Goggles or monitor for fpv?

[daneger21]

Just getting started in this side of the hobby. Ive been fling heli's for years and wanna give fpv a shot but with a multirotor for stability reasons. Ive been looking at dji f450 with naza gps for flight control. But as for video(tx/rx/etc) im not sure which route to go...

Do you recommend goggles or a monitor for viewing, and why? Pros?Cons?

Thanks

[jlharv]

1 vote for goggles

Pros:
Bigger field of view (equal to a 55" tv)
No glare
OSD looks great
Blocking out the rest of your surroundings really makes you feel as if you are in the cockpit.

Cons:
Cost (good goggles are around $300)

To me it is worth it, for the reasons listed above and since this is a one time purchase that you can use with all future FPV projects. It's not like you have to buy a new set each time you build another bird.

[daneger21]

I was looking at this kit...

http://www.readymaderc.com/store/ind...roducts_id=781

Is this over the top? Or like you said then ill have them. It does supposedly come with everything i need which is nice for a newb. Is that a good price? Good hardware? Electronics? Etc?

Thanks

[jlharv]

That is the kit that I got. The only things that I changed was to remove the camera and replace it with the gopro cable because I want to record HD video. I also added the OSD. But that is obviously not needed, I just liked the idea of having my altitude, speed, battery voltage, direction to home on the screen. I just had a little extra Christmas money and treated myself

I do not think that is to over the top either. I have the belief that if you buy good stuff, you only have to buy it once. I thought about going cheap and figured I would spend more money in the long run and end up buying this in the end any way.

I don't want to present myself as a FPV veteran though. I just built this and only tested it once. I am keeping myself on the ground until I get my license. But the test I did of it worked well. I did try a few of my friends goggles before I made the decision.

[satgod]

I have that same setup and its nice

heres a video of my first real fpv flight with it

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrEmpfdUFkM&list=UUFbxy0OcvNnp8zl09U7995A& index=1[/ame]

the 5.8 is good but dont get behind anything or it can wash out
on my second REAL fpv flight I got about 3 city blocks away in the subdivsion and decended down behind a 2 store house and lost my video feed
quickly hit the return to home switch on the radio and once it was back up high my video came back and I took over again
I really recommend some sort of OSD I went with eagle tree because I wanted the horizon indicator and its VERY configurable.
It also begins to take up room when you start adding alot of sensors
ezosd is just that easy but not as robust as eagle tree is

but at least get something with a home location function (arrow points to home)
its way different when your looking from the camera view and without a return home arrow it can take some time to find your heading home, if you do at all

[daneger21]

Hey thanks guys for chiming in. No need to be experts here, just looking for opinions. Everyone thinks different, and uses their equipment alittle differently, im just happy that guys are actually using this stuff and happy with it.

I was thinking about keeping this setup as is for the live feed aspect, but also mounting a go pro for hd video while utilizing the dji stabilization output for a gimbal.

[satgod]

you can use the gopro for video feed and recording and loose the weight of the extra fpv camera, thats how I do it.

[daneger21]

Originally Posted by satgod

you can use the gopro for video feed and recording and loose the weight of the extra fpv camera, thats how I do it.

I thought it was possible. But is there any lag using the gopro? I thought i read once that some had a lag. Maybe im wrong, hell i dont even have a gopro yet . Is there any certain models i should look at without breaking the bank yet again?

[jlharv]

The new GoPro Hero 3 is HDMI out and you can get an adapter that will work, but like you said, the lag makes it pretty bad.

The good news is that the Hero 2 (that is what I have) works well. I think there is a little lag, but it is not very noticeable. I think I read some where 10ms. I think most would not even notice it. And since the Hero 3 came out, the 2 can be had for cheap. And they still do a really nice HD video.

Here is a video from my Hero2 (same quad but flown line of site not FPV).
Select 1080 to see the detail, and remember that is after youtube compresses it.

This is my buddies house that we fly at. The glider in front of the hanger is FPV. This is great FPV location.

[daneger21]

Originally Posted by jlharv

The new GoPro Hero 3 is HDMI out and you can get an adapter that will work, but like you said, the lag makes it pretty bad.

