This will actually be my third Gecko build lol.  I really like this frame that much.  But technically my second posted build log (my first one here).  I ended up selling both Geckos thinking I was going to try other frames but I just keep going back to this one.  But this time, I decided to go with mostly premium parts ...

I went with a Mamba F722 mini stack with 30A BLHeli-32 AIO ESCs and a set of T-Motor F20II 1408 3750KV motors ...



I also figured let's really make use of the dual stack with the Caddx Tarsier 4K camera ...



I really like the layout of the Mamba FC and their solder pads are aces ...



I'm not necessarily a huge fan of of the company but these HGLRC Forward Mini VTXs have a mic and mmcx and 20x20 form factor ...



The Frsky R-XSR is flashed with ACCESS and uses FPort taking advantage of the F7 FC ...



The thing with the Gecko's camera cage is that it limits the downward tilt of the Tarsier ...



Lastly, I've mounted a TBS Triumph Pro antenna ...




After all this hardware and seeing how my Japalura build with just the Mini Split 2 came in at an auw (with a 4S 650mah) of 254g, I was expecting something like 270g for this build ...



I was amazed to see it come in sub-250!!  Man I really like this frame lol.  Haven't had a chance to fly it yet but hoping to do so tomorrow morning before the park fills up.

Nice build man! I have parts on the way for my Gecko build. I am very excited to see your footage from the Tarsier - I'm considering it for my build. I hope you will also include some goggle dvr footage.

When you say the cage limits downward tilt, what is the lowest angle you can get? I am a slow flyer...

Thanks sloscotty. In my opinion, this is the best frame out there for dual stack configurations. It is very efficient particularly with the prop spacing. It is not break-proof, nothing is, but it is strong. Also be sure "EIS" (image stabilization) is off in the settings which I accessed via wifi.

But this maiden video is going to focus more on the Tarsier. Two points before you watch ... the image is incredible. I don't know if it will translate well into Youtube and I have not worked with anything bigger than 1080p before. I recorded at 2.7k 60fps which is the highest at that framerate (I find 30fps is jello prone). I then scaled the size down of that video to fit 1080 and exported at 1080 60fps. Second point is the volume. I really like hearing the motor sounds in the FPV feed but also like it for the flight video. At first I actually thought the mic was broken. But they've eliminated a lot of background noise so the motor noise is very crisp.

I wish I could have gotten more video here but there were already a few stragglers at the park and I don't like to fly with too many people around. The camera angle (which I'll touch on in a bit) and not having flown in a week made for some sloppy flying too lol. Anyway this is all raw footage (no color correction) with no background music ...



Now the issues I had with the Tarsier some frame related and some specific to the camera.

First and foremost is this tilt angle limited by the camera cage crossbar of the Gecko ...



It is a bit much for my skill level as you can see me slipping and sliding in that video. I don't have a means to measure the angle but I'm guessing I'm more of a 25-35 degrees guy while this feels more like 35-45 degrees. I think I may risk removing that crossbar if I cannot jive with this angle.

Second is the stupid ways to access settings on this thing. I really really really really really wish Caddx would implement Runcam camera controls via UART. Pay the friggin licensing fees you cheap bastards lol or just copy it for cryin out loud. The stupid camera menu wiring harness thingy ... argh!! Now this finicky wifi thingy??? Not only did I have a heck of a time trying to connect out in the field (I gave up), leaving it on the ground that long heated up the hardware and the subsequent video was completely desynced missing frames and having awfully delayed sound.

In fairness, I have not messed with the settings too much. I did want to try and take 4k 30fps footage but could not access the wifi. I also want to mess with the color settings for the FPV feed as I found it too saturated. I also don't like the distortion in the FPV feed. Otherwise it is a good picture but not sure I'm ready to pass judgement on whether it is better than the Runcam Split Mini 2 FPV feed. Obviously, the HD image quality blows the Runcam Split Mini 2 out of the water by some margin.

Hmmm I'm also noticing that that dark circle in the HD footage is not some dirt on the lens like I was hoping. I got this Tarsier used which may have been a mistake ...

That sucks!  I didn't notice it the first time I watched the video.  (If I had, I would have thought it was a smudge on my computer monitor - but unfortunately, it's not...)

Edit: Are you using the ND filter?  If so, maybe it's on that...

Nah no ND filter.

I started to panic when the responses I was getting from the RCG seller were those terse, avoiding responses.  I figured I would try to clean out the sensor and if that didn't work, force a Paypal return since the video is very clear.  But luckily, I used to clean my own DSLR sensors and had my cleaning kit still.  It worked!  No more spot.  

Careful out there guys, I tried to save a couple bucks and almost ended up just burning a lot more!  

Curious as to why you mounted the HGLRC on the rear stack with the MMCX toward the front. Was it too tall to fit above the Tarsier stack? (and why toward the front?)

Good question sloscotty. Actually it's purely to accommodate the FPV antenna. I preferred to have the rx up front so I can get the diversity antennas to the arms easier. So with the FPV antenna length I had to work with, that was the optimal placement in my view.

Great news on the camera angle. Reversing the brackets actually allows you to get a bit more downard tilt. I am back to my comfortable camera angle again ...



Also got a chance to fly a pack earlier. The higher fidelity image quality is really apparent. Again, I don't know that it's translating well after my video editing program and then Youtube compression both get through with it. But staring at the footage on my computer monitor is like when I went from 720p to 1080p for the first time lol. And mind you I have not yet recorded in 4k since I prefer 60 fps.

I tried to get some low altitude orbits in this one to really show the image quality. Helps that the frame itself is so solid, I'm not sure I even need an ND filter for jello.

