All the buzz about the Aiptek PenCam SD at WalMart has gotten me interested in doing aerial imaging. I'm not sure which would be better. Here is a comparison of the Mini PenCam 1.3 and the PenCam SD.
Mini PenCam 1.3 PenCam SD ---------------- ---------------------- Format Vertical Horizontal Max Resolution 1248x960 1280x1024 Memory 16MB SDRAM for movies 8MB SDRAM (stills only) 16MB Flash for stills SD slot up to 128MB, not inc.
CAPACITY Internal Memory Internal Memory Stills ~50 @ 1248x960 ~10 @ 1280x1024 (SDRAM) ~160@ 640x480 ~40 @ 640x480 Movies ~30 sec@10 fps 624x480 None ~120 sec@10 fps 304x240 None 128MB SD Card Stills ~160 @ 1280x1024 (SDRAM) ~640 @ 640x480 Movies ~10 min. @ 640x480 6-8 fps ~40 min? @ 320x240 8-10 fps
Size 1.3"x1.22"x3.54" 3.9"x1.7"x1.4" Weight w/o btty 47.5g 51.2g Price $49.99 (Aiptek refurb) $29.99(WalMart) +$40 SD Card
Considerations
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1) Usage: I mainly fly single-engine black-powder rockets, so small size and weight is important. 2) Cost: As a terminal cheapskate, I am looking to minimize my costs. 3) Because of (1) and (2) above, I'd prefer to have a self-contained unit (e.g. not require AYUCR controller). 4) I'm mostly interested in movies, but might want to try some stills. For starters, can use the built-in 10 sec timer. Someday I might cobble together my own multi-shot timer circuit.Pros/Cons of each
----------------- Mini Pencam 1.3
- Vertical format: No need to rotate images.
- Smaller
- Lighter
- Can do movies with built-in memory
- More stills with built-in memory
- Shorter video record time than SD w/128MB card
+/- More expensive for camera only, but cheaper than SD camera+memory cardPenCam SD
- Horizontal format: While still images are easy to rotate post-flight, videos will require a bit more work.
- Slightly better resolution
- Need SD card to do movies, adds to price and weight
- Much longer videos with SD card; much more than I need for one flight. Could put multiple flights on same SD card.
- SD Video memory non-volatile.
It seems to me that for my needs, the Mini PenCam 1.3 would be better. Press the video record button, run away, and launch for a 30 second video. With the small engines I'm using, I'm not likely to need much longer to capture a complete flight anyway.
Am I missing something here?
-- Bob Cox