blackmountainflyr
Member
I would like to fly a high quality stills camera without paying the earth, and ideally with an aircraft that is relatively lightweight.
I'm after making artistic still landscape photographs from the sky, so I don't need video. So the conundrum is that flying a full size DSLR requires a very heavy, expensive and potentially dangerous machine.
Currently my chosen compact camera platform is 4/3 so I became interested in a new class of cameras which dispense with the body and controls of a camera and simply provide the sensor and the ability to mount a lens in a unit which is controlled from a smartphone, iOS or Android.
I've experimented with both the Sony QX-1 and Olympus Air 01 and concluded that the Olympus was the more suitable of the two. Firstly it has better image quality in its 16Mp in my opinion than even the 20Mp Sony. Secondly the software programming API for the Olympus allows more control over the camera than the Sony option.
There are quite a few challenges in using this camera on a multi rotor, the main one being that I'll need to do a fair bit of systems integration to get it to work.
My initial plan was to mount the Olympus air on a Tarot 680 pro. I have purchased a DYS 3 Axis gimbal for mounting the camera. Its a little heavy, possibly about 50g heavier than the camera but it will probably do for my purposes.
I have been undecided whether I need a set of E600 or E800 class motors to lift the weight. Now I think I'm going to go for the smaller motors as this means I can build the Tarot in its stock form. Maybe I'll need a different gimbal for the camera if this ends up too heavy for the motors.
I'll post some images later, but for the moment my Avatar is a hello from the camera. Here it is wearing an old Leica CL lens, but if it flies it will have a much lighter weight lens than that one with autofocus. One possible lens I'm looking at is a Panasonic zoom with OIS. I think I'd need to lock down the zoom before flight to keep the lens balanced, but it will give me the option of shooting different fields of view and finding out what works best for my shoots. And the OIS will add another element of stabilisation.
So here's my initial component list
Already purchased
Tarot 680 Pro kit
DYS 3-axis NEX gimbal (may be too heavy)
Taranis Tx/Rx
MK808B Android TV (android stick, headless) to control the camera.
Olympus Air 01 micro 4/3 camera
Arduino Nano (to interface the FrSky Rx to the MK808B)
To decide on / buy
Motors and Escs and Power supply
Flight controller, GPS, OSD
Batteries
I've also been flying a Syma mini toy drone to learn how to fly multi rotors. I've managed to crash it in a number of enjoyable and creative ways. I've retrieved it from a cow pasture and from high in a tree with a 4M tree pruning saw and I have terrified our cats.
As far as I know there is currently no way to control the Olympus Air at a remote distance so this project has the advantage that if the thing doesn't fly I may at least have a way of remotely shooting/filming wildlife using inexpensive off the shelf components.
Ultimately though I want to take some specific pictures, so if this configuration doesn't work I will chop and change as required to meet my goal.
I'm after making artistic still landscape photographs from the sky, so I don't need video. So the conundrum is that flying a full size DSLR requires a very heavy, expensive and potentially dangerous machine.
Currently my chosen compact camera platform is 4/3 so I became interested in a new class of cameras which dispense with the body and controls of a camera and simply provide the sensor and the ability to mount a lens in a unit which is controlled from a smartphone, iOS or Android.
I've experimented with both the Sony QX-1 and Olympus Air 01 and concluded that the Olympus was the more suitable of the two. Firstly it has better image quality in its 16Mp in my opinion than even the 20Mp Sony. Secondly the software programming API for the Olympus allows more control over the camera than the Sony option.
There are quite a few challenges in using this camera on a multi rotor, the main one being that I'll need to do a fair bit of systems integration to get it to work.
My initial plan was to mount the Olympus air on a Tarot 680 pro. I have purchased a DYS 3 Axis gimbal for mounting the camera. Its a little heavy, possibly about 50g heavier than the camera but it will probably do for my purposes.
I have been undecided whether I need a set of E600 or E800 class motors to lift the weight. Now I think I'm going to go for the smaller motors as this means I can build the Tarot in its stock form. Maybe I'll need a different gimbal for the camera if this ends up too heavy for the motors.
I'll post some images later, but for the moment my Avatar is a hello from the camera. Here it is wearing an old Leica CL lens, but if it flies it will have a much lighter weight lens than that one with autofocus. One possible lens I'm looking at is a Panasonic zoom with OIS. I think I'd need to lock down the zoom before flight to keep the lens balanced, but it will give me the option of shooting different fields of view and finding out what works best for my shoots. And the OIS will add another element of stabilisation.
So here's my initial component list
Already purchased
Tarot 680 Pro kit
DYS 3-axis NEX gimbal (may be too heavy)
Taranis Tx/Rx
MK808B Android TV (android stick, headless) to control the camera.
Olympus Air 01 micro 4/3 camera
Arduino Nano (to interface the FrSky Rx to the MK808B)
To decide on / buy
Motors and Escs and Power supply
Flight controller, GPS, OSD
Batteries
I've also been flying a Syma mini toy drone to learn how to fly multi rotors. I've managed to crash it in a number of enjoyable and creative ways. I've retrieved it from a cow pasture and from high in a tree with a 4M tree pruning saw and I have terrified our cats.
As far as I know there is currently no way to control the Olympus Air at a remote distance so this project has the advantage that if the thing doesn't fly I may at least have a way of remotely shooting/filming wildlife using inexpensive off the shelf components.
Ultimately though I want to take some specific pictures, so if this configuration doesn't work I will chop and change as required to meet my goal.