Originally Posted by kaptondave

Just my opinion: yes the GoPros are amazing camers - for the intended purpose which is up close video of personal action sports, but they are a poor choice for AP. The FOV is much too wide, producing images with too little detail of distant objects. Moreover the attendant spherical distortion that caused curved horizons is annoying.

I know I will get a lot of push-back on this but again, just my opinion as a long-time photographer.

I would have to agree, and this coming from a heavy go pro user, I have comes to realize the go pro is not going to capture the picture quality I want from AP, and am now looking at carrying my micro 4/3 under my quad. But for the radian I still think the go pro gives me a good feel for the flight, and will continue to use as a fpv camera or for those quick flight videos. For AP if you are serious u use a multi rotor anyways.

Originally Posted by kaptondave

Just my opinion: yes the GoPros are amazing camers - for the intended purpose which is up close video of personal action sports, but they are a poor choice for AP. The FOV is much too wide, producing images with too little detail of distant objects. Moreover the attendant spherical distortion that caused curved horizons is annoying.

I know I will get a lot of push-back on this but again, just my opinion as a long-time photographer.

Dave,

I also agree. GoPros are excellent for their intended purposes, but I prefer a non-distorted image for on-board RC video, and I prefer a much narrower FOV when shooting from the ground with my hatcam. I'm also looking for a camera/lens combo that captures a 1:1 image so that distance & speed are not distorted when flying FPV. Is that practical?

Joel

Originally Posted by turboparker

I'm also looking for a camera/lens combo that captures a 1:1 image so that distance & speed are not distorted when flying FPV. Is that practical?

I think that any time you take a picture through a circular lens, the distance/pixel relationship will be different in the center than at the edges. Even high-end airphotos have to be digitally "warped" before they can be used by surveyors and planners.

I don't have a GoPro, but I know there are programs out there that can resample the images to remove the fisheye effect. Some of them are specifically designed for GoPro videos. Something like that could be used, in theory, to warp the videos that your FPV system was broadcasting to you, but I'm not sure we have the processing power yet to do that in real time.

Originally Posted by turboparker

Dave,

I also agree. GoPros are excellent for their intended purposes, but I prefer a non-distorted image for on-board RC video, and I prefer a much narrower FOV when shooting from the ground with my hatcam. I'm also looking for a camera/lens combo that captures a 1:1 image so that distance & speed are not distorted when flying FPV. Is that practical?

Joel

just so you guys know....

you can change the FOV on the go pro cameras down to 90 degrees

flew my RP yesterday for the first time.

loooooooove it!

so smooth!

so floaty

flaps work a treat!

so now it has the 8ch in it and has the lizarmans setup with my own flight mode tweeks. ready for tomorow after work. fingers crossed the weather holds out.

then im going to mount my gopro onboard and get some footage.

then ill be getting some fpv gear too.

woop woop.
so exited. (is that sad?)

Originally Posted by socommk23

just so you guys know....

you can change the FOV on the go pro cameras down to 90 degrees

Yes, but I believe that is done simply by *cropping" the full sensor image, using just the centr and throwing the rest way? That is what many camera manufacturers call "digital zoom", as opposed to optical zoom which shifts the focal length of the lens. The result is a lower-resolution image.

Originally Posted by Jovanx

I think that any time you take a picture through a circular lens, the distance/pixel relationship will be different in the center than at the edges. Even high-end airphotos have to be digitally "warped" before they can be used by surveyors and planners.

Not true. All camera lenses are circular (round) but most conventional lenses are optically corrected to produce an image that does not have visible distortion of straight lines. In conventional lenses only specialty lenses called fish-eyes produce images with visible spherical distortion.

