7 ms·

I use this regularly, with good results. Here’s an example comparison of flight footage from a RunCam 5 Orange on a 5” freestyle quadcopter: https://youtu.be/

I use this regularly, with good results. Here’s an example comparison of flight footage from a RunCam 5 Orange on a 5” freestyle quadcopter: https://youtu.be/1ZORzfJ1sog https://youtu.be/1ZORzfJ1sog

WithinReason 5y ago
It does a really good job! Thanks for posting an example. One decision that such a program needs to make is how to smooth out the movement, and what this one seems to be doing is a sort of a "piecewise linear" function which is a bit jarring to watch when it suddenly transitions between 2 speeds.
- Ancapistani 5y ago
  > One thing that such a program needs to make is how to smooth out the movement There are several different smoothing algorithms that you can choose from - I don’t recall the name of the one I used here, but it was specifically called out in the docs to be most suitable for acrobatic flight. You can set up key frames, which can give a lot more control over where and how the stabilization is applied. I just used the ones that gyroflow chose for me here. > what this one seems to be doing is a sort of a "piecewise linear" function which is a bit jarring to watch when it suddenly transitions between 2 speeds. I made this example specifically to learn how to stabilize that kind of footage, because that’s what I do the most of and that’s where I think I’ll find the biggest benefit. Also… this is my favorite quadcopter at the moment, and can do some pretty crazy stuff. It’s got 5x5x3 props, 1,950KV motors, and uses 6S batteries. Assuming 24V and no load, that’s around 47,000 RPM. I don’t have a GPS receiver on it, but I’ve handily outrun a friend’s flying wing that was moving at 120MPH according to its onboard telemetry. All of that is to say that a lot of that speed transition isn’t an artifact of the stabilization. :) For slow, “cinematic” footage, Premier and DaVinci Resolve’s image-based stabilization does an adequate job with less work.
  - WithinReason 5y ago
    After a second look it's probably down to the movement of the drone rather than the smoothing algorithm
- Ancapistani 5y ago
  Here’s another example - one of the first ones I did, before I understood most of the options: https://youtu.be/X4R-8BchTd4 https://youtu.be/X4R-8BchTd4 That one uses the default smoothing algorithm, which isn’t really suitable for anything acrobatic.
qwertox 5y ago
I'm surprised on how well it handled the roll at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZORzfJ1sog&t=106s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZORzfJ1sog&t=106s . It's like it opted to immediately quit stabilizing for a second instead of coming up with some wired results.
- jvanderbot 5y ago
  It likely does two-way batch optimization (backward in time and forward). So, it has all the information it needs to know that a full loop is closed and that minimal-jitter paths include the full rotation. That is, a smooth path through "image space" is a loop.
ghostly_s 5y ago
Could you rec a beginner-friendly drone platform that would work with a camera like this?
- Ancapistani 5y ago
  Those two things don’t really go together well, unfortunately. If you’re dead set on only buying one, go with a durable “cinewhoop” like a Diatone Taycan. It’ll likely survive the abuses can carry a GoPro or RunCam, and will be useful if you decide to go deeper in the hobby. Otherwise I recommend starting with a “mini whoop” like a BetaFPV 2S Pro or a Mobula8. Realize that you also need goggles and a radio (controller). Those will set you back $400 and $200 respectively if you’re trying to “buy once cry once”. If you’re seeing if you’re into it, the BetaFPV 2S Pro “RTF” (ready to fly) kit is a good introduction, as is the Emax Tiny Hawk 2. If you’re interested in getting into the hobby, let me know and I’ll get you my contact information so we can chat.
  - ghostly_s 5y ago
    I’m not interested in FPV/goggles, just aerial photography. Looks like one of the cheaper DJIs probably makes more sense for me.
    - Ancapistani 5y ago
      Ah, for sure. In that case, I recommend the DJI Mini2 if you’re going with new. If you want to save a few bucks, the DJI Mavic Mini “Fly More kit” can be had for ~$300 used. It includes three batteries, a charging bank, and everything you need except a cellphone to use for a screen. I took this with a Mavic Mini when I was just getting started with it: https://youtu.be/-uZYxg8FmY8 https://youtu.be/-uZYxg8FmY8
      - ghostly_s 5y ago
        Very nice, thanks.
- Steltek 5y ago
sbierwagen 5y ago
Why 30fps? The smoothed version gets a little blurry on the pans, though that might just be youtube bitrate limits.
- Ancapistani 5y ago
  Hardware limitation on the RunCam 5 Orange: https://shop.runcam.com/runcam-5-orange/ https://shop.runcam.com/runcam-5-orange/ It can do 4k30 or 2.7k60 - but it’s also 56g, and durable enough that I “recovered” it from the top of a metal building a few days ago by knocking it down with a quadcopter and letting it fall 12’ onto pavement. Tradeoffs have to be made somewhere :) I mostly use it for hobby stuff. While I can record on my goggles, the image quality is extremely poor and completely unsuitable for any real use. This is what I see while flying: https://youtu.be/xywVVS8eLSw https://youtu.be/xywVVS8eLSw It looks quite a bit better in the moment, and on a screen that’s optimized for it. I use a Skyzone 04X, which was 1280x960 OLED screens with a 46º field of view. You can’t really get much better for analog video at the moment in this form factor. There are a couple of digital options (DJI and SharkByte), but I don’t want to spend the money on those until I feel like the technology has matured a bit more and I’m not going to need to spend another $500+ on goggles and ~$80 per airframe to upgrade. The RunCam 5 Orange gives me the ability to make videos for sharing with others and is “good enough” for some light commercial work. In addition to flying FPV as a hobby, I have my FAA 107 certificate and do some photography/videography as a side hustle. I use an Autel Evo 2 Pro for that most of the time, which is capable of 6k30/4k60 and is stupid good for night photography. I occasionally mix in some video from my FPV quads if the situation calls for it. I rarely need to produce output that’s over 1080p, and 30fps is pretty standard there. If I were doing more interior fly-through and such, I’d pick up a more capable camera for that purpose. I’d still want the RunCam though, because of its balance of weight and durability.
  - Chilko 5y ago
    Fyi with the 1W VTX soon to be released for Sharkbyte now is a great time to jump in with the recent release of the HD Zero cameras - your Skyzones are some of the best goggles you can use for SharkByte / HDZero

