Home made camera designs?

[Wayne Morellini]

Hi

I have been reading about home made cameras, and I wanted to open this thread for people to post links to, and info about, homemade video camera designs. Requirements: it's an practical improvement over, or cost less than, commercial video cameras.

This also includes camera modifications to improve the video output of the camera (see below)., and is open to cheap alternative video and HD cameras.

Please keep this thread alive and post all the designs you know of.


To kick things off:

http://www.geocities.com/researchhd/New_HD_Cameras.html

[Dan Vance]

Here's my 25 fps progressive scan, direct-to-disk 1/2" x 3CCD camcorder:
http://home.teleport.com/~gdi/vancecam.htm

[Filip Kovcin]

this is exellent thread to start!

i am DREAMING about my own home made camera. so probably thanks to that thread it's closer than one can think - especially if you look to dan's exellent work!

i'm in!


filip

[Wayne Morellini]

Yes, I rembember this one, I saw it in the Hot Gear section of Pixel Monger.

Here is the Scott Billups Beta SP camera converted to direct to disk:

http://www.pixelmonger.com/hg_cam.html

(Bottom of the page).

The following Russian effort was pionted out to me, it's for sale but shows a lot of initiatives for home made camera innovators to look at.

http://www.elphel.com/

http://www.linuxdevices.com/articles/AT2441343146.html

http://www.linuxdevices.com/articles/AT2171151224.html

http://www.linuxdevices.com/articles/AT9560070658.html

http://www.linuxdevices.com/news/NS5490668192.html

http://www.linuxdevices.com/articles/AT4739871225.html

http://www.linuxdevices.com/news/NS5024081278.html

[Rob Lohman]

Dan: can you tell us a bit more about how the camera is holding
up in actual use? As several people have asked by now it would
be great to see some footage from the camera. I'm sure Chris
can be assisting you in hosting such a file.

[Chris Hurd]

Don't forget about the VanceCam. Dan Vance is a member here as well.

[Laurence Maher]

Hey Wayne,

You posted this link:

http://www.geocities.com/researchhd/New_HD_Cameras.html

Man, I've seen this website quoted from a zillion people, been to it a zillion times, and still have no idea who's web site it is. Who's making this camera and when are they coming out?:


" 2. $10K SOLUTION - new camera is being developed with one 2/3" CCD, 1080p, variable frame rate, up to 60 fps, 24p is supported. The advantage of 1 CCD is elimination of color fringing, typical of 3 CCD prism systems. Minimal MPEG2 compression. Interchangable 35 mm SLR camera mount (Pentax PK and Nikon). Low cost 35 mm still camera lenses will be used."


Thanks

[Ray Zschau]

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned one of the cameras that has gotten the most press at NAB this year. The kinetta camera at http://www.kinetta.com

Can't wait to see that footage

Ray

[Dan Vance]

<<<-- Originally posted by Rob Lohman : Dan: can you tell us a bit more about how the camera is holding
up in actual use? As several people have asked by now it would
be great to see some footage from the camera. -->>>

I was going to hold off until I could get my 2-minute trailer done and post that, but maybe I'll grab something just to show how the progressive scan looks and post that.

My film is 70% shot now. I have about 140GB of footage (I was paranoid at the start and saved everything!). Partway through shooting, some hot pixels developed in the camera. So far I've been unable to find a replacement CCD block, so hopefully I can minimize them in post.

Most recently I modified the shutter to 150 degrees, so that I can shoot some night scenes under mercury-vapor lights. Because it's a PAL camera, those kinds of lights (and fluorescents) cause a pulsation with a 180 degree shutter. The camera itself does have syncho-scan, but not in frame-integration mode, so I can't adjust the electronic shutter in progressive scan mode, unfortunately.
Overall, it's perfoming great, and holding up well over many weeks of shooting.

[Brett Erskine]

Ray-
Thanks for that link. That is a truely incredible camera!! Its obvious in the final design stage but what I couldnt get from the site is the when and how much $ they expect for the camera. Also it mentions that the camera can use 35mm cine lenses but does that mean it uses 35mm film gate size sensor? It doesnt say one way or another. Anyone have any more info then whats already available on the site?

-Brett Erskine

[Laurence Maher]

I heard that the Kinetta is going to cost around $20 without lens.

[Wayne Morellini]

Hi Laurence and Ray, I have been taking a bit of a break at the moment, but I was just going to reference the Kinetta, as well. It's expected price is one reason this thread exists.

Laurence, I don't know who runs that website, I can't even remember where I got the link from, it could have been a link of a link from here, etc etc. I have printed and read all the stuff yet, but I am curious if anybody understands where this guy is coming from, he is equating latitude with compression?? As far as I know he is talking about light lattitude, which has nothing to do with compression, unless the compression routine somehow limits the lattitude (squashs the definition or range of light values).

There will be lots of stuff like this that is thought, but may never actually get finished, or succeed, so it is just a matter of waiting and seeing the results.

But the piont with this one is that the Juan Panasonic DVX100 direct to disk project may yeild knowledge for this guy/woman to do the same with the JVC.

Juan's 4:4:4 12-bit Uncompressed DVX100
http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthrea...threadid=20332

[Richard Mellor]

Hi everyone -

I think we are the future of image acquisition! The new modular camera will allow us the lenses of our choice, the chips of our choice (CCD, CMOS), raw capture, and eventual output to the codec of our choice.

All this with repair and upgrade similar to a PC.

This is a link to what that camera will look like: http://www.kinetta.com/home.php

[Wayne Morellini]

Isn't this the same post that turned up in the Alternative Viper thread a few days ago? The price is still a bit expensive. Maybe if there was a cheap 720p edition with quality sensor, you could charge double for 1080p/i with extra quality and features, and double again for Super HD with more quality and features ($10K ($5K would be much better), $20K, and $40K). But I'm happy that it is mentioned here anyway.

[Wayne Morellini]

I possibly have another manufactured HD camera for $10K. I don't know if this is related to the HD research site or not:

http://www.geocities.com/mammacow3/nab2005.htm

Round up or NAB/2004 HD cameras:
http://www.geocities.com/mammacow3/index.html

I think I would like cheap commercial alternative HD cameras defined as: cheaper than the performance equivalent standard commerical video camera, and equal or less than:

HD $10K.

Super HD $40K.

Ultra HD ($80K or less).

Special featured cameras: double the prices listed above (Super fast, super adaptable (Kinetta like) etc).

Above this these prices they begin to be expensive.

For homemade, or open source cameras, any cost would be fine.