Originally Posted by turboparker

Dave,
I'm also looking for a camera/lens combo that captures a 1:1 image so that distance & speed are not distorted when flying FPV. Is that practical?Joel

Not as you state it. In photography a 1:1 image is one in which the subject is the same size at the image plane (i..e., on film) as it is in life. That is achieved only at extreme close-up distances with "macro" lenses. I think what you mean is a lens that produces a what photographers call a rectalinear image - one which is smaller than life but without distortion of straight lines. The field of view and focal length of such lenses is a function of the image ("film") size. In a 35 mm camera, which was the most popular type in the pre-digital era, that corresponded to a 50 mm lens with a diagonal FOV of ~47 degrees. In contrast a GoPro has a normal FOV of 110 degrees, or 90 degrees at the narrowest setting, which would be called super-wide or wide-angle in 35 mm photography.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angle_of_view

Dave,

Thanks for the info! I was actually referring to a 1:1 image, so that distance & speed appear to be scaled correctly in the video, rather than zoomed-out like things appear in wide-angle lenses. I'd like to fly FPV through the goggles & have things appear life-size - so that if I were flying at 50 MPH, it would look like 50 MPH in the goggles. Or if I were flying at 200' AGL, it would look like 200' AGL in the goggles. Or if I were coming in on approach & there happened to be an obstacle to clear, I could accurately judge the distance & height. From what you've told me, I gather that it is at least impractical, if not impossible for this application.

Joel

Originally Posted by turboparker

Dave,

Thanks for the info! I was actually referring to a 1:1 image, so that distance & speed appear to be scaled correctly in the video, rather than zoomed-out like things appear in wide-angle lenses. I'd like to fly FPV through the goggles & have things appear life-size - so that if I were flying at 50 MPH, it would look like 50 MPH in the goggles. .... I gather that it is at least impractical, if not impossible for this application.

Joel

I think it is doable. The reason that the 50 mm focal length was considered to be the "normal" lens for 35 mm photography was that it produced what most people judged to be the most life-like perspective. If you can find a digital camera with something like a 50 degree FOV it should do what you want. I can't recommend any specific cameras but I think there are small "point and shoot" style cameras by Canon, Casio, etc. with video capability and video output that could be down-linked. A good place to look is dpphotoreviews.com.

Originally Posted by coreman

This is a perfect fit and MUCH stiffer

Thanks for the link!! Will definitely look into that!

And nice mount for your GoPro!! I was gonna use the curve mount & secure the cam on the top of the fuselage.

O....my....gosh! What a blast. My maiden flight was 28 min on a 1800 mah 25c pack! Vertical for days! I'm so happy. the cg was a smidge nose heavy but not overwhelming. although I am a little worried about the flimsy tail section and the flex in the wings she's a far cry from my first plane, the vista ep from tower hobbies. (rip) Really really loved the straight up balls to the wall power. Can't wait to get back out there with my buddy F.A.R.M.E.R. The guys got great experience and flys a heli like a horny hummingbird.

Originally Posted by Myko

O....my....gosh! What a blast. My maiden flight was 28 min on a 1800 mah 25c pack! Vertical for days! I'm so happy. the cg was a smidge nose heavy but not overwhelming. although I am a little worried about the flimsy tail section and the flex in the wings she's a far cry from my first plane, the vista ep from tower hobbies. (rip) Really really loved the straight up balls to the wall power. Can't wait to get back out there with my buddy F.A.R.M.E.R. The guys got great experience and flys a heli like a horny hummingbird.

Aha mike

its been fun watching you progress every time we go out flying.. thanks for all you do and the great times

P.s you need a lawn chair and cup holders possibly some icy hot on your neck after flying that thing


btw mike is one hell of a cook lol

Here is my radian setup let me know what you think, thanks!

Originally Posted by Myko

O....my....gosh! What a blast. My maiden flight was 28 min on a 1800 mah 25c pack! Vertical for days! I'm so happy. the cg was a smidge nose heavy but not overwhelming. although I am a little worried about the flimsy tail section and the flex in the wings she's a far cry from my first plane, the vista ep from tower hobbies. (rip) Really really loved the straight up balls to the wall power. Can't wait to get back out there with my buddy F.A.R.M.E.R. The guys got great experience and flys a heli like a horny hummingbird.

Where in San Mateo do you fly at. I work in Belmont , and live in Hayward.