WithinReason 5y ago

It does a really good job! Thanks for posting an example. One decision that such a program needs to make is how to smooth out the movement, and what this one seems to be doing is a sort of a "piecewise linear" function which is a bit jarring to watch when it suddenly transitions between 2 speeds.

Ancapistani 5y ago
> One thing that such a program needs to make is how to smooth out the movement There are several different smoothing algorithms that you can choose from - I don’t recall the name of the one I used here, but it was specifically called out in the docs to be most suitable for acrobatic flight. You can set up key frames, which can give a lot more control over where and how the stabilization is applied. I just used the ones that gyroflow chose for me here. > what this one seems to be doing is a sort of a "piecewise linear" function which is a bit jarring to watch when it suddenly transitions between 2 speeds. I made this example specifically to learn how to stabilize that kind of footage, because that’s what I do the most of and that’s where I think I’ll find the biggest benefit. Also… this is my favorite quadcopter at the moment, and can do some pretty crazy stuff. It’s got 5x5x3 props, 1,950KV motors, and uses 6S batteries. Assuming 24V and no load, that’s around 47,000 RPM. I don’t have a GPS receiver on it, but I’ve handily outrun a friend’s flying wing that was moving at 120MPH according to its onboard telemetry. All of that is to say that a lot of that speed transition isn’t an artifact of the stabilization. :) For slow, “cinematic” footage, Premier and DaVinci Resolve’s image-based stabilization does an adequate job with less work.
- WithinReason 5y ago
  After a second look it's probably down to the movement of the drone rather than the smoothing algorithm
Ancapistani 5y ago
Here’s another example - one of the first ones I did, before I understood most of the options: https://youtu.be/X4R-8BchTd4 https://youtu.be/X4R-8BchTd4 That one uses the default smoothing algorithm, which isn’t really suitable for anything acrobatic.

qwertox 5y ago

I'm surprised on how well it handled the roll at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZORzfJ1sog&t=106s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZORzfJ1sog&t=106s . It's like it opted to immediately quit stabilizing for a second instead of coming up with some wired results.

jvanderbot 5y ago
It likely does two-way batch optimization (backward in time and forward). So, it has all the information it needs to know that a full loop is closed and that minimal-jitter paths include the full rotation. That is, a smooth path through "image space" is a loop.

ghostly_s 5y ago

Could you rec a beginner-friendly drone platform that would work with a camera like this?

