808 Car Keys Type #11 HD720P MiniDV Camera Review

[longpaddle]

Thanks for the review guys.. I went out and got one based on your review and it's just what you claim.
I wanted to know how you guys mounted your camera. I have a similar launch area, over a lake. What did you do to keep the camera dry and firmly mounted?
thanks

[U.S. Water Rockets]

Thanks for the review guys.. I went out and got one based on your review and it's just what you claim.
I wanted to know how you guys mounted your camera. I have a similar launch area, over a lake. What did you do to keep the camera dry and firmly mounted?
thanks

Thanks! We're glad you found the review to be useful!

We keep the camera dry very simply by keeping it inside a chanber which is sealed. In fact the only hole in the entire rocket, except for the nozzle, is the air hole for the altimeter to sense the barometric pressure. This hole is quite small and the surface tension of the water prevents air from escaping when laying under water. Since this is the only place air can get out, there is no way for water to get in because the air cannot be displaced. The same sciance that keeps an inverted cup from filling with water when submerged keeps the altimeter dry.

The camera and altimeter are simply secured with electricians tape, so they don't move around. It is easy to remove and leaves no residue.

Pretty simple?

[Niel]

cool video

[teper]

Is this the same camera that you are talking about. Not sure because the price if much lower than the one you guys bought.http://www.amazon.com/Pinecom-Smallest-Lightest-Camcorder-Interface/dp/B004FF9UV6/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1320722931&sr=8-7 Looks the same. Just hoping to verify before I order. Thanks

[teper]

could i please get an answer.

[U.S. Water Rockets1]

Is this the same camera that you are talking about. Not sure because the price if much lower than the one you guys bought.http://www.amazon.com/Pinecom-Smallest-Lightest-Camcorder-Interface/dp/B004FF9UV6/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1320722931&sr=8-7 Looks the same. Just hoping to verify before I order. Thanks

No, that is not the same. There are numerous variations of this camera all made by different companies using the same plastic case design. You must be very careful to get the correct version. There are 2 flavors which are preferred. One is known as the "Type #3" and the other one is the "Type #11".

The Type #3 specs are:
720x480@30FPS AVI file
about $12.00US
Has date stamp that requires technical hacking to disable.

The Type #11 specs are:
1280x720@30FPS MOV file
about $40US

The other versions claim all kinds of high-definition resolutions, but they all are crap. Some take a 640x480 sensor and upscale it to 1280x960 and others take a 1280x960 sensor and drop frames when recording the video. Either you get a really BIG low-def video or a high-def video with 1/3 to 1/2 the framerate. Beware the cheap imitations.

Also, if you buy from Amazon like the link posted above, you can read the user reviews and see that people are complaining about that camera being one of the cheap clones.

Try and find one of the version on ebay as noted in our review. You will be much happier with a #3 or #11 camera.

[teper]

Is this it, http://www.ebay.com/itm/Spy-Car-Key-Fob ... 115wt_1037 need to know soon since bidding expires

[longpaddle]

Is this it, http://www.ebay.com/itm/Spy-Car-Key-Fob ... 115wt_1037 need to know soon since bidding expires

No, this is a type #3 not type #11 you want 720P high Definition Video 1280 x 720 H.264/AVC1 30fps see ebay link
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/REAL-11-HD-DVR-K ... 231630889f.
I ordered mine from this ebay seller eletoponline365 (he has multiple adds at different prices) eletoponline@gmail.com. Shipped from China to Canada in about 3 weeks, $35 cdn. It did not arrive in original packaging, eg it was all in zip lock bags. But everything was there and it all works perfect. In fact I'm impressed at the amount of abuse it will take as mine has survived multiple lawn darts from 300 feet.

[Tim Chen]

Is this it, http://www.ebay.com/itm/Spy-Car-Key-Fob ... 115wt_1037 need to know soon since bidding expires

I wouldn't worry about bidding expiring on the 808 keychain cameras. Those things are constantly on sale, any given day I can find a dozen sellers with multiple listings. Take your time and make sure you get the right one. Some of the other versions have really poor video performance. Try and find the one with the exact specs recommended.

[U.S. Water Rockets1]

Is this it, http://www.ebay.com/itm/Spy-Car-Key-Fob ... 115wt_1037 need to know soon since bidding expires

No, this is a type #3 not type #11 you want 720P high Definition Video 1280 x 720 H.264/AVC1 30fps see ebay link
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/REAL-11-HD-DVR-K ... 231630889f.
I ordered mine from this ebay seller eletoponline365 (he has multiple adds at different prices) eletoponline@gmail.com. Shipped from China to Canada in about 3 weeks, $35 cdn. It did not arrive in original packaging, eg it was all in zip lock bags. But everything was there and it all works perfect. In fact I'm impressed at the amount of abuse it will take as mine has survived multiple lawn darts from 300 feet.

There does not seem to be any "original packaging" for these things. They seem to arrive in different baggies or boxes with different accessories. Don't worry about the packaging.

