As the options for cameras with non-wide angle lenses is very limited, and as the lenses on the action cameras are completely removable once they have been released from their fixed focus, I decided to look for replacement lenses, rather than entire cameras with narrower fields of view. The lenses for action cameras, FPV drone cameras, and many CCTV cameras generally use the M12 thread size.

Original lenses taken from action cameras

Two new lenses, sold as 90º FOV

I started off buying two M12 lenses from Banggood (Gearbest doesn’t sell these), both marketed as being 90º FOV. The two lenses turned out to have different fields of view, and I realised I needed to refer to the lens size for field of view:

• 1.2 mm lens ~ 185º FOV
• 1.7 mm lens ~ 170º FOV
• 2.1 mm lens ~ 158º FOV
• 2.5 mm lens ~ 147º FOV
• 2.8 mm lens ~ 130º FOV
• 3.0 mm lens ~ 127º FOV
• 3.6 mm lens ~ 92º FOV
• 4.0 mm lens ~ 88º FOV
• 6.0 mm lens ~ 78º FOV
• 8.0 mm lens ~ 58º FOV
• 12.0 mm lens ~ 28º FOV

These lenses do not fit in the Muji PP box as they are both two large. One is a 25mm lens (~14º FOV), and the other is a 2.8-12mm zoom lens (~130º-28º FOV), both with 1/3″ lens image circles.

The image on the right shows the zoom lens attached to the iShare camera. The lens weight means that it overbalances the camera and needs additional support.