Sony NEX-5
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Bartman
Welcome to MultiRotorForums.com!!
regarding the converter, in addition to being another piece of equipment to carry, it operates at 5v and the rest of my camera-mount-resident equipment will be fed directly by a 2 cell lipo so now i've also got to add a voltage regulator. with the extra cable, the converter, and the regulator the weight savings gets smaller. Although, with the converter there's no need for a separate camera to provide camera views so maybe it's a wash.
the video's a bit harsh to look at compared to the 5D. what lens were you using?
i may be a week or so away from buying one but I wasn't too jazzed by that video clip.
thanks for putting the comparison together,
bart
the video's a bit harsh to look at compared to the 5D. what lens were you using?
i may be a week or so away from buying one but I wasn't too jazzed by that video clip.
thanks for putting the comparison together,
bart
MombasaFlash
Heli's & Tele's bloke
I have replaced the comparison video with an updated version. The same camera files but not cut the off so early. Dunno why I was trying to save file weight by cutting the shots off short. It's not my server space.
I would like to redo the comparison anyway, keeping lens lens lengths similar to avoid unconscious bias, but have to wait for weather and a more photogenic subject. Ideally it should include the video cameras as well, but that starts to get complicated.
As for the HDMI converter, first of all it just one big pain in the bum that it has to be there at all, with all of its associated clutter (a pox on ... I mean, thanks once more to those cheery fellows at Sony for omitting the composite output) but I accept the aggravation for the huge benefit of through-the-lens monitoring. A separate camera is all well and good but the lack of accurate framing with a different length lens and no idea if the main camera is badly exposed/ out of focus or even still on etc. etc. is a stiff price to pay for avoiding less than 100g weight penalty (if you remove the board from the metal box).
I power the converter from an Extension PCB 5v supply. There is a second Extension PCB giving out 12v for the navigation LED's. Both take power from the main PDB.
The subject of payloads has been discussed before and one thing that this camera resolution comparison has demonstrated is the relative smoothness of the flight with the significant mass of the Canon 5D on board. The Sony 5N is light enough (even with the unmodified HDMI box) that the MR still had plenty of agility and therefore can still do the 'Drone Bounce'. With the 5D on board it loses that agility and the resulting flight is noticeably smoother. BUT, the Sony permits 150% more flight time and its not THAT bouncy or bad. Horses for Courses.
I would like to redo the comparison anyway, keeping lens lens lengths similar to avoid unconscious bias, but have to wait for weather and a more photogenic subject. Ideally it should include the video cameras as well, but that starts to get complicated.
As for the HDMI converter, first of all it just one big pain in the bum that it has to be there at all, with all of its associated clutter (a pox on ... I mean, thanks once more to those cheery fellows at Sony for omitting the composite output) but I accept the aggravation for the huge benefit of through-the-lens monitoring. A separate camera is all well and good but the lack of accurate framing with a different length lens and no idea if the main camera is badly exposed/ out of focus or even still on etc. etc. is a stiff price to pay for avoiding less than 100g weight penalty (if you remove the board from the metal box).
I power the converter from an Extension PCB 5v supply. There is a second Extension PCB giving out 12v for the navigation LED's. Both take power from the main PDB.
The subject of payloads has been discussed before and one thing that this camera resolution comparison has demonstrated is the relative smoothness of the flight with the significant mass of the Canon 5D on board. The Sony 5N is light enough (even with the unmodified HDMI box) that the MR still had plenty of agility and therefore can still do the 'Drone Bounce'. With the 5D on board it loses that agility and the resulting flight is noticeably smoother. BUT, the Sony permits 150% more flight time and its not THAT bouncy or bad. Horses for Courses.
Bartman
Welcome to MultiRotorForums.com!!
MBF,
What lens did you have on the Sony in that first video? If it was a zoom what was it set at? I hope it wasn't the 16mm prime as it seemed kinda narrow.
Does the video played within the site here represent the original video quality well?
Thanks,
bart
What lens did you have on the Sony in that first video? If it was a zoom what was it set at? I hope it wasn't the 16mm prime as it seemed kinda narrow.
Does the video played within the site here represent the original video quality well?
Thanks,
bart
Bartman
Welcome to MultiRotorForums.com!!
That's a good idea....I was thinking though, my Iftron Mondo Stinger video Tx has a 5v output for camera power. I wonder if it's enough juice to power the converter...the Tx is already getting power from the 2 cell lipo so it would be very convenient if it could provide the power for the converter.
Bart
Bart
Bartman
Welcome to MultiRotorForums.com!!
not ImmersionRC, IftronTech said they're working on it.
MombasaFlash
Heli's & Tele's bloke
The Canon has a 'standard' 24-105 zoom and the Sony has the 18-55 zoom, both are set at their widest. The footage is imported into Final Cut Pro straight out of the cameras and is untreated.
