Fat Shark have been churning out new models with the now discontinued HD2 (HD v2) arriving mid-2015 and then the limited edition Fat Shark SE just a few months ago, but the range is about to get a boost with the introduction of the new Fat Shark HD3 (HD v3).
THE NEW HD3 GOGGLES ARE NOW IN-STOCK AND AVAILABLE TO BUY NOW – CLICK HERE TO ORDER
Fat Shark customers appeared to be unimpressed with the HD2 model due to blurry screen edges and poor build quality, the Fat Shark Dominator SE model was introduced shortly after which impressed DroningON in terms of improvements to the optics, but users have persisted in reporting issues with blurred edges, even when using the diopter inserts.
Now the Fat Shark HD3 model has been officially announced and it is hoped that this new model will be the hybrid to bridge the success of the Dominator V3‘s and the Limited Edition SE set.
Priced at around £410 ($500) the HD3 goggles are slightly more expensive than the HD2 (£375 / $450) but quite a bit more expensive than the aging yet most popular Dominator V3 set (£310 / $370).
To see how the new HD3 goggles compare in terms of specification, we have used a table format. We have not included features which are common to all three models and only instead focused on the differences. The SE model has not been included in this comparison as it is a limited edition and may become harder to obtain.
| Dominator V3 | HD2 (HD v2) | HD3 (HD v3) | |
| FOV | 30° | 50° | 42° |
| Resolution | 800×480 | 800×600 | 800×600 |
| Aspect | 16:9 | 4:3 | 4:3 / 16:9 |
The ‘blurred edges’ issue commonly reported with the HD2 set and even by some users of the SE model should now be fixed for all users by the dialing back of the previous wide 50° FOV (Field Of View) to a more conservative 42°. The experience will still be more immersive than when using the Dominator V3 goggles.
The screen resolution of the HD3 remains the same as the HD2 at 800×600, but the Aspect Ratio may now provide the ability to toggle between the 4:3 and 16:9 as the product listing states the following:
[perfectpullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]”Digital pilots will appreciate the new 16:9 display format when in HDMI mode to match the display aspect ratio of HD systems”.[/perfectpullquote]
We have asked Fat Shark to comment as to whether this toggle will apply to both analog (RF) and digital mode (HDMI) or whether the ratio is fixed depending on which mode is active – this article will be updated as soon as we have more information.
Physically, the new HD3 set would appear to utilise the same design as past models, but we believe that the increased level of quality control evidenced in our review of the Dominator SE model will continue into this and future models.
Unfortunately, the HD3 ships without a receiver unit which is a little disappointing considering the price, many had hoped that the SE model shipping with a Raceband receiver was the start of a trend.
The new Fat Shark HD3 FPV Goggle Headset is available to buy NOW via BangGood!
In the meantime, you can watch our review of the Fat Shark SE goggles via YouTube below:
Thanks also to Painless360 Twitter account for the use of their review image as our featured shot.
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