Video camera review "Videomaster PRO" or how to look into a dark hard to reach place

Hi, Geektimes. Today we publish an article written by a good author, Mikhail Vinokourov, who often has to work with technology, and sometimes there are difficult moments. Next word to the author.

I would like to talk about a rather unusual device. It's about the flexible video camera "Videomaster PRO". About the unusual method of using the device is written here , and I will describe how the camera can be used to solve fairly common household problems and problems.


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I often have to deal with situations where, in order to see an unhappy couple of characters that designate a model number, you have to climb into places where it’s not unpleasant to touch your head, and you don’t even want to touch your hands. Or something falls imperceptibly behind the heavy double chest of drawers standing against the wall, and after a month it is suddenly necessary and long sought.

And with such a thing it is easy to glance if it fell down there or you have to swear with the household, who once again shifted things without notice, moreover, with the help of the hook and get this thing with the help of the same camera. Or take for example a fallen cog, it is often very difficult to get it with your hand, and with the help of a magnet attached to the end of the chamber, the problem can be solved easily and quickly. In other words, in addition to the opportunity to look into all sorts of difficult places, the camera also provides an excellent opportunity to get things from there.

Here for such situations there is a flexible video camera. The length of the flexible cord is 100 centimeters, and it can be extended. To transmit the signal using the usual S-Video. But the manufacturer warns that by increasing the length of the cable picture quality may become worse.

Characteristics do not play a key role here. However, those who are interested in them can see them under the spoiler.

Assembly

The device is assembled on a solid top five. With a strong twist, you can hear the crackle of plastic, but with normal use, nothing crunches, does not crack and does not look flimsy.
The connection of the flexible cord with the main unit is very reliable, metal, fixed tightly. So you can not be afraid, the port will not loosen with time.

Thought out and such a trifle as a convenient removal of the batteries.

Accessories

At the end of the cord in addition to the camera itself, there is a simple mount for several accessories. Fastening is simple and reliable, put the piece of iron, clamped the piece of metal and it will not go anywhere.
Three nozzles are available from the box: a mirror, a hook and a magnet.



The mirror allows you to bend the camera less and thus allows you to look into even more difficult corners, for example on the wall on the other hand, crawling through the ceiling. Personally, it came in handy for me in the very first time when I simply couldn’t “aim” with a clever cord, but as I straightened and planted a mirror, I immediately saw everything that was needed.

Also among other things in the bag was a special hook. It allows you to hook the camera over a small ledge in concrete or trite it into a piece of wood. This frees your hands and you can start working looking at the display of the device. Conveniently.

The last accessory that was included is a magnet. It is rather weak, but when working in a metallic environment, it can make life a little easier. However, the camera for him to hang will not work. After some reflection, I came to the conclusion that a strong magnet would be more of a hindrance than a help as I pulled the camera cord in different directions before reaching the target. By the way for getting any fallen screws, this magnet fits great.



All accessories can be bent based on needs.

Ergonomics

First of all I want to say about the display. It is cheap, primitive, but does not invert the colors and allows everything to be clearly seen at its 2.7 inches. Its resolution is 960 * 480. There is no special protection for the display, ordinary plastic, but there is a small visor to reduce the amount of glare (the screen is glossy). The touch controls were also not delivered, however, I would look at those craftsmen who would like to see touch controls in such a device.



Buttons installed decently, as many as 9 pieces. All of them are conveniently located and have a good clear move. The buttons are clogged with the following functions:
• Turning on. It is strange that they decided to turn on the power button in one common row, but accidentally it is difficult to turn on / off the camera, since only this button requires a three-second press to perform its functionality. The rest immediately execute commands.
• Zooming / deleting file. There are several stages of increase: x1.0, x1.5, x2.0, x3.0.
• Play. The button activates the viewing of the file system where you can select the desired video or photo, and then view them.
• Take a photo. No matter how strange it sounds, a photo is taken. It works only with an inserted microSD memory card.
• Film a video. Completely similar to the previous one, but shoots video.
• The backlight brightness is lower / brighter. There are four gradations of illumination. When pressed, the screen will show which currently used level of backlight strength. In the menu, these buttons work as navigation.
• OK. Confirmation button
• Menu. Behind this button settings are hidden. There is also a virtual duplication of the browse button.
In the settings you can select the menu language, set the time, select the recording format (NTSC, PAL), format the memory card, roll back to the factory settings and view the firmware version. On the test device was 1.1.07.
The fact that the device is turned on is indicated by a green LED. Lit with an adequate level of brightness.

Power supply

From the cheapest batteries that I came across in Auchan (at the price of 30 rubles for 4 pieces), the device worked for about 20 minutes. For a one-time look, this was enough, but for more serious work, when I had to crawl to the touch and really only focus on the picture from the camera, Duracell batteries were inserted. From them the camera worked the whole working day (9 hours), although it was stated 12-13 hours. By the way, the moisture protection and the shape of the video module allows it to be easily and efficiently cleaned of the foam, so you can not be afraid even if it drowns in it.

A separate line should be noted the absence of a built-in battery. I think this is the right decision as the battery degrades over time, and the device is clearly designed for many years of work and at the same time most of the time it will lie in the closet and wait in the wings. And if you want to use the device often and for a long time, standard-size AA batteries will help out. To work, the device needs four such pieces. On the other hand, it would be nice in the kit to see if not the best, but still batteries, and a charger for them. In this case, you could use the device immediately after purchase and think less about where to buy batteries. I am sure that a set with batteries in the kit may be considered more interesting, especially if it will be cheaper than buying everything separately.

Ports

The device has one memory expansion port that understands microSD cards up to 32 gigabytes, mini-USB with which you can connect to a computer and a two-pin minijack that allows you to display an image on a television screen through a tulip. All of them are hidden behind a rubber cap that is easily hooked.



It's nice that the bundle includes cords for connecting to a computer and displaying the image on the screen. However, the memory card is not included in the kit.

Photo and video

I cite only one example of photos and videos, simply because the camera does not pretend to be artistic, but it transmits the necessary information perfectly. The picture on the display looks much better live than frames.



and video



By the way, the camera sees much closer than the stated half a meter, so it is convenient for it to use both side-by-side and to look at a few meters.

findings

The ability to take photos and videos perfectly will help out when in a remote place you have a problem, and you yourself have no idea how to solve it. In this case, you can show this case to a specialist without paying for his additional visit, when he arrives without materials and only to see and evaluate the scope of work.
The backlight helps a lot, as when using the same phone with a flash, the photo is often flashed, and without a flash, Malevich’s square is obtained.
Although the camera "Video Master PRO" is not vital, I personally find it efficient and useful. He does not work out his money right away, but in a few years the amount of nerves and energy saved, and also exceeds the value of the time for which this money was earned.

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