Camera w/ 6 hr Runtime?
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Milwaukee, WI
Posts: 162
Bikes: Trek Pilot 1.0, Giant Sedona (old, winter/rain bike)
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Camera w/ 6 hr Runtime?
Hello,
Maybe this is a shot in the dark... but are there any cameras with a 5-6 hour runtime? I am looking to do a longer ride and take a time-lapse video of it (shoot one frame every 2 seconds or so).
Is anything like that available, or do I just need to suck it up and do a few battery changes?
Cheers,
Jason
Maybe this is a shot in the dark... but are there any cameras with a 5-6 hour runtime? I am looking to do a longer ride and take a time-lapse video of it (shoot one frame every 2 seconds or so).
Is anything like that available, or do I just need to suck it up and do a few battery changes?
Cheers,
Jason
#2
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Seattle, WA
Posts: 23,208
Mentioned: 89 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 18883 Post(s)
Liked 10,646 Times
in
6,054 Posts
I can't imagine how you'd make this work, but since no one else has answered, I'll throw something that probably won't be useful out there. BP-511s are great batteries. I get something like 2,000 exposures on one. The 5D mk II has a video mode, and eats the same long-lasting batteries. Moreover, if you only want to do time-lapse using stills, there are lots of affordable cable releases that will do exactly that, letting you set whatever interval you'd like.
The problems, of course, are in weight, expense, liability, and how you'll mount it.
Now that I've got the ball rolling, maybe somebody will suggest a more cromulent solution?
The problems, of course, are in weight, expense, liability, and how you'll mount it.
Now that I've got the ball rolling, maybe somebody will suggest a more cromulent solution?
#3
Arizona Dessert
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: AZ
Posts: 15,029
Bikes: Cannondale SuperSix, Lemond Poprad. Retired: Jamis Sputnik, Centurion LeMans Fixed, Diamond Back ascent ex
Mentioned: 76 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 5345 Post(s)
Liked 2,169 Times
in
1,288 Posts
What camera are you using? Can you extend battery life by turning off LCD, sound, etc.
#4
I am a caffine girl
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Bay Area
Posts: 1,815
Bikes: 2012 Stumpjumper FSR Comp...2010 Scott CR1 CF...2007 Novara FS Float2.0...2009 Specialized Hardrock Disc...2009 Schwinn Le Tour GSr
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time
in
1 Post
You might do a little bit of research with the Gopro Camera. It can do interval sequence shot and it looks like they will soon offer a BacPac option that piggy back the camera which can double the 2.5 hrs of battery life giving you 5 hours. That might even be more in the interval shot mode. Not sure when available but I myself is thinking of getting that camera.
See the bottom of this link
https://www.goprocamera.com/index.php...2&productid=29
See the bottom of this link
https://www.goprocamera.com/index.php...2&productid=29
#5
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 3,040
Bikes: Bacchetta Giro, Strada
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time
in
1 Post
This would do it --
https://www.hobby-lobby.com/video_camera.htm
And it'll take an external battery easily so you could use it, but it only does 640x480 pictures and that's pretty cruddy.
Really, the GoPro option would work well, and I'll bet it's pretty easy to add an external battery. Still, I wish more cameras had a "just take a picture every X seconds mode" -- it would be very nice for taking pictures from R/C airplanes, for example (which I do from time to time) -- just tape the camera to the plane, tell it to take pictures, and go fly.
(I actually bought a GoPro HD for exactly this purpose. (And taking video of bike rides and the like.) Though it arrived DOA and I had to send it back, so I'm still waiting for it to return so I can actually try it out.)
Edit: I bought my FlyCamOne2 a while back. Now it looks like FlyCamOne3 is out --
https://www.hobby-lobby.com/flycamone3.htm
which may take higher resolution still pictures. Or may not -- they don't give any details on it! (And we don't care about any wireless capabilities for this anyways.)
https://www.hobby-lobby.com/video_camera.htm
And it'll take an external battery easily so you could use it, but it only does 640x480 pictures and that's pretty cruddy.
Really, the GoPro option would work well, and I'll bet it's pretty easy to add an external battery. Still, I wish more cameras had a "just take a picture every X seconds mode" -- it would be very nice for taking pictures from R/C airplanes, for example (which I do from time to time) -- just tape the camera to the plane, tell it to take pictures, and go fly.
(I actually bought a GoPro HD for exactly this purpose. (And taking video of bike rides and the like.) Though it arrived DOA and I had to send it back, so I'm still waiting for it to return so I can actually try it out.)
Edit: I bought my FlyCamOne2 a while back. Now it looks like FlyCamOne3 is out --
https://www.hobby-lobby.com/flycamone3.htm
which may take higher resolution still pictures. Or may not -- they don't give any details on it! (And we don't care about any wireless capabilities for this anyways.)
Last edited by dougmc; 07-09-10 at 04:03 PM.
#6
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Milwaukee, WI
Posts: 162
Bikes: Trek Pilot 1.0, Giant Sedona (old, winter/rain bike)
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
My current camera is a Canon SD1100 (still camera). I love its "interval mode" (where it creates a video from taking a pic every 1-2 seconds). I haven't actually tested it to see how long it runs, and the manual is sketchy. Based on the little info it does give about battery run-time, I doubt it would last two hours.
