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Permalink Reply by Neil Baker on October 2, 2012 at 3:02pm

This a link for the possible compatible cameras that the LANC would work with including other brands.

http://www.aquatix.com/lanc_camcorders.htm

Dosn't look like any of the models listed are still cameras though.

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Permalink Reply by JohnD on October 3, 2012 at 9:00am

This is great info you have here, I am still familiarizing myself with these different gadgets and this certainly helps.  I guess one question I should have asked is why you need a different solution than the GoPro for pictures.  What exactly is the problem with the GoPro pictures?  I do see that GoPro cameras automatically adjust the ISO/shutter speed for you, but there is no way to make these adjustments yourself. There might also be a lot of post processing work you need to do for lens correction/wide angle of the pictures. I have not used the GoPro myself, but this article (albeit on the Hero) showed some cons in using the GoPro for stills: GoPro Hero - It does stills?

I wonder if your problem could be remedied through the mounting system, but this depends on the problem so maybe you can comment.  Isolation/gyros can help stabilize the vibration in your copter etc. I am sure you know this, but thought I would ask.

I do like the idea of having a zoom on the camera and the GoPro does not have that.  This is why I really liked the demo video with the LANC controller you sent.  However, those video cameras (CX730/760) used were around $1200, so that might be an expensive crash.

I have also been looking at the S95/S100 camera because of the size, cost and their ratings. I would be interested in seeing the reviews you have seen on the S95 that are middle of the road.  Again, for me, it gets into the camera controls for these camera.  I did find this interesting link using the USB link on the cameras during my research: Digital Camera Control.  This would work, but would require a lot of reverse engineering/coding to do so.

I will let you know if I find out any further information on a good camera.  It might just be time to order some of these items and try for myself.  Thanks again for the suggestions.

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Permalink Reply by Neil Baker on October 3, 2012 at 7:56am

Looks like the Canon s95 with the CHDK firmware is going to be my choice.  Around $175 used is looking like a good option.

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Permalink Reply by JohnD on October 3, 2012 at 9:41am

Great price and camera.  How will you control it, will you use the RC shutter switch you mentioned?  I was thinking of buying this camera as my new point and shoot.  I will interested to hear how you end up controlling it and how the quality looks from your UAV.  Keep us posted.

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Permalink Reply by Neil Baker on October 5, 2012 at 10:29am

As of right now im just going to send it up shooting continious pictures and see how they turn out when I download them.  It does have the A/V out wich I will be using as my view finder.  Ill keep you posted as I am in the process of buying a used one right now.  The GoPro takes nice pictures but not very big megapixels.  I attached a couple sample shots below.

Attachments:

• 3d jam b.JPG, 2.1 MB
• GOPR0631.JPG, 1.8 MB

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Permalink Reply by JohnD on November 15, 2012 at 5:25pm

Neil....any updates on your S95 work?  How do you like it?

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Permalink Reply by Neil Baker on November 16, 2012 at 2:35pm

Just got my hexa rebuilt and everything flying.  I attached a couple pics of the setup and camera gimble.  Im headed out this weekend to do some tuning on the camera settings.  Tried taking a couple pics a day ago in auto mode and they all came out blury.  I going to try the manual mode and turning the image stabilization off.  Do you have any idea what a good ISO setting would be?

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Permalink Reply by Neil Baker on November 16, 2012 at 3:26pm

Here is a pic that I shot a min ago.  The s95 is doing good so far.  About half the pics are usable.  I think I can increase the usable ones by playing with some camera settings.

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Permalink Reply by JohnD on November 16, 2012 at 5:21pm

Neil, thanks for sharing your progress. Regarding the ISO setting, auto mode versus manual mode settings.  The ISO setting I would set as high as possible, on this camera I believe it is 3200.  These sensors will be able to handle the higher setting by compensating with the shutter speed and aperture.  The higher ISO will mean that you can have better depth of field and a higher shutter speed.  The higher shutter speed is the most important.  I would test this, but I would guess you need something with a shutter speed of 1/250 sec or lower.  When these units are in auto mode they are likely setting this to 1/100 or 1/60 of a second and these will certainly be more likely to give a blurry shot depending on whether the copter is moving more or less at the time.  So, if you can send it up with a shutter speed priority and then let it set the aperture this might be a good way to do it.  I would maybe just do a quick check with that ISO setting to make sure it is not out of range.  Meaning, if it is a really bright sunny day then you might need a lower ISO setting because the aperture cannot be adjusted small enough and it may be over exposed.  Does all that make sense?

A couple questions on the camera.  Are you using the video out on the camera for FPV then?  What is the actual connector from the camera?  I am going to likely get one of these cameras to play with the PTP (picture transfer protocol) control these cameras have.  This way I can even control it after it is sent up.  If you are using this for FPV, is the video out active even when taking pictures or shooting video?  Sometimes the cameras do not allow both to be active.

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Permalink Reply by Vishal on November 21, 2012 at 2:14pm

I have an older Canon point and shoot camera with CHDK on it (SD750). The problem I experienced with it is it won't allow video out and the usb port to be used for triggering at the same time. When I hook up both, it keeps taking a photo every couple seconds, non-stop.

So, I'm assuming that the S95 doesn't have this issue. Please confirm as I may consider getting the s95/100 also. Thanks

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Permalink Reply by Neil Baker on November 24, 2012 at 8:50pm

The usb cable and the video cable both plug into the same port but are different connectors.  They use different pins in the port.  You cannot use the usb and the video at the same time as I found out.  I send it up shooting every 3 seconds and pick out the good ones once the SD card has been downloaded.  

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