AP Landing - Digital Photography Community

oktokopter at Madrid bullring and other views

albetocvr — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 13:05:56 GMT

Madrid bullring from albertocvr oktokopter point of view ...

Focusing Question

Larry Gleason — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 09:22:54 GMT

Hello, new here. Had to join to use search function but still didn't find what I needed although the subject must have been discussed a million times. Have been working for an aerial photography business for two years. I judge my aerial photos by tack sharp shingles on roofs and usually that is not a problem. However, there are some days when the sharpness is a hair off and the shingles have a slight smudgy look even though its a nice clear (so it seems) and smooth riding day. I can get sharp pics bouncing around so I know its not the ride. Yesterday (9/6/10) was such a day. Direct sunlight, 11:00 AM, 82F, Dew Point 71F, Humidity 70%, otherwise a clear day. My best guess is that the sunlight is being affected at ground surfaces by reflective or refracted light that disturbs details that should otherwise be sharp. Its just something that you can't see although it does seem common on days when large white buildings have a mushy look. My preference is a cloudy day for aerials even if cloud shadows are not on the target. I'm thinking that the level of humidity may be the "monster". Any thoughts, ideas, or leads to where this may have been discussed will be appreciated.

Trex 600 E video ship for sale, $2500

mattmaddaloni — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 03:28:43 GMT

Everything you need to get into low altitude aerial video and photography.
This Trex 600 Electric helicopter is designed to lift a DSLR.
Trex 600 Electric Helicopter with training skids, canopy, Spektrum DX7 transmitter, 22.2v 5200 mah battery and Logictech LTG 6100T tail gyro - worth $1750
7 inch Monitor and DVD player with wireless SD transmitter and receiver - worth $300
Photoship One 2XPT pan and tilt head with Hitec transmitter, reciever, battery and servos - worth $1000
Pitch gauge and spare parts in case of a tail strike - worth $100
Low voltage alarm - worth $50
= $3200 + tax = $3584, save $1084!
Plus machine has been programmed and built specific to video work. It has been flown many times for aerial video and is stable and reliable, great for learning to fly.
email me at mattmaddaloni(at)gmail.com

http://seatoskycam.com/picts/Trex600E-AP-ship.jpg

only serious offers please

Insurance. Insurance. Insurance.

webdr — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 01:39:52 GMT

My AP business is starting to take off and Im about to buy (at the least) liability insurance to cover any damages that an out-of-control 700 class heli could do.

But what about insuring the camera and heli?

This is mostly directed at those WITH insurance.
Is Hill and Usher "Aerial Pak" my only alternative for liability?
Im curious if any of you have standard business insurance to cover your equipment.
If you dont want to talk about it here, PM me.
Im only looking for a little guideance.

Matt

really scale AP heli

Steve — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 01:22:50 GMT

if this guy does not get credit for building an AP heli with the cameras he has on it nobody deserves credit. Scroll down to the pic's of the cameras.

http://www.scalerchelis.com/phpBB2/v...p?f=17&t=11340

My "Wooden" Ground Station for AP

yellowaircraft — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 16:26:24 GMT

Hi guys. I' ve been in this forum for sometime but I usually read rather then posting messages. :)
I am new to AP to some of you pros here. But I think I am OK :)

I finally finished my "wooden" ground station.

I have a stock T-rex 600 ESP with handmade front mount camera rig attached.

What's inside:
1. 1W 1.2 Ghz Video Receiver
2. Video Splitter
3. Fatshark Goggles (w/o video TX & Rx - cable only)
4. Tx for camera mount
5. San Disk V-Mate video recorder
6. Grundig 16" LCD TV
7. Remote controls for TV & video recorder
8. 2x3S 5.8Ah Turnigy Li-Po main batttery
9. 3S, 1400 mAh Tx battery
10. 4 blower fans on the side of the case to cool down the GS
11. Power panel & main switch & circuit breaker

A few notes:

Overall size is: 24-1/2" x 17-1/2"x8-5/8" (62cm x 44cm x 22cm)

My carpenter made the case to my specs, thanks to him.

I also put additional video & audio out.

