I've always found something fascinating about images taken from the air, they bring out the geek in me. Over the years I've taken airborne video and still shots in many countries and the results have never failed to warrant the effort involved. I suppose there are two reasons for that. Firstly, good fortune has blessed me with good results and secondly my innate laziness has meant that the effort involved has always been minimal.
For both video and stills I use the same mount. Actually the term mount is a bit grand for what is essentially an 8'' x 3'' piece of 1/32'' ply wrapped with GRP tape and with a bolt through it to fit the tripod mount fitting found on 99% of cameras. In a similarly barbaric way the mount is simply taped to the top of the wing over the CG. The camera is then screwed in place and yet more tape is used to stop in unscrewing. The result is dead cheap, simple and quick to rig, secure enough for normal flight yet forgiving enough to break free in the event of an excessively rapid deceleration.
Using video cuts out the shutter release issue, you simply press record before you launch. For stills I have again adopted the most straightforward approach that I could get away with. The photograph gives you the general idea (they say it's worth a thousand words, but Traplet must keep that money 'cause I haven't seen a penny of it!). The foam pad on the servo arm is designed to be as gentle as possible on the camera's shutter. The servo is attached via an extension lead through the tow hook hole (knew it would come in handy one day) to a spare RX channel that is operated by a TX switch. The switch control is on a software curve, with the shutter releasing in the middle of the curve, that way the shutter is released whichever way the switch is moved.
If you use my advanced engineering approach of mounting the shutter release servo there is one issue to be prepared for. At all costs you must aim to preserve on video the incredulous look of horror on you more expensive halves face when you get your shiny new camera through the post, mix up a big splodge of epoxy and squelch a servo in place. Of course she doesn't need to know you protected the camera first with some Diamond tape... you did protect the camera first with some Diamond tape didn't you...
There are significant advantages to using a digital still camera. To get enough quality for decent sized prints three million pixels works just fine and that's the bargain basement end of the market these days. Be aware though that because two cameras have the same amount of pixels it doesn't mean their outputs will be of the same quality. Read some reviews (www.dpreview.com) or speak to someone in the know before splashing out the £150 to £300 it'll take.
One feature worth looking for is shutter priority, which allows you to manually set the shutter speed rather than relying on the camera. The reason for this is that, generally speaking, shutter speeds below 250th of a second will start to allow a little camera shake to creep in and your images may blur a little. Once you set the shutter to 250th (or more on a bright day) you can be assured of some great photos.
With both stills and video you will probably prefer the wide-angle look. Zooming in can have benefits in very specific circumstances but staying at wide-angle is generally more satisfying to the eye.
I've always preferred shots taken with the lens pointing along the wing and in the case of still cameras this is usually the lowest drag route as well. For video this is trickier, unless you happen to own a Sony Ruvi, which could have been made for the job.
My camera platform has always been a Pike of some description, and the generous tail area has meant that there is no noticeable degradation in elevator or rudder response. Indeed, in good conditions the camera is barely noticeable. When the lift drops the extra drag becomes more apparent but the weight itself is carried easily.
Composing shots is amazingly simple, so long as you remember which tip the camera is looking along!
I hope some of you give it a go; it opens up a whole new world of photos you can bore your loved ones with.
Click on any photo to see a larger version - thanks to BarkWeb for the webspace
