Which lens?

[Jazzist]

Poll: Which lens did you go for and why?

 

[lamboboy732]

I went with the wide lens(B) because the normal one seemed very narrow in test videos. Also my car (2008 Civic coupe in my picture) has a very steep windshield and the wipers don't clear to the top. So I figured the extra angle would make it easier to see out and allow me more versatile mounting even with the top of the window being out of the question. In addition to this, I own a GoPro and its wide angle lens is awesome so I just naturally favor a slightly wide angle video all the time due to the ability to capture what happens much easier.

 

[Rubiconmike]

I went with the standard lens. I wanted my images to appear closer.
Much easer to read letters and numbers in the frame.
I have a Go Pro so I knew this is not what I wanted for the front View.
although I may try one in the rear. With most of the action out back going
down the road at the same pace as you, you may get away with more distortion.

 

[niko]

I tested both side by side. B-lens is more high quality at night, but I also like A-lens to be narrower FOV, to get objects closer.
The best would be A lens FOV with B-lens night vision quality. Maybe one day they will come up with such.

 

[lamboboy732]

I tested both side by side. B-lens is more high quality at night, but I also like A-lens to be narrower FOV, to get objects closer.
The best would be A lens FOV with B-lens night vision quality. Maybe one day they will come up with such.

Not 100% sure but since both mobi(plural?) use the same firmware the better night quality could come from the lens being wider therefore picking up more of the minimal ambient light. Also I suppose it could be the quality of the glass. As you can see I'm new here still and am learning as much as possible so I can be a helpful active member. I'm glad we have guys like you who have contributed so much to this awesome site.

 

[russ331]

niko's comparison...

http://dashcamtalk.com/forum/thread...ght-than-a-lens-v0-57-no-problem-for-me.3201/

I bought my Mobius B before niko did this comparison, so it's low-light superiority was an unexpected bonus for me.

 

[lamboboy732]

niko's comparison...

http://dashcamtalk.com/forum/thread...ght-than-a-lens-v0-57-no-problem-for-me.3201/

I bought my Mobius B before niko did this comparison, so it's low-light superiority was an unexpected bonus for me.

Thanks for the link. Nice comparisons there. I too bought mine before seeing that comparison, only a few days ago however.

 

[GJHS]

A lens all the way baby! No fish eyes here I liked the more natural view, and things being more realistically close. I notice watching Dashcam "close calls" that some don't look very close at all. Wide angle lenses make a close call look like no big deal. I was worried the A wouldn't be wide enough, now I'm happy with my choice.

 

[John Smith]

A lens all the way baby! No fish eyes here I liked the more natural view, and things being more realistically close. I notice watching Dashcam "close calls" that some don't look very close at all. Wide angle lenses make a close call look like no big deal. I was worried the A wouldn't be wide enough, now I'm happy with my choice.

This is my view as well.

 

[horaceCJ]

Standard lens at the moment. I'll buy a B lens too and will decide afterwards which one goes in front. The other one will be rear/backup cam.

 

[russ331]

Mobius B has a Horizontal Field of View (HFOV) of 116deg, which is not wide by dashcam standards. Two 'benchmark' dashcams, the Panorama II & Vico TF2 are 140deg & 160deg respectively.

Anyone undecided in choosing Mobius A or B should consider that by selecting 'Narrow' mode in the GUI, the HFOV of the B model can be reduced from 116deg to 102deg.

Normal (Wide) mode is captured from 2304 x 1296 CMOS pixel array & scaled down to fit the 1920x1080 frame size. The optional (Narrow) mode is captured from central 1920 x 1080 CMOS pixel array, with no scaling of the image.

 

[lamboboy732]

Mobius B has a Horizontal Field of View (HFOV) of 116deg, which is not wide by dashcam standards. Two 'benchmark' dashcams, the Panorama II & Vico TF2 are 140deg & 160deg respectively.

Anyone undecided in choosing Mobius A or B should consider that by selecting 'Narrow' mode in the GUI, the HFOV of the B model can be reduced from 116deg to 102deg.

Normal (Wide) mode is captured from 2304 x 1296 CMOS pixel array & scaled down to fit the 1920x1080 frame size. The optional (Narrow) mode is captured from central 1920 x 1080 CMOS pixel array, with no scaling of the image.

This is a great point. I still feel full wide angle is best but the B lens is much more versatile due to this function to change the angle a bit. Aside from some instances I think the wide is better because you can see the front corners of the car better so rather than capturing what happens just in front, you get more of the whole situation. For example, if someone cuts into your lane and hits your front fender/bumper corner. Depending on your car your camera might not capture this initial contact without a wider angle, although you might see the car shake hear the sound then see the car continue forward in a narrower video, the more I can see on video the better. However, with this said I'm glad there are two lenses so that everyone can get the view they need from the same little camera.