There is another video in for TV to connect the camera after the shoot to see the images or videos

Tx for the camera mount's antenna is on top of the case. But it does not send signals to the mount Rx because of the antenna cable is too long. So I am using another Tx for taking pictures. The one in the case will stay there to fill the gap

I have a patch antenna but so far in the tests & first camera shoot we didin't need it.

Here are the pictures...

RTF Okto

Obrien454 — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 21:52:14 GMT

I'm selling my Okto because I lost my job and need to get some cash to pay bills. I've only had it for a little over a month and have only flown it 3 times because of everything I have been dealing with at work. I paid Ziggy at Mikrokopter.us to do the standard ARF and Navi ARF so all soldering is very clean. Here is the setup:

Flight-Ctrl V2.0 ME
MK GPS (SMD Preloaded)
Navi-Ctrl V1.1
MK3Mag compass module
MKUSB
Spektrum 2.4 7-channel satellite reciever
8x BL-Ctrl v1.2
8x Roxxy 2827-35
MK HighSight II SE Nick+Roll (calibrated with servos)
Modified landing gear to accomodate wide-angle photography and increase stability
1x Flat Lipo 5000/4s
8x spare EPP1045 Props
2 Red LED and 2 Green LED
Misc: shrink tubing, vibration dampers, screws, motor manuals, wires, connectors, etc.

$2800 (shipping included within US)

I live in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Feel free to call or text with questions: Nick 801.717.6767 or email: nick.r.ames@gmail.com

Attached Images

	Okto_side.jpg (78.6 KB)
	Okto_extras.jpg (70.6 KB)

50' Heavy Duty Complete Aerial Mast Setup For Sale

PhotoMast — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 17:44:34 GMT

If your here you might be interested in purchasing this custom built aerial photography mast that was custom built to satisfy a need for low level high quality aerial platform that could support a wide range of camera equipment. This mast is only 2 years old and in new condition. It has never spent a day outside in the rain and is always stored inside in an air conditioned garage under lock and key.

The mast was built by Austin Metal Fabricators in Burnaby at a cost $12,500 and designed in AutoCAD to hold larger than normal payloads. It has been used part time for the last two years and my current workload prevents me from using this great mast so I must part with it and I�m hoping someone can put this workhorse to good use.

The customized trailer has welded supports that hold the heavy duty pivot mechanism that clamps the lower mast section. The rear trailer bed is covered with aluminum checker plate and can have many custom containers added for storage if your needs call for it. The trailers frame has 3 levelling jack and bubble levels that allow the operator to set the mast plum within seconds. The jacks can be hand rotated or you can install the supplied chuck in a cordless drill to make the work effortless. The hitch is a standard 1 15/16 ball and the trailer weighs in around 600lbs. You can tow it with anything and when you�re on location it can easily be uncoupled and rolled by hand. The rear lights are standard with a flat 4 pole plug.

The mast is balanced on the pivot point and rotates easily with 5-10 lbs of pressure on the base. It has a locking bolt at the centerline base of the trailer to secure the mast in the upright position. The rechargeable power supply is attached to the upright supports of the mast and also houses the wiring for the remote controller and the connection for the winch.

The masthead section can be completely disassembled for maintenance and any section can be disconnected to increase the top load but reduce the height. The masthead camera module has a lot packed into the small control box. There is a URBI servo controller that adjusts the pan and tilt for the camera mount as well as the camera zoom and shutter. The URBI controller connects directly with the Futuba transmitter and everything is controlled using a Futuba 7C receiver. The masthead module has a 2.4 GHz video transmitter built in that transmits the live feed of the camera viewport. The Camera is a Canon G9 with their wide angle converter lens which has won many awards and is a favourite on many aerial photographers.

I you�re looking for just the mast I will sell it separately for $1000 less.

Electronics have built in digital voltage regulators that allow everything to run on 12VDC so charging is simple and easy and I have many spare batteries to go with the equipment.

I�m asking for $7800 for the whole setup obo.

Send me an email or give me a call if you have any questions 778-231-7853

Cheers
Danny

Askman 360 with pan/tilt and gyro.

