Foxeer Cat 3 - a (very) Low Light FPV Camera - REVIEW

a LOW light cam.. But is it also usable when the sun is out?
the camera: www.foxeer.com/foxeer-micro-c...
at Banggood: www.banggood.com/Foxeer-Micro...
Playlist for unedited captures:
• Foxeer Micro CAT 3 tests
sensor type: Sony CMOS
sensor size: 1/3"
resolution: 1200 tvl
lens: M12 2.1mm
field of view: 115 degrees in 4:3 - 125 degrees in 16:9
aspect ratio: 4:3 / 16:9
input voltage: 4.6V - 20V
latency: not specified (so Not fast)
size: micro. 19mm x 19mm
weight: 10.7 grams
setup OSD: yes
runtime OSD: yes
Wide Dynamic Range: 100 dB
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/ dutchrc
Equipent I use:
Frsky Tandem X20: bit.ly/3iJLaxg
TBS Mambo: bit.ly/3ipWgY4
Orqa FPV.One FPV Goggle: bit.ly/3dXwOaw
Indoors camera: Canon 5D mkIII
Lens: Tamron 28-75 2.8
Outdoors camera's:
+ GoPro Hero9 Black & Hero 8 Black & Session 5
+ Insta360 ONE R: bit.ly/3aNiqfI
Tools:
+ Mustool MT826 Multimeter: goo.gl/t7UwWi
+ TS100 portable soldering iron: goo.gl/3w8oCk
+ ToolCraft ST-100D soldering station
+ Steinel Gluematic 3002 hotglue gun
+ several Dremel's
My Instagram page:
/ dutchrc
DutchRC Adventures™.. All rights reserved. Publication, reproduction or distribution of this film by any means whatsoever - including without limitation electronic transmission via internet or e-mail, or re-uploading existing videos & re-uploading such material on any website anywhere in the world - is strictly prohibited without the prior written consent of DutchRC Adventures. We are not directly affiliated with any of the vendors or manufacturers in this video. DutchRC Adventures is not liable for any damage or loss through the use of products or techniques shown - Use at your own risk! This film and the DutchRC Adventures film series broadcast on KZbin is intended for entertainment purposes only.
#DutchRCadventures #RClife #RCfun

[@DutchRC]

a LOW light cam.. But is it also usable when the sun is out? the camera: www.foxeer.com/foxeer-micro-cat-3-1200tvl-0-00001lux-super-low-light-night-camera-g-319 at Banggood: www.banggood.com/Foxeer-Micro-Cat-3-1200TVL-0_00001lux-Low-Light-Night-FPV-Camera-Support-OSD-and-Menu-Remote-for-FPV-Racing-RC-Drone-Black-or-White-p-1820760.html?p=TO251813974002015038 Playlist for unedited captures: kzbin.info/aero/PLWzWY7Q_iNrbKiKVPlqHtHA7mCnwRpoT6 sensor type: Sony CMOS sensor size: 1/3" resolution: 1200 tvl lens: M12 2.1mm field of view: 115 degrees in 4:3 - 125 degrees in 16:9 aspect ratio: 4:3 / 16:9 input voltage: 4.6V - 20V latency: not specified (so Not fast) size: micro. 19mm x 19mm weight: 10.7 grams setup OSD: yes runtime OSD: yes Wide Dynamic Range: 100 dB

[@MadDragon75]

Great timing. I was checking these out last night. Thanks for the information.

[@DutchRC]

My pleasure :) sooooo what did you then think of the cam? :)

[@MadDragon75]

@@DutchRC the picture is definitely better than removing the infrared film from the camera itself. I'm not fond of the X-Ray effect that way gives in the daylight. This is a much better solution for low lux vision.

[@DutchRC]

@@MadDragon75 yeah haha those IR-delete camera's.. I am mostly ok with it actually but it does look funky :)

[@MCsCreations]

Awesome flying and review, dude! 😃 Really nice little camera! It remembers me the Ratel/Toothless/Phoenix 2 during the day flight! Anyway, stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊

[@DutchRC]

Thanks as always brother :) Well yes.. that's actually something I didn't expect.. it's Also a pretty good daytime camera.. I was expecting there to be 'a price' to it's low light aim... Cheers and have a safe weekend!

