Re: [backstage] video cameras + sailing dingies

[Simon Thompson]

Dirk-Willem van Gulik wrote:

Tim Dobson wrote:

  

So basically I've just acquired a small waterproof HD video camera and
I'm looking for the best way to mount it onto my Laser EPS[1] sailing
dinghy.

It has a standard tripod mount so I was wondering about tying it on with
desk tripod near the mast foot or something but I wondered if anyone had
any prior experience or thoughts on how they'd do this.




There are a few issues with mounting cameras on boats.

  1. Mounting the camera unit high up has it's difficulties
1. by adding weight to the top-hamper (camera, mount and
   cabling) you decrease the stability of the boat
2. the fixing point can weaken the spar section
3. the higher up, the greater the arc of movement
  2. If you're talking a dinghy, then you don't want the camera or
 mount to impede your exit from the boat in event of a capsize
  3. The dinghy will probably have class rules - by adapting it, you
 may not be allowed to enter any events with it.
1. Contact the Principal Race Officer and the Scrutineer/Measurer
  4. Make sure the camera is waterproof first.
  5. HD video played an a large-ish screen is more immersive than SD on
 a box in the corner - you may feel motion sickness
 http://www.hqda.army.mil/ari/pdf/RR%201832.pdf

Best I've seen is the Horizon True system 
http://www.youtube.com/v/s67s7ZHbsi0  
http://www.horizontrue.com/sections/order.php  but they're expensive for 
non-broadcast purposes.  A colleague has also experimented with OpenGL 
motion-stabilising - perhaps an area for backstage to look at?


If you're really interested, there's an Olympics test event at Portland 
in September called Sail for Gold 
http://www.sailracer.co.uk/events/event-v2.asp?eventid=18401 where I'm 
sure there'll be mounting systems in action.




--

*Simon Thompson MEng MIET*
Research and Development Engineer

*BBC Research and Development*

Re: [backstage] video cameras + sailing dingies

[Tim Dobson]

Wow!

Dirk and Simon thanks for all that really interesting advice.

Dirk, I don't actually have a Standard Laser, My Laser EPS is a bit more 
like a Blaze - not that many were made so it isn't so well known but 
thanks for the in depth advice. :)


I had thought about mounting on the mast, but so much seems destined to 
go wrong (breaking the boat is potentially more extensive than losing 
the camera) that, for me, it's not worth putting it in that situation.


My Camera is a consumer grade Sanyo Xacti VPC-WH1 which claims to be 
waterproof to 3m. I'm fairly certain it could manage submersion to 3m in 
calm conditions but being unceremoniously smacked into the surface at 
speed would probably take it out I suspect. It's freshwater I'm sailing 
on, but the camera has fantastic battery life so it would probably get 
fried.


I'm not too worried about class and racing rules for several reasons:
a) I'm really bad at racing and am usually following the fleet or come 
near the bottom on handicap.
b) my sailing club is full of people who like sailing but who aren't 
obsessed with it from a competitive sense.
c) my boat is from a fairly extinct class and the class rules are far 
from clear :P



At the moment I'm shooting in 30fps, 640x480 because:
a) my 32GB memory card hasn't arrived yet
b) embarrassingly, none of my machines have good enough graphics cards 
(etc!) to play HD video... yet (I sense an upgrade on the horizon!)

c) I also need to invest in more storage!

If HD is too immersive due to lack of motion steadying kit well that 
someone else's problem... the video can be later downscaled if needs be...


Just to be clear, I'm doing from the point of view of someone who loves 
sailing and watching video of people sailing but finds it hard to relate 
to 99% of the videos or bits of video on youtube I see...


I intend to release all the footage I capture under Creative Commons 
Attribution or Creative Commons Attribution Sharealike Licences and am 
certainly not looking to make any money out of it.
(The idea being that I certainly can't be bothered to do that much 
editing, but hopefully someone else can!)