JamieNZ — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 07:07:51 GMT

Want to switch to front mount, so will sell this or preferably swap for one if anyone is keen.

Can supply complete with 401 gyro set up on the pan axis, or remove. Also can supply with dedicated radio set up for the mount, downlink or any combo.

Also have a range of cameras suitable for aerial photography available ready to go if needed..

Want to specialize in video so hence the change in mount set up.

Cheers

Jamie

Trex 600 Setup....?

JamieNZ — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 07:04:52 GMT

Hi everyone,

I have a Trex 600 with an Askman 360 setup with downlink, carrying a Canon 7D and 550D.

I am looking to set up a 600 exclusively for video so am thinking of ditching the underslung mount, replacing it with a photoshipone front mount.

So... from those who know....

Is flybarless worth it?

What (if any) stabilization is essential?

Would I need to get the ESP version of the 600, or would my standard belt driven one be OK?

I toyed with the idea of setting up a 700E 3G but decided to stick with the 600 now that I have the 550D, and have a TON of spares and batteries for it.

Will the photoshipone front mount be much better than my ASKman 360 underslung?

Cheers

Jamie

AP & Video - which platform?

royy — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 21:56:05 GMT

Hi.

I have no previous experience with RC, but I got an idea the other day to use helis for taking AP, which I later found out was quite common.

The mikro/oktokopters look quite promising, and I've been reading a bit up on them here and otherwise on the net. Basically I'm looking for some recommendations and tips from the more experienced.

I'm shooting Canon 5D MKII.
Was thinking on maybe building myself or at least assembling myself. Not an electrical-guru, but have some hobby experience in building dive lights etc.

Any rigs support 5D MK II without dramatic price increase? Better to buy an extra cam, like 550D(T2i)?

Any example on parts to buy?

Alt hold, gps, navi, pref. FPV, pan tilt? Anything else good to have?

No more annoying newbie questions......
For now.. :blbl:

Royy

My new "Cranked Tail" Mod

Steve — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 21:19:29 GMT

Dumb-Thumb'd after changing trim set up. (Sept. 1st has always a bad day for me flying...new tradition never to fly again on the 1st!)

Also taking the opportunity to show off the front camera mount using old rotor blades instead of round boom tubing. I like the aerodynamic efficiency vs. the dirty air created by the tubing.
I also needed to keep the heli as thin as possible to fit it into it's case for transport and storage.
If I take the front mount off I can balance the heli by moving the 4s tail battery to the forward fuselage battery compartment.

The red and yellow reflective tape on the boom - the aft red WARNING stripe is the length of 105mm tail blades, the center is 120mm tail blades and the forward strip is the tip of the main 830mm rotor blades + some extra just in case! Unfortunately...it worked. The reflective tape you can buy in auto parts stores. Same tape on the main blades. The tail blades are covered with yellow "Solarfilm" and red reflective stripes for visibility. All black blades spinning at 5500rpm just doesn't do it for me! Same for the vertical fin, green on Starboard and red on the Port side.

The Jive 60+LV I had mounted securely for flight, but just so that it would come off if there was a boom strike. I hadn't tested it until now...not really a big consolation prize, but it worked. The ESC leads to the motor did what I wanted them to do as well. By stretching them out full length on the "safe" side of the boom they pulled out when the strike occurred killing the motor. This wouldn't work if the strike were further up the boom.

The aerodynamic camera mount. Note the single black cable in the center framework. (The frame came with the mount from Photoship One. I purchased it by itself not as a kit with the round booms).
The cable is for connecting the EagleTree OSDPro to the eLogger V3 mounted aft on the fuselage.
On the right side of the mount in this view, you can see a Dimensions Engineering power regulator located just above the tilt servo. I used it to drop the 12v video Tx battery down to 5.2v for the Servo Rx and OSDPro.
The EagleTree "Power Panel" I just am not happy with finding a location for it so I've just been zip-tying in down. HEY DJ, how about making the CF cross braces in the mount wider so the Power Panel will fit between them! I'd like to mount it on the right side of the frame on the cooling duct for the 1.3gHz video Tx which you can see as the flat black piece between the mount frames. The OSD Pro is mounted in the other side. The front plate sticking out is where I wanted to mount the FMA IR sensor for the Artificial Horizon in the OSD Pro. However that needs to be connected through the eLogger at the aft end of the fuselage and I did not want to run the cable for it. Also, the screen view for the EagleTree can be really cluttered up with info if you put too much on the display so I'm not using it for that right now and mounting the 3s 1000mAh battery on it right now. By putting every component for the camera mount on the mount itself it is it's own separate piece independent of the heli except for that one cable for the eLogger which bugs me! This way I can easily remove the mount for transporting it in a case or when I fly without the cameras which I do a lot of!

