Traffic is OK; I just need pictures of landscape

[daniel_bel]

Hello,

I may be a specialty here. I just want memories.

What I need (and today it doesn't exist yet)

- Extra quality daytime movies, DVD quality, no greens with two bits etc...
- starts-stops with motor power, and as soon as possible
- a display to show what I'm filming after I fiddle with the cam (changin' card, azimut a.s.o.) and show settings
- withstands hot and cold temperatures
- reasonable angle (120°, horizontal)
- orientable, steady mount (I need two cross-eyed cams to cover 180°), no suction things that fall down.
- no special format, something readily usable without transform (I know, been there, didn't do that)


I don't expect any suitable proposition soon...Any price will do.

 

[Nigel]

Why do you want cross-eyed cameras? My 0806 covers the whole windscreen, any more would include the door pillars...

What resolution do you want the end result at after combining the cameras?

Here is a landscape from my mini 0806:

See: https://dashcamtalk.com/forum/threads/still-issues-with-newest-batches.10173/

 

[daniel_bel]

Hi Nigel, thank you, the minis don't have an orientable mount

The picture is too blocky in greens.

Including the pillars is not a problem, sides must be cut off anyways due to distortion.
Not in YOUR picture, this is OK

For anyone: please note I wrote good pictures, not good movies (i.e. sharp stills)

 

[Nigel]

How do you merge the two images into one video?

 

[Mandami]

So, you need a dashcam for a 3D virtual reality application (or 3D mapping). Correct ?

 

[jokiin]

For anyone: please note I wrote good pictures, not good movies (i.e. sharp stills)

dashcams don't generally make good still cameras, a screengrab from the video will generally look better than photo mode on most models, if moving it's very hard to get good quality photo capture, not sure these are the right products for what you want

 

[kamkar]

Some of the new drones come with 3D mapping capabilities

http://copter.ardupilot.com/wiki/common-3d-mapping/

 

[daniel_bel]

Hi all and thks for answering

How do you merge the two images into one video?

With a standard video editing software.

So, you need a dashcam for a 3D virtual reality application (or 3D mapping). Correct ?

No, just knitting the two together in order to have a very wide angle, 180° horiz if possible, while maybe cutting away heavily distorted sides and unnecessary parts of the image (pillars, other cam, mirror etc).
I have to check this but it may be possible to place two cams on the center, looking at an angle to the opposite side,
otherwise one at each corner of the windscreen, making sunshades unusable. Depends on the cams and the car of course.

dashcams don't generally make good still cameras, a screengrab from the video will generally look better than photo mode on most models, if moving it's very hard to get good quality photo capture, not sure these are the right products for what you want

Yes sorry I meant sharp stills from the movie. Equates to short shutter speeds.
Ideally 50fps PAL.

Basically, I need a googlecar. ;-) Around 2-300€ of course

 

[Nigel]

Hi Nigel, thank you, the minis don't have an orientable mount

They adjust vertically, to get horizontal you put a wedge between the mount and the glass, the 0806 comes with wedges for that purpose. One either side of the mirror looking outwards would probably work, if you make them cross eyed then they will see each other.

The picture is too blocky in greens.

I don't think that is the problem, the issue is that the resolution is insufficient, I get a similar effect on my 16mp stills camera if I view it 1:1 but viewed at 4mp it normally looks fantastic.

You need 4K video resolution and then reduce to what you need, although you mention PAL in which case I would have though the 0806 was sufficient.

For anyone: please note I wrote good pictures, not good movies (i.e. sharp stills)

What resolution do you want your stills?

Yes sorry I meant sharp stills from the movie. Equates to short shutter speeds.
Ideally 50fps PAL.

Shutter speeds and fps are independent, you can have fast shutter speeds and slow fps which gives sharp images or fast fps and slow shutter speeds which gives motion blur.

Why PAL when you want stills?

 

[buffumjr]

Nigel wrote "How do you merge the two images into one video?"

For still photos, Photomatix. Not real expensive.

Another GREAT idea for landscape is a DSLR with a good low number lens. E.g. a Nikon d5200 with a Sigma 17-50. Open 'er up to 17. Play with shutter speed to increase sharpness. Good also for Canon, or any other brand of DSLR. Want even sharper? Use a tripod, and turn off image stabilization.

I LIKE your choice of material and the moment to shoot it. You have a talent.

You don't need expensive equipment, you need talent and passion. You COULD start with a reasonable quality point and shoot camera to develop yourself. If you find you want to do what the point and shoot can't, THEN go to a DSLR.

Haunt sites like nikonians.org and dpreview.com. Lots of great info, there.

The nice thing about photography today, once you have your camera, your lenses, and your software, that's the majority of your expenditure. Then, the money demand becomes travel. (chuckle) Unless you live in India, or along some remote, rugged coast.

 

[daniel_bel]

Hello Nigel, and thank you for your multiple contributions to my plea.

Yes, you've told me (look! I didn't forget, yet!) about the mini's wedges, I just think the angle is not sufficient for a good overlap. Also, it has a battery, and I'm a little put back by this.

Blocks in picture are only a problem because sometimes I would want to use a blow-up of part of the picture.

What resolution? Obviously, for blow-ups, as large as possible. Usually the retained section will be 1280x720i.

I mixed things I admit, by saying in the same sentence that shutter speed (frozen movement especially on lateral zones when driving fast) and 50 fps would be nice. I would like fast shutter (high sensitivity) whatever the fps. 50 fps is what I use finally, so if intermediate images must not be calculated, it's a pluss.

I said PAL because then end product is PAL, so 25/50 fps is smoother than 30/60.

Now you nearly know as much as I do..

I'm confident what I'm looking for WILL exist. Will I still be living? That would be telling...((c)McGoohan)

 

[kamkar]

"Nikon d5200" like you mention the Dslr i have
Seem to be a okay deal though i have not used it much yet.

 

[Mandami]

@daniel_bel from what I see, you want quality images (I wrote good pictures, not good movies (i.e. sharp stills)) there is one more thing to take into account: dashboard reflections on your windshield. In my case, the videos are way nicer during cloudy days compared with those taken during very bright days (because of reflections from my dashboard).

 

[daniel_bel]

Yes you're right but we have to live with that, except if a filter is adaptable to the camera.
If the footage is not useable, well too bad. Anyway something like 99,9% of the footage gets deleted.

If you read my post about preferring small mounts, it was mostly to get the camera lens as close as possible to the windscreen to minimize this.
Well anyway up to now with the four cams I used, it was generally not a problem, most of the day the sun is high enough to be ignored.
It depends a lot on dashboard fabric and colour, and windscreen angle.
Don't forget I also aim rather high, well above the hood and dashboard, so the whole picture gets darker due to the sky. I then just need to alter the gamma value, mediums get lighter, whites stay white and blacks stay black.
After that black reflections are barely noticeable and located on the lower side, usually cut out in post-processing.