What Action camera should i get for my quadcopter? i don’t want to spend too much? I am thinking of getting the Xiaomi YI but should i save up and go for something a bit better like the Gopro?

I am currently considering the following HD recording cameras

• Xiaomi Yi Camera
  
• RunCam 2
  
• Gopro Hero3+: Silver Edition
  
• Mobius
  
• GoPro Session
  
• GoPro Hero 4 Silver Edition
  
• Garmin Virb XE
  
• Sony - Action Cam
  

Runcam 2 cannot vouch for but got ready for my frame next week. Bang for buck Xiaomi Yi I use it on and off the quad regularly love the little thing.

i have a Session. It works great, but it's not light. You might want to get Runcam HD 2 or Foxeer Legend if you want something light and low profile.
If you get a Gopro, get the "bestbuy" warranty thing. Otherwise, buy 5 xiaomis for the same price.

I have the XIAOMI YI Camera and it is very good I also have the runcam hd and it is a great camera to but I have not tried the runcam 2 yet I'm sure its a good camera though and the gopro is just two expensive you might want to look at the Gitup 2 camera it is a very good camera as well. or sj 4000.

After many crashes my Yi still surviving... I have to say it gives me very good picture quality. I have tried other cameras such as The M10 , smashed to bits ( also good picture quality), Rollei 410, very nice but too tall on mini quadcopters and I lost it after one crash.

I decided to go for a cheap runcam HD , with protection and angle mount , and considering to get a Runcam 2 , which you can also use as FPV camera because of the very small latency.

I have gone through many HD cams, From the Mobius, runcam 1, Runcam 2, GoPro Hero 3+, GoPro Hero 4 Black edition, Yi, SJ4000, and GoPro session.

My Personal view on the cameras.
Some are not used anymore simply because they do not do 1080p60fps (or 50fps if you are a PAL user)

The mobius was a good little performer in it's day. Not used anymore

The runcam 1 was a good little camera, had a few issues with adjusting to varying light conditions. Only used when testing out new tricks when I do not care if I smash a HD cam to pieces

Runcam 2, great update to the Runcam 1, but does have intermittent issues where the battery loses contact for a second or so in a crash and renders that flights video as useless, You need to put a little extra firm foam inside battery cover. Great camera but not always a great choice on a small 180-210 sized quad where flight battery is on top

The SJ4000 was not a bad camera but not great either, sometimes not sure if it was actually recording or not. In retired pile

The Yi is a great cam for the price, let down by really poor battery life, no sooner had you turned it on and had a flight and it was pretty much on it's way out, also in my case I had to do the camera lens adjustment trick. Just don't use anymore due to poor battery life.

The GoPro Hero3+ is an awesome camera, good battery life, records great, but the LCD front screen is a delicate little flower and often dies after numerous impacts with immovable objects, but the camera keeps on going. Pricey, and you do worry about losing it.

GoPro 4 Black Edition is the cream of the crop, but at a whopping price point, This is one camera you have to protect at all costs and in my case makes me throttle back a bit just incase I wreck it. Also suffers from LCD panel-itis.

Now onto the GoPro Session.
While this camera is not the be all to end all cams and will not fit all quads it is a absolute ripper of a cam. while a bit taller than the Gopro Hero class it's footprint is smaller and allows a better fit to most Quads. For me it is a compromise between video quality, size and price. It does not fit all needs all the time but does the job very well. Video quality is not as great as the Hero3 or Hero4 it is slowly becoming my HD of choice. The fact the cam by default is waterproof, dustproof etc is a real bonus and no need for a large heavy protective case, you still need to be aware that the glass screen on front can be broken and is fairly costly to replace , so consider that. Battery cannot be removed and flight time recording will be around 90 to 120 minutes..roughly (I do not always turn the cam off between flights)

My advice, Choose a camera that will offer YOU the best video quality at a price you can afford and factor in weight, durability and fitment to your quads, can You get protective lens covers?, silcon skins etc.

My personal order of preference based on the cams I own.

Go Pro Session, 3.5 out of 5
Hero4, 4.5 out of 5
Hero 3 , 4.0 out of 5
Runcam 2, 4 out of 5
Yi, 3.5 out of 5
Runcam 1, 3 out of 5
Mobius 1.5 out of 5
SJ4000 well, just doesn't cut it.