3 things to note in this image on the camera mount.
1.) The single cable up by the red Pan gear. I used clear heat shrink on it to form it when it was hot to put a 180 degree bend into it so that it keeps it away from the gear when panning the mount.
2.) On the mount itself you can see the black video Tx antenna. i have temporarily lost the Rf filter on the antenna and when I find it or the replacement comes in I'll put it back on. The 1.3gHz Tx gets hot so I used real thin CF plate cut to size to fit between the mount frames to guide the downwash off the rotor into openings I cut into the end of the Tx case. The airflow exits out the existing holes that were in the side of the case. The Spartan G3 battery level indicator is mounted on another thin piece of CF so the air is forced into the Tx between the two CF plates.
3.) the GoPro HD - using a binocular tripod mount from HAMA. You are probably familar with their photo accessories. Website is:
http://www.hama.co.uk/portal/searchS...inocular+mount

View of empty forward battery compartment.
10s is on the top shelf. 4s 14.8v can fit into middle or bottom tray.
Also note the cooling fins between the spacers at the top of the fuselage. This is the heatsink for the Jive 80. I used thermal "PASTE" and zip-Ty's to attach it to the Jive 80 and threaded bolt holes into the fins to position it where the original ESC plate was on the Joker 2. The Jive does not get hot so upside down out of the airflow really is not a problem.

I used Gerd's extra large fuselage frames for the A123 batteries and inverted them and used pieces of the original frames to make the aft upper fuselage frame as if it were the original. Honestly, it looks like sh*t in this photo, but it doesn't look that bad in real life and it works. I can also shift the entire lower fuselage to the rear for balance if need be.The original idea was so I could use the Electric Tail mod and put the 2nd battery for it under the main battery at the forward end to balance the tail motor.
The camera mount blades were attached using DJ's medium grade "Lord Mount Isolators" http://photoshipone.com/zencart/inde...dex&cPath=4_36
The front shocks are attached to an extra Joker plate that I bought extending out of the fuselage. The cabling seen hanging down has plenty of room to be zip-ty'd up out the the way for flight. The whole bottom has all my cabling run through it so the heli is pretty clean on the exterior.

The Tail Rotor battery tray I never wanted to install, but the forward camera mount made it necessary for balance. It is also doubling as the mount for the battery level indicators. One for the Main battery and one for the T/R. I'm using Spartan G4's and they work really well for me. On all my heli's I've always had the battery indicator out on the boom clear of everything else so they are visible. So it is just continuity with "my system" to follow on doing so. What is an added bonus with these G4's is that they are really bright and having two of them is like having a rotating beacon on the boom as they are never in synch with each other. The topside of the tray I have an old eLogger V2 just for the time being using the Power Panel for the battery power and temp sensor as well.
Unfortunately, the software for this V2 will not run on the same computer as the V3 elogger. The later EagleTree revisions override the program deleting it and are not able to read the older V2. When EagleTree fixes my V3 elogger it will go back here as I had to buy a new V3 here in Europe. which bugs me because because EagleTree is just being too dam slow for me and they are back in the states and I'll be dammed if I pay customs twice to ship it through again.
I'm using the V3 eLogger to read the main rotor and tail rotor rpm's using the brushless sensors. The wiring for the T/R is caught inside the boom for some strange reason...
The mount will not withstand a boom strike so I am going to turn the battery on it's side to narrow the profile and see if i can get it off-center to be more on the safe side of the boom. It is hanging off standard Joker boom supports using ball linkages.
The original boom support rods which were attached at the bottom of the lower fuselage are now attached at the top of the upper fuselage. To keep the angle as much as possible the rods are still attached on the bottom side of the boom. They do not look as if they even flinched when the boom strike occurred. (I'm sure they did move!)

