Best camera for flight recording?

[wisniak]

Hi,

I'd appreciate you recommendation for a dash cam that I can use while flying (low-altitude flight) at daytime.

The camera would be attached to the inside of the canopy (say overhead).
Low light recording is not so important (it'd be relevant only if I were to use the camera for other uses, eg in the car etc).

Longest flight I can think of could be 5-6 hours long (with intermediate stops, but the SD card would still need to hold all of the recordings.
And this would not happen often.

What is the largest contiguous recording (dependent upon recording time) that can be create/saved on a card?

Thank you,

Daniel

 

[jokiin]

plenty of models available that would suit your needs, maybe best to post back with models you are considering for further comment, give us a short list and I'm sure you can get some further advice

 

[wisniak]

Hi and thank you for your prompt reply.

Well, being a techno-freak, I'd always opt for the best quality camera.


Obviously video quality is most important.
Still-photos are less important, as this camera will only serve me while flying (I have a good still photo camera for my other uses).
Night IR capability is not so important.
Also stability is important, as the airplane moves around quite a bit due to turbulence etc.

The camera I was looking earlier on today was the F900LHD, which i see is recommended here (and its younger brother - the F500LHD as well).

I'm not sure how important is having a built-in GPS. I have a separate data logger which can supplement this functionality (although - externally, and so I won't have an integral solution).

I also assume a small form factor would be good (not much room in the ****pit, this is not a 747).

Digital zoom is not important (it's worthless and I don't believe these cameras will have optical zoom, which depends on lens quality in any case).

 

[jokiin]

Hi and thank you for your prompt reply.

Well, being a techno-freak, I'd always opt for the best quality camera.


Obviously video quality is most important.
Still-photos are less important, as this camera will only serve me while flying (I have a good still photo camera for my other uses).
Night IR capability is not so important.
Also stability is important, as the airplane moves around quite a bit due to turbulence etc.

The camera I was looking earlier on today was the F900LHD, which i see is recommended here (and its younger brother - the F500LHD as well).

I'm not sure how important is having a built-in GPS. I have a separate data logger which can supplement this functionality (although - externally, and so I won't have an integral solution).

I also assume a small form factor would be good (not much room in the ****pit, this is not a 747).

Digital zoom is not important (it's worthless and I don't believe these cameras will have optical zoom, which depends on lens quality in any case).

there are some programs that can be used to import GPS data for telemetry, synchronising the data to the vision is not always straightforward, one with built in data logging would ultimately be much easier, hard to see without knowing your mounting options but I would think a smaller unit would be preferable

 

[dashcamjunior]

What quality/resolution do you expect? Do you want to register outside view or ****pit view?

For ****pit view, some friends use the no-HD MD80 "thumb" camera to some extent, with fair to good results. However consider that a ****pit view soon gets very annoying to watch. For mounting outside, to the airframe if you find some suitable place, the Hero models are the most used. If you desire a less wide angle (extreme wide angles create strange effects when the horizon is not at the center of the image), the JVC GC-XA1 might be an interesting alternative.

 

[Mikk36]

Why not go for a camera built specifically for it, like an HD Wingcam II ?
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/stor ... 30FPS.html
http://www.rchacker.com/reviews/hobbyki ... or-rd32-v3
If battery life is not enough in stock, you can replace it with a bigger one (have to rewire, that is).