Mini Spy Cam Recommendations

[narrowminded]

Yes, mounting it to swivel with the truck would only make the camera tangent to the curve. It will still be looking off to the outside of the curve ahead. The camera needs to turn farther than the truck does in order for it to look down the curving track ahead.

Rich K.

This.  The look ahead will probably require some experimenting as the focus distance is probably where you want to be and that will vary.  I think two cars, probably short wheelbase, will be best for stability and for proper action.  I also suspect that you'll want the camera pivot behind the front truck to get the pivot started early enough, also best experimented with.  Should I do this?   

[narrowminded]

I just received one of those SQ-11 cheapo cameras to fool with. I plugged it into my computer just to see if it worked and what it looked like.  Not so great, especially the focal distance.  But we knew that. 

Then the discovery.   If you have a set of reading glasses, as many of us do, try holding one of the lenses in front of the camera facing backwards.  It moves the focal distance closer to the camera and makes a much clearer picture at a closer distance.  I only had +2.50 and +2.25 to play with at my desk but there was a dramatic improvement in the clarity at what I suspect will be an appropriate focus distance.  Pure speculation at this point but it struck me that the +2.25 might be about right for a train board but some fooling around in the range of +1.50 to +2.50 might arrive at an effective improvement.  Also, the distance of the lens in front of the camera or the position of the camera shooting through the lens didn't seem to make much difference in the focus (?) so if it was decided that this was helpful, a section of the lens could be cut out and placed pretty closely in front of the camera.  FINALLY, a use for those old glasses that have been saved in the drawer for decades, now.   Try it. 

[jereising]

Well, the third one is going back.  I just can't live with the lousy picture. (Yeah, I know, whaddaya expect for $50.)

Almost tempted to try yet another cube - the video from @N the Basement was more than acceptable - but I'm afraid he may have gotten the only good one!
It's either that or spend a bunch more dough in hopes of finding THE ONE.
 
There's also a question of at what point Amazon cuts off my return privileges...

I also built a car specifically for the camera - from the junk box.  Used a Roundhouse 50' chassis and MT trucks, fudged a coupler on one end, and glued some sheet metal so the camera magnet would have something to grab on.  Quite pleased with the way the car works, camera is mounted directly over the front truck which I modified to prevent excessive sway.  Not really concerned with the pointing.

[C855B]

If anything, Jim, I think the camera placement with the lens right above the leading axle seems to prove that we don't have to engineer a mechanism to pan the view center ahead of curves. A shorter wheelbase on the car alone would reduce the small amount of swing-out in your vid to unnoticeable.

[NtheBasement]

I just received one of those SQ-11 cheapo cameras to fool with. I plugged it into my computer just to see if it worked and what it looked like.  Not so great, especially the focal distance.  But we knew that. 

Then the discovery.   If you have a set of reading glasses, as many of us do, try holding one of the lenses in front of the camera facing backwards.  It moves the focal distance closer to the camera and makes a much clearer picture at a closer distance.  I only had +2.50 and +2.25 to play with at my desk but there was a dramatic improvement in the clarity at what I suspect will be an appropriate focus distance.  Pure speculation at this point but it struck me that the +2.25 might be about right for a train board but some fooling around in the range of +1.50 to +2.50 might arrive at an effective improvement.  Also, the distance of the lens in front of the camera or the position of the camera shooting through the lens didn't seem to make much difference in the focus (?) so if it was decided that this was helpful, a section of the lens could be cut out and placed pretty closely in front of the camera.  FINALLY, a use for those old glasses that have been saved in the drawer for decades, now.   Try it. 

Great idea.  In theory one diopter halves the camera's wide angle field of view and halves the closest focus, right?

Looked at close up filter sets (actually lenses) for a camera but the smallest diameter that I could find on Amazon was 37mm, which is 10mm wider than NMRA clearances so it would hit lots on my layout.  I wish Amazon carried a set of reading glasses with different diopters. 

[peteski]

I wish Amazon carried a set of reading glasses with different diopters.

Most dollar stores around here carry a full range of reading glasses in wide range of correction (that is where my "modeling glasses" come from). They are quite inexpensive (I would call them disposable).

[davefoxx]

Here’s my low tech camera car.  I was lazy and just built a styrene box to raise the camera to engineer’s view.  But, before I capped that box, I loaded it up with stick-on weights to keep the center-of-gravity down.  How about those tie-down restraints?!









DFF

[peteski]

Well, the third one is going back.  I just can't live with the lousy picture. (Yeah, I know, whaddaya expect for $50.)

Almost tempted to try yet another cube - the video from @N the Basement was more than acceptable - but I'm afraid he may have gotten the only good one!
It's either that or spend a bunch more dough in hopes of finding THE ONE.
 

