The A118 camera loses its focus within a few minutes of use

[Hobbymat]

I purchased an A118 camera a few weeks ago from FoxOffer. The camera came quickly and I decided to install it on my rear window due to its wide viewing angle. However, I've noticed that the camera image quality goes from "rather good" to "extremely bad" during a 20-minute trip.

It seems as if the image focus shifts slowly from "infinite" to "very close" if the camera is recording for more than a few minutes. Then again, after the camera has been sitting still long enough without power, the sharp image I've expected from this camera is there again, at least for a while.

I've attached two snapshots of the A118 recordings. The first one is taken after a 20-minute drive to work, the second one is taken just before I leave home in the evening, at the same spot. The camera has "cooled down" about seven hours between the shots.

The first image (camera hot) is totally out of focus, except for one rear window defroster wire that you can see in the lower left corner of the image. That wire is located a couple of inches from the camera. The second image (camera cooled down) is almost usable at least in the center area, but in this image that previously mentioned defroster wire close to the camera is now unsharp - as it of course should be at that distance. Clearly the focus of the camera optics has changed radically when the camera has been standing without power for a few hours.

Has anybody else seen this to happen in their A118 cameras, or have I only received a lemon from FoxOffer?

 

[jokiin]

Faulty maybe

 

[David106]

I thought dashcams were fixed focus.

 

[Street Guardian USA]

I thought dashcams were fixed focus.

Correct, fixed focus. (so it's not like your iPhone trying to auto adjust it's focus etc)

 

[Hilts]

Good point. Mind in neutral in a Sunday morning. DOH!

(Earlier post deleted...)

 

[Hobbymat]

I also noticed that the camera emits a clear rattling sound if I shake it slightly when holding it in my hand. That rattle picked by the microphone can also be heard in my recordings when I drive on uneven stone-paved roads, very common where I live. I'm not quite sure what could cause the rattle, at least the control buttons below the display do not give that sound as I held them still with a sticky tape during this test.

I'd appreciate if any of you fellow A118 owners could check if your unit also rattles when you hold the camera in your hand and shake the device very slightly. I'm trying to figure out whether there's something loose inside the camera. However, shaking the camera manually during recording doesn't seem to ruin the focus... Well, more tests to be done!

 

[Street Guardian USA]

Different DashCam but similar problem reported:
https://dashcamtalk.com/forum/threads/dr500gw-hd-focus-goes-from-clear-to-blurry-in-45-minutes.7185/

 

[Razer]

While I do not own one of these yet I am looking into getting one.

I do a lot of security camera work, and I mean a lot. On many cameras that are mounted outside I can see the focus "creep" from getting warm in direct sunlight. This happens on my IP based cameras, and even some of the older analog cameras. Heat and cold over and over again causes the lens to slightly move, and it does not take much, like a fraction of a millimeter of movement to take a sharp picture to a soft slightly put of focus camera. My newer cameras in both analog and ip now have lenses that are glued in focus and keep this from happening.

Out of focus cameras even slightly drive me crazy and I have just over 1,000 security cameras so needless to say I'm driven nuts a lot! I'd guess something is heating up and expanding and moving the lens slightly but as I don't own one I can't help more than giving something to look for. If the lens is glued in place then maybe the battery or something is moving away/closer to the sensor causing the focus to get messed up that way?