Anyway... thanks for the replies. I've looked into the GoPro and a few other cameras, but they didn't seem to be what I wanted. That new GoPro extended battery looks interesting, but may just give up for now. I don't think I'd get $300+ use out of it. Thanks for the replies
Anyway... thanks for the replies. I've looked into the GoPro and a few other cameras, but they didn't seem to be what I wanted. That new GoPro extended battery looks interesting, but may just give up for now. I don't think I'd get $300+ use out of it. Thanks for the replies
#7
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 3,040
Bikes: Bacchetta Giro, Strada
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time
in
1 Post
Actually, the FlyCamOne2 I mentioned earlier does take better still pictures than 640x480.
For example, all the pictures here --
https://flying.frenzied.us/aerial-pho...oug_Sahm_Hill/
were taken with it -- 1280x1024. The EXIF data says --
Camera make : Syntek
Camera model : USB Camera
Resolution : 1280 x 1024
Flash used : No
Focal length : 6.5mm
Exposure time: 0.0010 s (1/1000)
Aperture : f/3.0
ISO equiv. : 100
Whitebalance : Auto
Exposure : program (auto)
Focus range : distant
It's tiny, relatively cheap ($80) and while it won't last six hours by itself, it would be trivial to add an external battery (it exposes the connectors for that, 4 AA's would do it, and I think 2000 mAh ones would give you about six hours extra). As for how long it'll last, it seems to take about 300KB pictures, one every 4 seconds, so that's about 5 MB/minute, or 300 MB/hour or 1800 MB/six hours. Since it will accept up to a 2 GB card, with an external battery it should be able to do 6 hours.
For the pictures above, all I did was tape it to the plane, turn it on, put it into the "picture every four minutes" mode and then flew around.
And if you're looking to make a video of it, 1280x1024 is pretty good resolution anyways -- as wide as 720p, but a bit taller than 720p.
For example, all the pictures here --
https://flying.frenzied.us/aerial-pho...oug_Sahm_Hill/
were taken with it -- 1280x1024. The EXIF data says --
Camera make : Syntek
Camera model : USB Camera
Resolution : 1280 x 1024
Flash used : No
Focal length : 6.5mm
Exposure time: 0.0010 s (1/1000)
Aperture : f/3.0
ISO equiv. : 100
Whitebalance : Auto
Exposure : program (auto)
Focus range : distant
It's tiny, relatively cheap ($80) and while it won't last six hours by itself, it would be trivial to add an external battery (it exposes the connectors for that, 4 AA's would do it, and I think 2000 mAh ones would give you about six hours extra). As for how long it'll last, it seems to take about 300KB pictures, one every 4 seconds, so that's about 5 MB/minute, or 300 MB/hour or 1800 MB/six hours. Since it will accept up to a 2 GB card, with an external battery it should be able to do 6 hours.
For the pictures above, all I did was tape it to the plane, turn it on, put it into the "picture every four minutes" mode and then flew around.
And if you're looking to make a video of it, 1280x1024 is pretty good resolution anyways -- as wide as 720p, but a bit taller than 720p.
Last edited by dougmc; 07-11-10 at 11:24 AM.
#8
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2006
Location: North of the 49th Parallel (GPS grid soon)
Posts: 1,766
Bikes: MTB Peugoet Canyon (forgot the model), Nikishi? roadbike, MTB custom build,
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
My current camera is a Canon SD1100 (still camera). I love its "interval mode" (where it creates a video from taking a pic every 1-2 seconds). I haven't actually tested it to see how long it runs, and the manual is sketchy. Based on the little info it does give about battery run-time, I doubt it would last two hours.
Anyway... thanks for the replies. I've looked into the GoPro and a few other cameras, but they didn't seem to be what I wanted. That new GoPro extended battery looks interesting, but may just give up for now. I don't think I'd get $300+ use out of it. Thanks for the replies
Anyway... thanks for the replies. I've looked into the GoPro and a few other cameras, but they didn't seem to be what I wanted. That new GoPro extended battery looks interesting, but may just give up for now. I don't think I'd get $300+ use out of it. Thanks for the replies
#9
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2007
Location: SF
Posts: 137
Bikes: two wheeled pedal cycle
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
My current camera is a Canon SD1100 (still camera). I love its "interval mode" (where it creates a video from taking a pic every 1-2 seconds). I haven't actually tested it to see how long it runs, and the manual is sketchy. Based on the little info it does give about battery run-time, I doubt it would last two hours.
Anyway... thanks for the replies. I've looked into the GoPro and a few other cameras, but they didn't seem to be what I wanted. That new GoPro extended battery looks interesting, but may just give up for now. I don't think I'd get $300+ use out of it. Thanks for the replies
Anyway... thanks for the replies. I've looked into the GoPro and a few other cameras, but they didn't seem to be what I wanted. That new GoPro extended battery looks interesting, but may just give up for now. I don't think I'd get $300+ use out of it. Thanks for the replies