hiflier Posted June 10, 2019 Author Posted June 10, 2019 28 minutes ago, Catmandoo said: .........but does not track the object? Only in the field of view. Not through a window- camera is outside pointed wherever one wishes- 22' usb cable. I use a Logitech C525. There's better bt it adequate for what this needs. Records a jpeg along with a .avi movie which a VLC program will display as long as the proper codex is downloaded. It will follow an object in a set field of view for as long as an object stays within the field. And yes, looks like contrast triggering. It's a poor man's way of capturing something unusual as long as you don't mind having a fixed remote cam as a monitor. How many folks get good close ups these days anyway. It's not like I'm flying a jet off the Nimitz and even then I wouldn't be able to track much or get close. So it's for the UFO enthusiast who wants a chance to get something on video without watching the sky 24/7 with a camera phone in their lap with no job and no sleep. This summer season I want to see if I can get some lightning bolts.
Catmandoo Posted June 11, 2019 Posted June 11, 2019 2 hours ago, hiflier said: This summer season I want to see if I can get some lightning bolts. Can you adjust sensitivity of the light pulse for lightning? Lightning triggers for cameras work on IR light. Before humans see a lightning bolt, a huge burst of IR light is released. The phototransistors pick up the IR burst and start the image procedure. The 'head start' for imaging helps off set the shutter delay. The silicon based image sensor in the web cam may pick up IR light. Point a remote control at your web cam and see what happens. It might have an IR filter.
hiflier Posted June 11, 2019 Author Posted June 11, 2019 I can try that. Right now I haven't got the system set up. I was also thinking about what you said about contrast triggering and thought maybe the lightning flash would trigger the trigger. I thought most cams have IR filters anyway. I have control over exposure, gain, brightness, contrast, and color intensity, and white balance. The settings right now are for natural indoor light. Supposed to get rain tonight after 1 am and most of the day tomorrow so probably won't do any outside deployment. Maybe tomorrow night through Thursday morning then maybe again next week after a showery spell.
TritonTr196 Posted June 11, 2019 Posted June 11, 2019 We've tried the thermal cameras on our drones. It doesn't work for us, the thermals are way too heavy for the drone.
Catmandoo Posted June 11, 2019 Posted June 11, 2019 4 hours ago, hiflier said: thought maybe the lightning flash would trigger the trigger. I thought most cams have IR filters anyway. Maybe and maybe. I have not taken a web cam 'eyeball' apart. Hit yours with a remote control first.
hiflier Posted June 11, 2019 Author Posted June 11, 2019 What if I hit it with the IR that's emitted with an NV device? Reason being I don't have any remotes......no TV for 12 years. Internet cable only. Should work as IR is IR no matter the source?
Catmandoo Posted June 11, 2019 Posted June 11, 2019 If your NV gear has accessory IR light, go for it.
cmknight Posted June 11, 2019 Posted June 11, 2019 On 6/10/2019 at 9:07 AM, wiiawiwb said: Thermal imagers are a game changer. They revolutionize what we can do in the field. As Norse said, a sasquatch can't hide its heat signature. A Sasquatch may not be able to hide its heat signature, but brush will. I have a personal thermal imager (FLIR Scout TK), and I captured an image of my wife behind a blueberry bush. All |I can see is her head. The foliage hid everything else. Seeing how Sasquatch like to hide behind trees, bushes, root-balls, etc, it is my theory that the odds of getting one on thermal are about the same as with trail-cams ... unless, of course, you manage to get one in the open. Even then, the naysayers are gonna say you're a pervert for getting thermal pictures of your buddy in the nude, going for a dump in the woods.
cmknight Posted June 11, 2019 Posted June 11, 2019 17 hours ago, Catmandoo said: Maybe and maybe. I have not taken a web cam 'eyeball' apart. Hit yours with a remote control first. I have. 99% of webcams, except those for "on the cheap" astrophotography have IR filters. A webcam without an IR filter will actually give you an image that is a tiny bit reddish, and the rest of the colours will look "off" (ie: blue will look slightly greenish, reds will look more intense than they should be). If you open up a web cam and see a small plate of glass in front of the CCD/CMOS chip, that's the IR filter. You can remove them, but for most cams, it's a PITA! 11 hours ago, hiflier said: What if I hit it with the IR that's emitted with an NV device? Reason being I don't have any remotes......no TV for 12 years. Internet cable only. Should work as IR is IR no matter the source? The IR on your NV device is a lower wavelength than the IR on your remote control. You can see the one on your NV. You can't see the one on your remote. It's a higher frequency/wavelength.
