Hi aWanderer
Sorry to hear of your bad experience. You seem to have discovered many of the limitations/tricks of FPV flight in your first attempt. I've only been flying FPV for a few months so my first experiences are still fresh. Some of the things I discovered when I first started FPV pretty much match your experiences. Heres what I found:
Make sure you have plenty of open space around you. Its tempting to try FPV in a small local park or even a back yard but as you found you can get out of shape very quickly and the lack of space just adds to the pressure.
Stand near something obvious so you can find yourself in the camera. It not only helps when you want to land but its much safer knowing where NOT to fly.
Try not to get too high over your landing area (especially if its small). The downwards view is generally poor so you'll loose sight of yourself or the landing area (or both) at altitude and may become disoriented. Personally I dont recommend aiming the camera too far down (just a few degrees) otherwise you'll loose the horizon when you pitch forward. Its better (for me) to have good forward view and approach my landing area from further out rather than try to look downwards but it will depend on the camera and its settings. A preview of your flying location from google earth can help with orientation too.
When I first started, I found that forward flight was easier than hovering. Once youre moving forward you'll feel more stable (another reason why you need space) which will give you more time to look around. Each time you turn, always look for yourself in the view so you know where home is. If its a big area its Ok to gain height but avoid flying directly overhead until your orienation has improved. Every now and then reduce speed and practice some hovering while youre still well away from yourself. It'll feel strange. If you get too unstable just transition back to forward flight for a while. In my first FPV flights I took off and landed every few minutes to give myself a break.
I usually start my FPV flights with the quad facing away from me and I lift off and transition to forward flight almost immediately. Apart from the stability, it just feels safer to start by flying away from myself. When the time comes to land I usually just descend (with forward flight) towards myself and hover nearby keeping myself in the view while landing. I usually try to land into the wind so any drift pushes the quad away from myself (for safety).
If youre flying the NAZA, make use of the altitude hold. It'll ease some of the load.
Im using a combination of GoPro and Sony 1/3" CCD for cameras with a video switch so I can switch between the two (the Sony is better in low light). My video system and goggles is all Foxtech running at 5.8 GHz and I dont notice any lag at all. Everything seems to behave in real time. I prefer the view from the GoPro in sunlight but the Sony is clearer in shade (I can almost fly in the dark).
Heres a video I did last Friday.
The premature descent a few seconds before landing was the NAZA autoland kicking in. I had to increase the throttle to keep it flying for a few more seconds.