How do u do it?

[rudiedj]

I have read through lots of posts, but maybe my questions are too silly that nobody dared to ask.
I am interested in knowing what methods do u use to
1. zoom in and out
2. depress shutter release
3. Keep the camera horizontal
4. know if you will get the target on the photo.

Is a 7 channel transmitter enough?

Please advise

[Hogster]

Hi Rudie,

1. Normally one would stay fully zoomed out when taking aerial photos. To 'zoom in', one just needs to fly slightly closer to the target.

2. This can be done in a number of ways. The simplest is just to position a servo above the shutter button; some people hack into their cameras and connect a device like the PicoSwitch which has the same effect as the servo, but it's done electronically; some cameras are compatible with USB devices like the URBI from Blip; and finally some camera have an Infrared port on the front, and this can be triggered by a device like the Gentled or the PRISM.

3. Usually done by gravity, ie. the mount is free hanging and naturally sits with the camera horizontally.

4. This is done with a video downlink, such as those available from Range Video and BlackWidowAV. This plugs into the video out port on the digital camera and transmits a live video image to a screen on the ground, allowing you to see in real-time what the camera is seeing.

I use a 9 channel transmitter and have one spare channel:

1 - Roll (left / right)
2 - Pitch (forward / back)
3 - Throttle (motor faster / slower)
4 - Yaw (point nose left / right)
5 - Gain of Spartan R/C AP2000i InfraRed stabiliser (not essential but a very handy device)
6 - Rotor pitch (up / down)
7 - Camera tilt (up / down)
8 - Camera shutter (press shutter button)

Hope this helps!


David

[rudiedj]

Thanx it helps a lot.

One question though. On my digital camera, I have to depress the shutter release halfway to focus, then fully to take picture. how does this affect the shutter release method u described?

[Hogster]

In my experience, pushing the button down all the way without stopping to focus is no problem. You might find on yours that it won't take the photo until it's focussed anyway (that's how it works on mine) ... the time delay is so small it's practically instant ....


David

[FlingWing]

You can also set the focus to infinity on a lot of camera's. If the focus is set to infinity the camera bypasses the focussing portion of the shot. For decent AP work you want a camera in which you can manually set the Shutter speed, focus and aperture settings.

FlingWing

[Tonystott]

Manual focus is not a requirement. As Hogster says, the camera will auto-focus anyway.

[okiefarmr]

What camera are you using? With my XTI I use a gentled to focus with the throttle control on the radio which controls my mount. Half throttle it focus's, full throttle it takes the picture. Simple as it gets

[bullaculla]

Originally Posted by okiefarmr

What camera are you using? With my XTI I use a gentled to focus with the throttle control on the radio which controls my mount. Half throttle it focus's, full throttle it takes the picture. Simple as it gets

Thats how mine is set up too. But I may go back to my jomar opto isolated e-switch because I dont like the way the gentled just takes a bunch of shots. With the e-switch, I can just take one shot, or set the camera to AI servo focus, and just let it shoot continuously. The only thing I like about the gentled is that its very light, and plug and play

[Tonystott]

My comment about not needing the half-press manual focus feature was aimed at point and shoot cameras; I have no experience with DSLRs, so assume they don't have auto-focus.

But I repeat, any cameras with auto-focus and the half-press manual focus feature only have it to enable the photographer to set focus on an object which is not obviously the subject. eg a person standing to the side of a scenery shot - the auto focus might make the person out of focus unless you half-press the trigger and set focus on the person, then swing the camera back til the person is off to the side.

This is not relevant to AP shooting.. One trap with auto-focus is if you set the camera in continuous mode, it will not refocus between shots. This can be a problem if the first shots were while the aircraft was on the ground, as the camera might have focused itself a few feet ahead, so the airborne shots will be crap. Don't ask me how I know this!

[furyphoto]

Be careful, sometimes autofocus will focus on the tail rotor!

Guess I should learn to shoot nose in!

[bullaculla]

Ha ha! that photo is great!
i have one just like it...

[eyeinsky]

Here what I do.

I am using a point and shoot camera one with many manual setting like SRL, but only has auto focus.
The shutter is actuated by micro servo witch gives me the option to focus with half selection of shutter. This is focus hold selection gives a faster capture speeds once the picture is framed. I have also added a servo to the zoom. It is not use much but it give the camera operator one more selection to get the shot right. The heli uses 11 channels total 5 on camera operation; pan, tilt, pan gyro on/off, shutter and zoom. My system allows for self levelling in roll and pitch with a universal joint installed on the gimbal. My video feed come off AV out put on the camera to the down link. After I take a picture the camera video present the framed shot for second or two allowing you quick preview.

[Aerial RC Photog]

Looks Good.. I like that shot!!!!!