In conducting wider investigations of miniature cameras I came across the RunCam split.

RunCam makes camera products for FPV drone flying, and the “Split” is a new approach to drone cameras – rather than having a separate lower resolution camera for the transmission back to the pilot’s goggles, and a higher resolution action camera to record flight footage, this camera combines the two.

In order to mount the camera in the appropriate location on the drone, it is “split” into several key components, connected by a data ribbon. The camera lens and CMOS sensor is therefore smaller than the body of an action camera, as it is separate from the PCB. As it is designed to be powered by the drone’s batteries, the RunCam Split does not come with its own battery.