FPV Goggles are an important part of the first-person-view experience. With the growing popularity of drone racing and FPV flying, there is a rapidly growing market for FPV equipment, and as such there are more and more FPV goggles released all the time. This guide is to provide the information you need to decide on which one best suits you.

Index of Content

The reason that FPV goggles are so popular is due to the immersive flying experience they offer, allowing the pilots to see and feel like they are onboard their aircraft. That’s why it’s calledFPV – First Person View.

We will go through some of the important factors you should consider when buying a new pair of goggles, but first let me introduce you to all of the popular FPV Goggles options on the market.

FPV Goggles Comparison Charts

Here are some comparison tables of all the popular FPV Goggles on the market.

Entry Level Box FPV Goggles

Large FPV headsets are heavier, but usually feels more comfortable to wear. They are cheaper, and might allow you to pair them with any video receiver because they are literally just a monitor. They are good options if you just want to have a taste of what FPV is like and test the waters.

Box goggles can be useful for people with extremes of IPD (Interpupillary distance) which can make it impossible to focus on the 2 small screens in slimline goggles. However, people with different levels of sight in each eye will need to use slimline goggles with ‘diopter’ inserts.

Model Quanum DIY V2 Pro Eachine VR-007 Pro Eachine EV800 Eachine VR006 Price $25 $45 $70 $40 Resellers Hobbyking Banggood | Amazon Banggood | Amazon Banggood | Amazon Resolution 800 x 480 480 x 272 800 x 480 500 x 300 Ratio 5:3 4:3 5:3 5:3 Built-in VRX No Yes Yes Yes Frequency n/a 40ch 40ch 40ch DVR n/a No No No Diversity n/a No No No Weight 532g 256g 349g 258g

High End Box Goggles

More features, higher resolution.

Model Eachine EV800D Eachine Goggles Two HeadPlay SE V2 Fatshark Transformer SE Price $100 $125 $160 $189 Resellers Banggood | Amazon | RMRC Banggood | Amazon GetFPV GetFPV Resolution 800 x 480 1920 x 1080 1200 x 600 1280 x 720 Ratio 16:9 & 4:3 16:9 & 4:3 16:10 16:9 Built-in VRX Yes Yes Yes Yes Channels 40ch 40ch 40ch 32ch DVR Yes No Yes unknown Diversity Yes Yes No Yes Weight 362g 273g w/o battery 400g unknown

Compact Form Factor – $200 or less

These are small, lightweight FPV goggles, extremely easy to carry around. However they might not fit everyone’s face, so again, try them out if possible before buying.

These compact FPV Goggles all have built-in video receivers (VRX), and they all support 5.8GHz Frequency.

Model Teleporter V5 SJ RG01 Eachine EV100 Price $199 $88 $100 Reseller Amazon Banggood Banggood | Amazon FOV 25° 40° 24° Resolution 320 x 240 960 x 240 720 x 540 Ratio 4:3 4:3 4:3 IPD 63.5mm 58-63mm 58-68mm Modular RX No No No Built-in VRX Channels 7ch 48ch 72ch DVR No Yes No Head Tracking No No No Feature n/a Diversity RX Antenna Diversity Weight 163g 278g 221g

Compact Goggles – Mid Price Range ($200 – $350)

Model Eachine EV200D Aomway Commander Skyzone SKY02C Price $300 $310 $260 Banggood Banggood | GetFPV | Amazon Banggood | RDQ| Amazon FOV 42° 32° 30° Resolution 1280 x 720 854 x 480 854 x 480 Ratio 4:3 & 16:9 16:9 16:9 IPD 56-72mm 59-69mm 59-69mm RX Module Included Modular Built-in 40ch Built-in 48ch DVR Yes Yes Yes Head Tracking No Yes Yes Audio Output Yes Yes Yes Feature 3D, HDMI 3D, HDMI, Diversity RX HDMI, 3D, Diversity Weight unknown Unknown 210g

Compact – High Price Class ($350 – $400)

Higher display resolution with more features.

Model Topsky F7X Dominator V3 Attitude V5 Skyzone SKY02X Price $350 $350 $300 $370 Reseller Banggood | Amazon Banggood | GetFPV | Amazon Banggood | GetFPV | Amazon Banggood FOV 42° 30° 30° 30° Resolution 1280 x 720 800 x 480 640 x 400 854 x 480 Ratio 16:9 16:9 4:3 16:9 IPD 58-72mm 59-69mm 59-69mm 59-69mm RX Module Modular Modular Modular Built-in 48ch DVR Yes Yes Yes Yes Head Tracking Support Support Yes Yes Features HDMI, 3D HDMI, 3D comes with RX Diversity, 3D Weight 190g 152g unknown 210g

Premium Class – $400+!