[@raffyturc]

Great review! Was actually planning to get one for night flight, until I saw the day footage

[@DutchRC]

Thank you! Yeah.. it is usable but you really need to want to have nigth-only flyer for to get this camera :)

[@john_h9281]

Nice camera and I like the flexibility it gives in terms of handling most light conditions I like Foxeer cameras and have used the T Rex, Toothless 2 and Razer always to good effect !! I do find that CMOS camera images are usually over saturated So I pretty well always have to reduce the Saturation and then it’s good to go Thanks for the review Keep banging those sticks 🎮😊😊👍

[@DutchRC]

Thank You for stopping by ofcourse! Hahaha yeah the thing IS to not hoard them but just Use them :P Very true! most new camera's of the last few years have bordered on, or exceed over-saturation :)

[@pilotmiami1]

thenks

[@DutchRC]

:D thank You for stopping by

[@stayliftedgermany4041]

Just ordered a foxeer Cam, this cam will be my next purchase👛💸 👍🏼

[@DutchRC]

:D which camera did you order Kai?

[@stayliftedgermany4041]

@@DutchRC foxeer Razer mini

[@DutchRC]

@@stayliftedgermany4041 Cool :) those actually surpriced me.. pretty nice cam for it's $$ :)

[@nstojadinovic]

Your video link is very good quality. I am new to FPV and have been experimenting with this camera, but the video is quite poor for my set up. Can you please tell me what transmitter & receiver you are using?

[@DutchRC]

Hi there sir :) thank you ofcourse. for the side-by-side comparisons there is no tranmitter / receiver at all.. For those video's I feed the signal directly from the camera's to a recorder... For the flight-tests I used a TBS Unify Pro transmitter But what improves the recordings most is my Orqa FPV.One FPV goggle.. that has a very good recorder (as you saw :))

[@donphobos]

I have recently realized, that mini cameras are still available and you can find frames that can accommodate them. With those "big" optics they have better light handling and probably better picture quality all around. Took a look at TBS Source One frames, as well. v3 version has space for a full size camera (!), while the new v4 version can still take a mini size camera. At 99 grams of weight it is still quite strong, however at 145 grams the v3 must be much more difficult to crack. I have made myself a list of possible 5" build. I would love to fit the latest 5,21" props and according to the 3D models available at TBS GitHUB it looks possible to mount them. Have you ever tried TBS Source One frames? My list looks like below: Source One v4 frame Mamba F722 F50 stack TBS Unify PRO HV VTX TBS Triumph PRO SMA stub Crossfire Nano RX Foxeer Falkor 3 Mini camera iFlight XING2 2506 motors (or FPV Cycle 5” Imperial motors) Gemfan Freestyle 5226-3 props GNB 6S 1100 mAh 130C battery

[@DutchRC]

Yessssss but also: No :P haha :D you noticed how in the side-by-side the reference camera is a mini-cam? (Runcam Eagle 2 Pro).. so yep.. the (big) lens plays a part in the Cat3 do well in the "dark"... the sensor and it's firmware do even more I think.. the smooth transition into higher ISO's.. and longer shutter-speed set the camera apart... In general the industry has moved away from mini cam's because of their weight / size.. I have looked at the Source frames a couple of times and I do have Two Pod Racers.. but that's it.. I always wonder to what degree TBS controls the quality of those frames as they don't manufacter them (or at least not all) ??

[@donphobos]

@@DutchRC Yes, the end result would be a combination of optical quality, size of optics, aperture, materials (glass / plastic elements), then of course sensor technology and post-processing (DSP) technology. I am contemplating the idea of purchasing a JohnnyFPV RunCam camera (there is a Mr. Steele one, as well, from before the Ethix one came out), a Falkor 3 and a Toothless 2 Mini. Then I would have a golden set of ancient cams and modern ones. The Toothless 2 I have in nano size on my TinyHawk II and I simply love the picture. A French channel called We Are FPV has very good comparison videos, in one they have the RunCam Eagle 3 and 3 other ones in a picture-in-picture rig. Interestingly the picture of the Foxeer Falkor v2 Mini looks quite interesting. Rather good visibility in transitions between trees (light and shadow details), while also pleasing to view. Upon comparison against Eagle 3 the T-Rex Mini looks also good, but fairly less FPV-ish picture, more like a blend of CCD and CMOS, if I can try to explain the visual impression. Neverhetless I have become very interested of T-Rex, Falkor and as a fun gadget an older RunCam in mini size. Either Mr. Steele or JohnnyFPV Edition.

[@warkmard4982]

I know the Runcam night eagle 2 pro (no longer available for sale) has settings that come turned off/low by default, that can drastically increase night vision capabilities if turned up. Did you check on that?

