Some awesome FPV footage

http://www.tvkim.com/watch/1260/kims-picks-amazing-footage-from-a-helicopter-drone?utm_medium=nl&utm_source=notd&utm_content=2012-03-15-rct&utm_campaign=f

...Tiger

That is a great video.  Good find.
I looked up his blog from the end titles:

http://shrediquette.blogspot.com/

Some neat stuff on there too.

It looks to me that the hexacopters are more stable than our quads.  I presume they have some fault tolerance in case a ESC/motor fails.  Is that a reasonable assumption?

Yep!  The more props the better.  Might let you have a "controlled" crash.

...Tiger

First time I have ever seen someone fly an aircraft inside the cab of a Toyota truck, very cool. Got some shots of the excavator in there too 

I think this guy has been flying for a while.

It's very small.  Did you see the photos on his website linked above?  I was also surprised to read that he likes CMOS better (CCD Killer) than CCD for his video as we have been discussing this a bit and the opinion was CCD was better.

Which is better, CCD or CMOS: Depends on allot of factors but yes CMOS systems can be better. Although from what I've been reading BOTH can produce quite stunning results. The technology's come pretty close where as CCD use to dominate but it's not so easy to say which is better these days ... Anyhow best read the following as it's not easy to summarize

http://www.teledynedalsa.com/corp/markets/ccd_vs_cmos.aspx

I think Tiger told me CCD processes all lines at once but CMOS processes each line individually.  I did not read that anywhere in your link.

Yup CMOS can have an undesirable effect know with a "rolling shutters". With CMOS and a Global Shutter there are no motion artifacts ... SEE Kodac: CMOS Imager with a Global Shutter. It's usually seen in cheaper low-end cameras, my Nikon D-90 uses a CMOS Sensor and you won't see any of that in my Video's. Also the Cannon EOS Rebel T3i uses a CMOS Sensor just to name a few ...

QUOTE: wiki CCD vs CMOS

Neither technology has a clear advantage in image quality. On one hand, CCD sensors are more susceptible to vertical smear from bright light sources when the sensor is overloaded; high-end frame transfer CCDs in turn do not suffer from this problem. On the other hand, CMOS sensors are susceptible to undesired effects that come as a result of rolling shutter

more: [size=1em]CCD vs CMOS: Facts and Fiction[/size]

Yeah Wood, the CMOS rolling shutter gives us the Jello Effect with vibration, most people choose the CCD camera because of this Line By Line vs whole frame capture method. I think the GoPro is CMOS, but high end fast capture (well it has to be at 60FPS) so there is less wobble on those vs the camera in my cell phone. Did you guys ever see my video of when I rubber banded my $500.00 Android phone to the front of my helicopter when I had only flown maybe 20 times in my life? This is how much I trust my Co Pilot on a sunny day!  ;D

You can see how bad it wobbles and ripples vs my other videos with a CCD type camera. The phone was even strapped on with foam and it barely made a difference. It's not terrible, but the ripples make it un-pleasant to watch a lot of it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fl-CEA-HWLU

Yet anther: To CCD or to CMOS, That is the Question.

All the articles I've posted pretty much say the same thing, it's more what the manufacturer does with the sensor than the sensor itself. No doubt both imagers can make an excellent picture but as we read it's not as simple as that to make an end-product, a product people would be willing to buy. Nevertheless to say one sensor is "better" than an other in an all encompassing one-liner would be a poor choice of words thus leads to my problem with Shrediquette's singular comment ... Meh, he reads like a fanboy where as "these" articles seem to have a more neutral stance

Now CMOS and CCD aside if you want the "best" then have a look at Three-CCD or 3CCD. This is where "they" use one Charge-Coupled Device (CCD) for each individual colour, one sensor for Red, one for Green and one for Blue (RGB). 3CCD's are usually seen on Pro cameras but some Prosumer and Consumer cameras are NOW using them. They say "Compared to cameras with only one CCD, three-CCD cameras generally provide superior image quality through enhanced resolution and lower noise"

Cool Stuff, eh ... The "Rule of Thirds" on Steroids
    [size=1.20em][shadow=Orange,left]w00d[/shadow][/size]

The reason I originally asked was for input in using a CCD or CMOS camera for FPV.  Most FPV flyers are using a camera like the one in the photo below, also see the link.

I also know one can use some models of the GoPro and the newer models of the ContourHD because they output video, but I feel it makes sense to have two onboard cameras one for the returned FPV flying and the other dedicated to quality video recording.  The video recording would just record to whatever media the camera uses, usually a SD card, and the FPV camera will be dedicated to returning the FPV pilot view along with any on screen data if required.

This is the camera type I've mostly seen for FPV use:
http://www.fpvhobby.com/camera/13-550tvl-sony-vsn700phb-camera.html

Yes, TWO Cameras

When I get around to building I'll be building for Aerial photography only. It's my intention use two cameras, one lesser and very light weight camera for Framing (a View-Finder if you like) and the SONY DSC-H9 both mounted on the same Gimbal setup

If used as a "view-finder" the actual quality of the image is NOT a major concern, although it couldn't HURT ...

Teh CAM I intend to use for the final does have a LIVE View or Live Output but switching between the two modes via an Rx is an issue, actually it's a BIG issue

Anyhow it's the reasoning behind using an another camera as a View-Finder, this will eliminate the actual need to switch between the two modes ...

... less is more, right ... more or less

Did you decide on or already purchase your FPV transmitter and receiver?  I think you were looking at the Lawmate stuff, is that correct?

The 1 Watt 1.2 Ghz Tx is the one I was talking about tonight, with the right antennas you could get miles of distance and have it work, I will try and find that super long range video I mentioned.

Is a ham radio license necessary for using the 1.2 Ghz FPV equipment?

Why PAL and not NTSC Cam ?

They didn't have a NTSC version in the high quality Sony camera.  They are in Turkey so they probably don't need NTSC anyway.