Did another test yesterday but unfortunately the light disappeared after the first run and did not get to fly the Canon for comparison.
That is an old idea developed from the original solution from the pre-digital age with the d/l camera looking through the viewfinder. A very unsophisticated solution today.
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seattle_helo
Member
Missed that. The size of the PCB is 80x107mm. It could have been smaller based solely on the layout and IC's on the board. They essentially stretched the board to accommodate the large connectors and fit the form factor of the aluminum enclosure. Without those things I bet it could be half that size.
Got sidetracked last week but did some work to it this morning. The entire unit, with enclosure weighs just under 210g. Removing the enclosure the board is 59.84g. Further removing the S-video connector the board is 56.76g. Further removing the power connector the board is 55.24g. Further removing the video and audio jacks the board is 49.75g. I'm going to leave the switches and HDMI connector in place. With the cables soldered directly to the board and a huge piece of shrink tube over it all I think the final weight will come to about 57g.
Mombasa is right. This thing is a pain in the a$$ but it will be a good tool to have going forward. The trend for consumer video gear is moving more and more to HDMI and fewer and fewer composite outputs.
What we really need is a compact, hi quality vTX that transmits a decent HD image and accepts a direct serial digital input over mico-coax with SMA connectors for the video. Of course we'd also need SD-SMA outputs on all cameras. There is a better chance that Lady GaGa will knock on my door than that ever happening. But it sure would be great to get rid of terrible HDMI connectors and composite video garbage.
But barring that even a HDMI-mini input on a vTX would be a nice first step.
DucktileMedia
Drone Enthusiast
THanks. I actually just got mine in. I was happy that the case weighs 175grams out of the total 200gram weight. We need to find a way to rid of the cable weight. How hard is it to solder the hdmi wires in place? Seems a little risky not knowing which color is which or how many there are.
Do you only need 1 wire for the video lead? I thought it needed a ground.
Do you only need 1 wire for the video lead? I thought it needed a ground.
seattle_helo
Member
That photo was taken mid way thru the process. It does have a video ground cable now among others. I looked at the HDMI connector carefully and I'm going to leave mine alone. It would be nice to hard wire it but the traces are too small and delicate for my soldering equipment and old eyes.
MombasaFlash
Heli's & Tele's bloke
I removed the board and wrapped it in bubble-wrap in the interests of saving weight - and then put it back in the heavy case. The AD-8 can benefit from a little bit of extra weight to stop it getting too frisky and the Sony NEX is not heavy enough on its own. The HDMI converter sits in a 'spare' flat battery bay and is quickly swapped between heli's. I will try the same installation on the MK Octo and if the video is smooth I will probably leave it there and let the AD-8 sweat it out with the 5D.
MombasaFlash
Heli's & Tele's bloke
Of the six menus available you will find the i/r trigger option in Camera/Drive Mode.
MombasaFlash
Heli's & Tele's bloke
During a brief respite from wind and gales yesterday late afternoon I shoved the DW up with the NEX-5n on board, ostensibly to establish available airtime for this camera with 2x 6600 4S Vislero flat packs, having already established a flight autonomy of roughly 10 minutes for the Canon 5D with 2x 5000 4S packs. The flight time yesterday was 15':20", with not particularly freshly charged packs, before the low battery alarm.
However, as the flight path and gusty conditions were similar to a session a week or two ago, when testing some small silicon pads to enhance vibration isolation, yesterday's flight served as another useful comparison between the Canon 5D and the Sony NEX-5n on the same AD-8 platform.
Previous 'Silicone Pad' with Canon 5D video:
However, as the flight path and gusty conditions were similar to a session a week or two ago, when testing some small silicon pads to enhance vibration isolation, yesterday's flight served as another useful comparison between the Canon 5D and the Sony NEX-5n on the same AD-8 platform.
Previous 'Silicone Pad' with Canon 5D video:
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Macsgrafs
Active Member
unfair test in my book. The sun has sunk down to the horizon when the 5D gets its turn & this causes serious lens flares, which also affects the exposure settings. You need to do this test with the sun behind your shooting position. The 5D has a better definition, the branches on the trees look so much sharper though.
Ross
Ross
MombasaFlash
Heli's & Tele's bloke
This was not actually a dedicated camera comparison and the timing of both flights was determined by small breaks in lousy weather. Exposures were manual and fixed on the ground by S.I.A.S. (suck it and see) guesswork and I can't do anything about the sun's position where I live. It is hairy enough just getting airborne with all the bushes and shrubbery around the tiny patch of back lawn and then the only bit of open sky is towards the setting sun - with the neighbour's telephone cable almost in the way. Would never take-off here with the regular heli's!
