If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. |
|
|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
Cheap tiny video cameras - what works best?
A previous thread discussed this, but didn't come to any conclusions, so
I'm hoping there is enough experience now to make recommendations for a small video camera like the MD 80 or similar. Has anyone found a reliable, easy to use unit? -- Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA (change ".netto" to ".us" to email me) |
#2
|
|||
|
|||
Cheap tiny video cameras - what works best?
A friend and I have been experimenting with the cheap chinese video
cameras that are packaged as an automobile remote control. These are generically called 808 microcameras. They cost from 13-35 dollars. They are great fun but the quality is random. The best part is that you can experiment with all kinds of camera angles because you just stick them where you want with some duct tape. I can see that once we figure out the best camera positions we will be looking for higher quality but for now it is cheap fun. Guy |
#3
|
|||
|
|||
Cheap tiny video cameras - what works best?
On Feb 6, 2:19*pm, Eric Greenwell wrote:
A previous thread discussed this, but didn't come to any conclusions, so I'm hoping there is enough experience now to make recommendations for a small video camera like the MD 80 or similar. Has anyone found a reliable, easy to use unit? I have an 808 keychain cam that shoots surprisingly good video at the price, but is very fiddly to use, easy to end up with no video. It also has the oddity of stretching the horizontal -- that can be corrected later, but is just one more thing to do. I also have a GoPro HeroHD (super wide angle) which is another kettle of fish altogether, vastly better quality and priced accordingly. I've linked sample videos with minimal editing here before -- look up "SoarNH" on youtube. -Evan Ludeman / T8 |
#4
|
|||
|
|||
Cheap tiny video cameras - what works best?
I have three of these 808 cameras, bought with Christmas present
vouchers via Amazon. One was more expensive, the other two as cheap as they come. I'm glad I bought the expensive one, because it came with a CD. Without that, is impossible to download videos to a computer and view them. Not yet had a chance to use them in the glider, but I have been practising on the ground. There are some really useful websites which help overcome the inadequate instructions that come in the box the camera itself. See: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2pNp...eature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66bnQ...eature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fo9aw_X0oXo&NR=1 Chris N |
#5
|
|||
|
|||
Cheap tiny video cameras - what works best?
On Sun, 06 Feb 2011 13:11:19 -0800, Chris Nicholas wrote:
I have three of these 808 cameras, bought with Christmas present vouchers via Amazon. One was more expensive, the other two as cheap as they come. I'm glad I bought the expensive one, because it came with a CD. Without that, is impossible to download videos to a computer and view them. ???? There are two ways that don't need the disk: - Connect the camera to your PC with the supplied USB cable without removing the SD card. The camera should show up on your desk top as a mass storage device, just as though you'd plugged in a USB memory stick. However, as everything about the cameras matches the price, sometimes the USB cable is NBG, so try another. - with any luck your micro-SD card came with a full-size SD-card carrier that it clips into. Take it out of the camera, put it in the carrier and then use a standard SD-card reader to read it like any other SD card. Not yet had a chance to use them in the glider, but I have been practising on the ground. Same here. There are some really useful websites which help overcome the inadequate instructions that come in the box the camera itself. IMO this is one of the best: http://www.chucklohr.com/808 Its a bit chaotically organised, but it contains a huge amount of information about the various camera models, using them, exactly what's inside and where the bits came from. -- martin@ | Martin Gregorie gregorie. | Essex, UK org | |
#6
|
|||
|
|||
Cheap tiny video cameras - what works best?