Sounds like Biggles has it all figured out! I'm looking to get a Gopro 4 black but trying to figure out a way to protect it. In my case and perhaps others, battery life means nothing since the camera is being powered by my aircraft.

(05-Apr-2016, 05:38 AM)Squidyman Wrote: Sounds like Biggles has it all figured out! I'm looking to get a Gopro 4 black but trying to figure out a way to protect it. In my case and perhaps others, battery life means nothing since the camera is being powered by my aircraft.

Just factor in that if you crash and the Flight battery comes out you will lose the last flight being recorded.

(05-Apr-2016, 06:01 AM)BigglesFPV Wrote: Just factor in that if you crash and the Flight battery comes out you will lose the last flight being recorded.

I wouldn't take the battery out of the gopro. Weight doesn't matter as much with 10" plus prop quadcopters it seems.

Surprised you rated the Mobius so low considering the issues you stated the runcam has with killing videos. I REALLY liked my Mobius wide angle. Great 1080p videos and handled exceptionally well on any craft since it is small and very light.

I am debating getting another camera since I somehow killed my Mobius when I hit a stump and it has no obvious electronic or physical issued. Yet it is dead. I tore it apart a few times and can't find the issue. I am concerned that since I plan on flying 250mm and smaller cameras that the GoPros, Yi etc "block" style cameras are ridiculously too big and have to have a negative effect on flying due to their size. Now that you rated the runcam so low, and I watched Oscars video on the Runcam FPV version, I am thinking that unless I were to get it free, it simply doesn't work very well for it's higher price.

Apparently I need to get another Mobius wide angle 1080p as there doesn't seem to be a better alternative.

(05-Apr-2016, 08:33 PM)Hebrews12v2 Wrote: Surprised you rated the Mobius so low considering the issues you stated the runcam has with killing videos. I REALLY liked my Mobius wide angle. Great 1080p videos and handled exceptionally well on any craft since it is small and very light.

I am debating getting another camera since I somehow killed my Mobius when I hit a stump and it has no obvious electronic or physical issued. Yet it is dead. I tore it apart a few times and can't find the issue. I am concerned that since I plan on flying 250mm and smaller cameras that the GoPros, Yi etc "block" style cameras are ridiculously too big and have to have a negative effect on flying due to their size.  Now that you rated the runcam so low, and I watched Oscars video on the Runcam FPV version, I am thinking that unless I were to get it free, it simply doesn't work very well for it's higher price.

Apparently I need to get another Mobius wide angle 1080p as there doesn't seem to be a better alternative.

Hey Hebrews12v2,

Sorry if my scores seemed a bit off, but I only scored them based on my own personal view.
A lot of why my scores are what they are is based on what is best for me, reliability, use, etc, not just based on video quality.

The mobius was a good cam in it's day, infact probably the best after the keycam cameras. But technology moves forward and the mobius was left behind, 1080P30fps just didn't cut it anymore.

The Runcam 2 is a great camera, great video quality, with only that minor issue of the battery losing contact for a millisecond in a high impact crash, but for me the runcam/mobius style cameras do not fit all my quads in the manner I would like them too.  Top plate real estate on a 180-210 sized quad is limited, so once you factor in the lipo on top not much room left for a Runcam, and thus the Session,  Yi or Gopro becomes the more obvious choice.

All of us will have differences of opinions on what is right or wrong for them, I honestly do not think there is a HD cam that will suit everyone's needs, and that is probably why I have so many different ones. I have some quads I run the Runcam 2 on and others the Session and Full size Go Pro's.

Like I said though, for me, and knowing full well the Session is not the best of all the cams I have in terms of video quality, battery life it is the happy medium point for me.

Apologies if it sounded like I was coming across as an ass, was not my intent.

Oh, not at all BigglesFPV! I wasn't trying to sound negative. I just meant that losing momentary electrical is a bad deal if you had a good flight and end up losing the video. As to the others fitting better, I am suprised that is true when I look at their size. Seems to me they are harder to mount and fly is all I meant. I also wan't trying to offend, and I took your review as positive in fitting your needs / expense account. Mine, not so much :>)

Has anyone used the SJCAM M10?