MD80 or 808 #3?

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Willem
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MD80 or 808 #3?

Post by Willem »

Hello,

I am in search of a camera for in my water rocket. I am not sure which one yet, but I will probarly buy the 808 car keys #3 or the MD80.
Both weight almost the same, but I have seen videos on YouTube and it seems the video quality on the MD80 is better.
Both are available on ebay for around $12.
Any opinions on this?
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RaZias
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Re: MD80 or 808 #3?

Post by RaZias »

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U.S. Water Rockets1
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Re: MD80 or 808 #3?

Post by U.S. Water Rockets1 »

Willem wrote:Hello,

I am in search of a camera for in my water rocket. I am not sure which one yet, but I will probarly buy the 808 car keys #3 or the MD80.
Both weight almost the same, but I have seen videos on YouTube and it seems the video quality on the MD80 is better.
Both are available on ebay for around $12.
Any opinions on this?
The "real" MD80 is a bit outdated. It's made from metal and is quite heavy. It has decent video at 640x480.

There are "clones" of the MD80, that look like it but they are plastic reproductions with slightly different features. These are 640x480 as well, but they stretch the video to 720x480 when it is saved so that they can claim it has better resolution. It's just stretched and is not better.

The clone cameras also have a date stamp that you cannot disable and you need to hack the flash chip (we have a tutorial of this on youtube under USWaterRockets on how to do this) to get rid of the date on the screen.

The MD80 clone and the 808 type #3 are based on the exact same design and produce the same video output, so the only reason to choose one over the other would be to decide which shape best fits in a rocket. The MD80 clone is better for narrow rockets because it has a lens that looks out from the side. The 808 camera looks out from the end and does not fit in a skinny rocket.
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Brian
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Re: MD80 or 808 #3?

Post by Brian »

Going by this picture of the #16, it seems that image sensor with lense is attached via a flexible cord that can be moved to any prefered angle or position. So the lense only can be positioned outside the rocket.
808 #16
808 #16
808-_16-C.jpg (64.66 KiB) Viewed 65 times
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Re: MD80 or 808 #3?

Post by Willem »

If they produce the same video, I'll be choosing the 808, as that one fits best into my rocket. I might buy a newer one, like the #11 or #16.

Thanks for the advice guys TH:
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RaZias
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Re: MD80 or 808 #3?

Post by RaZias »

Be advised that some RC people have bought the #16 but in fact it was the #11 that they received.

Anyway the #11 is an excelent micro camera, I have read in a RC forum (don´t know here) that #11 is better than the #3.
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Re: MD80 or 808 #3?

Post by Willem »

Probarly going for the #16, as it has some more functions. Also I'll be buying it from eletoponline365 on eBay, I read on www.chucklohr.com/808/ that he's really selling #16's.
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Re: MD80 or 808 #3?

Post by U.S. Water Rockets1 »

Brian wrote:Going by this picture of the #16, it seems that image sensor with lense is attached via a flexible cord that can be moved to any prefered angle or position. So the lense only can be positioned outside the rocket.
808-_16-C.jpg
The #11 camera and #3 cameras have this same arrangement. A few months ago we tried to make a ServoChron articulated lens on one of our #16's but after few test runs the video started cutting out. The seller was nice enough to sell us a new sensor which just plugs in, but cautioned that the flex board is not meant to be used as a hinge. It is only meant to be bent into shape in the factory and not moved a lot. Be careful you don't break it!

This explains why some people have had video problems after taking their cameras apart and modding the PCBs. The lens flops around and the flexible cable breaks while handling it!
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Re: MD80 or 808 #3?

Post by Brian »

The first thing I would have done is play with the flex board, thanks for the warning
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Re: MD80 or 808 #3?

Post by U.S. Water Rockets1 »

Brian wrote:The first thing I would have done is play with the flex board, thanks for the warning
If you limit the amount of messing around you do, it should be ok. The problem could simply be that these cameras are made with what seem to be reject parts sold cheaply. It's possible that the flex cable on these cameras is not up to spec.
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