ331]

Sure, but I am from Canada. Not exactly sure what type of heat we get. It gets cold for sure though during the winter months.

I spent a couple of weeks in Toronto in August some years ago. It was "scorchio"

 

[Bungus]

Will you test the C2 for resistance to heat-related focus shift?

Also light flares at night. Thanks

 

[dashy]

Might be better posting this in mobius2 section.
Come to think of it mobius2 section doesn't make sense, the name needs needs to be changed to( Mobius C2 )

I thought the working time was over two hours not 80 minutes.

 

[Isoprop]

Might be better posting this in mobius2 section.
Come to think of it mobius2 section doesn't make sense, the name needs needs to be changed to( Mobius C2 )

I thought the working time was over two hours not 80 minutes.

Yes, the new battery records over 2 hours of video. Also, the biggest blunder in the original post is, IMO, the fact that the Mobius does not use the Novatek 96650 DSP. The use of the 96650 is an incorrect assumption, as I've posted many times. There is a reason the labeling has been removed. Fact is the Mobius uses a superior, and more expensive, DSP.

 

[VIIVIIIXIII]

Yes, the new battery records over 2 hours of video. Also, the biggest blunder in the original post is, IMO, the fact that the Mobius does not use the Novatek 96650 DSP. The use of the 96650 is an incorrect assumption, as I've posted many times. There is a reason the labeling has been removed. Fact is the Mobius uses a superior, and more expensive, DSP.

My apologies! I must have relied on my memory from a few years back when the Mobius was said to be using the NT96650 and AR0330 combo. I did not realize it was false information until now. Have you revealed which chipset + sensor combination the Mobius uses? I would like to update the thread with the correct specifications. Thanks

 

[Isoprop]

My apologies! I must have relied on my memory from a few years back when the Mobius was said to be using the NT96650 and AR0330 combo. I did not realize it was false information until now. Have you revealed which chipset + sensor combination the Mobius uses? I would like to update the thread with the correct specifications. Thanks

Like I previously posted, there is a reason the DSP markings have been removed . Sorry, I can't give you any more information except that the DSP used is a superior model (more expensive) than the NT96650.
BTW, thanks for editing your original post.

 

[Deleted member 46308]

I always park on the top level of the parking garage at the airport when I travel on business. Which means it is in direct sun on the deck, all of the time. Recently, I was gone for five days and the temperature at the airport was consistently in the low to mid 90's. After returning home I checked the video in my Mobius C2 and found that there was absolutely no distortion or any other problems with the video. I have no idea what the temperature in my car rose to, but I imagine it was very hot for a long time. My Mobius C2 continues to perform with excellent results. I have been especially attentive to the corners and edges of the video as well, and it continues to be very clear and sharp with no heat related issues at all. Great camera for sure.

 

[jokiin]

I always park on the top level of the parking garage at the airport when I travel on business. Which means it is in direct sun on the deck, all of the time. Recently, I was gone for five days and the temperature at the airport was consistently in the low to mid 90's. After returning home I checked the video in my Mobius C2 and found that there was absolutely no distortion or any other problems with the video. I have no idea what the temperature in my car rose to, but I imagine it was very hot for a long time. My Mobius C2 continues to perform with excellent results. I have been especially attentive to the corners and edges of the video as well, and it continues to be very clear and sharp with no heat related issues at all. Great camera for sure.

good to hear the heat related issues from the C lens have been sorted

 

[BusterDuster]

Will you test the C2 for resistance to heat-related focus shift?

( Mobius C2 112°F 44.4°C ) Recently installed a Mobius C2 with capacitor, doing some shopping on a hot day so I thought I would post short video. I live in Coachella Valley that compromises Palm Springs, Palm Desert, Rancho Mirage, Indio, Indian Wells, Desert Hot Springs, Thermal, Thousand Palms, Cathedral City, I guess that's all of them. This is low desert just above sea level. My windshield is badly sand pitted, see when I go through overpass, also have reflections from dash. The .MOV file was edited with VSCD to shorten and then it was converted to and .AVI (not sure why I did that, new at this stuff), then uploaded to YouTube. Here is video baking in sun with AC full blast, heat coming in from windshield is pretty intense though and van gets pretty hot sitting while I'm shopping... Also have a LK-7950 running too, maybe I'll post a similar video.

 

[Rob Houston]

Hi People! First post on this forum - I think I need some help. Recently purchased the Mobius C2 from Banggood for £50.49 (UK) with no problems on shipping. Superb performance as a dashcam. However, as I am using Windows 10, I can not use "MOV" ( thank you Microsoft) and have to use "AVI" as the recording format to enable loop recording. I have found that although the camera setup is set for 3 minute sessions, the last 3 minute session for any journey is missing. Any ideas please?

 

[Skysailor]

I found this info...perhaps it will help:
How Do I Play MOV with Windows Media Player?

Even the latest Windows Media Player 11 doesn't come with an MOV codec to play MOV files in Windows. By installing an MOV codec, you can play MOV video files with Windows Media Player or other media players. Normally, you can simply install QuickTime Player to get an MOV codec. But QuickTime Player will also install lots of junks. Therefore, most people would like to install lightweight third-party codec packs like K-Lite Codec Pack. Get it here: http://www.codecguide.com/download_kl.htm

 

[Deleted member 46308]

Welcome to the forum Rob Houston

 

[russ331]

... have to use "AVI" as the recording format ...

Welcome to DCT. If seamless recording (i.e. no loss of any video between consecutive clips) is desired, you MUST use the MOV format, as there's a loss of 1 to 2 seconds of video between clips with the other output formats.

 

[Module 79L]

However, as I am using Windows 10, I can not use "MOV" ( thank you Microsoft) and have to use "AVI" as the recording format to enable loop recording. I have found that although the camera setup is set for 3 minute sessions, the last 3 minute session for any journey is missing. Any ideas please?

Why use anything from Microsoft, except for their OS, when you have VLC player?