On Feb 6, 4:57*pm, Martin Gregorie
wrote: On Sun, 06 Feb 2011 13:11:19 -0800, Chris Nicholas wrote: I have three of these 808 cameras, bought with Christmas present vouchers via Amazon. One was more expensive, the other two as cheap as they come. I'm glad I bought the expensive one, because it came with a CD. Without that, is impossible to download videos to a computer and view them. ???? There are two ways that don't need the disk: - Connect the camera to your PC with the supplied USB cable * without removing the SD card. * The camera should show up on your desk top as a mass storage device, * just as though you'd plugged in a USB memory stick. * However, as everything about the cameras matches the price, sometimes * the USB cable is NBG, so try another. - with any luck your micro-SD card came with a full-size SD-card carrier * that it clips into. Take it out of the camera, put it in the carrier * and then use a standard SD-card reader to read it like any other SD * card. Not yet had a chance to use them in the glider, but I have been practising on the ground. Same here. There are some really useful websites which help overcome the inadequate instructions that come in the box the camera itself. IMO this is one of the best:http://www.chucklohr.com/808 Its a bit chaotically organised, but it contains a huge amount of information about the various camera models, using them, exactly what's inside and where the bits came from. -- martin@ * | Martin Gregorie gregorie. | Essex, UK org * * * | I see eletoponline on ebay have HD 1028 X 720P cameras they sell with class 4 memory cards. Do class 4 cards actually work for HD video? thanks, Mike |
#7
|
|||
|
|||
Cheap tiny video cameras - what works best?
On Feb 6, 3:57*pm, Martin Gregorie
wrote: On Sun, 06 Feb 2011 13:11:19 -0800, Chris Nicholas wrote: I have three of these 808 cameras, bought with Christmas present vouchers via Amazon. One was more expensive, the other two as cheap as they come. I'm glad I bought the expensive one, because it came with a CD. Without that, is impossible to download videos to a computer and view them. ???? There are two ways that don't need the disk: - Connect the camera to your PC with the supplied USB cable * without removing the SD card. * The camera should show up on your desk top as a mass storage device, * just as though you'd plugged in a USB memory stick. * However, as everything about the cameras matches the price, sometimes * the USB cable is NBG, so try another. - with any luck your micro-SD card came with a full-size SD-card carrier * that it clips into. Take it out of the camera, put it in the carrier * and then use a standard SD-card reader to read it like any other SD * card. Not yet had a chance to use them in the glider, but I have been practising on the ground. Same here. There are some really useful websites which help overcome the inadequate instructions that come in the box the camera itself. IMO this is one of the best:http://www.chucklohr.com/808 Its a bit chaotically organised, but it contains a huge amount of information about the various camera models, using them, exactly what's inside and where the bits came from. -- martin@ * | Martin Gregorie gregorie. | Essex, UK org * * * | I bought 5 of them. All were supposed to be the version 3 (which was the most consitantly good version), but not all were. I shot this video with one taped to the wing, one taped to the horizontal stab of the LVVS G103. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nDi1JvxwmM The video is pretty good, but has 'hitches' (dropped frames) in abundance. This site: http://chucklohr.com/ has more info about them than you would ever want. BTW, I used double stick foam tape to mount them, until one fell off in-flight. Now I use double stick foam tape, with a bit of duct tape over it. |
#8
|
|||
|
|||
Cheap tiny video cameras - what works best?
Martin, connecting the camera to PC via a USB lead sometimes works and
sometimes doesn't. I don't know why. But the first time I tried it, without having loaded the driver CD, it said it recognised there was something there but couldn't open it. After loading the CD, it worked fine at first. After I posted my earlier message, I found on Techmoan's website (to which I gave a link) that he has posted a download link for the driver. I haven't tried it, as I already have the CD, and he says it is the version 3, which may not work with others though I suspect it probably would. So it looks like nobody need buy the more expensive Amazon-sourced version (£24 vs £14, roughly). I have used the method of putting the SD card into a holder and card reader, and yes, that works. But I wasn't sure that it would work if I had not already used the CD. I suppose it probably would be okay. Chris N |
#9
|
|||
|
|||
Cheap tiny video cameras - what works best?
