I want to model a 100 km road. So I planned to take photographs using Helicopters. What is the best camera and lens companion for this work?
Well the absolute best way would be to use a multicamera system (such as a microsoft ultra cam or a LeadAir MIDAS system) mounted on the airframe, however these are very expensive and are geared towards aerial survey companies. Pros are that you will get 100% coverage based on the setup of the system meaning there is less you have to think about in flight. Also very large sensors mean high res images for high res models. The cons are basically the price and the fact that they are mounted directly on the aircraft so you need an aircraft you can mount one to.
Moving down on the spectrum of price and quality, there are medium format cameras (hasselblad or phase one). Ive never used a medium format camera but I have heard that their handling can be clunky which might make them not the best for aerial photography. The pros though are that they have very large, high resolution sensors.
The cheapest line of cameras I would recommend for aerial capture would be the Nikon's, Sony's, Canon's etc full frame high res DSLR's. I created this model using a Nikon D810 w/ 70mm f/2.8 lens out of a Cessna and it worked pretty well. They are, comparatively, very cheap, easy to use, and modern full frame DSLR's keep getting higher and higher resolution sensors.
Answer Verified By: Thulasivarman Kadampeswaran
Hi Casey, Nice Model! It looks like you got pretty complete coverage. Can you elaborate on your flight plan? (Flight paths, elevations, interval between shots, total acquisition time etc...?) Is you camera stabilized in any way? How are you postioned when taking the photos? We have primarily used helicopters and focused more on orbiting point locations such as bridges, interchanges, roundabouts, and intersections. We are very interested in efficiently capturing larger areas similar to your example. We just upgraded to a Nikon D810 as well! Regards, Ron
Hey Ron,
We were flying 1000 ft AGL (lowest you can legally fly over populated areas) in interlocking circles in a cessna 172. Total acquisition time was about an hour and a half. Camera wasnt stabilized in any way, I was just leaning out the window to take the photos (though I do use a wrist strap which makes the wind a little bit less of a factor).
Basically, we would orbit around a point of interest and I would snap a picture every 2-3 seconds. While making that first orbit, I would identify another point of interest that is off to the edge of the frame. When we finish the first orbit, we would begin orbiting the second point of interest. Since the second point of interest can be viewed in some photos from the first orbit, we get enough overlap to stitch the two orbits together. On the second orbit I would then identify a third point of interest and so on and so forth until you have photographed the entire area. Ive attached a (very) rough sketch to try and illustrate it. Its not exact obviously but hopefully it helps a little.
As always, feel free to email me if you have any questions.
Hello All:
I use the same technique as Casey using a C-172 wit a Nikon D3200 and it has worked very well for my projects; about 100 over 2-3 years. I actually shoot from the rear seat through the window; I find this more convenient as I don't have to worry about the wing strut getting the way and keeping the camera relatively steady in the slipstream. I colour balance the photos before processing. I have never done roads longer than 2-3 km. I suspect 100km would require a good flight plan (picking suitable points to circle) before flying
Farouk Rohoman