[opticell]

Great and professionally done video, great review. I bought my camera also from eletoponline365. So I wrote him to be sure this camera would convert, and got a few more details that proved useful in reducing the Risk of Bricking the camera. (Charging before, and the wait)

My Request:
Hi Peter, I love this #11 808HD received Dec01, quick delivery. I really rather not have the date/time, and I have read online to use FW96630A.BIN (Continuous Recording) firmware update, but some say it will break. I am afraid it will break. Can you help me know/tell me if this will work on my unit? The default date was 2010-01-29 and I successfully used timeset.txt to update. Please instruct me if theFW96630A.BIN from 2011-05-10 will remove date or break camera????? Thank you, and so far you get top rating from me.

Peter's Response:
Hi friend,

Attached pls find the firmware, 20 minutes, no time stamp, stop / save / continue.

Get it fully charged before doing it. If the battery should die before the process is complete, you could brick your camera!

The procedure is:

1. Download the attached firmware file (FW96630A.bin) to the camera's flash card root directory. The root directory is the one that first appears when the card is recognized by the computer in flash memory mode or when you click on the camera icon to open its contents folder. Suggested to use an external card reader. Don't change the file name.

2. Insert the memory card with the firmware file into the camera, and then turn on the camera with a brief press of the power button (don't hold the button).

3. The camera will proceed to load the new firmware into its internal memory. The camera LED will NOT light up as it normally would during this process, so don't turn off the camera or press any buttons after you start this process thinking it's not doing anything. You could brick your camera! The yellow LED should turn on after a brief period (5 to 20 sec.)* to confirm the firmware has been successfully loaded. *[I counted 15 seconds for my camera then the light came on.]

4. Take out the memory card, use the card reader to delete the file (FW96630A.bin).

5. Insert the blank memory card to do video shooting test.

Hope it is helpful. Any questions, please let me know.

Regards,
Peter

[U.S. Water Rockets]

Great and professionally done video, great review. I bought my camera also from eletoponline365. So I wrote him to be sure this camera would convert, and got a few more details that proved useful in reducing the Risk of Bricking the camera. (Charging before, and the wait)

My Request:
Hi Peter, I love this #11 808HD received Dec01, quick delivery. I really rather not have the date/time, and I have read online to use FW96630A.BIN (Continuous Recording) firmware update, but some say it will break. I am afraid it will break. Can you help me know/tell me if this will work on my unit? The default date was 2010-01-29 and I successfully used timeset.txt to update. Please instruct me if theFW96630A.BIN from 2011-05-10 will remove date or break camera????? Thank you, and so far you get top rating from me.

Peter's Response:
Hi friend,

Attached pls find the firmware, 20 minutes, no time stamp, stop / save / continue.

Get it fully charged before doing it. If the battery should die before the process is complete, you could brick your camera!

The procedure is:

1. Download the attached firmware file (FW96630A.bin) to the camera's flash card root directory. The root directory is the one that first appears when the card is recognized by the computer in flash memory mode or when you click on the camera icon to open its contents folder. Suggested to use an external card reader. Don't change the file name.

2. Insert the memory card with the firmware file into the camera, and then turn on the camera with a brief press of the power button (don't hold the button).

3. The camera will proceed to load the new firmware into its internal memory. The camera LED will NOT light up as it normally would during this process, so don't turn off the camera or press any buttons after you start this process thinking it's not doing anything. You could brick your camera! The yellow LED should turn on after a brief period (5 to 20 sec.)* to confirm the firmware has been successfully loaded. *[I counted 15 seconds for my camera then the light came on.]

4. Take out the memory card, use the card reader to delete the file (FW96630A.bin).

5. Insert the blank memory card to do video shooting test.

Hope it is helpful. Any questions, please let me know.

Regards,
Peter

Hi Peter and welcome to the Water Rocket Forum!

Thank you for sharing the detailed instructions on downloading the new firmware. The section about pressing the power button and the function of the LED was particularly informative!

[Willem]

I might buy this camera, it looks pretty good. Altough it seems hard to get the real one, some of them aren't HD.

[U.S. Water Rockets1]

I might buy this camera, it looks pretty good. Altough it seems hard to get the real one, some of them aren't HD.

Make sure the advertiser directly states that the camera is the "808" "Type #11". Be sure that the file format is .MOV and the compression codec is h.264 with a resolution of 1280x720. If any of these parameters is missing or different then you have a fake camera.

[paulinaG]

The use of car camera is becoming more and more popular due to many advantages like vehicle protection. I even read from an article that the Department of Transportation was intended to suggest to Congress that the government mandate all new cars have back up cameras installed on them. It is a part of a law that passed several years back, which requires the DOT come up with a way to cut back accidents and fatalities caused by cars backing up. However, Transportation Secretary Roy LaHood has postponed the ruling until December 31. Article source: Rule for mandatory back-up cameras delayed.