Good day! I've had the FatShark Shark Byte digital FPV system for about six weeks now and I love it!
I found I like it much better than flying analog even compared with the high-end analog receiver
module I have combined with my SkyZone OLED goggles. Let me explain what I mean by better.
The FatShark Shark Byte digital FPV system simply has a clearer FPV video image in your goggles than
analog and I found it has much less breakup (or interference) than analog while flying around
objects like buildings or through objects like trees. FatShark's also looking at many different
ways to improve upon the current Shark Byte system. Although FatShark doesn't make the
digital FPV cameras that Shark Byte uses, in my opinion the cameras are one aspect of the system
that do need improvement. Currently there are two different cameras that are compatible with
the Shark Byte system and I've used them both. The Runcam Nano HD that comes with the Shark Byte
system and the Foxeer Digisight camera, both of which I believe use the same sensor type and both
have similar non-glass lenses without IR filters. Today I'm going to show you how you can improve
the image quality of your FatShark Shark Byte FPV flight videos in two simple and inexpensive
ways. Sound good? Then make sure to give this video a "thumbs up" below and subscribe to your
TMac FPV channel, your home for your journey to better FPV fun, flights, and racing stuff!
As I've mentioned, I have both the Runcam HD Nano and the Foxeer Digisight cameras.
Of these two stock cameras I prefer the Foxeer Digisight myself,
however others have said they prefer the Runcam. I guess it's a personal preference type of thing.
Here's a quick clip showing you a comparison of both of these stock cameras side by side.
Let me know in the comments below which of these two you like the best and after this short
clip I'll come back and let you know what I've done to improve my Shark Byte FPV video image.
From my perspective the Runcam on the left has more of a hazy image
than that of the Digisight on the right. It's noticeable when you look at the tree
tops. We may be able to do something about that here in a couple minutes.
Okay now that we've seen a side-by-side comparison of the two stock cameras, we can do better!
Specifically, with the Runcam HD Nano. Let me show you how. The first and easiest improvement to make
is to take the stock lens off the Runcam HD nano camera and replace it with a Caddx Baby Ratel 7G
1.8 millimeter glass lens. This is the same lens also used by the Caddx Tarsier and I'll put links
in the video description below for where you can find them. I want to point out this is not my
original idea. This was recommended by one of our fellow FPV pilots, Georges Armede in the FatShark
Shark Byte Pilot's Facebook group which I'll link to in the video description below along with his
original post. This is an exact fit m8 replacement and does not require any 3d printed adapter.
Another option is to use the Caddx Ratel 1.66 millimeter glass lens
with the IR filter. Since this has m12 threads compared with the m8 threads on the
Runcam HD Nano lens, you'll need to remove the pcb printed circuit
board from the original Runcam camera and use a 3d printed adapter similar to this.
This method is recommended by Alf from RC Groups and I'll place a link to his post in the video
description below. Once you've replaced the lens, the only thing you need to do is focus
it. If you've never had to focus your FPV camera before, let me show you how I go about doing that.
There's a locking ring on the camera lens threads you can loosen or tighten. Loosen that up
so you can screw the camera lens into the housing more or less to get the proper focus.
Tto determine if you have the best focus, I use a camera focus chart
(which I'll make available to you through a link in the video description below) and
I place it on my workbench and point the camera at it, then adjust my lens by rotating it in the
camera housing until the blurred area around the center of the focus chart is as small as possible.
At this point, I just tighten up this locking ring around the threads using a small screwdriver or
something that can grip the notches on the locking ring to make it easier to turn. Now let's take a
quick look at a side-by-side comparison of the Shark Byte FPV video using the Runcam
HD Nano camera with the stock lens versus the replacement Caddx 7G 1.8 millimeter glass lens.
I personally think the image on the right with the replacement lens looks less hazy, muddy, or milky
and has a crisper, clearer image but I'd like to hear your opinion on it too. So, make sure and let
me know what you think in the comments below. I've got one more quick and easy improvement
we can make to our image. If you know you'll be flying in partly sunny to a bright sunny day,
you can put an ND filter on our new replacement lens. The use of ND filters isn't anything new and
they've been used on DJI drones and action cameras for some time now and there's a lot of information
available on the use of ND filters. They're sort of like sunglasses for your FPV camera
so it makes sense that they're most effective in bright light or sunny day situations. One of the
main advantages of using ND filters is to reduce or eliminate the jello effect you sometimes see
with rolling shutter CMOS cameras that we use in FPV. There are other advantages of using them as
well and Mactac of Camera Butter ND filters does a great job of explaining more of them
in his video which I'll link to in this video's description below. The ND filters I'll be using
are from Caddx and they come in 14 millimeter and 15 millimeter sizes for the Ratel, Turtle
and Loris cameras. They come in both ND8 and ND16 filters. Since they weren't made for the Runcam HD
Nano, I'm using a 3d printed adapter which slides on our new replacement Caddx Baby Ratel lens
and then the ND filter fits nicely on top of that. That's another benefit of using
ND filters. They actually protect your camera lens similar to how a screen protector protects
your smartphone screen. Now I'm not saying all FPV pilots should use ND filters on their FPV cameras
all the time. ND filters are just another tool you can use in certain lighting conditions which
can improve your FPV video image quality. Just as some pilots prefer one camera over another
or one FPV goggle over another, some pilots like flying with ND filters and some don't - that's
up to you to decide. The only thing I can do is provide you with the information I have for you
to make an informed decision. So, I'll finish this video up with a short flight video comparison of
our Shark Byte digital FPV system with and without an ND filter on our Baby Ratel lens
we've placed on the Runcam Nano HD camera. Let me know in the comments below what you think of
the results. Until then, thanks for your time. I'll see you next video. Clear skies friend!