Moto Blabber

I have been flying s toy quadcopters for a while now. The type of photo opportunities a quadcopter opens up is stunning if you haven't had one of these. There is plenty of footage on youtube, that's just staggering. If I am doing this trip, I want to carry a drone with me. Therein lies a problem that I'll get to in a moment.
If you are totally new to the sport, I highly recommend buying a toy quadcopter first. These toy quad copters are available for anywhere starting from 20 bucks to 50+ for something with a 720p camera. I started off with a Syma X11C, but there are plenty to choose from. They require little to no setup, and are surprisingly robust (mine have taken a lot of crashing, and I am yet to replace props). More importantly, you get to know whether it is for you, and to gauge whether the butt hurt of your custom setup is worth it.

I am past that stage, I think I know I want a photography drone for my travels. Since I am on a motorcycle, I want this to pack up compact. I also want to mount my POV camera on it for footage, and I also want some stabilized footage. Since we are talking about what I want, it should do 20+ minutes of flight times, be resilient to winds - which the Syma 11C sucks at. and should also be fairly field repairable. I am happy to buy something off the shelf if it exists, but one week of googling later, I realized no one makes anything like this, in my price range (500-600 dollars total excluding camera). The DJI Phantom is the closest, but that darn thing can't be packed up into my top case. So, I am on the quest to rig something up.

Planning

It only takes a couple of hours to see that there is a huge amount of disorganized information out there. A lot of it is confusing and daunting. When I get on with the build, I'll try to add some documentation to make this a little more cleared to the next person attempting this. As a noob at the custom quad scene, I am tackling this project in three milestones. This allows me to make progress and not get swamped by the jargon or the large number of confusing steps. Each one of these is independent of each other, and it's important to complete these in order. At the end of each step, I will have a functioning unit, albeit missing some functionality.

1. Base quadcopter build
2. First Person Video (FPV)
3. Gimbal/Stabilization

A word of caution, going down this path requires that you are familiar with electronics, and at the least know how to solder and crimp connections. There is help available online, but you should know what the hell you are doing.

Base quadcopter setup

There are several parts that make up a quadcopter. Essentially, you need to think of these components:

1. Quad base/frame: Every design starts somewhere, and the frame is a good starting point because the rest of the components fall into place once you decide on a frame. Frames are rated in mm, by the distance of the wings across their diagonal. See this photo from rcgroups of a 450mm frame for reference:
   
   
   

   Feature	Small Quad (Mini, <250mm)	Large Quad (400mm+)
   Smaller Battery Size (easier to recharge and carry)
   Portability
   Less likely to attract attention
   Less Dangerous in a crash situation
   Easier to Fly
   Wind Resistance/Stability
   Additional Payload (Camera, gimbal etc...)
   Longer Flight times (~20-25 minutes)

   I really wanted to go as small as possible, but reading up made me realize I have to go to around 400mm for the main goals I had. Once that was sorted, my mission was to look for a portable frame. I saw one called an HJ-H4 Alien 450mm (wtf? who comes up with these names?) on amazon, and decided to go for it. I don't see any frame packing smaller than that, so why not. One look at this image on amazon of the frame with arms folded, and I was sold:
   
2. Propeller Size: Remember how I said start with the frame, and everything starts falling together? Once you have decided on the frame size, the propeller size is an easier choice. A larger prop makes the quad more stable, more efficient, allowing bigger payloads. The downside is agility - a large prop makes it harder for a quad to go quick turns. I want stability, and slower turns are a plus for videography - quick movements cause motion blur, headaches. Plus I am in no hurry if I am filming. And if the footage is too slow, I can always speed it up in post processing. Basically, I wanted to go as large as I can without cross turbulence, but for for instance, in a racing setup you have opposite goals.
3. Motor size: This is easy once you have the prop size figured out. There are calculators for this kind of stuff.
4. Motor ESC: Again, once you have the motor size
5. Flight Controller: There is no shortage of options here, but narrowing down on a choice became remarkably easy. DJI is the 800 pound gorilla in this industry, and their products are by and large idiot proof and geared towards the video crowd. And this is a good thing in my book. Other honorable mentions include 3dr pixhawk and openpilot in a long tail of choices, but the DJI makes setup simple, and is considered one of the most stable in the rc crowd. After looking through the variants that DJI sells, I decided on the DJI Nazsa v2.
6. Battery: The bigger the better, but no bigger than I can carry.