On Mon, 07 Feb 2011 03:39:30 -0800, Chris Nicholas wrote:
Martin, connecting the camera to PC via a USB lead sometimes works and sometimes doesn't. I don't know why. But the first time I tried it, without having loaded the driver CD, it said it recognised there was something there but couldn't open it. I wonder if that was a bad USB cable? My camers has always 'just worked off the USB cable. After loading the CD, it worked fine at first. It would be interesting to know exactly what's on the CD - maybe a driver with improved error handling and retries? After I posted my earlier message, I found on Techmoan's website (to which I gave a link) that he has posted a download link for the driver. I haven't tried it, as I already have the CD, and he says it is the version 3, which may not work with others though I suspect it probably would. So it looks like nobody need buy the more expensive Amazon-sourced version (£24 vs £14, roughly). Interestig stuff, but no use to me: I run Linux so Windows drivers are not a lot of use... I have used the method of putting the SD card into a holder and card reader, and yes, that works. But I wasn't sure that it would work if I had not already used the CD. I suppose it probably would be okay. I don't see why not. The SD card remains a FAT-16 (or maybe FAT-32 format if its bigger than 4 GB) and so standard USB mass storage drivers should still know how to handle it. BTW, the stated max AVI file size of 4GB is a FAT disk format limit rather than a camera quirk - the later, better cameras can make longer recordings given an external power supply, but they will chop it into 4GB chunks to get round that limit. -- martin@ | Martin Gregorie gregorie. | Essex, UK org | |
#10
|
|||
|
|||
Cheap tiny video cameras - what works best?
On Sun, 06 Feb 2011 17:08:28 -0800, Mike wrote:
On Feb 6, 4:57Â*pm, Martin Gregorie wrote: On Sun, 06 Feb 2011 13:11:19 -0800, Chris Nicholas wrote: I have three of these 808 cameras, bought with Christmas present vouchers via Amazon. One was more expensive, the other two as cheap as they come. I'm glad I bought the expensive one, because it came with a CD. Without that, is impossible to download videos to a computer and view them. ???? There are two ways that don't need the disk: - Connect the camera to your PC with the supplied USB cable Â* without removing the SD card. Â* The camera should show up on your desk top as a mass storage device, Â* just as though you'd plugged in a USB memory stick. Â* However, as everything about the cameras matches the price, Â* sometimes the USB cable is NBG, so try another. - with any luck your micro-SD card came with a full-size SD-card carrier Â* that it clips into. Take it out of the camera, put it in the carrier Â* and then use a standard SD-card reader to read it like any other SD Â* card. Not yet had a chance to use them in the glider, but I have been practising on the ground. Same here. There are some really useful websites which help overcome the inadequate instructions that come in the box the camera itself. IMO this is one of the best:http://www.chucklohr.com/808 Its a bit chaotically organised, but it contains a huge amount of information about the various camera models, using them, exactly what's inside and where the bits came from. -- martin@ Â* | Martin Gregorie gregorie. | Essex, UK org Â* Â* Â* | I see eletoponline on ebay have HD 1028 X 720P cameras they sell with class 4 memory cards. Do class 4 cards actually work for HD video? I like the look of the 720p bullet cams sold by Dogcam: http://www.dogcamsport.co.uk/ ....but at 100 squids a throw it is in a rather different price range. -- martin@ | Martin Gregorie gregorie. | Essex, UK org | |
|
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
Another small, cheap video camera, with audio! | RL | Soaring | 1 | December 28th 10 04:19 PM |
Another video using the cheap '808 Keychain camera' | Grider Pirate | Soaring | 12 | November 19th 10 02:37 AM |
CHEAP Los Angeles C-172 Flying Club CHEAP | Sunho | Owning | 2 | May 7th 09 12:13 AM |
What video cameras are people using? | [email protected] | Aerobatics | 0 | October 30th 06 01:22 PM |
What video cameras are people using? | Dave | Aerobatics | 5 | August 11th 06 12:32 AM |