In case you didn’t know, and we seriously doubt you didn’t, you can install an extra camera into your race drone to capture all the action in high resolution. The difference between this camera and the one used for FPV is that FPV cameras focus on low latency, high TLV, simple design and low weight FPV thus the sports cameras focus on recording high-quality videos or photographies.
Actually, sport cameras are not an indispensable requisite when it comes to getting started in drone racing. However, they are an excellent alternative if you wish to connect with your fans by sharing and recording your experiences one time and again including all matches adrenaline, or simply because you just love to have a videoblog, since without a doubt no text content exceeds a great FPV flight. Non the less, there are also some drone pilots that decide to purchase sports cameras to use them as their FPV camera, but this is something we don’t recommend yet because while most action cameras have HD resolution and can send their signal through long distances, they are also prone to show some lag or interference precisely due to their high image resolution whenever there are obstacles on the way, that is why analog cameras with high TLV are still the top choice when it comes to piloting a race drone.
But, if you are thinking about attaching sports cameras to your drones, don’t hesitate over the details about how to chose the best second camera. In this case both cameras with different functions, one for piloting and other to record everything happening through the race track. Just take into account the power of your motors and the weight of the whole drone, because we don’t want to finish last due to so many accessories slowing down the speed and response of your race drone.
Most likely, when thinking of sports cameras the first that comes to mind is the famous GoPro being one of the most relevant in the market and really the one that has reached the top in the world of extreme sports. But being honest, it is not the only sports camera delivering a high-quality video in the market. Also, you have to take into account that GoPro cameras are fairly more expensive and the drone itself already represents quite an investment.
In this article, we’ll focus on 3 inexpensive models delivering a good quality/price ratio, also those cameras have proven to be everything we need when it comes to recording the track. The reason for choosing inexpensive models is to demonstrate that it is not necessary to spend large amounts of money to achieve the goals that we go for, here are the 3 cameras that we recommend:
Eypro 1: A camera that is a little warrior, it resists water, dust, and wind without affecting the microphone. It renders pictures with a 12MP resolution and an HD video with a resolution of 1080p. Also, this camera has a wide lens with a field of view of 170 degrees. The WiFi range is 15 meters and can send all the images directly to your smartphone or tablet.
Yi Action: Although we are talking about a relatively old model, this camera is still one of the best options for drones of all kinds because it comes with a wide angle lens that provides a field of view of 155 degrees. It has a top resolution of 1080 P 60 FPS and can store 64GB of content, while the range of its WiFi can reach 100 meters.
Firefly 6S: It is the highest resolution sports camera on our list and one of the few that can be connected to your FPV system. It has a maximum resolution of 4k and comes with a wide-angle lens with a 170-degree field of view. Like the previous ones, it has integrated WiFi, capable of sending its signal up to 100 meters, in addition to a gyroscopic stabilizer to prevent the trembling of the camera from being perceived in the video.
By