Goggles in this class provide the best display resolutions, some can even be used for home entertainment systems.

Monitor vs. FPV Goggles

Monitors are generally much cheaper and let you switch between flying FPV and LOS easily, however it can be hard to see in bright sunlight. You can also get distracted easily by the surroundings, and monitors offer a far less immersive experience.

I first started flying FPV with a cheap 7 inch LCD monitor and used it for over a year, before making the switch to a Fatshark Dominator V2. Although I was happy with the monitor, I enjoy FPV even more flying with Goggles. If you are on a tight budget, a small screen can get you started flying FPV just fine, but my advice is to save up for a decent pair of goggles.

Another advantage with a monitor is that you can keep your glasses on while flying. This post explains if goggles are suitable for people wearing glasses.

You might feel disorientated the first time using FPV goggles, it takes some getting used to. So much that you may lose your balance if you don’t sit down!

FPV Goggles Form Factor

There are 2 form factors in FPV Goggles:

Low Profile “Slimline” Goggles

Box Goggles

“Slimline” FPV goggles have two little screens up to half an inch to display a duplicated image. They are considerably smaller and lighter than Box goggles, and very easy to carry around. Not to mention they don’t make you look like you have your face stuck in a toaster oven! These goggles are usually more expensive due to the higher costs of the micro displays.

“Box” FPV headsets are usually significantly cheaper and have the image displayed on a single LCD screen of 3 to 6 inch. Some might find box goggles more comfortable to wear than slimline goggles due to the large contact area between your face and the goggles, but they do also weigh more. Another benefit of box goggles is they usually feel more immersive because of the larger FOV, for racers however a smaller FOV is usually preferable to maintain a ‘tunnel vision’ like focus.

Price

Flying FPV doesn’t have to be expensive, you can fly just fine with a small $30 monitor, or a $50 “toy grade” box goggles. Much like a professional quality radio transmitter, to get all the best features, your FPV goggles can cost up to $300 or more. Don’t worry though, there are a lot of good and cheap options to choose from.

FPV Goggles are a long term investment! It’s okay to spend a little more.

Unlike a multirotor, FPV goggles can’t crash and explode into a million pieces (assuming you are putting them on your head, and not on your drone). They are going to be one of the longest-lasting pieces of equipment in your RC career, and you will be using them with all of your quads.

Therefore It’s okay to spend as much as you can afford on your FPV Goggles.

Resolution

Just like any normal display screen, the higher the resolution the better the picture quality theoretically. With the limitations of current FPV camera resolutions and what the 5.8Ghz analog video transmission system is able to handle, you might not benefit from high resolution.

800×600 is more than enough in most cases, since PAL and NTSC formats only offer resolutions of 720×576 720×486 respectively. However as FPV systems and technology advance, high resolution FPV goggles will retain their usefulness. For example, in order to use the Fatshark Byte Frost system, you need a goggles with at least 720p resolution, that’s 1280×720.

Some HD goggles even support HDMI input so you can hook them up to a computer as an external monitor.

Further Reading: Check out this guide on how to choose a good FPV camera.

Aspect Ratio

In FPV goggles, there are two common aspect ratios for displaying videos, 16:9 and 4:3.

There are goggles with other aspect ratios such as 16:10, but we really do not recommend it as you want to match this aspect ratio to your FPV camera for the best viewing experience, otherwise the image will appear distorted – either stretched or squashed. Currently FPV cameras only either support 16:9 or 4:3, some cameras even support both.

The majority of FPV cameras are 4:3, but there are more and more 16:9 cameras being released to the market, some are even switchable between the two ratios, for example the Runcam Eagle and Caddx SDR1.

Some FPV goggles supporting switching between 16:9 and 4:3, by “chopping off” the edges of the screen. This is a flexible solution in the cost of the screen field of view.

Aspect ratio can be identified by looking at resolution, for example 1280×960 would be 4:3 while 1280×720 would be 16:9.

Field of View (FOV)

The FOV of FPV goggles is a measurement of how big the image appears to your eyes. For example, with a 35 degree FOV in your FPV Goggles, the edges of the screen are at 35 degree angle from the centre point of your eyes.

Don’t get mixed up with camera FOV, these are totally unrelated numbers. Here is a FOV comparison tool for FPV goggles.