First Person Video (FPV)

Some kind person has already done the research and showed that it is possible to get component video out from the Sony. This is a huge plus when it comes to using the Sony as the FPV.

Camera Stabilization

GoPro is the kind of the land when it comes to action cameras. There are myriads of gimbal options for a GoPro, but none of that helps when I have a Sony Action Camera for my regular use.

Cameras are like motorcycles. There is always some more bling and some more niceties to add to make them work better. I have been culling some of these down, and thrown away some of the rarely used stuff that I have. This the final list of all the glorious stuff that made the cut. As a bonus, here is a shot of all them in my tankbag. 

• AmazonBasics Travel Tripod: A good tripod is essential for night shots, and for good panorama photos. It's light weight, fits into the panniers, is tall enough, and the whole rig looks sturdy enough to me. What more can I say?
• Neewer Intervalometer: An Intervalometer is a must for taking timelapses. One of the ways that Sony did cost cutting on the A6000 is to charge extra for software that in my opinion should have been standard on the camera. Sony has a timelapse app for $10 in the camera's app store. The problem with the app is that it is restrictive in it's shooting options, and some users claim it's buggy. I decided to go with a hardware intervalometer. They are cheap enough on amazon, have the full gamut of options to choose from, and allow me to set any shooting mode I prefer and it is satisfying to click on a few buttons before starting the shoot. This also fits nicely into my tripod bag.
• Fotga Variable ND filters: Works as a lens protector, works as a decent ND filter, and since it's a polarizer, it can be made to work in that application. Not the best optically, but I can't complain for 15 bucks.
• JJC IR Remote: This one has a lot of bells and whistles that I don't really need. But, it allows for a remote shutter, and timed shutters as well. It's also simple to use, and IR on the camera doesn't drain the battery as much as the wifi.
• Lens pouches: Lens pouches are just lens pouches. I go with the cheapest I can find. That said, I am also experimenting with these right now, and they seem much better for a little extra space. The Sony adapters came with hamburger bun pouches, which I really like. I don't use a dedicated camera bag, so I would rather not skimp on this part.
• DSLR Sleeve for padding: I keep the a6k with the 18-105 in one of these. Not sure if it adds any significant protection, but it doesn't take much extra room and gives me a piece of mind.
• Extra Batteries: The a6000 eats batteries like crazy. Always good to have a backup. Or two, in my case.
• Dual Charger: Do yourself a favor and get one of these instead of the wasabi charger. This charges two batteries at a time, and needs only microusb. You already have several microusb cables at this point, so this blends in very well. I have found that this can charge the batteries in around 3 hours from fully empty. It can also do solo battery charging.
• JJC Wrist strap: More compact in the tankbag than with the shoulder straps, and still really comfortable to hike with, even with a big lens. Added bonus - doesn't interfere with the tripod setup, and is quick detach, even though I don't know why.
• Nissin i40 Flash: I haven't made up my mind yet, but I might probably pick up one of these before I start. The problem is that I am already running out of space, and I think I can get by with the amount of gear I have.
• Aftermarket DC coupler: This is for when I want to take extended timelapses. I have a 12V->9V DC converter as well, which plugs into my jumpstart battery and gives 4x the number of shots from the camera. This setup is nothing fancy, I have a DC step down transformer that converts 12V into 7.5V, with DC 5.5mm pins to connect to the jumpstart battery.

