Street Guardian SG9665GC is very blurry

O and sorry yes as the GC dont have a HDMI out you cant adjust by visual and have it work in one go, so what i do are often take the camera / internals to my living room window and then start recording with no changes, then after som seconds i say change #1 and adjust the lens a few degrees in one direction then still recording i let it film a little more ( important to keep the camera steady in the inspection period after a change )
I do this 2-3 times for a focus adjust like this, then upon inspecting the footage you can see if it was after first or second adjustment you hit the sweet spot, and then say you hit it the first go then you just have to back off 2 little tweaks.
And do make sure to do a couple of tests on long and short distance to make sure you are in the sweet spot before you lock the lens in place.
 
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Yes peel off what you can with a exacto knife or similar.
I do this "often" so i have a ALU Female lens mount i have modified so i can use it to clean the threads with on the lens, but you dont have to go that route just something i do on lenses i swap and put away for storage.
As i said i think you have to unscrew the lens to get to the sweet spot again, so any residue left in the threads should not be a problem, even if it is the other way you have to go as it is so little you have to go.
 
Ok, I went at it and everything worked out good. I just read your last 2 messages, but I ended up following a procedure basically exactly as you described.

I'm always learning great things on the internet, and I always feel bad for not giving back. Since I had everything laid out here, I decided to get some video to share with anyone else who's interested in trying this. This should take away a bit of the mystery. This community has been phenomenal, and I'm happy to finally give something back.

BTW, I didn't think about testing at various distances, and I already have some epoxy curing at the moment to holds the lens in the new position :eek:. My "fix" was to tighten the lens about 4 or 5mm. It was the best result (as you'll see in the video), so hopefully this holds true when I put it back in the car.


 
I just seem to get better results out if my window than i do inside my living room, i think the optimal would be to have a focus chart, maybe i will pick up one of those one day.
Been in this apartment for 6 years so about something got up on my walls.
 
Lets hear how it panned out when you had the chance to get some mileage on the "new" camera.
 
I finally had chance to compare the focus after making the adjustment. I'm pleased with the result. Look at the shutters/attic vents/whatever near the peak of the roof on the house across the street.

The first image below is from my Highlander. The second image is from the camera in my Avalon, which is the one that was blurry before I adjusted the focus. (ignore the timestamp)


Highlander Image.jpg

Avalon Image.jpg
 
A little inconvenience, but it seem like you are up and running well again. (y)
 
The v2 is out of focus and it being a $200 camera at the time of purchase this is just unacceptable. May I have the instructions on how to fix this issue if possible. Being out of warranty just plain sucks. Will be buying a new dash cam but it will not be a Street Guardian very terrible quality.
 

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your first 3 screenshots aren't really helpful as the lighting and distance are not something you can judge focus with, not really sure on the last pic as everything is legible, the focus can be reset but hard to determine if that is needed from the samples provided, @Street Guardian USA can help you with some test processes to see what's needed
 
What do you mean everything is legible. The letters are badly out of focus. The vehicle is stationary and the words are hard to make out, I know it says flammable propane but it looks more like flammable and some russian word. For this image I know the sun is a factor but not being able to focus while idling and read the license plate that is just bad.
 

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you can open it up and reset the focus if it has shifted, it's not difficult but is a bit fiddly to do
 
I got the same issue: focus shifted at times. Can you send me possible fix instructions? My serial number: SGGC15300100
 
There's no instructions to send but there is a thread here somewhere that shows the camera stripped down, refocusing the lens either needs the AV out connected to a monitor or a bit of trial and error to adjust, check, adjust etc

I think @niko may have posted the photos of the camera pulled down
 
It is not a too ore deal to refocus a SG9665GC, i did so with my first camera, and really the only parts you had to keep just a little eye on taking it apart was the "click" mechanism for the adjustment up and down of the lens.
when you have it apart and the lens loose it just take a few degrees from its current position to get back into focus, so be sure to mark the lens in the position it are in before you loosen the lens.

Then when you have done that changed the lens ( i think you probably have to screw the lens in a bit more ) then make a test recording with the camera still apart by powering it from a power bank or a mains USB charger for something.
then preview your recording on a PC or maybe a TV, something with a large screen so you can best see the focus.
You probably have to repeat this a few times before you have found the sweet spot for the focus again, but this should not take more than 10 - 15 minutes of trial and error.

When done secure the lens in place again,,,,, do not use CA glue,,,,, i have some times used regular wood glue and once a clear varnish normally used for tying your own flies for fly fishing.

If you have not removed too much of the locking glue from the factory install and the lens still are tight to unscrew or screw in chance are you probably don't need to use anything to lock the lens in place..

You can find many videos on youtube about how to change lens on action cameras, the procedure are much the same on a dashcam, just the housing are different but the lens and so on are the same 12 mm fine thread lens.
 
I got the same issue: focus shifted at times. Can you send me possible fix instructions? My serial number: SGGC15300100
I was on mobile when I replied earlier and couldn't see your location, maybe ask @alexsoll he is in Belarus also and has done it before, he can probably talk you through the process easily
 
Da, Alexoll will have that down in seconds and in the local lingo, so no silly language misunderstandings.
 
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