Small True HD Camera

Discussion about deployment systems including altimeters, timers, air speed flaps, servo systems, and chemical reactions.
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Blenderite
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Small True HD Camera

Post by Blenderite »

Hi all!!!

Recently I found out about a small 720p HD camera that I think has great potential. Here is a link to it: http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/stor ... ouse_.html

They also have a version that does 1080p, but it is only availible in the International warehouse, which has very long ship times, something like 4 weeks to the US. Here is the link to that if anyone is interested: http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/stor ... 30FPS.html

I am not sure if it will be as great as I hope, but I hope it will be better than the MD80's. I am wondering if anyone has heard of or used one of these? If so are they any good?
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SaskAlex
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Re: Small True HD Camera

Post by SaskAlex »

Cool find. Let us know how it goes.

Have you seen the threads about the 808 car keys cameras? The #11 and #16 versions have pretty similar specs to the one you link to, at a similar price. They have smaller batteries, but I think the 3 hour capacity of yours might be overkill for rocketry. With the smaller battery, the 808 cameras come in at about 17g compared to your 29g. That's not a huge deal, but for me, length is. At 74mm long, your camera is just a tad too long to fly horizontally in any of my rockets. That's one thing I really like about the MD80, actually- it gets placed vertically in your rocket, so it can fit in super narrow rockets.

I look forward to seeing sample videos!

Alex
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Blenderite
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Re: Small True HD Camera

Post by Blenderite »

I just go the camera Monday. I will try to post a review on it as soon as I get over this cold. From what I can tell so far it seems to be of good quality.
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bugwubber
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Re: Small True HD Camera

Post by bugwubber »

Great! Looking forward to your review.
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Tony
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Re: Small True HD Camera

Post by Tony »

I don't have them, but they're in the mail (or will be). I look forward to flight video... or pressurization failure video, 'cause that's a thing.

18 grams - Turnigy KeyChain Camera (I recently ordered 2 of them).... Use the link and get your own for $7.50 each (plus I get like $0.19 refund). Big name, lots of good things on that sight.

BUDDY CODE: http://www.hobbyking.com/buddy.asp?code ... 02C0D779B6

CAMERA: https://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/sto ... duct=13447

(and if you happen to need a servo... try this one for $2.78)

Buddy Code: http://www.hobbyking.com/buddy.asp?code ... 925CED1DB5

SERVO: https://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/sto ... oduct=5456
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U.S. Water Rockets1
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Re: Small True HD Camera

Post by U.S. Water Rockets1 »

Tony wrote:I don't have them, but they're in the mail (or will be). I look forward to flight video... or pressurization failure video, 'cause that's a thing.

18 grams - Turnigy KeyChain Camera (I recently ordered 2 of them).... Use the link and get your own for $7.50 each (plus I get like $0.19 refund). Big name, lots of good things on that sight.

BUDDY CODE: http://www.hobbyking.com/buddy.asp?code ... 02C0D779B6

CAMERA: https://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/sto ... duct=13447

(and if you happen to need a servo... try this one for $2.78)

Buddy Code: http://www.hobbyking.com/buddy.asp?code ... 925CED1DB5

SERVO: https://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/sto ... oduct=5456

That looks like one of the 808 keychain camera clones from a few years ago. It may have a lot of dropped frames in the video because they problem was found in many of the clone keychain cameras. Let us know how the video comes out or post some samples. Thanks!
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Re: Small True HD Camera

Post by Blenderite »

Sorry I forgot about this! Ok the camera is awsome! One thing though, Hobby King's website doesn't mention that the camera only records 720p if you have a Class 10 SD card in it. I tried a Class 4 card first and it didn't work very good. Low quality, a lot of dropped frames, etc. A Class 10, which is $10 off Amazon, doesn't drop frames, if it does it is only like a couple a minute, and the quality is top notch! I highly recommend it!
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Re: Small True HD Camera

Post by U.S. Water Rockets1 »

DogLover wrote:Sorry I forgot about this! Ok the camera is awsome! One thing though, Hobby King's website doesn't mention that the camera only records 720p if you have a Class 10 SD card in it. I tried a Class 4 card first and it didn't work very good. Low quality, a lot of dropped frames, etc. A Class 10, which is $10 off Amazon, doesn't drop frames, if it does it is only like a couple a minute, and the quality is top notch! I highly recommend it!

-DogLover
That camera is a tad heavy, but for a while it was the only game in town if you wanted a wide angle lens without adding a jelly lens to your camera. We were impressed by the results we got from the wide FOV jelly lenses we were using on our rocket with seven cameras, that we purchased one of these HK cameras, since it comes stock with a built-in wide FOV lens, made from real glass.

We noticed the jelly lenses were prone to cracking if shocked, so the HK camera looked like a good alternative. Sadly, it did not have the same quality as the 808 Type #11 we already had. However, we found that the lens has the same thread pitch on the #11 and the HK camera, so we swapped the lens to the #11 (with a mod to the case) and it worked great.

Recently, the 808 cameras have been showing up for sale with this lens, and you can even buy a retrofit lens for an 808 #11 or #16 you already have.) We've upgraded most of our 808's with the retrofit lenses over the winter, and we have gotten a lot of good footage from the upgraded cameras this year. The 808 with wide lens is also a lot less expensive that the HK camera, so it's a no-brainer.

