video and still cameras

[Michael Donnellan]

Hi Patricia,

 

I don’t know too much about the U/W still, but have some info for low-budget HD video solutions. We decided not to pursue real-time HD video solutions due to the cost of fiber-optic cable and frequent breakage issues, so we did a proof-of-concept last year using an off-the-shelf consumer/prosumer Canon Vixia HFS 100 video camera that does full HD in AVCHD format using flash memory cards. The footage is beautiful and it has good low-light capabilities (on par, if not better than the standard def camera DOE put in our Phantom). We’re really happy that we won’t have to capture video from tapes to review it digitally on a computer any more. Cost of these cameras now is about $850, and we had a housing made by Ken Sexton for about $1700. The downside is that it’s a “dummy” camera, so we have to jam a portable timecode generator with a GPS time code and plug it into the audio jack of the camera, set the camera running using pre-sets, stuff it in the housing, deploy it, and hope that we didn’t accidentally hit the power button when closing up the housing (this has happened). Using a 32 Gb SDHC flash card and a beefy LiOn battery, we’ve got almost 3 hours of runtime. Working with the AVCHD footage is a beast requiring serious computing power, but the hardware is catching up to it (esp with a good quad-core processor, Adobe CS5, a 64-bit OS with lots of memory, and a good NVIDIA quadro graphics card). I have some ideas for making a non-dummy camera system, like putting a bulkhead connector into the housing from which we can output composite video and input power for the camera, but we haven’t gone there yet (maybe in winter 2010/11). I don’t know of a way to get the HD files out of the housing without opening up the bottle every 3 hours (like a wet-mateable USB connection), but maybe someone else out there knows.

 

Good luck and let us know what you end up doing.

 

Cheers,

Mike

 

Hello Patricia,

I'm surprised it lasted that long too!!!  That's why we went to the aluminum tubing, we could beat the hell out of it and it really stood up for many years.

 

No, not a Kongsburg still camera.  It is an Insite Pacific Scorpio digital still and strobe.  It really sounds like you're on the right track building your own.  The guts of the Scorpio are a simple Nikon 995 3.2 mpixel camera and image quality is fantastic, it's really all you need.  Backscatter is somewhat of a problem considering the limited space we have on the tilt bar for separating them out.  We still get excellent pictures and the science crews that we support love it, no complaints.

 

We are looking at a new vehicle with fiber capability so we are also in the market for HD video.  We are looking at the Insite Pacific Mini Zeus.  Pretty much the same specs as the Kongsberg, but the Insite has water corrected optics that give it a significant wider field of view.  Yes, it is more expensive, but I've heard some folks that have the Kongsberg have had problems with the camera and the guys at Insite are exceptional in customer support.  So there's my two cents.

 

Cheers,

 

Lance W. Horn

Operations Director, Undersea Vehicles Program University of North Carolina at Wilmington 5600 Marvin K. Moss Lane Wilmington, NC  28409

910-962-2443

910-512-0193 cell

910-962-2410 fax

 

 

-----Original Message-----

From: phantom-...@googlegroups.com [mailto:phantom-...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Patricia

Sent: Friday, April 09, 2010 7:01 PM

To: Phantom ROV Forum

Subject: Digital Stills Camera

 

Looks good!  I was suprised that our DOE crash frame laster 10 years before it sprung a leak--- and with the way our pilot drives! :)

 

By the way, is that the Kongsburg still camera that you have on your tilt tray?  We are looking at purchasing one in the future, but we don't know much about it.  How do you like the image quality?  I've built a remotely controlled still camera out of an Sony Handycam and I managed even get an external flash to work (I put it in our old DOE camera housing), and can download video and stills without opening the

endcap--- but it hasn't been tested in the water yet.  Hopefully soon!  The cost savings are good, but I'm not sure how it measures up.  I'll let everyone know once I have some field testing behind it.

 

Is anyone else using a digital still camera?  How is backscatter?

Also, we want to upgrade to full high definition video and could use a recommendation on that as well.  I heard good things about Kongsberg there as well.

 

-Patricia

 

 

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Mike Donnellan
Marine Habitat Project Leader
Department of Fish and Wildlife
Marine Resources Program
2040 SE Marine Science Dr.
Newport, OR 97365
ph: 541-867-0300 ext. 279
cell: 541-270-8203
fax: 541-867-0311
Michael.D...@state.or.us
http://www.dfw.state.or.us/MRP/
http://www.dfw.state.or.us/MRP/habitat/

 

[Patricia Terry]

Hi Mike,

 

We're actually attemping something very similar with the camcorder idea, but in lab testing I am able to view video and control the camera through the umbilical via RS-232.  We are using a Sony Camcorder which is controlled through Sony's proprietary protocal, LANC, but are converting it to RS-232 with a board designed by Applied Logic Engineering.  The design is also available on the web to anyone.  From a computer GUI we can turn power on/off, take photos and start/stop recording and zoom.

 

Ken Sexton did our underwater housing also.  It has a dome port and latched read endcap.  I am also trying to set up power from the ROV so we don't have to recharge or change the batteries.  I also rigged an external flash which I put in our old DOE camera housing.

 

I managed to make a surface connector, so if you unplug the underwater whip and then plug in this download cable, you can also download the video and pictures via USB.

 

We still have yet to wet test this guy, but I'll let people know if it's a success and what our bugs are.

 

Patricia

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Patricia Cheng Terry
ROV Engineer
PSMFC/Department of Fish and Game

707.441.5753