Blog Article Continuation(s) Mobius HD Sport, Dashboard and Aerial Camera - First look and review

Note - this thread will serve as a continuation of the droneflyers.com blog post on this camera located at:
https://www.droneflyers.com/2013/08/Mobius-sport-dashboard-and-aerial-cam-first-look-and-review/
This is a new camera from the same folks who brought us the top notch #808 keychain cams!

It is full HD and designed to fly! At a price of about $80, nothing else comes close in terms of Bang for the Buck. This can fly on relatively small quads (weighs in at 39 grams).

Basic info, video and seller link below.

IMHO, most folks would do better flying these cams than gambling with $300+ GoPro cams.....

Owners Manual (PDF) and description:
http://www.mytempfiles.info/Mobius/MobiusManual.pdf

Links to most info:
http://www.chucklohr.com/808/Mobius/

Tom Frank (the designer and main force behind these cams!) - thread at RC Groups:
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1904559\

US Vendor (search Mobius or look around)
http://www.massiverc.com/PrestaShop/en/136-Mobius-1080p-hd-action-camera.html

Ebay China Vendor:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mobius-ActionCam-Full-HD-Sports-Camera-1080P-30FPS-720P-60FPS-Pocket-Camcorder-/151071891306

Review of the cam by a well known critic of these:

 

I'm going to do a full blog article on the cam, but for those who cannot wait here is one sample from the sailboat today. Make sure to expand to large size or full screen. Note - youtube does a lot of compression, so the actual video files look even better than this...
First impression is that this particular sailboat video is much better than an old waterproof (oregon scientific ATK) cam I tried out. That unit blew out all the highlights - it could not handle the extreme brightness and reflections.

 

Here is another sailing sample - different light.
Youtube definitely messes up the video and downsizes to 720P.

For those who want to check a larger file, here is the original MOV file - download, unzip and play locally....
https://www.droneflyers.com/talk/misc/sail.zip

Here is the youtube video of the same - use the larger or full screen option...


Here is Vimeo - if you make HD and turn scaling off (full screen) the quality is quite nice:

 

Here are some still photos from the cam - make sure to enlarge them fully to get the true feeling. To enlarge fully, first click on the pics to launch the pic viewer. Then click on the icon in the upper right (with arrow on it) to go full screen - THEN click on the picture and it go more than full screen (full size).

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All of the various settings on this camera can be controlled by a free Android app called aMCA Mobius AC
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=therau2000.amcamobiusac&hl=en

Or, just search the google store for Mobius camera.

 

I was able to do a quick flight with the Mobius using a v262 quadcopter - this is simply taped to the top shell. More complete mounts and videos will be provided with an upcoming v262 review and the final Mobius blog post/review.

The original video file, for those who really want to see the quality, can be downloaded at:
https://www.droneflyers.com/talk/misc/one.zip

The vimeo display is below. Remember, the full file is even better!
Hit the multiple arrows next to the HD to make it full screen...once you go full screen, turn "scaling" off (upper right) to see video in the actual size (720).
(turn your computer sound down!)

 

I am more than impressed with the camera - makes me wonder why anyone would buy a GoPro for basic flying. I think it would be possible to get some very decent footage with the v262 and a proper mount. Not to say it's professional quality, but it's getting right up there with "real estate advertising" quality.

I've only flown the v262 for 3 batteries worth, but for less than $100 this seems to fill a new void in the market. Add in the Mobius and some extra batteries and you have a (close range) less than $200 machine capable of HD Video, interval photography, etc.

 

Here are some additional still pics taken near sunset - no post-editing has been done.

 

Additional photos in bright sunlight

 

Here is a screenshot of the camera control available through the free android app!

 

Cool - here's a raw (no editing - shaky footage included, etc.) 720p shot from the Mobius - gives an example of vid quality, but of course it could be better with proper mounts, editing, etc.

 

Here is an example of amateur Real Estate photography possible with the Mobius. The pic is downsized from the original.

 

No, because it's not wireless - the app is controlled via USB.

 

The Mobius cannot be controlled from the v262 (or easily from any) transmitter. You have to turn it on before you take off and then turn it off when you land the quadcopter. You can turn it on in various modes (settings) - either video or still pictures every "X" seconds.

The same is true with most cameras that you will fly on quadcopters. Attaching them to the R/C TX is much more difficult.