HD Keychain Cam Info

Some notes on HD keychain cams.  #16 v2 seems to be the good one.  eletoponline365 seems to be a good vendor.  The "D" lens seems to be popular for FPV coz it gives a wider field of view.



#16 HD keychain camera Lens A, B, and D comparison from tomfrank on Vimeo.

Activating Camera Shutter via CHDK

Mark VandeWettering over at Brainwagon gave me a CHDK clue... it's been sitting in my mailbox for a while, so let me get it up here:


It's been a while since I looked at this, but I don't think it's difficult at all. If you look at the "home made usb remote" cable: 

http://chdk.wikia.com/wiki/USB_Remote_Cable 

Basically, if chdk has the usb remote trigger support in it, it monitors V+ on the usb input port, and when it goes high, it triggers the shutter. So, just attach it directly to the arduino GND and any digital pin, and you should be able to trigger the shutter.

And related, Arduino Control for EOS Cameras.

CHDK Notes

Prepping for this trial, getting CHDK running on Andreas' camera.

Camera: Canon Powershot SD750
Memory Card: 16G

Prepping Card

• simplest method is "firmware update"
• needs to be reloaded each time the camera is powered on
• may need to get a 2G card for "bootable"

Steps for Card

• format in camera
• download page
• trying 1.01B
• success using sdminst

Here's the parameters I used for sdminst.  As per its instructions, I lock the card, and start the camera by pushing the play button.  I see the CHDK menu.

Pushing the top REC button puts the camera into alt mode.  Pressing menu in alt mode gives the CHDK menu.

It seems I can take pictures, but I haven't been able to find the pictures on the card after attaching it to the computer.

to be continued...

I'm Now I'm to the point where

ZipZepp: pro level AP platform

Need to move a camera from point A to B fast?
1)Aggressive engine thrust for quick deployment of camera systems.
2)Rapid reverse and powerful hover modes
3) High elevation operation. Designed and tested at over 8,000 feet.

Replacement Tripod Mount

A while back I lost the head from my el cheapo tripod.  I couldn't find a convenient replacement head, so I carved one out from a piece of wood.  A counter-sunk stainless steel bolt attaches it to the camera. I cut an angled edge on the front, and gouged out a little spot in the back for attaching it to the tripod.

I thought it would be a stopgap measure while I found a real replacement head, but it turned out to work so well I just kept using it.

Softboxes on the cheap...

So I've been wanting to take better pictures of some of my own stuff, and lighting is an important part of that.  Now that I'm working with Josh Anon on the Arcticopter, it seemed logical to pick his brains for the best way to set up some lighting on the cheap.

First, you have to make a choice: still photos or video?  Still photo lighting tools need only to support a flash; video lighting requires you have a light source that stays on.

Here's a nice softbox lighting kit he recommended to me if you're going to do a lot of stuff.  It looks sturdy, has stands and the proper color (temperature as it's called) lights to blend with daylight and flashes.  It's about $250, which is a bit more than what my ghetto needs are.

So, the internet to the rescue!  Googling for "homemade softbox" reveals quite a few options.  I'm noting them here for future reference.  When I try some I'll update with whatever I've done.

http://www.studiolighting.net/foam-core-homemade-softbox/
http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/711997
http://www.diyphotography.net/making-a-softbox-just-got-easier

Here's the magic bulb: Daylight Balanced 85W Spiral Fluorescent Lamp

"Spiral 85 watt 5600°K lamp fits fixtures that accept household-threaded incandescent bulbs. Matches daylight white balance and color mixes well with window light and electronic flash. Measures 3" diameter by 8-1/2" long. Uses only 85 watts of power, but has the brightness of a 300-500 watt incandescent lamp and lasts up to 10X longer."

A nice place to fly: Hexacopter in Cameroon / Africa on Vimeo

A nice place to fly: Hexacopter in Cameroon / Africa on Vimeo:

"FPV flights of my Shrediquette MM6 Hexacopter in Cameroon, West-Africa.  Details on the copter: shrediquette.blogspot.com/​p/​shrediquette-mm6.html A Deshaker was used for most scenes, as there was always some wind."

Matt Gunn Aerial Photography

Matt Gunn is an Atlanta base photographer that's doing RC-based aerial photography.

"But only in the last 5 years have relatively inexpensive radio-controlled helicopters become large and stable enough to carry the weight of the heavy digital SLR cameras. With advanced automatic stabilization systems and GPS positioning, a purpose-built aerial photography helicopter can hover virtually motionless while a camera operator looks through a monitor and sees what the camera sees. This allows for extremely precise photography at a fraction of the cost."

Check out his site... he's got some interesting detail and really nice example of what RC-based Aerial Photography can do.

Nice Aerial Photography

Some Pacific Coast stuff.

Adding a 1S lipo to a KeyCam

Quick YouTube video showing how to replace a KeyCam battery with the small E-Flight style battery.