Building a Compact Cinematic Camera from an FPV Original is Now Possible, Thanks to 3D Printing

Curious Scientist began with a Hawkeye Firefly Split V6 Pro drone camera, which was designed for high-speed first person view flying. As soon as he got his hands on this small 6K marvel, he started thinking about how else he could use it. With its one-inch Sony sensor, it has the ability to shoot some absolutely outstanding footage from a workbench or anywhere else where you require a portable high-quality video solution.

However, things quickly got rough. The cheap plastic C-mount adaptor that normally comes with this camera just wasn’t enough for this guy. When he attempted to attach his lenses, the threads immediately stripped. Every time he looked for replacement parts, he came up empty-handed. So he ended up sourcing a real metal C-mount flange from an old rotating CCTV camera. That small piece of metal eventually served as the framework for mounting his professional lenses.

The next step was to put the camera in a casing, and Curious Scientist created a totally customized enclosure that he 3D printed to accommodate all of the components – the sensor board and main processor board connected by a cable, as well as a keypad for all of the functions. So he could simply add a little seat to hold the sensor board in place and then use an infrared filter without using any glue, because he’d made a little wedged frame that also allows light to enter cleanly.



The next step was to place the camera in a case, and Curious Scientist designed a completely customized enclosure that he 3D printed to house all of the components, including the sensor board and main processor board, which were connected by a cable, as well as a keypad for all of the operations. So he could simply add a small seat to hold the sensor board in place and then use an infrared filter without requiring glue, because he’d fabricated a small wedged frame that also allowed light to enter cleanly.

Curious Scientist did not want to compromise some of the functionality of his homemade enclosure. So he made sure to leave the USB-C, HDMI, and SD card slots exposed, as well as a little custom flap he designed to cover the power, Wi-Fi, and record start/stop buttons. He also installed a five-way joystick on the rear, which is much easier to use with one hand than some of the original buttons that were dispersed about.


For monitoring, he created a separate 3.5-inch HDMI display in its own 3D printed enclosure that can be viewed from the most comfortable angles. Then he mounted it to the main body with a cold shoe mount, and because he didn’t want to be tethered to a battery pack, he ran a branched USB connection to split power and data: the fan and monitor get power, while the camera gets data to keep operating. He created a separate 3.5-inch HDMI display with a 3D printed housing that can be viewed from multiple angles. Then he used a cold shoe mount to attach it to the main body, and because he didn’t want to be linked to a battery pack, he ran a branched USB connection to split power and data – the fan and monitor receive power, while the camera receives data to continue operating.


Adding a quality lens elevates this setup to the next level, and Curious Scientist can now use that metal C-mount to get some genuine adapters going – M42, Nikon F, and even microscope objectives if he requires that level of precision. Because of the sensor size, the field of view will be quite narrow, which is ideal for getting up close and personal with electronics or even a close-up hardware demo, since it produces a very focused and sharp image. The results are stunning: 6K footage as crisp as you could hope for, previewing on the little screen or an external recorder via HDMI, Wi-Fi, or just saving directly to the SD card.
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