[@DutchRC]

to be honest I hardly ever look into camera-settings much.. only when there's an issue.. I do know camera's can be tweaked to perform in the dark but well.. can't dive into Everything :D 24 hours in a day ;)

[@swegmastur614]

Have you used the night eagle 2? How does it compare in terms of low light sensitivity? I would love to see this compared with other starlight cameras on the market

[@DutchRC]

I have never had a night eagle 2, but for as far as I know it's been out of production of quite a while by now? :$ Also I think that wasn't a micro cam so it would not fit in any modern frame (?)

[@swegmastur614]

@@DutchRC valid, Im not really using it on a drone so size doesn't matter that much haha. So, in your opinion, the cat3 is still the best low light cam?

[@DutchRC]

@@swegmastur614 Ahhh I see :) but yes... this Cat3 does very well in my opinion.. I wonder if the Night Eagle 2 actualy IS better.. electronics have become a lot better as these types of camera's are now more quickly developed for the automotive industry

[@khushisanghvi1456]

Can we connect this camera to RPI 4 for autonomous flights???

[@DutchRC]

not completely sure what "RPI 4" is.. this is however a normal analogue composite-video camera.. If the RPI can work with analogue camera's this should work

[@kyleredoble8232]

what goggles did you use on that camera?? is there a fish eye view??

[@DutchRC]

howdy Kyle.. I used a Orqa goggle for this video, and not really.. hadn't payed attention to that yet, but only a tiny bit

[@cloudpandarism2627]

and thats why i changed all my DJI air units to polar. quality isnt perfect and i miss the manual white balance but os so nice to fly at night which i do regular. yesterday i put a small flashlight on my 3.5" and in the polar it looked like i fly with a 1000W search light

[@DutchRC]

Works well in the dark forreal? :) I am about the start a build with a Polar.. I will say I would have gotten a Nebula Pro if those would have been available :$

[@DutchRC]

@Pandacat 666 update: the Polar works out pretty well, but the Cat3 is head & sholders more a evening / night cam.. And well.. more video-lag with the Polar.. probably depends on what kind of quad you put it in.. I very much prefer the DJI cam or Caddx Nebula pro for digital

[@maxpane657]

Will this fit in a tyro 79s? I ask because i know you have/had one. Thanks!

[@DutchRC]

regretably not.. the camera itself would fit But the lens will not.. sorry

[@maxpane657]

@@DutchRC Do you know of one that would? Caddx?

[@DutchRC]

@@maxpane657 yeahh I'd think the Caddx Ratel would fit for instance

[@bart_sakwerda_uav]

how about RUNCAM POLAR ?

[@DutchRC]

Caddx Polar probably? Not really a good comparison as that is a FPV-digital camera.. The polar Is better then avarage in the dark but I wouldn't call it a real low-light camera

[@ozaricblox2016]

Hahahaha Ive mad thus camera in my basket trying to find a decent review. Did think to myself if you'd review it and surprise

[@DutchRC]

Wellllll there you go then! :D And... what did you think of the cam?? :)

[@ozaricblox2016]

@@DutchRC I wanted to give night flying ago. Ive been in the rc scene for 20ish years, built several night time cars and planes. So though I would build a night time drone. Already brought the apex 3inch as well as some 1606 motors, and now the cat 3 :) Always turn to your videos because you have the same mind set I do. I also blame you for buying the f35 hahaha. You made me want that drone.

[@DutchRC]

@@ozaricblox2016 Haha :D yep.. sorry about that (not) :P I'll be having a look at at least 1 Light 3.5" quad but I can't imagine I'll like it more then the F35 :)

[@ozaricblox2016]

@@DutchRC oh I'm interested in that. Look forward to the video. Live in UK so I've got another 2-3 weeks to wait for my f35. Just had my delivery of the roma F1. Again your fault hahahaha. I'm torn now though. Just had my tbs sixty9 crsf I don't know what to do with it. Put it in my roma F5 V2 or put it in my F1. Edit:crsf sixty9 does fit of you remove a set of rubber spacers with the metal shield attached. But it's way to much of a tight fit for my liking. I'll stick with the mamba vtx. Will put the sixty9 in my f5.

[@DutchRC]

@@ozaricblox2016 hmm interesting edit.. I actually don't have a 69 (yet) :$ you can probably imagine it's handy for me to be flexible in the receiver department :$ But.. it's a bit bigger then imagined then? ohw and horrible news: there is yet another new Diatone on it's way :$ :P

[@EricLaermans]

11:48 That was a suspicious white car. The man and woman in the car apparently wanted to stay under the radar :-).

[@DutchRC]

there were people in it? :O hahahhaha :D I kinda don't think you can see? :P