MesoDome Robotic Camera Dome

[Brad Emel]

Use your own camera with the MesoDome Robotic Dome System to capture amazing storm footage! Simply mount it to your vehicle, calibrate the controller software, and you're ready to stream live video! Syncs up with GPS to track storms while you concentrate on driving! "Lock on" to the direction the camera is looking!

The MesoDome is a revolutionary marriage of hardware and software designed with the storm chaser in mind. It utilizes a dome, robotic controllers, and your video camera. Easy to use software helps keep your camera "locked on" while you concentrate on driving. Read More

• Use your own video camera.
• Mounts to the top of your vehicle. Mag-mount version available early spring.
• Syncs up with GPS for computer assisted storm tracking.
• Use a joystick and preview window to control the camera manually.
• Optional IR controller adds zoom ability and start/stop recording.

We will unveil our new product at Chasercon 2011 in Denver. Come by our booth for a product demonstration and special introductory price!

Complete product information available on our website.
http://www.mesodome.com

Brad Emel
President
MesoDome, LLC

 

[Bryan Stokes]

Brad,

This looks great! I can't wait to see it in a few days...

Bryan

 

[Matt Tottle]

Very very cool! I really wish I could make it to CC, I'd love to see this in person (and meet some of you guys!)

 

[Donovan Gruner]

Is there a price set for these yet? I have been thinking about building one, however I still need to figure out how I want to control the camera and whatnot. Likely wouldn't be streaming, just recording. Probably just going to cut a hole in the roof and manually control from inside.

 

[Mark Ellinwood]

Any thoughts on adding climate control? Has there been any humidity or condensation issues inside the dome?

 

[Darren Addy]

I have to say that THIS was one of the coolest things I saw at ChaserCon and I don't even really shoot video (at least not yet). You supply the videocam (natch) and the price tag is probably a lot less than you might think it was going to be. Brad is a chaser and a trained software developer and he started out with the goal of making something great for himself. I think that bodes well for the future improvements on this product, and Brad said that part of the reason he was a ChaserCon vendor was to get feedback from chasers. I'll let him say what sort of things are planned for the future.

Even now it is an impressive bit of engineering, as it automatically turns the camera to keep the target in frame... even as your car turns corners. It recognizes when it has turned as far as it can without twisting wires and speed-rotates back around to pick up the target from the other side. Forget the dome and roof mounting for a moment... this would be very useful even for an inside dashboard-mounted camera (although I didn't think to ask if such a beast was a possible future product).

Kudos to Brad for a very creative project that appears to be well-engineered and fairly priced. I have seen the future of chase streaming video camera mount systems, and this is it. If I was a video streamer, I would get in on the ground floor with this product, because IMHO (with Brad being very receptive to chaser input) your ideas could really help shape future enhancements and product development of this (and possibly other?) future MesoDome products.

 

[Skip Talbot]

Kudos to Brad for a very creative project that appears to be well-engineered and fairly priced.

Has a price actually been set? I heard third hand that the floor model at ChaserCon was going for $1900. Is this correct?

 

[Scott Weberpal]

You supply the videocam (natch) and the price tag is probably a lot less than you might think it was going to be.

• Magnetic base mount: $2099.99
• Roof rack mount: $1899.99

That's about twice as much as I figured it would be. It's also about twice as much as I pay to do all my chasing for the season.

 

[Brandon Sullivan]

I have deleted a number of posts that were not fit for the market threads.

Any posts not aimed at obtaining or exchanging direct information about the product listed should not be posted.

That said, there is an ongoing thread, Camera Domes, where discussions such as product originality, idea, patents, etc (which were discussed in this thread) may be further discussed.

 

[Jason Foster]

Wow...that's crazy expensive, but I understand when you look at the variables of a small volume manufacturer. Brad, how many did you plan on selling, you do realize most chasers are poor, or just cheap, right? Maybe not as bad as in the past, but still so.

 

[Chad Cowan]

For that price I would've expected it to come with the camera, but I guess entrepreneurship means never having to say "I'm sorry you can't afford it."

At the bottom of the spec page it says "Patent Pending." What are you attempting to patent? Can you clarify that statement?

 

[Brad Emel]

The official pricing on the MesoDome System:

• Magnetic base mount: $2099.99
• Roof rack mount: $1899.99

We're offering this price until Feb. 28, 2011.

I'm a storm chaser too, and I recognize that most chasers don't have a lot of money, and often prefer a cheaper alternative. I've done my best to make a product that uses high quality components, while trying to keep costs down at the same time. I understand the end result may be cost-prohibitive for some.

It's kind of a toss up at the moment, some people at CC thought the MesoDome would be a lot more expensive, while others thought it was way too expensive.

Thanks to everyone that came out to CC and swung by our table. I really appreciate all the feedback I was given (online and at CC). We're going to keep pushing forward to improve the MesoDome system and its software.

Thanks again for all the feedback!

Brad Emel
MesoDome, LLC
http://www.mesodome.com

 

[Scott Bennett]

Do you have some sample video with this in a storm?

I am currious how it deals with rain and humidity in general.

 

[Jason Foster]

I'm a storm chaser too, and I recognize that most chasers don't have a lot of money, and often prefer a cheaper alternative. I've done my best to make a product that uses high quality components, while trying to keep costs down at the same time. I understand the end result may be cost-prohibitive for some.

It's kind of a toss up at the moment, some people at CC thought the MesoDome would be a lot more expensive, while others thought it was way too expensive.

Thanks to everyone that came out to CC and swung by our table. I really appreciate all the feedback I was given (online and at CC). We're going to keep pushing forward to improve the MesoDome system and its software.
http://www.mesodome.com

Yeah...there are always folks that are quite oblivious to the whole cost of materials and such. But maybe they are the ones that will be your clients. While I may think the price is high its a free market and market demand rules the day in this day and age. No such thing as 'the right price'. kinda sad, but it is what it is.

 

[Ryan McGinnis]

Let me ask it this way: if Canon or Nikon made a product like this, a weather-proof remote camera servo with GPS assisted predictive object tracking, how much do you think they'd charge? My guess would be not a penny under $4K.

Granted, Brad doesn't have the Canon or Nikon brand behind him, but that's a pretty reasonable price for what he's made. Not sure if he'll get many bites given his market, but then I also think his mostly likely profitable market would be professional videographers (if I were him I'd be calling the people who film Storm Chasers and such things).