For box goggles, FOV ranges from 50-80 degrees. For low profile goggles, FOV ranges from 25-50 degrees.

FOV is mostly a personal preference. For me, the preferred FOV range on a low profile goggles is 35 to 42.

The larger the FOV, the more immersive the picture is. But when FOV gets too large it can become counterproductive in certain situations, and you have to move your eyes to see the edges of the screen, especially when you use OSD (on screen display) to display info by the edges of the screen. Racing pilots might find a smaller FOV easier to focus.

IPD

Everyone has different IPD (Interpupillary Distance), which is the distance between the centre of the two pupils.

IPD is only relevant to goggles with two separate screens. It plays a big role in your FPV experience, because an incorrect IPD setting will cause the image edges to look blurry.

Most “Slimline” FPV Goggles offer adjustable IPD and it helps to keep the FPV screens ideally positioned specific to your eyes.

Differences in IPD is one of the main reasons we suggest trying a pair of goggles before committing a purchase.

Get your IPD measured first – ask someone to help you with a ruler.

And if you wear glasses, goggles with adjustable focus, or those compatible with diopters lenses would be really helpful.

Other Features

Having a DVR (digital video recorder) enables you to record your flight video on a Micro SD card. Most goggles with a DVR allow you to play back the footage, which can help locate your model if you crash! Alternatively you can get an external DVR like this one.

Head Tracking allows the goggles to recognize the pilot’s head movements and sync them with a gimbal-mounted camera onboard the drone. So as the pilot moves their head the camera moves too. This creates an even more immersive FPV experience. A gimbal can add a lot of weight though, so it’s probably more useful for fixed wing platforms than multirotors

allows the goggles to recognize the pilot’s head movements and sync them with a gimbal-mounted camera onboard the drone. So as the pilot moves their head the camera moves too. This creates an even more immersive FPV experience. A gimbal can add a lot of weight though, so it’s probably more useful for fixed wing platforms than multirotors HDMI Input allows you to connect your goggles as a display to your computer either for watching movies, or practicing with FPV simulators; You can also use it for HD FPV systems such as the Byte Frost and Connex Prosight

allows you to connect your goggles as a display to your computer either for watching movies, or practicing with FPV simulators; You can also use it for HD FPV systems such as the Byte Frost and Connex Prosight 3D Support – allows you to use 3D FPV Camera/Transmitter system

– allows you to use 3D FPV Camera/Transmitter system Audio Output – By installing a microphone in your drone, you can listen to the changing motor RPM, and it gives you a more connected feeling. Many goggles offer audio output via a headphone jack. See this post to learn how to setup audio for FPV

– By installing a microphone in your drone, you can listen to the changing motor RPM, and it gives you a more connected feeling. Many goggles offer audio output via a headphone jack. See this post to learn how to setup audio for FPV Anti-fog Fan – Your goggles can get foggy when it’s hot and humid. Some goggles are equipped with a fan to clear the fog which is handy

Headset Colour

Colour is mostly a personal preference. Black or other darker colour goggles tend to get hot more easily under the sun, but lighter colours might be more likely to suffer from light leakage through the plastic on certain goggles. That’s another good reason to check out our reviews before making your decision.

Pro Tip – Don’t Leave Your Goggles Facing the Sun With the optics in the goggles, direct sun light becomes deadly to the displays and it can burn them if you leave them exposed to the sun for too long. Make sure you keep the displays/optics facing away from the sun when not in use.

Video Receiver Module

Some FPV goggles might come with video receiver (VRX) integrated, this can be great because you don’t have to spend extra on a receiver, however you are limited to what features are available.

There are a ton of 3rd party made receiver modules that are more feature filled, and designed for different purposes, such as long range 2.4Ghz support, diversity, support for different 5.8Ghz channels, and more.

Having an external receiver module bay can be flexible and powerful.

Diversity

To get a more reliable signal, diversity is a recommended feature in your video receiver.

A diversity system consists of two video receivers, it will automatically choose the receiver that is getting the best signal to maintain the best possible video link. Each receiver has its own antenna, and you can point these antennas in different directions. You can even use different types of antenna such as directional and omni-directional for the best result.

Note : Receiver diversity is not to be confused with “antenna diversity” which uses a single receiver with two antennas, receiver diversity is, by far, the better option.

External Receiver Module Options

As you might know, all Fatshark’s FPV goggles require a receiver module to work, and there are many options out there. All the latest modules have diversity capability.

