Wireless versus digital recording.
01-10-2005, 12:41 AM
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Wireless versus digital recording.
Lately I've been giving a lot of thought as to the advantages and disadvantages of both the wireless video systems and the small digital cam corders/digital cameras, ala mustek and aiptek and the sort and I've come to a few basic conclusions.
Unless you're into virtual piloting or want something for the guys at the field to watch while you fly, wireless isn't really necessary now for some really decent video.
The disadvantages of wireless is the complexity of the wiring, the weight of extra batteries, switches, connections, etc etc. There is also always going to be the occasional dropout, atmospheric interference, and critical antenna placement to contend with.
On the other hand, if all one wants to do is to record video for playing back later, some of the newer mini dv digital camcorders are an excellent alternative. If you research the specs, you can find several different models with rechargable batteries and menus that allow you enough time to operate the shutter button without any eleborate swtches or electronics. Just a simple servo over the shutter button.
Two really good candidates I have found as of late are the DV 4000 from Mustek and the Samsung Digimax 201. Either camera will give you film quality fps rates and really decent quality video or photographs.
The DV 4000 recharges right from your usb port and will run a long time on a charge. It's 4mp and although it has a cmos sensor, it still has very good light handling. It also takes really good photographs in a wide range of resolutions and even has zoom. The camera can be bought new for down to a little over a hundred dollars if you shop around.
The Mustek saves video in Mpeg4 format, which will give you a lot of video in a much smaller space. With a 512 mb card you can get about two hours of video or over a thousand photos.
The Samsung gives far superior photos, as the sensor in it is CCD. The video records at 27fps, which give very fluid movement but it's a bit lower resolution than the mustek and the files are larger for the same video time. A 512 mb SD card will allow for a little over thirty minutes of video and tons and tons of very high quality photos.
It also has zoom and it's better zoom than the mustek. The images are much crisper and more lifelike and the color is very good.
The Mustek with the lcd folded up measures 3.5" long X 2.5" high X 1.5" wide. It's very small and surprisingly light.
The samsung has the same dimensions as a normal digital or 35 mm camera, but it's a bit heavier. Still nothing any decent forty size trainer can't handle.
Anyways, with either one of the digitals there are no dead spots, no interference, no fiddling with a television, tx, rx, or any of the other gadgets the wireless needs. Just one simple camera and a servo.
One device that would serve both AP and AV pretty well
Unless you're into virtual piloting or want something for the guys at the field to watch while you fly, wireless isn't really necessary now for some really decent video.
The disadvantages of wireless is the complexity of the wiring, the weight of extra batteries, switches, connections, etc etc. There is also always going to be the occasional dropout, atmospheric interference, and critical antenna placement to contend with.
On the other hand, if all one wants to do is to record video for playing back later, some of the newer mini dv digital camcorders are an excellent alternative. If you research the specs, you can find several different models with rechargable batteries and menus that allow you enough time to operate the shutter button without any eleborate swtches or electronics. Just a simple servo over the shutter button.
Two really good candidates I have found as of late are the DV 4000 from Mustek and the Samsung Digimax 201. Either camera will give you film quality fps rates and really decent quality video or photographs.
The DV 4000 recharges right from your usb port and will run a long time on a charge. It's 4mp and although it has a cmos sensor, it still has very good light handling. It also takes really good photographs in a wide range of resolutions and even has zoom. The camera can be bought new for down to a little over a hundred dollars if you shop around.
The Mustek saves video in Mpeg4 format, which will give you a lot of video in a much smaller space. With a 512 mb card you can get about two hours of video or over a thousand photos.
The Samsung gives far superior photos, as the sensor in it is CCD. The video records at 27fps, which give very fluid movement but it's a bit lower resolution than the mustek and the files are larger for the same video time. A 512 mb SD card will allow for a little over thirty minutes of video and tons and tons of very high quality photos.
It also has zoom and it's better zoom than the mustek. The images are much crisper and more lifelike and the color is very good.
The Mustek with the lcd folded up measures 3.5" long X 2.5" high X 1.5" wide. It's very small and surprisingly light.
The samsung has the same dimensions as a normal digital or 35 mm camera, but it's a bit heavier. Still nothing any decent forty size trainer can't handle.
Anyways, with either one of the digitals there are no dead spots, no interference, no fiddling with a television, tx, rx, or any of the other gadgets the wireless needs. Just one simple camera and a servo.
One device that would serve both AP and AV pretty well
01-13-2005, 01:25 AM
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RE: Wireless versus digital recording.
Go to http://www.flymodels.co.uk/ for video done with the samsung digimax 201. You can also check out Echobots "camera trial" thread in this forum for a sample of video with a Mustek DV 4000. Personally, although I now own both cameras, the flying season here has abruptly ended, due to weather.
01-15-2005, 12:16 PM
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RE: Wireless versus digital recording.
I've wasted money on that wireless junk, but unlike the other 99% of the people in the world, I'm an idiot when it comes to audio/video devices. So I did a search on eBay for something cheap and came up with a DigiGR8 DV-182 mini cam. I got it for about $85 shipped. The video is a bit notchy, but it is well worth the money considering what I spent on the complicated wireless junk that ended up in the trash. No need for any support equipment or engineered installation, just rubberband it to my simple homemade mount, fly the mission, then take the camera in the house and download it to my computer. Very easy. 
