Need two small camera's with USB/HDMI for 17 foot dino shark suit

[Sharkasaurus]

Hey guys!

I'm hoping I can get some help here. I'm looking for 2 small wide angle cameras with an hdmi and external power. They don't need to record. I plan on connecting them to a portable 10 inch monitor.

We're building a 17 foot animatronic dinoshark suit for a short film and I'd like to have a camera embedded in the front and one angled at the feet so the operater can see where he's going and pilot this little monster.

I was looking at gopro action style cameras, but they're a little bulky and most need to be turned on manually. We plan on building them into the suit foam suit so it doesn't feel ideal.

I was looking on Amazon and I found some nice front/rear motorcycle cameras that seem like they would work, but they may have problems too. Most seem to come with a monitor/recorder and have proprietary cables which may be hard to extend for 17 feet.

Just wondering if anyone has any ideas on other options in the Dashcam world that would work.

Here's a silly little video of the prototype of the monster.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Nigel]

How about a pair of Gitup F1 ?

They give a composite video out and will auto start on power input, many people use them for model aeroplanes with a video transmitter (remote control).
Also do WiFi at close range, used with a phone app for setup and live view. They are not much smaller than a GoPro but are built lengthwise so more convenient for small spaces.
There are also 3 choices of lens angle.

 

[Dashmellow]

Similar to the GitUp F1 but smaller, cooler running and in many ways more versatile I would suggest exploring the Mobius action camera and the Mobius Maxi action camera. They offer similar functionality to a typical action camera like a GoPro except that they are "matchbox" style cameras that are tiny by comparison.

The original Mobius (often referred to as the M1) was originally designed as a FPV (first-person view) cam used primarily by RC drone enthusiasts and thus were designed to offer analogue AV out capability intended for viewing on a standard LCD video monitor. This was usually achieved by using an FVP transmitter and receiver system and that may be a possibility but this also works just as well with a standard 15 foot or longer USB cable. Using the supplied or easily available AV wiring harness you can connect analogue video and sound out (RCA plugs) and USB power in.

The original M1 also has the unique capability to use an inexpensive AV extension cable that allows the remote mounting of the lens module 8 inches from the camera itself (see also). With such a set-up the lens could be stealthily incorporated into the dino/shark suit with the camera housing hidden inside.

The more recent Mobius Maxi offers close range WiFi viewing on the dedicated smartphone/tablet app.

Both cameras can be tethered to a computer in Web Cam mode, so two small computers inside the dino/shark suit could also work via USB cable.

Both cameras offer a wide range of individual replaceable parts such as lens modules, cables, pcb, plug in batteries, super capacitors and camera housings which make them high suitable for customization.

Both the M1 and the Maxi are available commercially with several different focal length lenses and are also easily modified with a wide range of aftermarket standard M12 lenses.

As "enthusiast" cameras they have a wide following on this forum and thus there are many informative threads and DIY projects that would help guide you if you decided to choose these for your project.

What you have in mind here happens to be the way large Muppets such as Big Bird operate. There are cameras hidden in the puppets neck and the operator has monitors strapped to his chest. You'll likely find many descriptions of how this was done on the internet.

Mobius Maxi


Original Mobius action cam

 

[Sharkasaurus]

How about a pair of Gitup F1 ?

They give a composite video out and will auto start on power input, many people use them for model aeroplanes with a video transmitter (remote control).
Also do WiFi at close range, used with a phone app for setup and live view. They are not much smaller than a GoPro but are built lengthwise so more convenient for small spaces.
There are also 3 choices of lens angle.

Thanks for the reccomend! That's a pretty sweet little rig. I also looked at the Gitup Duo. I think I might be in the same problem as a GoPro though... in that it need to be turned on which can be tricky if we mount it on the tip of the Sharkasaurus nose.

