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Cheap tiny video cameras - what works best?



 
 
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  #1  
Old February 6th 11, 08:19 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Eric Greenwell[_4_]
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Posts: 1,939
Default 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  
Old February 6th 11, 08:25 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
guy
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 58
Default 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  
Old February 6th 11, 09:20 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
T8
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 429
Default 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  
Old February 6th 11, 10:11 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Chris Nicholas[_2_]
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Posts: 197
Default 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  
Old February 7th 11, 12:57 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Martin Gregorie[_5_]
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Posts: 1,224
Default 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  
Old February 7th 11, 02:08 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Mike[_8_]
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Posts: 199
Default 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  
Old February 7th 11, 04:17 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Grider Pirate
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Posts: 238
Default 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  
Old February 7th 11, 12:39 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Chris Nicholas[_2_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 197
Default 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  
Old February 7th 11, 04:55 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Martin Gregorie[_5_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 1,224
Default 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  
Old February 7th 11, 05:00 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Martin Gregorie[_5_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 1,224
Default 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 |
 




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