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Using GoPros for aerial surveys

Posted by Chris Anderson on December 9, 2013 at 10:23am

3689562299?profile=originalFrom Agribotix:

In many ways the GoPro is an ideal camera for drones: small, light, rugged, decent resolution, and not too expensive.  The show stopper is the fisheye lens that makes image stitching impossible.  Now there could be a fix on the way.  Backbone, a Canadian company, is making an aftermarket hack to allow C-mount lenses to be used with the GoPro.  An as an extra bonus for those of us interested in NDVI, the IR filter is optionally removable.  Their product, called the Ribcage, will be a bit pricey at $200 (in addition to the cost of the GoPro) but it might turn out to be a comparable solution to something more expensive like the Sony NEX series cameras.  The Ribcage isn't available now, but it should ship soon.

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Comments

  • AKRCGUY December 9, 2013 at 2:24pm

    Not defending GoPro but I don't believe their target market is guys claiming to be professional aerial photographer's.  They are great cameras for the price and for what they were designed for, to "document and share your life’s most interesting experiences."

    If you want to "go pro" get an SLR and a bigger rig to carry it on.

  • Not Sure December 9, 2013 at 1:56pm

    using a gopro for digital photographs and thinking it a good thing is like brushing your teeth with peanut butter....

    maybe gopro will one day fix the problem of fisheye lenses and ship them with lens options, or they can continue to not listen to feedback from literally everyone.

  • Rob_Lefebvre December 9, 2013 at 11:46am

    How do they figure a Nex is "comparable" or "more expensive?

    $300 for the GoPro, $200 for the Ribcage, and still need to buy a lens.  I got my Nex5N for $400, but it's regularly $600.  And then it's vastly superior to a GoPro in every way other than AUW.

  • MR60
    Hugues December 9, 2013 at 10:33am

    That's what I was going to say : get a NEX if it comes to the same price more or less, especially the amount of pixels in between 20-24 mpix for a NEX versus 12 mpix for a gopro. Resolution is very important in aerial images.

    I see a potential issue to use such a long lens adaptor that will block a practical use withbrushless gimbals (because it will block the rotation movement). Also total weight of the gopro with that lens might be a stopper.

  • Andreas December 9, 2013 at 10:32am

    Any reference photos (or photomosaics) done with this lens upgrade kit?

This reply was deleted.