Low Cost HD Camera Is Perfect For FPV Duties
Posted on December 9, 2009 by aaronredbaron
With decent HD video cameras becoming more common and less expensive, its exciting to keep an eye out for cameras with certain features which would make them good for our odd application. Unlike most HD camera users, FPV flyers need a camera with flash memory so vibration doesn’t affect any moving parts, and we need a regular A/V out (not HD) to downlink the video. As it turns out, Office Depot has a low cost (on sale for $89 at the time this article was written!) option in the Ativa HD camera, which is a generic version of the Toshiba S-10. Not only does the camera offer all the features we need for a decent HD FPV camera, but it can be powered through the USB port (5volts) so you’re not tied to their battery and its associated weight. It uses SDHC memory cards, and its a generic version of the $200 Toshiba Camileo S10. The S10 has been well received, (click here to see the engadget review) so for the price you can’t go wrong! Its not practical to remove the camera head for pan and tilt (see the link below about how-to disassemble one for more info about removing the camera head) but for the price, the weight, and the performance, you can’t really go wrong!
Click here to see the RC Groups thread about the Ativa
Click here to see the Ativa HD camera at OfficeDepot’s website
Click here to see the magnetic wide angle lens which will work on the Sony Webbie or Ativa HD camera
Click here to see a how-to on removing unnecessary weight from a similar Toshiba P-10
