Suitable camera for Pyra (retrofit)?

[Git1]

G'day folks,
When I eventually get a Pyra I intend on fitting a camera to and have been occasionally been looking to see what's out there. I failed to find much that would suit the purpose, i.e. be small enough to retro fit into the case and not rely on propriety IP. I got the impression that they just weren't freely available and perhaps the market was intentionally controlled.

I have however just stumbled upon this little gem:

https://www.arducam.com/arducam-mini-released/

It's still bigger than I'd like as the lens would no doubt have to protrude a fair way. Does anyone who has opened up their Pyra think there would be room in there somewhere for that board? It's 24mm x 34mm, not sure how thick. Ignore the header pins as they would be removed and wires soldered directly to the board.

 

[elw3]

Behind the screen is a bit of flat space, but that lens wont fit anywhere.
IMO dumb idea. Just get clip on webcam.
I have also seen usb webcams smaller than that.

What quality do you expect to get here anyway?
These tiny chips are nothing more than toys by camera standards.
But if you _must_ have a camera in there, an endoscope type will fit anywhere without problem.

 

[spud42]

grab a camera from a laptop. most of them are a usb device and should just work.

here is youtube guy DIY Perks using some..

 

[netcat]

This reminded me of my excuse to order a pyra: use it as a remote control for some Lego mindstorm robot, including streaming video from my GoPro hero 4 (via ffmpeg over UDP). Photos might work too via HTTP. Would you consider a camera connected via WiFi? Might be more flexible and better quality.

 

[Git1]

Behind the screen is a bit of flat space, but that lens wont fit anywhere.
IMO dumb idea. Just get clip on webcam.
I have also seen usb webcams smaller than that.

What quality do you expect to get here anyway?
These tiny chips are nothing more than toys by camera standards.
But if you _must_ have a camera in there, an endoscope type will fit anywhere without problem.

The idea is to use it as an all-in-one pocket device (I don't use smartphones), so carrying a separate clip-on camera would not be an option. Running an external usb cable would also make it not worth it.
Quality wise, ~3mp would be ideal. One of my old Nokias had a 3.2mp camera and I found that quite sufficient. My current one is 2mp which I find a bit underdone.
Re: the endoscope idea: I'd think that would require propriety software to run? Could be wrong.

grab a camera from a laptop. most of them are a usb device and should just work.

That looks ideal, and I have dead laptop I could raid. Thanks for the vid, I'll check it out.

Would you consider a camera connected via WiFi?

If it could be mounted in the case, or attached in a way that didn't result in a pocket snag, sure, why not.

 

[elw3]

Re: the endoscope idea: I'd think that would require propriety software to run? Could be wrong.

No, endoscopy is one of the things i mainly use my pyra for.
So far all of these worked from stock.
With casing this is a 7*45mm tube, without casing it just might fit into the stylus bay.
Addmitely this is a close focus microscope lens, that laptop camera sounds like the better option.

 

[Git1]

No, endoscopy is one of the things i mainly use my pyra for.
So far all of these worked from stock.
With casing this is a 7*45mm tube, without casing it just might fit into the stylus bay.
Addmitely this is a close focus microscope lens, that laptop camera sounds like the better option.

Interesting thanks. So is it USB or wireless? Could be useful for mechanical inspections too I guess.

 

[elw3]

Its basically a tiny lens/light combination on a long less flexible usb cable, I think a bit of electronics is inside the plug too tho.