POV Camera

It isn't a riding video if there are not videos of the riding. Go Pro is the king of this market and for good reason. I don't have anything against Go Pro, but I went for the Sony AS100V Action Cam. Similar feature set, usually more cheaper. When compared to the Go Pros, these are the pros (ha!) and cons:

Action Cam Advantages:

• Built-in stabilization. It is electronic, but it can at times go a decent job.
• The form factor is more aerodynamic than the Gopro
• The microphones on the action cam are far better. They are better than even most DSLR mics.
• Uses standard camera 1/4 inch screw mount, makes it easier to reuse my tripod
• Has the slight edge in image quality
• The battery lasts slightly longer ( 2 hrs vs 1.5 hrs)

Action Cam Disadvantages:

• Gopro has accessories like no other. The action cam is a distant second here.
• Gopro can connect to a Sena headset for audio. This is a huge feature missing on the Sony
• You can go to any corner of the world and get parts and extra batteries for the Gopro. Good luck doing that with the Sony system

Overall, I think the Go pro might be better buy here, mostly for the ecosystem. I have the Sony so that is what I will be using. I also have the following accessories from the Sony ecosystem, for helmet and bike mounting:

• Tilt mount
• Helmet side mount adapter
• Handlebar/crashbar mount 
• Dual charger that takes in a microusb cable
• Two Spare batteries

Sound

• Tascam DR-22WL sound recorder: A video is as good as the sound it has. I guess since the dawn of time, cameras have sucked for recording good sound. An external sound recorder works wonders. The Tascam DR-22WL is the new best cheap/entry level sound recorder, in 2015. It is regularly part of bundles with other pro gear, so if you check ebay or your local craigslist, you can see that it can be had for much less. The sound is really good, both with it's built in mics and using an external mic, it supports wifi, with remote recording controls, and can be powered by usb as well.
• Cheap Lapel mics (One is taped permanently to near the exhaust). I carry three or four of them, to use with the Tascam. They are good enough for the price. I won't record concerts with them, but for interviews and general microphone use, they can't be beat.

In all honestly, I see myself gutting some of these lens when I actually start the trip. But these are the lens I have, and right now, all of them fit into my tankbag without having to mess around. There are far better reviews of all these lens made by real photographers, so I'll just add my cliff notes for each lens.

Not my collection, but something I can relate to very much. Original author

1. Sony 16-50 F3.5-5.6 kit lens (SELP1650): This is the camera kit lens, but it is impressive as far as kit lens go. It's tiny, it's compact, is quick to autofocus and takes good images for a slow lens kit. Also, the 16-50 is a more usable range compared to the usual fare 18-55. I don't use it as much, but it takes next to nothing in space, and is a good lens to have as a backup.
2. Sony 16mm/2.8 prime (SEL16F28): A much maligned lens, this one is horrible for corner sharpness wide open. I wouldn't pay what Sony asks for a new one, but you can find them used for $ 100. Which isn't bad. I like shooting wide angle, so this is the only prime worth getting in it's focal range. (There is also the fully manual Rokinon 12mm, but I prefer this with the adapter combo for it's versatility.
3. 12mm wide angle converter (VCL-ECU1): This adapter for the 16mm adds fresh life to it. The focal range is truly wide angle, and for some reason I don't understand, this is an adapter that adds corner sharpness to the original lens. I have been happy shooting landscapes with it, and this is one of walkaround combos that I have when out riding.
4. 10mm fish eye converter (VCL-ECF1): Not as useful as the 12mm, this one is even wider, equaling about 9.9mm. The problem at this focal length is that this becomes a rectilinear fish eye. Makes for some good shots, but this lens has limited utility. Also, I still haven't figured out how to frame a shot properly with a 180° field of view.
5. 30mm F1.7 CCTV lens. This lens costs $25 brand new with the adapter, macro tubes (why would someone want frikking macro tubes?), and lens caps. Yes it's meant for a CCTV, and has just about the amount of sophistication that you would expect in that application - it has every sort of optical flaws that you would find in a 19th century lens - spherical focus planes, vignetting, softness, and what I can best describe as astigmatism. But it's compact, takes good photos, and there is something about this lens that I just love.
6. Sony 18-105 F4 G lens (SELP18105G): One of the most versatile lens in the E mount lineup. This has a very real world useable wide-ish focal length on one end, and a medium telephoto on the other. It has it's quirks - it makes the camera look bigger, it's the heaviest lens I have, it has both pin cushion and barrel distortion, everytime the camera turns on, it resets to 18mm, it eats the ridiculously tiny battery of the A6000. But, the range beats everything else in the lens lineup (there aren't that many), it's affordable, has amazing contrast and resolution, and it is awesome for any kind of video work. 