Ancapistani 5y ago
Those two things don’t really go together well, unfortunately. If you’re dead set on only buying one, go with a durable “cinewhoop” like a Diatone Taycan. It’ll likely survive the abuses can carry a GoPro or RunCam, and will be useful if you decide to go deeper in the hobby. Otherwise I recommend starting with a “mini whoop” like a BetaFPV 2S Pro or a Mobula8. Realize that you also need goggles and a radio (controller). Those will set you back $400 and $200 respectively if you’re trying to “buy once cry once”. If you’re seeing if you’re into it, the BetaFPV 2S Pro “RTF” (ready to fly) kit is a good introduction, as is the Emax Tiny Hawk 2. If you’re interested in getting into the hobby, let me know and I’ll get you my contact information so we can chat.
- ghostly_s 5y ago
  I’m not interested in FPV/goggles, just aerial photography. Looks like one of the cheaper DJIs probably makes more sense for me.
  - Ancapistani 5y ago
    Ah, for sure. In that case, I recommend the DJI Mini2 if you’re going with new. If you want to save a few bucks, the DJI Mavic Mini “Fly More kit” can be had for ~$300 used. It includes three batteries, a charging bank, and everything you need except a cellphone to use for a screen. I took this with a Mavic Mini when I was just getting started with it: https://youtu.be/-uZYxg8FmY8 https://youtu.be/-uZYxg8FmY8
    - ghostly_s 5y ago
      Very nice, thanks.
Steltek 5y ago

sbierwagen 5y ago

Why 30fps? The smoothed version gets a little blurry on the pans, though that might just be youtube bitrate limits.

Ancapistani 5y ago
Hardware limitation on the RunCam 5 Orange: https://shop.runcam.com/runcam-5-orange/ https://shop.runcam.com/runcam-5-orange/ It can do 4k30 or 2.7k60 - but it’s also 56g, and durable enough that I “recovered” it from the top of a metal building a few days ago by knocking it down with a quadcopter and letting it fall 12’ onto pavement. Tradeoffs have to be made somewhere :) I mostly use it for hobby stuff. While I can record on my goggles, the image quality is extremely poor and completely unsuitable for any real use. This is what I see while flying: https://youtu.be/xywVVS8eLSw https://youtu.be/xywVVS8eLSw It looks quite a bit better in the moment, and on a screen that’s optimized for it. I use a Skyzone 04X, which was 1280x960 OLED screens with a 46º field of view. You can’t really get much better for analog video at the moment in this form factor. There are a couple of digital options (DJI and SharkByte), but I don’t want to spend the money on those until I feel like the technology has matured a bit more and I’m not going to need to spend another $500+ on goggles and ~$80 per airframe to upgrade. The RunCam 5 Orange gives me the ability to make videos for sharing with others and is “good enough” for some light commercial work. In addition to flying FPV as a hobby, I have my FAA 107 certificate and do some photography/videography as a side hustle. I use an Autel Evo 2 Pro for that most of the time, which is capable of 6k30/4k60 and is stupid good for night photography. I occasionally mix in some video from my FPV quads if the situation calls for it. I rarely need to produce output that’s over 1080p, and 30fps is pretty standard there. If I were doing more interior fly-through and such, I’d pick up a more capable camera for that purpose. I’d still want the RunCam though, because of its balance of weight and durability.
- Chilko 5y ago
  Fyi with the 1W VTX soon to be released for Sharkbyte now is a great time to jump in with the recent release of the HD Zero cameras - your Skyzones are some of the best goggles you can use for SharkByte / HDZero