Getting better performance from an espcam32?

I just got one with the hope of using it with my 3d printer that has an easily accessible usb port to power it. I got the wrover one off amazon.

I’m very disappointed with it. Even at only 640x480 I can only get 2fps out of it. I had to get a beta drop of esphome to let me set the frequency to 8Mhz since apparently that was necessary to have stable connections to it (which certainly matched my experiences). That got it to behave reliably but the low frame rate and the terrible low light performance and poor FOV means it’s kinda awful for my intended purpose. I can fix the light issue with better led lighting inside the printer which is on my todo list and I could live with the poor FOV but not being able to get a decent frame rate even at low resolutions makes it not very compelling to bother. The printer camera (that I can’t access from home assistant) manages 1fp @ 1280x720 on an esp32 while managing all the other tasks that esp32 supports (mqtt server, ftps server, crappy control screen). I was hoping a dedicated esp32 would be able to manage a higher frame rate and/or the higher resolution at the same frame rate + be accessible to home assistant.

Am I missing anything or are espcam32’s really just pretty sucky? If it’s the latter - is there any other option for very small form factor cameras that I can place inside the printer that don’t suck?

You didn’t say what software is controlling the camera (i.e. what’s flashed to the ESP), or in what configuration you’ve connected it. Also, how much do you expect from a $5 piece of hardware?

It’s flashed with esphome. The camera is supposed to support 15fps at UXGA. But with an esp32 it seems not able to get remotely close to that. This is the combo:
Amazon.com: FREENOVE ESP32-WROVER CAM Board (Compatible with Arduino IDE), Onboard Camera Wireless, Python C Code, Detailed Tutorial, Example Projects : Electronics

Yes, it’s cheap. But I was hoping it might be better than it is. I want to check I’m not missing anything obvious before I give up on it. And looking for alternatives if I do give up on it.

Fair enough. :slight_smile:

Are you using this config?

ESP32 Camera Component — ESPHome –—Configuration for Wrover Kit Boards

From what I’ve read before there are different options (e.g. using the I2C bus or not). Unfortunately, I don’t have direct experience with the ESP cameras (but I’ve used some PI cameras).

It would be good to find the specs for that specific camera and make sure all your ESPHome config is correct.

Yes, that was the config I’m using. Tried a different esp32-cam board which was the AI thinker config and perf was the same.

Looking to see if there’s a reasonably cost effective pi zero + cam solution that will get me better perf with a good focal distance to work as a printer cam.

Looks like a raspberry pi Zero 2 ($15) + the wide angle pi cam 3 ($35) + a long pi zero adapter cable (~$6) so ~$56 total would get me a vastly more capable and still relatively small form factor camera for a less than double what an esp32cam w/ wide angle lens costs($30-40). And certainly less than I spent playing around with espcams and replacement cameras/lens that kept dying (overheating? - one got burning hot in use). The main problem is that the pi zero (1 & 2) are out of stock everywhere.

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