G+_Chris Hightower Posted October 21, 2013 Share Posted October 21, 2013 Hello all! Love the show. Question for all the 'know-it-alls' out there: I'm looking to set up a long-term time lapse rig to cover a construction project. This project could potentially stretch on for years. We'd like to have a time-lapse video available at any given point in the timeline, so there could be a 'view project so-far' kinda deal. Any ideas for hardware and software to set up something like this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_M Blanco Posted October 21, 2013 Share Posted October 21, 2013 Maybe look into a raspberry pi? There is a kit out there, board and camera, for less than $60. Check out the raspberry community. Although, if you plan on using it for night time lapse, then I would recommend something else since the camera's filter causes images to be darker. Mig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Chris Hightower Posted October 21, 2013 Author Share Posted October 21, 2013 M Blanco - Thanks for the tip. I don't think we'll need any night time shots, since most (all?) of the construction will take place during daylight hours. Any other ideas out there? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_John Mink Posted October 21, 2013 Share Posted October 21, 2013 Why not use an old smartphone? If you still have an old one & don't mind the image quality of a camera phone. Just searching time - lapse apps brings up a bunch, so hopefully one of those is decent! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Chris Hightower Posted October 21, 2013 Author Share Posted October 21, 2013 This will probably need to be mounted outdoors, so I was thinking maybe a security camera or something similar + software to do the time lapse. What do y'all think? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Cole Brodine Posted October 21, 2013 Share Posted October 21, 2013 There was a good guide on the Raspberry Pi blog recently about putting the pi into a false security camera housing to give it some environmental protection. Depending on how much you want to spend and quality, there are a lot of other outdoor photo options. Would a wildlife camera be a option? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Chris Hightower Posted October 21, 2013 Author Share Posted October 21, 2013 Cole Brodine Wildlife camera, huh? Hadn't thought of that. I guess you could consider construction workers wildlife... :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Dave Kodama Posted October 21, 2013 Share Posted October 21, 2013 Chris Hightower A GoPro camera might be suitable - waterproof case, time-lapse mode, wide-angle lens, auto-exposure, no focus necessary, wi-fi control via smart phone... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Fr. Robert Ballecer, SJ Posted October 22, 2013 Share Posted October 22, 2013 GoPros are great for time-lapse, but not over a number of years, and it would be a pain to constantly download the pics so there would be a "view project so far" option. If I were creating something like this, I would look for a network camera in a ruggedized outdoor housing. Get it mounted on a solid structure overlooking your construction site and set it to upload (FTP, SFTP, whatever) to a storage server. Now it's just a matter of using software to turn the pictures into a usable time lapse. Perhaps something like the free "VideoVelocity" If you want to spend a little money, there are several NAS boxes that will act both as the storage server for the camera AND will give you an interface to run a time-lapse video directly from the store of pictures. (I know netgear and Synology will do it.) There are many cameras you can choose from, but I tend to be partial to Axis. They're not the cheapest, nor the highest quality, but they're a known quantity and they tend to be bullet-proof. They have a few cameras that will do 4k-quality snaps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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