The best performing aftermarket module is probably the Rapidfire and TBS Fusion, but they are not cheap. Maximum range is about the same as other modules, but they really shine when it comes to indoor and bando flying where there is a ton of multipath interference.

Rapidfire – Review | Buy: https://bit.ly/rapidfire-module

TBS Fusion – Buy: RDQ | GetFPV | Amazon

The Eachine Pro58 with Achilles Firmware is the best value module in my opinion it has excellent performance yet one of the cheapest out there. However you have to buy and flash a custom firmware to make the most out of it.

Eachine Pro58 – Review | Buy: Banggood

If you don’t want any trouble, just a module that works and doesn’t cost an arm and leg, take a look at the True-D.

True-D V3 (Review | Buy: Banggood, RMRC, Amazon)

Here are some other popular options, however I have not personally tested these.

Laforge V4 (Buy: Amazon, RMRC)

Clearview Goggle Receiver module (Buy: RMRC)

Realacc RX5808 (Buy: Banggood)

External Receiver Via AV In

For goggles that have AV input, you can use an external receiver, such as a ground station.

Info on the Receiver Chip

Most receivers use the same chip – RTC6715, an integrated receiving IC made by RichWave.

(By the way, the transmitting IC is called RTC6705)

AFAIK, this is the only IC on the market at the moment that can be controlled over SPI (serial programming interface). If you see a receiver module that uses dip switches to change channels, it’s likely to be using an IC that can’t be controlled over SPI.

The RTC6715 is:

Powered from 3.3V

Sensitivity -85dBm

The camera sends a sync signal, but because of multipathing or losing signal, the sync pulses sometimes get distorted and are not read by the goggles. In order to minimize the flickering in the screen, we have to generate the sync pulses at the receiver.

Most 5.8Ghz analogue video receivers differ in the video processing and software. Maybe a little different in the RF signal filtering and the quality of the components, but usually the best and the worst receiver module hardware only differ in 1-3dB in sensitivity.

Diopter Inserts

If you wear glasses and cannot see the screens clearly when wearing your goggles, you can buy diopter lenses to insert in your goggles (if supported).

Cheap plastic diopter made by Fatshark – Amazon | Banggood | RMRC | GetFPV

Glass diopter made by Skyzone – http://bit.ly/2kypWXX

Battery Options

I explain the many power and battery options for FPV goggles that supports 2S LiPo input.

The Best Performance Fatshark

If you are looking for the very best FPV Goggles from Fatshark, undoubtedly it would be the Fatshark HDO2. It has sharp and clear OLED displays offering 46° FOV, high quality finish and legendary customer support.

Some might pick the HD3 for its larger FOV and lower price. I just think that the level of image fidelity is not quite on the same level, which is probably one of the most important considerations when it comes to FPV.

Purchase the HDO2 from:

The Best Budget Fatshark

The best value Fatshark Goggles for me would have to be the Attitude V5. It comes with a diversity receiver, though you can also swap it out with another module of your choice.

Fatshark upgraded it from the Altitude V4 with an upgraded OLED screens, offering 30° FOV. But the screens have lower resolution and they are in weird 16:10 aspect ratio, so regardless which camera you use they will always look a little stretched or squashed.

Some would recommend the Dom V3 as the budget option, I don’t. If you prefer 16:9 ratio, you would be better off going with the Commander V1 which has similar spec at a cheaper price.

Purchase the Altitude V5 from:

The Best Performance Non-Fatshark Option

It would have to be the Skyzone SKY03O. There are so many things Skyzone has done better than the Fatshark HDO, you have to check out my review.

First off it’s cheaper than the HDO, and yet it comes with an excellent built-in diversity receiver module. The OLED displays in the SKY03O is truly one of the best on the market currently. It’s a great pair of goggles, super clear screens and lots of features that are missing in other high end alternatives.

Purchase the SKY03O from

The Budget Non-Fatshark Options

The Skyzone SKY02C honestly has better screen and resolution than the Attitude V5, The integrated OSD menu is great and lets you have full control of the goggles. Build quality and the built-in receiver are excellent, so you don’t have to spend extra for that. For $260, it’s pretty hard to resist!

Get the SKY02C from: Banggood | RDQ| Amazon

The EV200D from Eachine is also worth considering. Although the Skyzones menu interface is way better, the EV200D can take 2 external receiver modules such as the Rapidfire without mods. Due to the huge FOV, you do get some blurry edges, but overall the optics is reasonable, and for some people the 12 degree extra FOV is huge.