The good news is that the Hero 2 (that is what I have) works well. I think there is a little lag, but it is not very noticeable. I think I read some where 10ms. I think most would not even notice it. And since the Hero 3 came out, the 2 can be had for cheap. And they still do a really nice HD video.

Here is a video from my Hero2 (same quad but flown line of site not FPV).
Select 1080 to see the detail, and remember that is after youtube compresses it.

This is my buddies house that we fly at. The glider in front of the hanger is FPV. This is great FPV location.

Very nice. After watching your video i did a search on gopro fpv lag. I think your right, the lag is technically there but not so much to cause major issues. Ill give that route more of a thought!

How often do you fly full fpv with your gopro setup? Compared to line-of-site?

thanks for sharing

[sl4ppy]

The bad thing about GoPros is that if they lock up or crash (which they are prone to do), you're SOL for seeing anything. A dedicated flight cam will never lock up or crash and weighs but a few ounces.

Fly with both if you must have HD recording.

[jlharv]

Originally Posted by daneger21

Very nice. After watching your video i did a search on gopro fpv lag. I think your right, the lag is technically there but not so much to cause major issues. Ill give that route more of a thought!

How often do you fly full fpv with your gopro setup? Compared to line-of-site?

thanks for sharing

I mostly fly 3d helicopters, so I find quads pretty boring. So the plan is to only use it for FPV. That flight was just to test the gopro.

Originally Posted by sl4ppy

The bad thing about GoPros is that if they lock up or crash (which they are prone to do), you're SOL for seeing anything. A dedicated flight cam will never lock up or crash and weighs but a few ounces.

Fly with both if you must have HD recording.

Mine locked up the last time I flew it. The video feed keeps going, just the camera locks and you can not push any buttons and have to pull the battery to reset it.

[salience]

There goggles seem to be a better deal than the popular FatShark, better specs, corrective lenses included...
http://www.rangevideo.com/index.php?...fcebc6812faea5
Anyone try these?

[satgod]

my gopro has yet to lock up but I think that has alot to do with firmware and keeping your sd card clean
as for lag the gopro 3 has a small lag and the hero2 might have some but I use my hero2 and cant see it I record at 720p 60fps could do 1080p 30fps but 60fps is nice
I can NOT honestly see how anything in the milli-seconds can even be perceived by the human eye

a dedicated cam does give one a sense of security I guess but if I get into trouble I just flip the swith on the radio and she climbs up and returns home or at least close enough for me to take LOS control . I did loose my video feed behind some buildings (5.8 doesnt penetrate well) and I hit the return home and when it cleared the building and I got video back I went back to flying again

[satgod]

for a stand alone camera system you might look at this

http://hobbywireless.com/index.php?m...roducts_id=827

full 1080p at 30fps
full 720p at 60fps
and it can record video using a microSD card
its a hero2 without the extra weight

[daneger21]

Originally Posted by satgod

for a stand alone camera system you might look at this

http://hobbywireless.com/index.php?m...roducts_id=827

full 1080p at 30fps
full 720p at 60fps
and it can record video using a microSD card
its a hero2 without the extra weight

Not bad, ill look into that!

[jackyoung]

Originally Posted by daneger21

Do you recommend goggles or a monitor for viewing, and why? Pros?Cons?

Thanks

Hello, In my own experiences, there are many advantages following using monitor:

1. Cheap and They are pocket friendly which makes them quite reliable.

2. FPV monitors give you an opportunity to view it with your friends. This makes the entire experience more interesting.

3. Gives you an opportunity to get a clear view of the situation,It gives the user an opportunity to control everything as it happens.

And goggles become more and more popular, the following advantages are:

1. Lighter, With FPV goggles being quite portable, they are quite convenient.

2. I think the goggles will give you more immersives

3. There are smaller and use less lipo battery,quite portable and user-friendly.

Goggles vs Monitor, which is better? if you want portability and enhanced immersion, you can go for FPV goggles. in this regard, benevolent see benevolence, sage see Moses.