ahhh thanks guys. didnt know that at all hopefully that will help. if its too bright i can stick on my polarising filter.

like you mentioned, i thought faster shutter speed was better for turns, and fast movement.

still scared shiiitless flying it fpv. seems so wrong haha.

Originally Posted by TAP993

I didn't want to risk my Nex5 on my first few flights so put a balasted GoPro 170º here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9IkW7snR5Ec&feature=plcp

Thanks. As I figured, the landing gear is in view. Someon has come up with a proven solution for this before considering the Ecilop.

take the landing gear off and takeoff/land in a box, or with a helper.

or make a set of retracts. theres a pic i posted a while ago of aleksey's retracts. and vid of them on the ecilop stereo vid

Or....ditch the 170 degree perspective, unless that is the fov you are after. I am pretty sure the other fov settings on gopro will not have the gear in view.

Originally Posted by InfinitR

Or....ditch the 170 degree perspective, unless that is the fov you are after. I am pretty sure the other fov settings on gopro will not have the gear in view.

Yes I do understand all of the FOV possibilities. I'm a long time commercial photographer and I have a Nex and 16-50 also. There are times I will want to use the 170 degree field of view and there are times I will not want to use it. I mostly plan to use the Nex for stills and plan to use the GoPro for video... providing the 3 different fields of view on the GoPro 3 Black work for me. (Mine should arrive soon and I can see if I like it.)

I can play around with modifying things on my future platform just as I have on my current quad. (Learning platform.) And maybe that will work fine. I see some "Hollywood" type systems hover over a person who catches it for "landings." This lack of landing gear allows for total camera movement but a system without landing gear will probably not work for me.

The reason the Ecilop appeals to me is it looks like a lightweight package with the GoPro but can also fly my Nex when I want to use that. But since this will be used as a tool for my work, I want to get a complete system where I know for certain before purchase that it will do everything that I need. And I don't want to compromise on any aspect of that even if it means spending more money and buying a larger or differently configured machine. The retractable gear would certainly be a solution if I can get such a system.

I see. Well, I'd just say that in my experience, the gimbal is the most critical factor. I did some tests with a GoPro on a gear drive gimbal on my previous quad (balanced and dampened) and it was a real fight to beat the vibrations for video. There are several factors of course and that's not to say it isn't work with every system but some are certainly better than others. Did you see the retractable gear from the previous posts? Not available but doable if you the type that isn't shy of customs (although there was mention of possibly introducing vibration). Otherwise, as mentioned, there is a box available to takeoff without the gear. I haven't messed around with customizing the gear but you may be able to modify the front part to angle back instead of just coming straight down. You'd have to shorten the landing skid. I am not sure if it would balance on a shortened skid or not.

Anyways, good luck.

This is what I mean by the way (crude example but should give the idea). Ecilop is resting off a step. With something like this you may still be able to take off and land on skids while using a wider fov. I'm not sure if it enough, but an idea.

Thanks that simple modification might do the trick. I will consider everything but will probably not buy an AP copter for a few months. I am trying to make a distinction between a hobby setup and something more solid. Although I am a pretty good tinkerer and mod maker, I really want to buy a proven system even if that would require me to go as far as an S800 and Zenmuse. (Assuming my test quad and practice gives me the flying skills and confidence to go forward in this direction.) Of course I would much prefer to find a smaller, and less expensive system. But keep in mind that I am looking at this as a commercial tool not as a jury rigged platform like my F450 - with all kinds of wires hanging off of it and tape holding things on it.

The AG Shrimp and AG600 gimbal look good and fairly reasonably priced. That is probably my first choice at the moment. (If enough users post videos showing I can get good results without spending days adjusting things.) But this Ecilop also looks very appealing as a simpler smaller alternative.

While I know that a good gimbal will compensate for platform movement I also know that vibration and vibration isolation is a big issue. I have a simple hard mount for a p&s camera on my F450. I have found that by balancing my props and isolating the camera via different types of foam, I am improving performance. It seems if I can fly in still air and keep the platform level and smooth, I'll get good results with this test setup. When my GoPro arrives, I'll see how that does. I also know that Askman has a simple vibration isolation hard mount for a GoPro. Perhaps that can even be installed at the base of a gimbal for further isolation.

I am slowly learning one thing at a time in what I feel is a methodical way to eventually lead me to what I need. (Manual flight control, GPS flying, working on getting used to FPV goggles and now also testing AP a little.) Of course I believe I will need a good gimbal or Steadicam type system before doing actual work with it.

Muscle. 105g each plus prop adapter. They feel smooth, we shall see.

Originally Posted by InfinitR

Muscle. 105g each plus prop adapter. They feel smooth, we shall see.

Look very nice as they are wider than taller. I'm courios you dont need to balance it. I have five "famous" MK3638 and every one needs more or less balancing. Good luck! :-)

thanks for the vid tips. seems to have worked a treat and really improved the smoothness.. will have a new video online tomorow

those sunnyskys look good. will be good to hear how efficient they are.

Overcast October (2 min 54 sec)

Originally Posted by AliB

Overcast October

Love the huge shadow of the tree clump. Some smooth flying

Originally Posted by AliB

Overcast October

Nice!