Features including HDMI input and 3D compatibility, modular dual diversity RX design and on-board DVR (H.264 encoding), that you expect from the market leaders top notch offerings, but available (including 2 diversity modules) for just $300! For a more detailed look check out this preview article by Tom BD Bad.

Purchase the EV200D from: http://bit.ly/2yJhsOQ

The Cheapest Worth Having Goggle

The Eachine EV800D has been around a while and is proven to work well. It comes with diversity receivers, built-in DVR as well as antennas. The list of features these goggles offer is pretty impressive considering the cheap price.

The EV800D goggle utilises one single larger screen which is then further enlarged by a lens. This provides a much bigger field of view than other more expensive compact goggles.

The downside of any box goggles is being bulkier and heavier. Some might also dislike the overly large FOV for having to look at different areas of the screen.

Buy the EV800D from: Banggood | Amazon | RMRC

Other Popular Goggles on the Market

Here are some honorable mentions.

Aomway Commander V1

The Aomway Commander V1 is a cheaper alternative to Fatshark, but certainly not lacking when it comes to features and user experience. They tick most of the boxes that the more expensive alternatives do, without the associated price!

The 32° FOV and 16:9 match the Fatshark Dominator V3, while the fantastic 854×480 resolution can even match the Fatshark HD3. Unlike many other goggles, the Commander takes a wide voltage input, supporting up to a 4S Lipo (16.8V).

Features:

854×480 LCD screen with 32°FOV (in 16:9 but also switchable to 4:3)

Support HDMI input (720p)

Support 3D

Built-in DVR

Diversity 5.8Ghz video receiver

Built-in fan to prevent lens-fog

Our in-depth review of the Commander V1 Goggles.

FatShark Dominator V3

Compared to the Predator V3, the Dominator V3 has better 800X480 resolution, as well as larger 32 degree field of view. The image quality is slightly better than the Attitude V4, and despite both having the same FOV, the screen looks slightly smaller on the DomV3 than the Attitude due to the wider screen.

The Dominator V3 supports external head-tracking module and VRX module, and the aspect ratio was changed to 16:9 from the V2’s 4:3.

FatShark Dominator HD3

FatShark Dominator HD3 offers 800 x 600 SVGA resolution, and a wide 42 degree field of view, giving an even more immersive experience.

The optics of the HD3 is made of the same material found in Dominator V3, the only difference is just the FOV and aspect ratio. The Dom HD3 is very similar to the DomV3 in terms of features, which also has an interchangeable receiver module, head tracking option and includes a DVR.

Since the release of the HD3 Core, the price has dropped from nearly $500 to only $400. The only difference is you don’t get any accessories in the HD3 Core, apart from the case for 18650 batteries. In my opinion that’s one of the best deals available for a pair of high end goggles.

See my reviews about them:

Headplay

The Headplay SE FPV Goggles boast a massive HD 1200×600 screen and an impressive 72 degrees of FOV, making it one of the most immersive FPV displays available.

These were one of the few box goggles with an HDMI input, and support for HD FPV systems like the Connex Prosight. The only downside for me is the form factor, it’s a freaking huge box. I reckon you can probably fit your micro quad in there to use it as a case :)

Eachine Goggles Two

These box goggles from Eachine are a pretty good high end box goggle with full HD (1920 x 1080px) screen, HDMI input, PAL and NTSC support, as well as supporting both 4:3 and 16:9 image ratios. The Goggles Two also come with diversity receivers, a directional patch, and omni-directional cloverleaf antenna.

Personally I have encountered a few niggles, the connection between the battery and the goggles is not great and can lose power. I have followed these simple instructions to install a DVR on the Eachine Goggles Two, this power loss frustratingly causes any unsaved video to be lost too.

Our review of the Eachine Goggles Two.

Eachine EV100

The Eachine EV100 goggles are the cheapest slimline goggles that are available at the moment, and realistically I don’t see it being possible for the price to get much lower than the current $100 retail.

However, don’t get too excited just yet, there are a few issues with these goggles, such as the super tiny screen and FOV, lack of receiver diversity and integrated DVR. These might be a good entry level option for those who cannot use box goggles, and prefer a more compact option. But don’t expect too much from them, you get what you pay for.

Eachine VR006

The VR006 goggles are the cheapest goggles of any type available right now. They use the 5.8gHz frequency and have recently had an antenna diversity option added too.

They only have a single 3” screen, so don’t expect to be amazed with the huge FOV you get from other box goggles. As the VR006 uses such a small screen, these are probably the smallest, lightest and most compact of all the box goggles listed in the article.

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