Cheers for all the really encouraging advice,

I'll get some video up soon,

Tim


Simon Thompson wrote:

Dirk-Willem van Gulik wrote:

Tim Dobson wrote:

  

So basically I've just acquired a small waterproof HD video camera and
I'm looking for the best way to mount it onto my Laser EPS[1] sailing
dinghy.

It has a standard tripod mount so I was wondering about tying it on with
desk tripod near the mast foot or something but I wondered if anyone had
any prior experience or thoughts on how they'd do this.




There are a few issues with mounting cameras on boats.

   1. Mounting the camera unit high up has it's difficulties
 1. by adding weight to the top-hamper (camera, mount and
cabling) you decrease the stability of the boat
 2. the fixing point can weaken the spar section
 3. the higher up, the greater the arc of movement
   2. If you're talking a dinghy, then you don't want the camera or
  mount to impede your exit from the boat in event of a capsize
   3. The dinghy will probably have class rules - by adapting it, you
  may not be allowed to enter any events with it.
 1. Contact the Principal Race Officer and the Scrutineer/Measurer
   4. Make sure the camera is waterproof first.
   5. HD video played an a large-ish screen is more immersive than SD on
  a box in the corner - you may feel motion sickness
  http://www.hqda.army.mil/ari/pdf/RR%201832.pdf

Best I've seen is the Horizon True system 
http://www.youtube.com/v/s67s7ZHbsi0  
http://www.horizontrue.com/sections/order.php  but they're expensive for 
non-broadcast purposes.  A colleague has also experimented with OpenGL 
motion-stabilising - perhaps an area for backstage to look at?


If you're really interested, there's an Olympics test event at Portland 
in September called Sail for Gold 
http://www.sailracer.co.uk/events/event-v2.asp?eventid=18401 where I'm 
sure there'll be mounting systems in action.




--

*Simon Thompson MEng MIET*
Research and Development Engineer

*BBC Research and Development*



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[backstage] [Fwd: OpenCommunity Camp 2009]

[Dirk-Willem van Gulik]

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See below - and feel free to pass on.

Nice relaxed low key week of hacking community, code and kit at a nice
location just south of Amsterdam Airport - on cycling distance from of
Leiden and the beach.

Started as a community wifi camp - each year they get a bit more
interesting and slowly grow to cover a much wider swath of open
technology, content, hardware and so on. Anything from soldering up to
community building around pure content like wikipedia.

You generally will want to bring a tent - but last year they where also
well set up if that is impractical or of the weather is bad - drop them
a line. There are several indoor area with tables for the kit, sofa's
and talks.

Or in short - nice mix of people, lots of bandwidth and beers in the sun :)

Recommended !

Dw

-  Original Message 
Subject: OpenCommunity Camp 2009
Date: Tue, 26 May 2009 21:33:29 +0200
From: Ed Kikkert 
To: c...@kikkert-online.nl

We proudly announce OpenCommunity Camp 2009

For the fourth time the Wifisoft.org Foundation organizes it's
OpenCommunity Camp (OCC).
The OCC will take place from 26th July - 2nd August 2009 in
Oegstgeest, the Netherlands.

Program
We have a great day and evening program with interesting spreakers,
cutting edge
tutorials and workshops.
See http://opencommunitycamp.org/ for the speakers and the timetable.

Sponsors
Thanks to our sponsors Ziggo and Alcadis we can cover our network
facilities.
More sponsors are more than welcome. So let us know if you want to
help out.

Join
There is NO registration, joining is free! For our organization it's
handy to know
if you are coming. Just drop an email at i...@opencommunitycamp.org to
let us know.

thanks, see you on OCC2009,
Kind Regard,

Marten, Ed and Gerard

more ulr's:
http://wifisoft.org
http://opencommunitycamp.org
http://opencommunitycamp.org/2009/?q=node/25 Speakers
http://opencommunitycamp.org/2009/?q=node/15 Timetable
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