After using the Caddx Tarsier 4K camera for a while now, here is what I think. I am going to keep this review brief and go straight to the good and bad things I noticed while using it.
I am testing the camera in the Beta85X 4K Whoop (review), so thanks to BetaFPV.
Buy the Caddx Tarsier 4K Camera from here: http://bit.ly/tarsier-4k (currently on sale)
Dual Cameras
I am sure 99% of the people who are interested in the Tarsier because of the dual cameras.
At first I thought the dual camera setup looks cool and could be some fancy stabilization technology, which is widely used on smartphones. But not really, the top camera is for HD recording while the bottom camera is used for the FPV feed.
This is essentially a 4K HD camera sitting on top of an FPV camera, this ensures low latency with better FPV image quality. I do like how the FPV image looks, especially WDR and light handling. It’s better than the Turtle and the Split, because their FPV feed is shared with the HD recording. I will upload some FPV footage shortly.
But the extra camera means extra hardware, and that’s why there are two PCB’s.
What You See Isn’t What You are Recording
With Split style camera with only 1 lens, like the Runcam Split or Caddx Turtle, what you see in the FPV goggles is exactly what you are recording in HD. However, with the Tarsier, that’s not the case since now there are two separate cameras.
If you are shooting very close to an object, the HD video will appear to be shooting at a higher angle than what you see in the goggles. That’s not a problem though when you are shooting from a distance. But still that’s a bit annoying as you have to constantly remind yourself of this when flying.
And the vertical FOV in HD seems to be significantly smaller than that in FPV feed. I guess he top and bottom of the frame are cropped in order to fit the 4:3 frame in a 16:9 aspect ratio.
Mounting Requirement
The Tarsier takes a lot of space to install due to its bulky dual-PCB design. The mounting holes are 20x20mm, so for the majority of builds that uses 30x30mm or 16x16mm FC stack will need some sort of adapter.
Make sure to mount the camera in a rigid frame/bracket to avoid jello in the HD footage.
Convenient WiFi App
The Tarsier has built-in WiFi and you can connect it to a smartphone to change settings, just like the Runcam Split 2. First you have to download the CaddxFPV app and I really like the APP design. Settings include ISO, Video Encoding, Brightness, Contrast etc…
Blurry Flying Video
The image is quite sharp when holding the camera in my hand, but it loses sharpness noticeably in flight when recording in 4K 30FPS. The blurriness gets even worse if your quad has oscillations and wobbles.
Using lower resolution (e.g. 1080p or 1440p) with higher frame rate seems to be an improvement, and footage appears to be slightly more fluid. But that defeats the purpose of the Tariser since it’s marketed as a 4K camera.
ND Filter
Caddx made an ND filter (ND8) for the Tarsier: http://bit.ly/2xJOGiL
But why did they design it to cover both camera lenses? It makes no sense to dim or create motion blur for the FPV feed.
Split Huge Video Files
I tested the Tarsier using 4K 30fps with the highest bitrate. You have to set bit rate in the App, because by default it’s using medium.
The video files are split every 3 minutes, with an average file size of 1.6GB. It will fill up your SD card really quickly, so you should get 64GB or larger cards.
Here is my SD card recommendation.
Sample Footage
Here are some demo footage of FPV, HD, with and without ND filter in 1080p:
Here is the raw 4K footage uploaded to Youtube:
23 comments
Mine will not even record. How do i start the recording. It should be easy and i am assuming it is but not easy enough for me to figure out.
Question: I bought an Eachine Cinecan and two of the EX1103 (7000k) 3hole motors went out. Eachine discontinued these motors and now I am grounded with an awesome camera and no way to get it up in the air. Is there a build where I can transplant the PCBs, FC, and camera to?
How do I stop it annoyingly splitting the recorded HD videos? Every time I fly long range I come back with two or three videos. This is really irritating. I’ve looked in the app but can’t find the solution.
Thanks.
is that because of file size limit? Try formatting your SD card in NTFC format.
Dear Oscar,
I bougth a Cinepro with Tarsier V1, but do not dare flying yet, I am a total beginner.
On the Caddx website is a link to a firmware update (tutorial), the link does not work.
I contacted Caddx and they sent me a link to the new firmware, I downloaded the firmware, and according to them it needs to be copied to the SD card. That is all the info I got.