Most of the lens here have minimal overlap. The 16mm and the converters cover the ultra/hyper wide angle side of things. The 18-105 is a good walkaround lens, reasonably fast, wide angle on one end to medium telephoto on the other. The CCTV lens and the kit lens pack really small, and can serve as great backups, one is fast with great color reproduction, the kit lens is stabilized, light, and pancake. All the lens and some small accessories fit into my tankbag, it's hard to argue with that convenience.

This is a once in a lifetime trip for me. I want to capture as much of this as possible, at least so that I can watch it later, 10-20 years afterwards. I am a half decent photographer, and I take great pride in blaming the camera for the inadequacies of me as a photographer. This list is the camera gear that I will be taking with me. I have been using this gear for a while now, and familiarity is part of the reason why I am continuing with them. Also, I think they are the best tools for this job, in 2015. This is a pretty big list, and yes, it takes a huge amount of space on my already cramped bike.

Main Camera

The goal  of a main camera is to pack the nicest one you can afford and take with you. For some, this is a point and shoot, either a compact or a bridge style camera. These days, even cell phones take very decent photos. I had a Nikon D7000 earlier, which I bought mainly for the weather resistance and the large number of hardware buttons and dials. It is a lovely camera, but it was bulky and huge. It didn't help that my walkaround lens was a 18-105 kit lens which was stupidly large. The whole combo was pushing the 1.2kg mark (3 pounds or so), and would take up almost all the space in my tankbag. It was weather sealed and rugged, but I found myself not taking it out at all for road trips. A year into my camera purchase, I looked at the exif data for all the shots I had taken - 1500 in total, and 180 keepers. This is the lowest I have had for any camera - my cell phone finds more action than this. I decided this camera had to go. One month of listing and renewing craigslist ads, that happened. I took a $500 loss on it, but it had to be done.

For my next camera, the goal was to have something that was not the D7000. An APS-C sensor, since I liked the shallow DoF it can give, but something lighter, compact and more versatile. This meant mirror-less, so my options were micro four-thirds, Sony E-Mount, and the Fujis. Fujis were immediately out. I fell in love with the looks, the dials and the menu system of the Fuji. The people who make it love making cameras and it shows. The lens are top notch, and every time I handle one in a store, I want to get one for the pure joy of it. There is only one thing putting me away from the system and that's the cost. I wish they came out with inexpensive lens in their lineup, while preserving that magic. Oh, and the autofocus system is very slow on the Fujis. And videos suck too.

Ignoring niches like Samsung NX, my choice was basically E-Mount vs M4/3. M4/3 has a stupidly large lens selection. Seriously, Olympus and Panasonic have complete lineups of their own, and combined, there is a lens for every occasion and mood. There are some cheap lens too, but when you compare their equivalent aperture (for DoF) in APS-C terms, Sony's lens cost roughly the same. The bodies aren't cheaper either. Sony's bargain price on a6000 killed the value of the M4/3 bodies. Some of the higher end ones have niceties like a Magnesium construction, and weather sealing. But I can get two a6000s for the price of one Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II. At that big of a difference, I'd rather eschew the weather sealing, and replace the a6k body when it dies with another a6k. The Olympus may have in body stabilization, but all the sony lens I am interested in have them, which levels that playing field.

By now, you know which camera I ended up with. It's a Sony a6000. It's small. It's lovely. It had wifi, can post to facebook, do tons of post processing that it makes the Nikon I had look like a dinosaur. The D7000 has the edge when it comes to usability, low light autofocus, and still autofocus in general. But the Sony wins by a country mile in everything else. Even with the faster Sony 18-105 G lens, the camera kit is diminutive when compared to the D7000 with it's kit 18-105.
 I have had it for a while now, and the menus and strange settings take a bit of getting used to, but I love this camera. I can't say that about the D7000.