Twist Posted June 11, 2019 Posted June 11, 2019 13 minutes ago, cmknight said: A Sasquatch may not be able to hide its heat signature, but brush will. I have a personal thermal imager (FLIR Scout TK), and I captured an image of my wife behind a blueberry bush. All |I can see is her head. The foliage hid everything else. Seeing how Sasquatch like to hide behind trees, bushes, root-balls, etc, it is my theory that the odds of getting one on thermal are about the same as with trail-cams ... unless, of course, you manage to get one in the open. Even then, the naysayers are gonna say you're a pervert for getting thermal pictures of your buddy in the nude, going for a dump in the woods. No more or less than any other creature sneaking around at night such as a cougar I’d suspect. I wonder how easily cougars are found with a thermal? Idk 🧐
Huntster Posted June 12, 2019 Posted June 12, 2019 (edited) 5 hours ago, Twist said: ........ I wonder how easily cougars are found with a thermal? Idk 🧐 Good question. I have no experience with thermal imaging, and no experience with lions, but I know this: My brother, uncles, and my father-in-law were avid hunters throughout the southwest, and they used game calls. While they all had experiences calling in bobcats, not once did any of them call in a lion.........at least that they knew of. And when the bobcats came, they always sneaked in, while coyotes tended to come in at a run. Edited June 12, 2019 by Huntster
Catmandoo Posted June 12, 2019 Posted June 12, 2019 5 hours ago, Twist said: No more or less than any other creature sneaking around at night such as a cougar I’d suspect. I wonder how easily cougars are found with a thermal? Idk Want to see a cougar? Stake out a goat. No high tech viewers needed, day or night.
Catmandoo Posted June 12, 2019 Posted June 12, 2019 6 hours ago, cmknight said: I have. 99% of webcams, except those for "on the cheap" astrophotography have IR filters. A webcam without an IR filter will actually give you an image that is a tiny bit reddish, and the rest of the colours will look "off" (ie: blue will look slightly greenish, reds will look more intense than they should be). If you open up a web cam and see a small plate of glass in front of the CCD/CMOS chip, that's the IR filter. You can remove them, but for most cams, it's a PITA! The IR on your NV device is a lower wavelength than the IR on your remote control. You can see the one on your NV. You can't see the one on your remote. It's a higher frequency/wavelength. Sort of - kinda - maybe. Removing the hot mirror on a web cam may change the focal point. I have not messed with web cams. Don't use them. The web cam should have automatic white balance. I do not have a NV device but I would call the accessory light 'high red' and extending into IR. Generally speaking, the silicon imaging chip is sensitive to a range of about 190---1100nm. However, glass elements start attenuating UV at about 230nm so the UV end is not a factor for the camera. Afew words about wave length and frequency. They are very different. As the color of the light goes towards red and then IR, the wave length is increasing but the frequency is decreasing. Summary: going towards red is increasing wave length and going towards blue is increasing frequency, decreasing wave length.
Incorrigible1 Posted June 12, 2019 Posted June 12, 2019 57 minutes ago, Catmandoo said: Want to see a cougar? Stake out a goat. No high tech viewers needed, day or night. T-Rex sez "Hello!" 1
wiiawiwb Posted June 12, 2019 Posted June 12, 2019 19 hours ago, cmknight said: A Sasquatch may not be able to hide its heat signature, but brush will. I have a personal thermal imager (FLIR Scout TK), and I captured an image of my wife behind a blueberry bush. All |I can see is her head. The foliage hid everything else. Seeing how Sasquatch like to hide behind trees, bushes, root-balls, etc, it is my theory that the odds of getting one on thermal are about the same as with trail-cams ... unless, of course, you manage to get one in the open. Even then, the naysayers are gonna say you're a pervert for getting thermal pictures of your buddy in the nude, going for a dump in the woods. I completely disagree with your premise they are no better than a trailcam. Thermals generally cost anywhere from 10-60 times the cost of a trail cam and have not been readily available until recently. Trail cams have been around for a while. I've got thermal videos of chipmunks chasing each other up a tree. Their itsy-bitsy little bodies are easily visible and jump right out on the thermal. If a sasquatch is behind a bush or tree, its cover is only good for as long as it doesn't move. I feel very comfortable saying that if they're out where I am, and moving at all, they'll show up on thermal. 1
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