Do you know this upgrade? does it rectify the flaws of version 1?
How does the upgrade needs to be done in detail?
Sorry I am not sure about the new firmware nor can i confirm if that fixes the flaws, i no longer have this camera.
Thanks very much your review of this camera. I’ve purchased the camera and flown with it successfully on my micro drones. I’m frustrated that the 2K @ 60fps and 1440p @ 60fps are limited to the 4:3 ratio. I wish Caddx would release a firmware update to let us have 16:9 ratio of 2k and 1440p.
For optimum video quality for cinematography, what video settings would you recommend for the Tarsier?
If i want to replace the lens of 4k cam, which type of lens should i search for?
I’ve seen it already asked, thought i’d try again – what is the USB for?!? Manual says it just powers the camera, that seems so redundant.
Older review (I have the Tarsier V2) – trying to figure out the DVR recording on it. It seems that when I power on my quad the camera on LED blinks as it should, I’m struggling with how to determine if it is recording though.. I have hit the “power” button and the camera LED will go solid, then again and it will blink.. It seems to record when I do this and then on my FatShark Scout goggles when I hit the FS DVR record it starts and I see it on the screen, I also see a red counter start on the lower right of my display which I think is the quad.. I have come back from the field and then noted that even though it appears to record in the goggles, that it never actually does anything..
I have a Caddx Turtle V2 and it will record automatically and the files are fine when I shut power off abruptly. This one seems to not like that as almost every video I have that is last in the series is corrupt. I’ve tried the power the quad up again to try save the file, but no luck..
I’ve searched all over for instructions but my recordings are hit or miss.. My VTX is a Luminier LUX Mini 20×20 5.8GHz and I’m not having any video issues, just DVR recording..
Have a question if anyone knows?….How do you replace the ribbon cable, I see it mounted to the board but by looking I simply cannot tell if there’s something you have to “lift” or “open” to release the cable as in the Runcam Split?? I got the Tarsier for the Intrepid 3″ Pro and the ribbon that comes on it is not long enough for the camera to fit into the front cage of the quad…..I have the longer cable but am terrified I’ll destroy the thing for not knowing exactly how it comes off or is removed…Any help would be greatly appreciated! THX- Turbo.
What is the Micro USB on the Tasier stack for? Update firmware? USB access to SD Card?
What is the stack height? Haven’t seen that posted anywhere.
Could you please tell me I you can this cam to a DJI Lightbridge 2 setup with A3 FC?
Thanks!
Carlos
Don’t have DJI products, so not sure.
Does anyone know the current consumption (@ 12v) of caddx tarsier while recording?Thanks.
I think this board is only for FPV camera configuration and not for DVR recording start or stop
How can I start and stop recording from Betaflight like Smartaudio
With this: banggood.com/no/Caddx-Camera-Flight-Controller-FC-Cable-Wire-Support-OSD-Configuration-for-Tarsier-Turtle-Ratel-FPV-RC-Drone-p-1516621.html?rmmds=search&cur_warehouse=CN
I would have to agree… For slow flight footage, the 4k does pretty well… but not being at 60fps make it tough for get crisp video on faster flying. 2.7k can do 60 fps, but the warped video doesn’t look good to my eye. The 1080 at 90fps is excellent, and I think the colors and over all picture quality look better than the turtle v2, not to mention you can slow the video down in your favorite video editor to 33% and it stays silky smooth. If they can make the v2 of this, doing 4k at 60 fps I think they will have a hit!
I have a Cinebee 4K and my SD card slot doesn’t click when I install the card and when I try to eject the card it doesn’t unlatch and I have to basically pull it out with a pair of tweezers. So my thought is that I can just buy a Caddx Tarseir and swap it out with mine, but what concerns me is that the camera in my Quad appears to be upside down according to the ribbon cable when compared to all the pictures that I seen of the camera. Do you think that I am going to run into any issues with this if I decide to just buy another camera setup instead of waiting for IFlight to help me? I don’t remember seeing any settings that will flip images.
Thanks
i don’t believe it’s mounted upside down in the Cinebee 4K.
Agree with your review. I do think it is better video quality (both FPV and HD) than the Split v2 or Turtle v2. However, the two boards use pins between that are subject to failure (happened to me). In the end, better quality for increased failure rate.