I picked up a bargain earlier this week - I got two new lenses for the Sony 1/3" cameras for $8 delivered, including a 2.8mm (115 degree FOV) and a 2.1mm (150 degree FOV) lens.
They arrived today, and thinking I'd probably get the best performance out of the 2.1, I fitted it first and focussed it up. My FPV setup is a Bixler with a ply canopy, with a pan/tilt camera mount at the front of this. I've got the GPS just under the camera and the FrSky antennas poking out of the nose at 90 degrees (thanks for the inspiration on the antennas, Paul!).
With the standard lens, I can't see the nose, let alone the GPS module. It is a little squinty in low light. With the 2.1, there's a lot more light to the sensor, such that the room looks like daylight rather than fluoro lit. However the FOV is so wide I can see the nose and GPS module and wires, and the outer looks distorted (like with GoPro footage).
Swapping this for the 2.8, I can see the tip of the nose, the edge of the GPS and the antennas. I can live with this, although I'll probably move the GPS out of the way.
I'm curious about other people's experiences with wide angle lenses in flight. Does the really wide FOV make you focus on the middle and the outer becomes like your normal peripheral vision? Or is the lower FOV more pleasant to view and the extra vision best achieved with pan/tilt?
They arrived today, and thinking I'd probably get the best performance out of the 2.1, I fitted it first and focussed it up. My FPV setup is a Bixler with a ply canopy, with a pan/tilt camera mount at the front of this. I've got the GPS just under the camera and the FrSky antennas poking out of the nose at 90 degrees (thanks for the inspiration on the antennas, Paul!).
With the standard lens, I can't see the nose, let alone the GPS module. It is a little squinty in low light. With the 2.1, there's a lot more light to the sensor, such that the room looks like daylight rather than fluoro lit. However the FOV is so wide I can see the nose and GPS module and wires, and the outer looks distorted (like with GoPro footage).
Swapping this for the 2.8, I can see the tip of the nose, the edge of the GPS and the antennas. I can live with this, although I'll probably move the GPS out of the way.
I'm curious about other people's experiences with wide angle lenses in flight. Does the really wide FOV make you focus on the middle and the outer becomes like your normal peripheral vision? Or is the lower FOV more pleasant to view and the extra vision best achieved with pan/tilt?