The FPV camera is a very important prop, it allows you to watch what the drone sees in real time.

To choose the best FPV camera for your Drone, there are some things to consider read this guide to discover all the fundamental points to choose a good FPV camera so you can get a spectacular FPV experience.[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image="13614" img_size="full" add_caption="yes" alignment="center"][vc_column_text]

FPV Camera Size and Weight

The size and shape of the camera. This determines how easily the camera can be mounted on the multirotor frame of your choice.

In the old days FP V cameras were built on a 32x32mm square PCB without any protection and were called "Board Cameras". Board cameras can be easily damaged in a crash, so later the electronics were put into a 26x26mm case and this has become the standard today.

An FPV camera might weigh between 10gr-30gr . There are also micro FPV cameras available for micro quads, which can be as low as 1gr-5gr. [/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image="13618" img_size="full" alignment="center"][vc_column_text]

Aspect ratio (image)

There are 2 aspect ratios to choose from, 4:3 and 16:9. It all depends on what aspect ratio your FPV goggles or FPV display supports . If you have a 4:3 camera but a 16:9 display, the image will appear stretched. If you have a 16:9 camera but a 4:3 display, the image will appear squashed.[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image="13611" img_size="full" alignment="center"][vc_column_text]

CCD VS CMOS

Consumer image sensors work in one of two ways: CMOS or CCD . I won’t go into detail about how these sensors actually work, but you should know that CCD sensors are more expensive to produce, consume more power, and offer the following imaging advantages:

1. Superior performance in wide-ranging lighting conditions. For example, when flying at dusk you can point the camera at the sun one moment and at dark ground the next. CCD cameras adapt very quickly to this difference in lighting. CMOS cameras do not.
2. Low latency . CCD cameras send their images to the VTX faster than CMOS cameras. Newer CMOS cameras are very competitive but I would still give the edge to the CCD.
3. No "scan lines ". Many CMOS cameras "scan" the images line by line to collect the image data. On a quadcopter with a lot of vibration, this scanning can cause a wavy image often described as "jelly". CCD cameras sample all the image data at once and do not suffer from this deficiency.

There are some very good CMOS cameras on the market right now. In particular, the sensors used in Runcam's Eagle cameras are very convincing. I've flown one and still have light sensitivity issues with them - especially flying at dawn or dusk. I honestly can't recommend a new pilot to buy anything other than a CCD camera at this time.[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image="13619" img_size="full" alignment="center"][vc_column_text]

TVL - FPV Camera Resolution

TVL (TV Lines) is what manufacturers use to measure the resolution of the analog FPV camera.

The number is based on the number of alternating black and white lines that can be displayed horizontally in the image.

EXAMPLE : A 600TVL camera means it can display 300 black lines and 300 white lines alternately in one image. The more TV lines , the better image definition you can get from the camera. The commonly seen FPV TVL cameras are 600, 700, 800 and 1200.

However higher TVL does not always give you a better image due to the limitation of 5.8Ghz analog video transmission, as well as your monitor or FPV goggles. For example, 1200TVL will not be twice as sharp as 600TVL in an analog FPV system.

As long as you are satisfied with the image quality and sharpness , you don't need to worry too much about the TVL number. [/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image="13620" img_size="full" alignment="center"][vc_column_text]

Latency

Camera latency can be a deciding factor if you are into drone racing or high speed flying . Imagine if you are flying at 100km/h, a delay of 50ms (0.05 seconds ) means that the quad can travel 1.4m before it can react on the sticks, which could mean the difference between hitting or missing the obstacle.

The delay of a camera is often associated with the TVL number and the image processing. Most 600TVL CCD cameras only have between 20 and 30 ms of delay , such as the Runcam Swift and Foxeer HS1177 . Higher TVL cameras tend to have a higher delay due to more image processing. But of course it also depends on the image processing and algorithm .

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FPV Camera Field of View (FOV) - Focal Width of Lens

When selecting an FPV camera , you will usually have a different lens focal width option, which gives you a different field of view (FOV) .

FPV cameras usually use replaceable 1/3" screw-in lenses.

Most common goals:

Note that the focal length of the lens is NOT equivalent to FOV .

example: a 2.8mm lens might give you a 120 degree FOV on one camera, but another 2.8mm lens might give you 130 degrees on a different camera.

So knowing what FOV you like is more important than knowing the focal length when purchasing a camera/lens.

The wider the FOV, the more of the environment you see. But that's not always a good thing, as you'll start to notice the "fish eye" effect . Objects in the middle will appear smaller and farther away than they actually are, and the edges of the image will appear curved and distorted. However, when the FOV is too small, the image will appear magnified.

130-170 degrees is the most comfortable for FPV (2.1mm - 2.5mm lens).

This is a good example of different FOV (from narrower to wider).

Some cameras allow for replacement lenses of different FOV and image quality. You can buy these lenses and try them out.

example : If you tend to fly near or through places with a lot of obstacles nearby, the wider FOV might be better. If you fly at high altitudes in open spaces, the narrower FOV might be better. For FPV pilots, the wider FOV is popular because it allows the pilot to see more when flying fast, without having to physically tilt the camera.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]

NTSC and PAL - Video Coding Format

The main difference is that PAL offers better resolution , while NTSC allows for a higher frame rate. So if you want a good picture, PAL is good. But if you want smoother footage, NTSC does a better job.

• PAL: 720 x 576 @ 25fps
• NTSC: 720 x 480 at 30 fps

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Difference between FPV cameras and HD cameras?

The HD videos you normally see on YouTube are captured using HD cameras like GoPro or Runcam 3 and FPV, installed on drones with additional support.

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Conclusions

Are you ready to choose your new FPV camera? With this mini guide we hope to have given you some ideas on how to choose an FPV camera that is right for you.