Jim, not trying to be cheeky, what is wrong with that video?  The image brightness seems fine (even with the overhead lamps glaring from unfavorable-to-the-camera angles) and slightly uneven room illumination. As I see it, the room lighting (like most model train layout rooms) is designed for overhead layout viewing, not track-level viewing. The only thing I think could be better is focus (should be focusing more closely).  Sure, the details of the video could be crisper, but come on, this is a $50 security-type of a camera (not a $5000 professional quality studio video camera).  I can't really find much wrong with it (especially if this was to be a live video transmission, not an on-board recording). 

The camera Mike is using (even cheaper at $25) seems to have slightly finer resolution, but I think that if you are looking for studio-quality video, you will be disappointed.  And none of those inexpensive cameras are designed for macro-focus. They are "spy cameras" usually used for surveillance of rooms or outdoors, not for detailed macro shots of a model layout.  You might be able to adjust focus, or install "reading glasses" fro close-up focus, but then the far focus will be fuzzy (which is usually more acceptable).

[NtheBasement]

If you get the cube try 720 instead of 1080 resolution.  I think the video looks OK.  Freeze on a grade crossing and the vehicle looks good but the Oakville Sub has a lot of contrast which might be what makes the trees so dark.

[Lemosteam]

Well, the third one is going back.  I just can't live with the lousy picture. (Yeah, I know, whaddaya expect for $50.)

Almost tempted to try yet another cube - the video from @N the Basement was more than acceptable - but I'm afraid he may have gotten the only good one!
It's either that or spend a bunch more dough in hopes of finding THE ONE.
 
There's also a question of at what point Amazon cuts off my return privileges...

I also built a car specifically for the camera - from the junk box.  Used a Roundhouse 50' chassis and MT trucks, fudged a coupler on one end, and glued some sheet metal so the camera magnet would have something to grab on.  Quite pleased with the way the car works, camera is mounted directly over the front truck which I modified to prevent excessive sway.  Not really concerned with the pointing.

I’m sold. Nice job. I agree with Mike.

[jereising]

Don't worry about cheeky, @peteski - this is, after all, The Railwire

I don't expect studio quality, but what @davefoxx has is what I'm looking for.  And I know it's asking an awful lot of a $50 POS.

@Lemosteam thanks for the encouragement.

Maybe if I sell what I've got on the sale page on my website...no, not the beer cars but that would be nice...

Still thinking and very much appreciating the feedback.

[NtheBasement]

I just received one of those SQ-11 cheapo cameras to fool with. I plugged it into my computer just to see if it worked and what it looked like.  Not so great, especially the focal distance.  But we knew that. 

Then the discovery.   If you have a set of reading glasses, as many of us do, try holding one of the lenses in front of the camera facing backwards.  It moves the focal distance closer to the camera and makes a much clearer picture at a closer distance.  I only had +2.50 and +2.25 to play with at my desk but there was a dramatic improvement in the clarity at what I suspect will be an appropriate focus distance.  Pure speculation at this point but it struck me that the +2.25 might be about right for a train board but some fooling around in the range of +1.50 to +2.50 might arrive at an effective improvement.  Also, the distance of the lens in front of the camera or the position of the camera shooting through the lens didn't seem to make much difference in the focus (?) so if it was decided that this was helpful, a section of the lens could be cut out and placed pretty closely in front of the camera.  FINALLY, a use for those old glasses that have been saved in the drawer for decades, now.   Try it. 

Tried it!  Thanks for the tip.  Hacked a couple of reading glasses from the dollar store.  Demo, probably best viewed full screen:

To me the distance is too blurry with +2.0 diopter.  For a dollar I'll probably try +1.25 and +1.5.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Do you guys remember @Zox 's camera rig? He used an articulated car to lead the camera into curves. I forget the details, but you might turn them up in a search.

From what I remember it worked really well.

[jereising]

@NtheBasement, that's still better than I've been able to do, even without the lens mod. (Which I think improves it.)

I've just ordered it - let's hope you didn't get the only good one...

Meantime, pursuing another avenue - image looks better live than recorded.  The Bluestacks Android emulator has a record movie function which has worked well for me on my armadillo cam so I'm gonna try that - IF I can ever get the basement machine updated...

Keep repeating "I love Windows, Microsoft is my friend".

[peteski]

@C855B
Mike, I found some other WiFi cameras.  Not only the guts are smaller than the one you experimented with (these should fit in a typical N scale loco), this one also has an integrated LiPo battery (which should act like a really good Keep-Alive). I wonder if those are hackable to stream live video without a need for their smart phone app?

 Here's a one that ships from USA (but currently out of stock):
https://www.ebay.com/itm/HD-Mini-Wireless-WIFI-Spy-Camera-Hidden-DIY-Module-Home-Security-Micro-Cam-DVR/353368837176

Here is the same unit, but ships from China:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/KM-Wireless-Mini-IP-Hidden-Spy-Camera-WIFI-HD-4K-DIY-Home-Security-Camcorder/402360891867

What do you think?  Their phone app is called "Little Stars"