Michael Ratliff
EF1
Thank you Scott and Jeff ........Case and Point !
Camera Domes
- Thread starter Bart_Comstock
- Start date
Michael Ratliff
EF1
The only problem with the sharp cctv camera is the first baseball size hail will destroy it ! But yall are thinking out of the box now !
Dan Robinson
EF5
How far upward does the camera need to point? How about using a wide acrylic cylinder with a flat top made out of something strong enough to withstand hail?
Skip Talbot
EF5
You'll want a full 90 degrees of tilt. Its the times when you need 90 degrees of tilt that you'll wish you had it the most. I've used it a few times on a chase, although not to get a funnel going overhead. Looking straight up on towering convection on 5/22:
Watch video >
Brian Davidson
EF2
Skip, your my hero, you know that, right?
Donovan Gruner
Does anyone monitor their camera through a small lcd screen as opposed to running into a computer? At the moment I don't think I'll stream from the roof cam (if I build it), and would like to avoid needing a computer for monitoring the video. Mainly interested in the car acting as a mobile tripod of sorts. I've come across a few little lcd monitors, but was wondering if anyone else has anything like that, or any ideas of something that might work. If I do decide to stream, I was thinking about throwing one of the GoPro cameras up there.
Bart_Comstock
EF5
Since my original post I made yesterday in the marketplace thread was deleted (the one that Skip got his avatar from) I thought I would just leave this here:
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Dave Lewison
EF1
Thanks for the tips, Skip! For what it's worth, the polycarbonate panels I've used on all of my hail guards haven't yellowed in 5 years. I think that happens with constant exposure to sunlight over a period of years. In most cases, this dome would only see a month of "action" each year and be stored away the rest of the time. But I definitely agree on the scratching issue...you have to be much more careful with it. And from what I've read, polycarbonate can't be polished like Acrylic can if it does scratch. So, it's a toss-up. I think I'm willing to sacrifice a little video quality and spend a little more to know I won't be destroying a $500 camera and motorized head.
I *try* to avoid hail cores too...but they don't always avoid me!
Wes Carter
EF5
Great thread!
As I was reading about polycarbonate domes I thought of the polycarbonate eyeglasses I got this past year and how well they have held up. I got the anti-scratch coating and the stuff works very well. So I Googled it and found a product called Vueguard 901WC. It is a scratch and abrasion resistant coating formulated for polycarbonate and acrylic. It is also available in an anti-glare formulation. I don't know if this might help extend the useful lives of your domes or not, but I thought it might be worth looking at.
As I was reading about polycarbonate domes I thought of the polycarbonate eyeglasses I got this past year and how well they have held up. I got the anti-scratch coating and the stuff works very well. So I Googled it and found a product called Vueguard 901WC. It is a scratch and abrasion resistant coating formulated for polycarbonate and acrylic. It is also available in an anti-glare formulation. I don't know if this might help extend the useful lives of your domes or not, but I thought it might be worth looking at.
JeffGonzales
EF2
Yes, I have a small monitor (looks like a garmin gps screen) that is on my windsheild. I got it on ebay for like $15. I run the AV from my camcorder to this.
But I also stream so i run my firewire as well to my camcord to the laptop to stream live. I connected the screen to a toggle switch when i want to turn it on. Here is a example: http://cgi.ebay.com/Mini-3-5-TFT-LC...itu=UCC&otn=5&ps=63&clkid=7267666548902459499
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Donovan Gruner
That's right Jeff, I remember you saying something about that now. That's a lot better than the ones I was looking at... most of them were around $120 to $200. Don't really need anything super nice for this application, only need to be able to see what's going on to compose nice shots.
