Aerial Imaging

David Boulanger · Jun 3, 2017

Here are some pictures of the new experimental mount. Its very firm which I think is a good thing. Most of the flexing from the stock Gopro mount is actually the plastic post and the top plate flexing under weight they were not designed to carry. The mount is 10 grams heavier and 3/4 of an inch closer to the Solo. Depending on what angle I set the camera at I could probably get rid of the Polar Pro extensions and just go with the stock ones. That would save the 10 extra grams in the mount. Kit lens would still need the Polar Pro extensions though. Total weight is 1956 Grams.

admaltais · Jun 6, 2017

Hi everyone,

I'm really happy to have found this thread, so I'm not the only one to have questions about fixing a a5100 under the Solo!

For general interest and maybe help someone who might have the same questions, here's a small recap of my project :

Goal: Mapping in Hi-Res a small part of a field - extrapolation from a section for the entire field by statistics.
Gear: Solo, a5100, IMPconcept fixed mount, goPro style bracket, Seagull MAP trigger, Tower for planning.
Planning: 5 m/s at 40-60m high
Problems: 1) 16-50 lens lenght and 2) the eternal mag interference cause by the camera.

IMPConcept mount work well, but the 16-50 lens is longer than the legs with the stock leg extension, the tip of the lens touches the ground. I could use longer leg extension, but that will add more weight.

Seagull trigger will be preferable to the intervallometer in quantity of images (processing time in photoscan/Pix4D) and geotagging. Just to solder the +/-/s on the board (5V, GND, Pin 19). It can trigger and, the best part, on/off the camera, so the lens is entered at the beginning/end and less available to dust. The lens are also shorter when closed.

1) So I use, instead of the IMP kit, the fixed support for goPro with a camera soles and only the base plate of IMPConcept. It is really less solid, so I add some strips of Velcro to hold it in place on the base plate and the camera is higher. Lens height - done.

2) The mag interference are still there, but after a mag calibration, if I keep the camera under the solo, it's stay ok. The best solution would be to change the whole gnss by a "HERE/Mast" combo, but I have to fly soon, it will be for later.

Now, according to your experiences, what is the best settings?
We fly at 5 m/s (11 mph):
- speed priority to 1/800, auto iso (100-800), auto aperture, not sure for he focus; manuel?
- Scene selection to speed scene? Program? Intelligent/superior auto?

Cheers

Alex

Mathieu18 · Jun 7, 2017

Thanks David, that looks useful. I was able to get the 16mm working, but you need around 1/1000 shutter before it got good, which is why I'm going back to the 16-50. Is that balsa wood used for the plate?

Admaltais, you could consider the 16 or 20mm pancakes which would solve your lens issues. Those cameras have the DR and SNR characteristics you could probably run them without OSS at ISO 400 or 800 and still get the resolution you need. I would rather not run that high ISO because I'm looking for print quality shadow recovery and color depth.

A few from an area I wanted to shoot.

View media item 619 View media item 618 View media item 621

David Boulanger · Jun 7, 2017

Nice pictures!! The mount is 3/16 aircraft plywood from my local hobby shop. We have had a foot of rain since I built the mount and more is coming so I have no idea when I will be able to test this out. On the 3DR Solo Owners Facebook page Jubair, he's on this site also, seems to favor the OSS lenses.

David Boulanger · Jun 9, 2017

Finally test the new mount today. Worked great. Vibrations are all good. Did a flight with the 20mm and the kit lens and all images look good. Visually you can see that the camera is not shaking around like it did on the stock gopro mount.

Side note. I added a mRo GPS while building the mount. I have these on two other aircraft and they are fantastic. On this Solo I also added mRobotics EMI shield that they sell. Original Solo copper shield with the mRobotics shield in between it and the GPS unit. I had as many as 28 Sats and an average of 25. If anyone doubts this I can produce a screenshot to prove it. Unbelievable.

Mathieu18 · Jun 13, 2017

Thanks for the updates, they all sound good. I'm about to swap in the GoPro gimbal to do some video testing, good time to fabricate a better static mount. How much drop does your version have from the wood plate?

How hard is switching g the GPS? I'm a seasoned tinkerer, but fairly inexperienced with drones.

David Boulanger · Jun 14, 2017

The new mount is just long enough for the thumb screw to clear the underneath of the Solo. Plenty of video's on YouTube on how to swap out the GPS. Using the right screw driver and not stripping any screws is most important. Its really a quick and easy procedure.

jxo · Nov 21, 2017

This is a fabulous thread. Just bought the Solo and added the mRo GPS upgrade. Very anxious to get higher quality stills and separately concluded the Sonys looked attractive.

For someone about to plunge in, any advice on these setups since the summer?
Are you able to get a live FPV video feed from the Sony and be able trigger the shutter remotely at the same time? What is the remote application to trigger the Sony?
Any view on whether the Sony a5000 will perform (optically and operationally) similar to the a5100?

this is great stuff, thanks much.

David Boulanger · Nov 21, 2017

5100 I think is basically the same thing. Live video feed out and just set the timelapse app to take a picture every ten seconds and your good. I use a 5100 with very good results.

jxo · Nov 21, 2017

Thanks David. Is there any type of remote triggering solution if I don't want to use the time lapse function? Am thinking of 3 or 5 exposure bracketed HDR shooting.

David Boulanger · Nov 21, 2017

I don't think so. But not sure. There is no IR trigger on it. Maybe a USB hack or something is out there. I don't know.

jxo · Nov 21, 2017

so the WiFi capabilities don't include remote triggering. Not like the GoPro smart remote which does that (except it won't work when the GoPro is hooked up to an HDMI monitor).

See: https://3drpilots.com/media/img_0057.657/ Any idea what that wiring accomplishes?

David Boulanger · Nov 22, 2017

You can't use WiFi because it will / may interfere with the Solo.

jxo · Nov 22, 2017

I also got that advice with respect to GoPro SmartRemote. This Seagull product would appear to provide some kind of remote triggering capability. Looks like it connects the camera's remote plug into the control panel of the drone so you can configure your radio/controller to trigger the camera. If so, that would be an extremely useful upgrade.

Camera Shutter Triggering for Sony MultiPort Connectors using Seagull #MAP — Copter documentation

jxo · Nov 22, 2017

See: https://3drpilots.com/media/img_0057.657/

Looks like Alex has figured out something. Not clear how he connected the trigger to the Solo.

David Boulanger · Nov 22, 2017

Not so sure if that setup can be triggered with the controller. More likely it is being used as a mapping camera with Mission Planner and the camera trigger has been soldered to a PWM out on the main board.

Geoimages · Nov 23, 2017

Has anyone attempted to mount a Sony HX90V, has miniHDMI and GPS image tagging at 18.2 MP?
It's lighter than the a5100, and nearly the same image quality. One would have to upgrade to the a6000 series to get the t5-axis stabilization.

David Boulanger · Nov 23, 2017

Its lighter no doubt. However it uses a 1/2.3 sensor and I don't think the timelapse app resides on the camera. Also, I think it only does JPEG and not ARW.

Geoimages · Nov 24, 2017

David Boulanger said:
Its lighter no doubt. However it uses a 1/2.3 sensor and I don't think the timelapse app resides on the camera. Also, I think it only does JPEG and not ARW.

Thanks, the JPEG limitation may be the deciding factor....