 

[Sharkasaurus]

Similar to the GitUp F1 but smaller, cooler running and in many ways more versatile I would suggest exploring the Mobius action camera and the Mobius Maxi action camera. They offer similar functionality to a typical action camera like a GoPro except that are "matchbox" style cameras that are tiny by comparison.

The original Mobius (often referred to as the M1) was originally designed as a FPV (first-person view) cam used primarily by RC drone enthusiasts and thus were designed to offer analogue AV out capability intended for viewing on a standard LCD TV monitor. This was usually achieved by using an FVP transmitter and receiver system and that may be a possibility but this also works just as well with a standard 15 foot or longer USB cable. Using the supplied or easily available AV wiring harness you can connect analogue video and sound out (RCA plugs) and USB power in.

The original M1 also has the unique capability to use an inexpensive AV extension cable that allows the remote mounting of the lens module 8 inches from the camera itself (see also). With such a set-up the lens could be stealthily incorporated into the dino/shark suit with the camera housing hidden inside.

The more recent Mobius Maxi offers close range WiFi viewing on the dedicated smartphone/tablet app.

Both cameras can be tethered to a computer in Web Cam mode, so two small computers inside the dino/shark suit could also work.

Both cameras offer a wide range of individual replaceable parts such as lens modules, cables, pcb, plug in batteries, super capacitors and camera housings which make them high suitable for customization.

Both the M1 and the Maxi are available commercially with several different focal length lenses and are also easily modified with a wide range of aftermarket standard M12 lenses.

As "enthusiast" cameras they have a wide following on this forum and thus there are many informative threads and DIY projects that would help guide you if you decided to choose these for your project.

What you have in mind here happens to be the way large Muppets such as Big Bird operate. There are cameras hidden in the puppets neck and the operator has monitors strapped to his chest. You'll likely find many descriptions of how this was done on the internet.

Mobius Maxi
View attachment 51537

Original Mobius action cam
View attachment 51538

This looks pretty rad! I really like the 8inch lens extender too and auto power on. That's ideal. Only downside is the RCA video out, but I'll check out some converters.

Thanks for the reply.

 

[Dashmellow]

This looks pretty rad! I really like the 8inch lens extender too and auto power on. That's ideal. Only downside is the RCA video out, but I'll check out some converters.

Thanks for the reply.

Yeah, the Mobius cameras offer all kinds of interesting and creative possibilities, hence my recommending them.

I'm not clear on why the RCA AV out plugs present a problem. You said the purpose of the cameras is so the operator can see where he's going to pilot the dino/shark suit. A simple and relatively inexpensive solution would be to use two 4 or 5 inch LCD monitors inside the suit connected to Mobius cameras via the AV-out RCA plugs with suitable cables. This would provide more than enough resolution for your purposes.

There are literally dozens of different small portable LCD monitors available at different resolutions, capabilities and price ranges. Many today are used by professional photographers and cinematographers and some of them are extraordinarily expensive high resolution models with high end capabilities. For your purposes, where the suit operator only needs to see where he's going, for approximately 50 - 60 dollars CAD or so, you can have something that will work quite well. You can even have HDMI and other connectivity if you wish along with RCA AV input.

Depending upon which type of field monitor you purchase you may need an external power supply such as a power bank. The professional cinematography monitors usually use dedicated interchangeable battery packs.

Here is but one example of an inexpensive, capable monitor: https://www.ebay.com/itm/174224489589


I use a similar 7 inch monitor for a variety of purposes such as aiming and focusing Mobius cameras in the field and live viewing what I am filming. I've also used it for setting up CCTV cameras. The model I use is a actually a TV with an UHF/VHF tuner along with various AUX signal inputs. As a monitor with signal inputs I've also occasionally used it remotely with a Mobius camera and a small 1.2 Ghz AV transmitter/receiver system. In fact, a similar system could be used inside the dino/shark suit if you want to avoid running cables to the monitors. The downside would be that you would need more onboard power to operate the transmitters/receivers plus the monitors. You can see a examples of a typical wired monitor/Mobius camera set-up HERE & HERE.