The second video (chronologically the first, recorded a couple of weeks ago) was to test the silicone pad vibration reduction modification idea and needed a heavy weight so I stuck the 5D on there. The second video (yesterday's) was to determine how long the AD-8 could stay in the air with the Sony NEX and two of the larger capacity LiPo's.
It was only when watching the second video that I realised the similarity of the two flights and checked the second against the first. Of course the sun's position was different and everything but I am only interested in determining how the Sony's resolution matches up to the 5D. Being lighter it allows the AD-8 to fly with less effort and therefore increases airborne time. I have to say that this last comparison shows the NEX in a favourable light - despite my initial disappointment when I first purchased it.
The difference in sensor sizes allows the 5D to achieve a wider angle which helps towards apparent sharpness and generally it does seem to produce a perceptibly finer image. But, I am pleased that the NEX is looking useable. I am really not into Go-Pro's. I have one and, impressive though it is, the video is quite frankly crap. The enormous degree of compression completely anihilates subtle movement into a jerky flutter. Leaves in a breeze is a very representative example.
One big difference I have noticed between the 5D and the NEX is that video with the 5D is noticeably smoother in terms of 'MR bounce'. I believe the sheer weight and mass of the 5D prevents the AD-8 from making sudden moves and the result is smoother flight. I am just in the middle of preparing another comparison video between the two from a session about ten days ago and the raw video shows much more movement with the NEX. There is still plenty of crunching to do so it won't be ready today.
As for the better flight times, I guess the AD-8 is just somehow better dialled in than previously. The only physical change has been fatter battery cables (and two of them instead of one) and fatter battery cable connectors. The one parameter change was lowering the low battery alarm to the 'legal' minimum in MKTool and then the two ear-piercing double buzzer alarms are set to 3.4v per cell. They go off first to allow the MR to start making its way back before the FC sounds the last alarm.
This means the LiPo's are pretty much exhausted (hopefully not fatally!) but being kind to them by increasing the alarm threshold results in far too short a flight time for me. I record all battery charge times and charge amps and so far I think (hope?) they are being operated within their safe limits. On average the 5000 packs are accepting around 4500mA and the 6600 packs are accepting around 6200mA.
The second video (chronologically the first, recorded a couple of weeks ago) was to test the silicone pad vibration reduction modification idea and needed a heavy weight so I stuck the 5D on there. The second video (yesterday's) was to determine how long the AD-8 could stay in the air with the Sony NEX and two of the larger capacity LiPo's.
It was only when watching the second video that I realised the similarity of the two flights and checked the second against the first. Of course the sun's position was different and everything but I am only interested in determining how the Sony's resolution matches up to the 5D. Being lighter it allows the AD-8 to fly with less effort and therefore increases airborne time. I have to say that this last comparison shows the NEX in a favourable light - despite my initial disappointment when I first purchased it.
The difference in sensor sizes allows the 5D to achieve a wider angle which helps towards apparent sharpness and generally it does seem to produce a perceptibly finer image. But, I am pleased that the NEX is looking useable. I am really not into Go-Pro's. I have one and, impressive though it is, the video is quite frankly crap. The enormous degree of compression completely anihilates subtle movement into a jerky flutter. Leaves in a breeze is a very representative example.
One big difference I have noticed between the 5D and the NEX is that video with the 5D is noticeably smoother in terms of 'MR bounce'. I believe the sheer weight and mass of the 5D prevents the AD-8 from making sudden moves and the result is smoother flight. I am just in the middle of preparing another comparison video between the two from a session about ten days ago and the raw video shows much more movement with the NEX. There is still plenty of crunching to do so it won't be ready today.
As for the better flight times, I guess the AD-8 is just somehow better dialled in than previously. The only physical change has been fatter battery cables (and two of them instead of one) and fatter battery cable connectors. The one parameter change was lowering the low battery alarm to the 'legal' minimum in MKTool and then the two ear-piercing double buzzer alarms are set to 3.4v per cell. They go off first to allow the MR to start making its way back before the FC sounds the last alarm.
This means the LiPo's are pretty much exhausted (hopefully not fatally!) but being kind to them by increasing the alarm threshold results in far too short a flight time for me. I record all battery charge times and charge amps and so far I think (hope?) they are being operated within their safe limits. On average the 5000 packs are accepting around 4500mA and the 6600 packs are accepting around 6200mA.
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Macsgrafs
Active Member
DAVE: With the 5D
Mombasa, I agree weight can be a big part of the smoothness, at the end of the day no one really likes jumpy low quality videos, we all want the best possible....if that means for me shorter flight times..then I will have to stick with that. How long are you getting from the 2 x 4500 packs with the 5D?
Ross
Mombasa, I agree weight can be a big part of the smoothness, at the end of the day no one really likes jumpy low quality videos, we all want the best possible....if that means for me shorter flight times..then I will have to stick with that. How long are you getting from the 2 x 4500 packs with the 5D?
Ross