Spartan G4's

EagleTree eLogger V3 sitting in the aft end of the fuselage protected from kissing the earth. I used the same plate to mount it that was used at the front of the Joker when the airframe was facing forward.

Yikes! Camera falls off Police Helicopter!

jharrison5 — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 23:07:47 GMT

Funny but scary (credit to op on RCG). Imagine finding that in your backyard :-)

http://www.comcast.net/articles/news....Camera.Crash/

Maxi Joker 3 set up

Oliver — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 14:11:50 GMT

Hello,
I am ready to order a MJ3 but I am not an expert so I would like to have some opinions on this set up.
I planned to use the MJ3 with a PS1 VR360 and Canon D40.

Maxi-Joker 3 kit
Controller Jive 80
Motor: actro 32-4 max
Rotorblades symmetrical blades
tailblades

Does it look ok ?

Rgds,
Oliver

I got banned from RR

eyeinsky — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 02:49:32 GMT

Oh well I did it this time:boxe: Got myself banned from RR. It has been over year since I posted over on that forum. I post my latest build over there. Mr Ryder accused me of advertising a product. I tried to explain to him it was personal build post.

Breakthrough Weekend

Water Viper — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 17:28:05 GMT

I had a huge breakthrough this weekend. I got some aerial shots of a home for sale and the Realtor just added the photos to his web listing. It has taken over a year of creative hustling and a lot of support from AP Landing to get to this point. During that time I received nothing but support and encouragement from ya�ll.

This will not be a habit but I have to show off my �first born�. http://bit.ly/cgnarJ

Plettenberg HP370/40/A2 Big Blue Motor FS

MLaBoyteaux — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 19:19:50 GMT

9/01/2010 Update, the motor has been sold!
Thanks Wayne

I'm putting my Plettenberg HP370/40/A2 motor up for sale. I've put about 10 hours on this motor, it's in excellent condition. I'm wanting to replace it with an Xera 4035/3Y-400 (8mm Shaft), so if you've got one, I'd be willing to trade.

It comes equipped with integral fan and cooling ribs for highest efficiency. It is the perfect setup for the Schulze fut 40-160H ESC.

Specs:
Kv = 520 rpm/v
Io = 1.6 A
Rm = .071 ohms

I'm asking $260 shipped within the continental US. Or will trade for a Xera 4035/3Y-400 (8mm Shaft)

First Spherical Pano Switzerland :-)

crohammer — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 11:56:27 GMT

My First Spherical Panorama from RC-Heli :cheesy:

HammeR

Canon Announces 60D 18MP 1080P 24fps HD Video.

powerftk — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 22:57:20 GMT

Today Canon announced the new Canon EOS 60D 18MP camera. The mid level camera will fit squarely in between the Canon EOS 7D and Canon Rebel T2i. The 60D has most of the same features as the Canon Rebel T2i or 550D with the exception of an adjustable LCD viewfinder. It also has some nifty in camera picture modes like a �Soft Focus� and �Grainy Black and White�. The question on my mind is with only one Digic 4 processor will it drop down to SD when recording HD video like the Canon Rebel T2i. Either way we now have a Canon Rebel T2i on steroids for only a couple hundred buck more. The Canon EOS 60D will retail for $1099 US.

YouTube- Canon EOS 60D product walkthrough video

Small Planet and Tunnel Vision

Envision — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 16:34:36 GMT

Kevo (Burnt Offering) was nice enough to let me play with an AWESOME photo of his home in Alaska, "15 degrees, just coming out of a choking 3 day fog, caught this just as the sun was cutting through".

I ran the single image through Dynamic Photo HDR, and found the planet and tunnel options. Fantastic Photo... Thanks Kevo ! :thumbup:

A new addition, I just noticed the 'custom' button, this is the default.

Frame setting

Troy