 

[GJHS]

This is a great point. I still feel full wide angle is best but the B lens is much more versatile due to this function to change the angle a bit. Aside from some instances I think the wide is better because you can see the front corners of the car better so rather than capturing what happens just in front, you get more of the whole situation. For example, if someone cuts into your lane and hits your front fender/bumper corner. Depending on your car your camera might not capture this initial contact without a wider angle, although you might see the car shake hear the sound then see the car continue forward in a narrower video, the more I can see on video the better. However, with this said I'm glad there are two lenses so that everyone can get the view they need from the same little camera.

You can see the front corners on the A lens as well. Keep on mind that, size is the reason that many choose the Mobius and that extra length of the B may make it harder to fit where you want it behind the rear view mirror.

I also remember reading a bunch of complaints that the B lens is soft at the corners and has some vignetting. @ Isoprop why isn't the B lens sold from eptonline on ebay? Is it an add on or does it come from the factory, same as the A lens?

 

[lamboboy732]

You can see the front corners on the A lens as well. Keep on mind that, size is the reason that many choose the Mobius and that extra length of the B may make it harder to fit where you want it behind the rear view mirror.

I also remember reading a bunch of complaints that the B lens is soft at the corners and has some vignetting. @ Isoprop why isn't the B lens sold from eptonline on ebay? Is it an add on or does it come from the factory, same as the A lens?

In my vehicle its impossible for me to physically see my hood even with my head at the headliner. I'd imagine the A lens would have a similar issue. Even my B lens can't see them but since it can see the bottom of my A pillars it can see over them to the sides enough. Again, this is my opinion and experience with my car.

Also, if I do get an A lens I will compare in my vehicle.

 

[Isoprop]

You can see the front corners on the A lens as well. Keep on mind that, size is the reason that many choose the Mobius and that extra length of the B may make it harder to fit where you want it behind the rear view mirror.

I also remember reading a bunch of complaints that the B lens is soft at the corners and has some vignetting. @ Isoprop why isn't the B lens sold from eptonline on ebay? Is it an add on or does it come from the factory, same as the A lens?

As far as I'm aware, you can buy everything for the Mobius from eletoponline365, but I suspect he just doesn't have the time to make a complete list of everything that's available. The Mobius team is small and has a lot of work to do for sales, testing, after-sales, etc. If something isn't listed, I would send the seller a short email asking for a quotation.
I may be wrong, but I believe everything is handled by the two Chinese eBay sellers (with maybe a helping hand) and don't think anything is delivered direct from the factory.

 

[russ331]

As far as I'm aware, you can buy everything for the Mobius from eletoponline365, but I suspect he just doesn't have the time to make a complete list of everything that's available.

You're correct. For example, they don't list the capacitor on their website, however, they do sell it ... you have to contact them to get a price & confirmation of availability from stock.

 

[GJHS]

In my vehicle its impossible for me to physically see my hood even with my head at the headliner. I'd imagine the A lens would have a similar issue. Even my B lens can't see them but since it can see the bottom of my A pillars it can see over them to the sides enough. Again, this is my opinion and experience with my car.

I drive a VW Jetta and can see the good and both sides

 

[lamboboy732]

I drive a VW Jetta and can see the good and both sides
View attachment 3950

Nice, glad it works well for you. I will try it if I ever buy an A lens Möbius however I don't think I will be ant time soon. I'll take a shot of my video later to show how things look in my car. Its a civic coupe.

 

[GJHS]

Nice, glad it works well for you. I will try it if I ever buy an A lens Möbius however I don't think I will be ant time soon. I'll take a shot of my video later to show how things look in my car. Its a civic coupe.

Same view on my Camry. Where is yours mounted? Mines behind the rear view, slightly below due to the USB plug

 

[lamboboy732]

Same view on my Camry. Where is yours mounted? Mines behind the rear view, slightly below due to the USB plug

Mine is stuck below the rearview a bit down the window so that it would have the wipers clear 90% of its view. It is still covered by the mirror from inside view. I wanted to go up high but the wipers wipe in an outward direction to both sides of the car so they don't clear the top edge or center of the window behind the mirror. I had my old cam up above the wiper line and although it could see through the rainy window, it was less than ideal.

Sorry for kind of thread jacking and getting off topic, perhaps it will give good ideas for how to use different angle lenses.