New lenses and night performance....

[dirkzelf]

Do any of the new lens modules perform better than older A and C2 lens?

 

[Dashmellow]

Do any of the new lens modules perform better than older A and C2 lens?

That's a good question and I don't know the answer. I've repeatedly asked Mobius to provide the specs on the lenses such as the aperture number but still no answer. In a few weeks the weather here will warm up above freezing long enough so I can securely attach a suction cup mount next to my existing adhesive tripod windshield mount and I will see if I can do some side by side tests of the original "A" lens Mobius with the new "A2" lens Mobius.

 

[dirkzelf]

That's a good question and I don't know the answer. I've repeatedly asked Mobius to provide the specs on the lenses such as the aperture number but still no answer. In a few weeks the weather here will warm up above freezing long enough so I can securely attach a suction cup mount next to my existing adhesive tripod windshield mount and I will see if I can do some side by side tests of the original "A" lens Mobius with the new "A2" lens Mobius.

TX, please keep us updated, I already have spent way too much money on cameras as it is, and before I go onto buying new lenses I'd be interested in seeing some hard evidence.....

Apparently you have the A2 lens laying waiting, anyone else have a D lens to compare?

Piece

 

[Dashmellow]

TX, please keep us updated, I already have spent way too much money on cameras as it is, and before I go onto buying new lenses I'd be interested in seeing some hard evidence.....

Apparently you have the A2 lens laying waiting, anyone else have a D lens to compare?

Piece

Yes, I've had an A2 lens Mobius for awhile now. I posted about it HERE a month ago if you haven't already seen the thread.

 

[dirkzelf]

yeah I saw it, but I have difficulties to judge either way....

It seems the images shown were a little darker than real life observation if I get your remarks correct, right?

Then there's the clip with the blue shifting back to the correct white color, I have had that in ANY of my Mobius camera's, especially when daylight is fading...... twilight makes the image go very blue, and sometimes after a few seconds it's popping back to normal. But not always, it stays too blue for a whole 3 minutes......

I'm very interested to see a night street traffic recording on lit and unlit roads....

Piece.

 

[Dashmellow]

The color balance on all of my older production Mobius 1 cameras (which I've had for quite some time) is perfectly stable. The one with this problem was shipped to me at the end of December. Maybe there is something going on with the newer production runs of the camera that is wonky? So far, I have not heard back from Mobius with any explanation for the color shifts other than, we are "trying to reproduce the problem".

The "darkness" issue only happens under certain challenging conditions and is only a minor problem. The color balance shifts and blueish color bias are the more significant issues.

 

[Dashmellow]

Speaking of all this, has anyone else noticed color balance issues or color shifts on any recently manufactured (4-6 months) Mobius 1 camera regardless of which lens it comes with?

 

[Harsh]

Would you consider swapping the camera or lens module and testing (as discussed in your A2 thread), that's if there no definitive reply in the near future.

 

[Dashmellow]

Would you consider swapping the camera or lens module and testing (as discussed in your A2 thread), that's if there no definitive reply in the near future.

Yes, I intend to do that. Kind of waiting for nicer weather around here these days and some spare time for indulging in doing the testing. Initially I intend to swap an original A lens into the A2 lens camera and see what happens. Swapping modules is a bit more of a challenge as my original A lens camera is the older case style.

 

[Dashmellow]

So, @harsh, After responding to your post and finishing up some paperwork I was working on I decided I would go ahead and swap an original A lens into the new A2 lens camera module. Things have not gone as anticipated. Firstly, the A2 lens was VERY difficult to remove after unscrewing the hex set-screw. I needed to remove the module from the camera so I could work on it safely and when I finally coaxed it out of the barrel, installed an original A lens optic and refocused via web cam mode, I proceeded to put the whole camera back together. Much to my surprise the lens does not fit the case and the module is no longer able to be properly seated in its slot. The result is that with an original (vintage 2013 v1 pcb model) Mobius lens optic installed in the new A2 lens module with the new version camera housing it becomes impossible to close the case. What is so frustrating is that when properly focused in the new module barrel, the original "A" lens optic is perhaps only about 1mm or so too long to fit in the front most part of the case that surrounds the lens bezel and that is what prevents the whole thing from working! The fit is so close it is maddening but it just won't work.

Not quite sure what I'm going to do about this just yet. I happen to have a couple of spare Mobius camera housings and am contemplating modifying one of them to accommodate the lens but for now the project is returning to the back burner until I have the time.

BTW, at least in web cam mode the image I see on screen with the old A lens in the new A2 module looks terrific! I think I should be able to run a few brief tests of the lens just holding the open case in my hands but for now testing as a dash cam is out of the question.

 

[DT MI]

...The fit is so close it is maddening but it just won't work....

Don't you just hate it when reality gets in the way of a perfect plan?

 

[Harsh]

@Dashmellow Thank you for taking the trouble.

You know what, I'm going to go ahead with my intended purchase of a new D lens unit and an additional A2 module. Let's see how it goes.

 

[Dashmellow]

Don't you just hate it when reality gets in the way of a perfect plan?

Yeah, I do, but apparently it turned out this exercise wasn't for naught, something useful came of this.

I decided to reinstall the A2 lens back in the camera. Before doing so I shot some brief footage out the back door with the old "A" lens in the open A2 camera housing with the cover off. Then I did the same thing after reinstalling the A2 lens back into the module. Unfortunately, it is late in the day on a dark overcast afternoon over a colorless winter landscape but nevertheless, it provided some useful information.

All of the camera's settings remain the same with both tests. Notice that the "A" lens provides more accurate color balance and a brighter image. The "A2" lens shows the color tint issue from before and a darker image. Hard to tell from these screen shots but all in all, the new A2 lens seems slightly sharper and more detailed to my eye.

None of this addresses the sudden color shift issues in dash cam use but it does demonstrate that mSetup will likely require a dedicated setting for the "A2" lens to accommodate for its inherent color and exposure characteristics.

Here is the "A" lens installed in the A2 module.



Here is the "A2" lens back in the camera.

 

[DT MI]

I like your back yard.

 

[Dashmellow]

I like your back yard. View attachment 29928

Thanks! You should see it in foliage season. The springtime greening and blossoming is pretty amazing too! Actually, on a clear day you can see the bigger mountains 100 miles out.

 

[Deleted member 46308]

Thanks! You should see it in foliage season. The springtime greening and blossoming is pretty amazing too! Actually, on a clear day you can see the bigger mountains 100 miles out.

Beautiful, even in those conditions.

 

[Dashmellow]

Beautiful, even in those conditions.

 

[Deleted member 46308]

View attachment 29929

Thank you A very beautiful area that I am going to visit someday. What a pleasure it must be to witness natures beauty simply by looking out of your window.

 

[Harsh]

Wow, look at those trees. Beautiful!

 

[Dashmellow]

Thank you A very beautiful area that I am going to visit someday. What a pleasure it must be to witness natures beauty simply by looking out of your window.

It is, except when the weather gets crazy like I mentioned recently in another thread. Last week we had a blizzard with almost two feet of snow and winds so strong it felt like the house might blow away and end up in Oz! Lots of clean-up to do in the days that followed. There are many reasons that living in a place like this can be quite a challenge but it is wonderful and worth it. When I awoke this morning and looked out the window a gorgeous looking mink was kind of frolicking in my back yard on his way through. It is fairly rare to see them, maybe once or twice a year.