The 808 is a lot more rugged then the HK camera as well, which is something to consider. We've flown the upgraded 808 and CATO'ed on and crashed one a few times and even dropped one in the lake, and they all still work. The HK camera does not look like it would be as durable.

In fact, we flew the 808 cameras a few times last week, yesterday, and 5 times today, with great results. We will be posting a video of the new design we created on our website shortly. You will see how nice these things work!
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Re: Small True HD Camera

Post by U.S. Water Rockets »

Here are some pics to show you what we were talking about with the HK camera:

First is a comparison photo showing the HK and 808 cameras side by side. The HX camera is larger and heavier and is only protected by a piece of shrink tubing.
The HC camera looks a lot more fragil than the 808 camera! (Note that we already swapped lenses in this image)
The HC camera looks a lot more fragil than the 808 camera! (Note that we already swapped lenses in this image)
compare.jpg (152.09 KiB) Viewed 93 times
The kits for upgrading the HD 808 cameras are really nicely put together. They give the new lens with a nice cap, plus they provide a new case with the correct hole for the lens, plus they come with the screws you need.
The upgrade kit s for sale on ebay provide a new wide angle lens, plus a new case and screws.
The upgrade kit s for sale on ebay provide a new wide angle lens, plus a new case and screws.
upgrade.JPG (116.25 KiB) Viewed 93 times
This is a picture of the lens extender wire which can also be purchased for the HD 808 cameras. We received a request to take video inside the pressure vessel of a water rocket, and we placed the video sensor and lens inside the rocket, since the first time we tried it the camera was damaged by the pressure.

We're going to use this extender idea to put video in other places on the rocket where it would be risky to place the whole camera... we have spare sensors now and can afford to try new things which might cause damage. The sensor is a lot less to replace than a whole camera. Plus, the video file is not lost if just the sensor is destroyed. A wrecked whole camera will require a lot of work the recover the video from.
This is the lens extension wire
This is the lens extension wire
extend.jpg (188.48 KiB) Viewed 93 times
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Re: Small True HD Camera

Post by U.S. Water Rockets »

In case anyone was wondering if the Wide Angle Lens is right for you, here is a comparison of the standard and the wide angle lens from the same rocket at nearly the same altitude and angle:

Stock lens
Standard 808 HD Lens
Standard 808 HD Lens
2013-07-16.png (813 KiB) Viewed 93 times
Wide Angle Upgrade
Wide Angle HD Camera Lens (The humidity was high and the lighting was overcast on this day, so the colors are a little washed out)
Wide Angle HD Camera Lens (The humidity was high and the lighting was overcast on this day, so the colors are a little washed out)
2013-07-26.png (1.32 MiB) Viewed 93 times
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Re: Small True HD Camera

Post by Spaceman Spiff »

Wow! Everything looks so much bigger with the wide angle lens. I am getting back into WRockets and want to get a better camera. It looks like I need to find one of these fisheye lens cams. Thanks for the tips!
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U.S. Water Rockets1
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Re: Small True HD Camera

Post by U.S. Water Rockets1 »

Spaceman Spiff wrote:Wow! Everything looks so much bigger with the wide angle lens. I am getting back into WRockets and want to get a better camera. It looks like I need to find one of these fisheye lens cams. Thanks for the tips!
Hey Spaceman,

Long time no see! It's good to see you back around here again. Don't be a stranger!
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Re: Small True HD Camera

Post by Spaceman Spiff »

U.S. Water Rockets1 wrote:
Spaceman Spiff wrote:Wow! Everything looks so much bigger with the wide angle lens. I am getting back into WRockets and want to get a better camera. It looks like I need to find one of these fisheye lens cams. Thanks for the tips!
Hey Spaceman,

Long time no see! It's good to see you back around here again. Don't be a stranger!
It's all good now, but with the economy going nowhere, I had to take care of some things and didn't have time for fun stuff. I am getting back up to speed and catching up on all the stuff I missed out on. I love your new website, BTW. You guys really know how to make a splash (no pun intended).
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Re: Small True HD Camera

Post by U.S. Water Rockets »

Spaceman Spiff wrote:
U.S. Water Rockets1 wrote:
Spaceman Spiff wrote:Wow! Everything looks so much bigger with the wide angle lens. I am getting back into WRockets and want to get a better camera. It looks like I need to find one of these fisheye lens cams. Thanks for the tips!
Hey Spaceman,

Long time no see! It's good to see you back around here again. Don't be a stranger!
It's all good now, but with the economy going nowhere, I had to take care of some things and didn't have time for fun stuff. I am getting back up to speed and catching up on all the stuff I missed out on. I love your new website, BTW. You guys really know how to make a splash (no pun intended).
It's good to hear that you are back on your feet again and getting back into rockets. Do you have any plans or ideas you can share with the rest of us? Thanks for the feedback on our website. We appreciate the comments!
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Spaceman Spiff
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Re: Small True HD Camera

Post by Spaceman Spiff »

My goal for this summer is to build and test a staging mechanism that I thought of a while back, and never got to try out. I can't really go into any details yet because I don't want to give the concept away until I have it working.
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