I went ahead and ordered the Tarsier yesterday (hoping the angle would be OK). Great to hear there's a mounting option with the Gecko to get it low enough for me - thanks for the tip! By the way, I ordered directly from Caddx - they actually had the best price of anyone.

Great video man - I love your video edits! Glad you include a bit of DVR video along with the HD. Good job!

Thanks sloscotty. I'm still on the fence between the Runcam Mini Split 2 and this Caddx Tarsier 4K. The image quality improvement is obvious. But there are little annoyances with the Tarsier that I never had with the Runcam.

For starters, I am still getting used to this fisheye distortion in the FPV feed I didn't feel I got with the Runcam. I tried messing with the FOV but I still got the same distortion. The default color settings also seem off to me and I have a hard time correcting it in the sharpness and color settings (this may be me just not used to a proper FPV feed having used Runcam Split Minis in all my other builds).

Again, the interface is just crap with any Caddx in my opinion - dangling connectors drives me nuts. Earlier I said the wifi was finnicky - that may have been on me not knowing how to properly turn it on and off. Still, I'm not sure I want a dangling wire to adjust FPV camera settings and have to connect via app to wifi to adjust HD settings. Is this really the most efficient way?

Lastly, I've had some mechanical issues as well. (In fairness, this may be due to buying it used from RCG.) There was the dark splotch that I had to clean off from the sensor. One of the side M2 screw mounting holes seems to be partially stripped after I had to come at it at an angle. I've always had to screw in camera mounting screws at a slight angle due to prop or motor getting in the way and never had an issue before with other cams. Lastly, after my first crash, I saw specs of something (dirt?) on the FPV lens. They were still there after cleaning the lens as well as the sensor. I thought maybe the lens itself had some cracks in it. But then I took a camera blower to the lens innards of the lens itself ... no more spots at all. If I have to deal with this after every crash ... I will be ... annoyed lol.

These are just some observations. At the end of the day, the image quality (for me the microphone quality also counts for a lot) may be more than enough to offset these issues (some of which may be unique to this camera since it was used).

And the one huge strong point I never touched on that the Runcam Split Mini does not have - the dedicated FPV feed. I am no pro pilot not do I have the know how (or patience to learn) how to measure latency. But I have to think it's that much better given that it is a dedicated feed.

Ok so this is not a knock on this guy's video or build skills and I am a subscriber and enjoy his content. But Pepeprawn's recently uploaded "Caddx Tarsier Review | Banggood 13th Anniversary" video shows an awful lot of jello coming from the Tarsier 4K in his build ...



I am now super impressed with my Gecko build since despite having fiddled quite a bit with the camera cage (to get a lower angle) not to mention taking apart the camera casing so many times to clean it out and practically stripping one of the M2 mounting holes, it still delivers rock steady HD footage.

On the downside this means the Tarsier 4K is not nearly as infallible to jello as I had thought. I am thinking of treating myself to a new frame for my birthday coming up and was considering another Tarsier for it. Specifically the Acrobrat 3" and that actually has active clean / dirty sections unlike the Gecko.

Got in some packs today ... AWFUL FOOTAGE!! I mean jello so bad it was more like milk shake. I don't know if it was because I set the bitrate to High (instead of Medium) at 2.7k 60fps. I did not see anything bad in the FPV feed but I also did some pretty aggressive tuning which made it fly on rails. Lastly, the left side M2 mounting screw on the camera is stripped so it is only halfway secure.

I went back and switched the bitrate back to Medium keeping it at 2.7k 60fps. I also reverted back the tune. I tightened the loose screw as much as I could (a replacement housing is on its way). The video is MUCH better but I am still seeing some jello from throttle vibrations which I'm hoping will be fixed when I get the replacement housing. Even still, the image is really spectacular compared to standard 1080p HD split style cams. Despite all the annoyances, I may be switching to this Tarsier 4K as my default cam. I just need to get this tuned back to being on rails again it just feels a little sloppy right now ...

I don't know if you watched this video by AndyRC of his review of the GepRC CinePro 4k, but he goes into quite a bit of detail on the Tarsier.  I've set the video at around 29 minutes where he demonstrates the FOV of various settings.  He says he prefers the 1440P 60FPS.  In the last 6 or 7 minutes of the video, he shows flight footage of each, and then ends with the 1440P that he's "dynamically stretched" (fake superview).  Looks pretty good.

Thanks sloscotty I totally forgot about that video. I swear sometimes I just watch AndyRC cos of his cool accent lol. I really need to start messing with the other HD resolutions. I've been drooling over the 2.7k/60fps footage too much. It just looks so good.

And actually it's the FPV footage that was bugging me both in terms of distortion and color saturation. But I am thinking more and more that it might be the superior feed and I am just used to the Runcam Split Mini feed that I've used practically exclusively before this Tarsier 4K. Def getting used to it.

Squeezed in some packs today and I really need to get that replacement housing in. That left side M2 mounting is so messed up now that the screw even popped out mid flight. I can't get a good tune in without knowing for sure if it is jello'ing the HD footage. Just when I have it flying on rails, I see jello in the video and realize the screw popped out a while ago lol wtf.

Yea I am liking this Tarsier so much that I will be putting it on either an Airblade Intrepid 3" build or an Acrobrat 3" build. Whichever arrives first lol.

They say that it's best to fly the exact same quad to improve fastest.  That sounds awfully boring to me so I fly the exact same components on different frames LOL.

Got some packs in with the Gecko this morning after having a blast with the Acrobrat [edit] Gecko ...