Cameras for AP

[aramsdell]

What cameras are we all using for AP? I've been flying a Fuji E900 , 9 MP. Takes nice pictures but doesn't do live preview out for a downlink. It does great 640x480 stabilized video though. I'm looking for a new camera 'cause the Fuji is at Ritz Cam. on Crash insurance work. Could be 5 to 6 wks. Who knows. Guess I need to always have 2 cams.


Anyway, I would like some input as to what you are using and the pros and cons. Weight, MP,size, preview out,IR shutter avialable etc. Lets keep it in the $500.00 and under range.

[Cryofix]

as many will attest in this forum the Canon A640 is pretty ideal for this business, at 10 MP and almost a point and shoot size it is a very nice option.

[d-bledsoe]

Im using a sony r1 on my trex600 before i stretched it to 700. Takes amazing pics and live video out works well

-derek

[outfrontframes]

I just bought my A640 today and it takes amazingly sharp pictures. I plan on doing some research for optional lenses as well.

[Ziggy2711]

Does the A640 give a video preview as you're flying so you can transmit the feed to the ground?

[aramsdell]

Some online reviews said that the camera is cpable of being remotely controlled by a PC. Does anyone know of a remote switch that WILL work with this camera?

[harrysvr]

Some online reviews said that the camera is cpable of being remotely controlled by a PC. Does anyone know of a remote switch that WILL work with this camera?
You mean something like that http://blip.com.au/ ?

[dreslism]

Video out works with the A640.

The blip switch works with the A640, but it has it's limitations.

There is a hack posted in here to wire in a remote switch for the A640. Very detailed and doable depending on your soldering skills.

The A640 is a great camera.

[Ziggy2711]

So, you can watch the video by transmitting it down and also take photos simultaneously?

[Tonystott]

I don't understand what the 20g Blip can do with an A640 that a 6g servo can't do. My ideal electronic gizmo would want to be able to turn the camera on and off, change modes, zoom and also fire the shutter.

I hope someone knows how this can be done... (not holding my breath though :))

[harrysvr]

I don't understand what the 20g Blip can do with an A640 that a 6g servo can't do. My ideal electronic gizmo would want to be able to turn the camera on and off, change modes, zoom and also fire the shutter.

I hope someone knows how this can be done... (not holding my breath though :))
I`m waiting for that gismo too, but isn't better an ir sensor(if it has)?

[Tonystott]

Interesting activity with my scales today...

My A640 with Canon wide converter weighs a tubby 538 grams (without 4 AA NiMh batteries) and 240 without the converter

My Olympus SP350 with Olympus wide converter weighs 254 grams (without 2 AA NiMh batteries, and 190g without the converter

I assume that most people use an external power source for AP cameras, so weight without AA batteries is the most relevant.

While the A640 is a superior camera, I think I will reserve it for the AP mast for the present, and fly with the SP350, which is 8MP, with a lot of manual facilities including RAW output.

Hmmm, comments welcome!

[aramsdell]

Tony S, That SP350 sound s fairly nice. Just read a Review. No live video preview ? No remote capability? Does it have digital IS? Alan Ramsdell

[b8factor]

What about the Powershot S70?

About a year ago I was doing much research on AP and allot of people were talking about the Cannon Powershot S70. I pursched it back then to get good with it while I learned to fly on a SIM; I am no photographer. I have to say it takes amazing picures and if printed full size when on MAX quality shot it comes out poster size(friend in school printed on poster size paper 1:1) and as professional as anything I have seen that size. I could even see the spittle in my subjects mouth.... cool AND gross!

BUT

Now that I am searching for a helo, leaning toward a new LOGO, i see the A640 is the "IN" thing. Can any of your true photographers give me a break down on:

1) Will my camera work just as well?
2) PLUS and MINUS of my camera over/under the A640
3) If you were in my shoes would you sell this camera and get a A640 or just use what I have? That being asked I notice my camera is more than twice as exspensive as the A640... over a YEAR later! :(

-William

[Greg McNair]

For what it's worth, I just bought the Powershot a710 from zipzoomfly.com for $279, free shipping and a free 2gb SD card. It's only 7.1mp, but it's the highest resolution offering in the powershot line that has image stab. I realize to some that doesn't seem important, but it absolutely is an excellent help on still cameras. I've been having some good chats with a couple of professional ground photogs, and they are all of the opinion that more megapixels on these tiny sensors is contributing to more noise. I look back on the days when I founded my business with a simple Olympus 4mp point and shoot, and those photos turned out fantastic. Note that my infamous "Porsche Dealership on the Moon" photo in my gallery is only 4mp, as are all of the other night photos.

I carried the 710 up yesterday and today in the fullscale as my backup to my 20d, but was so wrapped up in getting the shots with my 20d that I forgot to get it out of the bag on each project. I did manage to snap off a couple shots through the plexiglas at 140kts as we cruised by downtown Birmingham enroute to another location. I was pretty blown away with the quality, considering it was shot thru the plexi. Here's that shot in 700px width. Note that all I did was resize the image. I made no corrections whatsoever:

http://www.aerialsouth.com/a710.jpg

[bullaculla]

I agree Greg. With point and shoots, the sensor is soo tiny. If it boasts a very high resolution, its only because the pixels are smaller. That is what gives you more noise. You cant compare an 8 mega pix point and shoot image to my 8MP EOS 1DmarkIIn image, even tho they are the same resolution. but i would never dream of taking any 1D for a ride on my heli :mrgreen: thats what the "throwaway" XTI is for :twisted:

BTW Greg. your book is great. let me know if you are ever interested in buying well used 20 or 30D's. We ususally sell them after a year.

[harrysvr]

I think image(optical) stabilizer is the first we should look for AP camera...

[dreslism]

BTW Greg. your book is great. let me know if you are ever interested in buying well used 20 or 30D's. We ususally sell them after a year.

Bullaculla,

Just curious, can you define well used?

How many actuations?

Thanks,

Scott

[Greg McNair]

Thanks Iven. My 20d is serving me well at the moment, but I am working towards a 5d for the next. Drop me an email and let me know how much you would sell a 20 or 30 for, as my best friend is in the market for a new camera, and has been leaning towards a dslr.

One of those guys I referred to in my post has a 20d, 5d, and mk1 2ds, and he still believes the 5d is better than his mk1. He said while both cameras boast the same size sensor, the 5d has larger pixels than the mk1, and he perceives a better quality image from the 5d.

Harry, you know, many people think that IS feature isn't handy for our needs, as most are expecting the IS feature to eliminate helicopter vibrations, which it won't. The IS is powerful in that if you're lined up with the right composition for a shot, and an unexpected bubble of wind or a tailrotor kick sets in, the IS can go a great way towards battling that movement. It also allows for shooting slower shutter speeds so we can stick to the best range of iso (80-200) for picture clarity.

[bullaculla]

Well, these are wedding cameras, and we normal shoot at least 100-300 average shots a day minimum, some times well over a thousand. And the 20-30d's dont hold up well and are not worth servicing.

[blip]

[quote="Tonystott"]I don't understand what the 20g Blip can do with an A640 that a 6g servo can't do. My ideal electronic gizmo would want to be able to turn the camera on and off, change modes, zoom and also fire the shutter.

My Blip interface can also control the zoom on a A640 for a start. :D It also starts the camera up in the correct mode, and turns off the viewfinder to save batteries.

There are several drawbacks to using a 6g servo. You're going to need some sort of mount to hold it in place for a start (different for every camera) , so your AUW is not a mere 6g. And if the end point is not right, you can break the shutter button or damage the servo, or even stall the servo and take out your whole receiver if you're really unlucky. :shock:

Don't get me wrong, the old servo is great, but if you want something to work 100% every time, you need to look at an electronic controller. Then all you need to worry about is getting great shots.

As for the power up/down automatically - well, unfortunately Canon don't build that sort of functionality into their cameras...it'd be nice though.

Ben

[Tonystott]

Thanks Ben! So maybe I use the servo to power up/down, and the Blip for everything else :)

[Tonystott]

Tony S, That SP350 sound s fairly nice. Just read a Review. No live video preview ? No remote capability? Does it have digital IS? Alan Ramsdell
I use a pinhole downlink camera for framing and a servo for trigger. Works for me!

[j_kookboy]

I've been using my Canon S2 for all sorts of photography (ama/prof) for work both on the ground, indoors, outdoors and in the air.

For the money and weight, I cannot find a better camera.

Instead of using 4xAA's, I just power it with a along with the downlink/AP rx on a 2s 1300 pack.

[Bestview]

I'm trying to decide if i should get the Canon Powershot A640 (10MP) or the A710IS (7MP).
I've read a couple of places that going with higher MP on these cameras will produce more noise. How much noise difference is there between a 7MP and 10MP point-and-shoot camera? I've always felt that more megapixels is good but now it seems like it's starting to be a bad thing with the small sensors.

The 710 have image stabilising. Will that be of great help in AP work? And with heli vibration, can it damage the stabilising part of the camera? Does heli vibration play any significant role in camera damage over time?

The 710 has 6x optical zoom and the 640 has 4x. This makes it even harder to choose...

I also want to use the camera for general groundbased photography, macro shots and experimenting/learning about photography. What counts in the A640's favour here is that it has an LCD screen that can swivel, which is very handy for macro shots or above/below eye level shots.

The 710 uses two batteries where the 640 uses 4. Any idea about difference in battery life?

I've been leaning very much towards the 640, but from what i've read about noise with higher MP, as well as the extra zoom and image stabilising on the 710, i don't know anymore! Please help me out here.
:dontknow

Edit: I see the 640 has a f/2.8-4.1 lens where the 710 has a f/2.8-4.8 lens. Will the 4.1 / 4.8 difference make a big difference in camera capabilities?
I also noticed now that the 640 has a slightly larger sensor, so maybe image noise won't be an issue with the higher MP...
710: 1/2.5 " Type CCD
640: 1/1.8 " Type CCD