BARNARD MICROSYSTEMS LIMITED

helping you keep an eye on things...

   
     
Home / unmanned air systems / payload I / compact camera
 

 

   
Home | introduction | circuit design software | unmanned air systems | contact | what's new | site info
 
 

 

   

unmanned air ...

features 
issues 
applications I 
applications II 
geological survey 
oil leakage 
engines 
avionics 
airframes 
payload I 
payload II 
data processing 
milestones 
calendar 
reference 
 

payload I

UV sensors 
DSLR camera 
mid size camera 
compact camera 
stereo 
line scan 
multi-spectral 
hyperspectral 
thermal imaging 
lidar scan 
 

Compact camera

The SONY Cybershot W200 compact camera

 

 

 

 

 


 

Compact cameras

The following compact cameras, all less than 130 grams in weight (without batteries), with good reviews in photographic magazines, are in our opinion, worth considering for use in a light surveillance UAV. Canon do not seem to offer a lightweight ( < 130 grams without batteries) compact camera.

Manufacturer

Model

weight

grams

pixels

MPixels

lens

shutter

seconds

cost

£

Olympus

FE-300

AV+USB

115

12.0

4,000 x 3,000

35 - 105 mm

f/ 2.8 - 4.7

1 / 1,000

203.43

Amazon

Kodak

M883

AV+USB

116

8.0

3,264 x 2,448

38 - 114 mm

f/ 3.1 - 5.9

1 / 1,000

150.00

Kodak

Sony

Cybershot W200

AV+DC+USB

116

12.0

4,000 x 3,000

35 - 105 mm

f/ 2.8 - 5.6

1 / 1,600

183.69

Amazon

Pentax

Optio T30

AV+DC+USB

120

7.1

3,070 x 2,304

38 - 113 mm

f/ 2.7 - 5.2

1 / 2,000

142.90

Amazon

Casio

Exilim EX-Z1050

AV+USB

125

10

3,648 x 2,736

38 - 117 mm

f/ 2.8 - 8.0

1 / 1,000

124.00

Amazon

Nikon

Coolpix L15

AV+DC+USB

125

8.0

3,264 x 2448

35 - 105 mm

f/ 2.8 - 4.7

1 / 1,000

130.00

Jessups

Most of the quality compact cameras seem to cost between £130 and £200 each. For discussion and reviews on a wide range of digital cameras, see the comprehensive http://www.imaging-resource.com/ web site.

Pentax Optio T-30

Sony Cybershot W200

Casio Exilim EX-Z1050

return to top

The SONY Cybershot W200 camera

return to top

Pro and cons

The good points

  • very light weight
  • good, high definition 1080i video imagery, even when the camera is moving
  • inexpensive

The not-so-good points

  • takes about 3 seconds between single images due to time for auto-focus and image data storage
  • non-standard USB cable
  • no software as far as we can tell at the present time to enable computer control of the camera
  • images taken in multi-shot mode tend to be blurred, no doubt due to the small diameter lens on the camera
  • images taken from a moving platform, such as an aircraft, are blurred due to the small lens in the compact camera.

return to top

Images from a moving plane taken using the SONY Cybershot W200 compact camera

These photographs were taken on the EasyJet morning flight 5333 from Gatwick Airport to Toulouse on Friday 4th January, 2008. Note that the ISO setting was left at AUTO. Less image blurring might have occurred if the ISO setting had been set at 800 or 1600.

Above, on the outskirts of Toulouse, with the magnified section shown next. Maximum zoom setting.

Over Toulouse itself, with the magnified section shown next. Certainly struggling with resolution.

More from Toulouse, with the magnified section shown next. Resolution still struggling. Maximum zoom.

We conclude that the quality of the imagery from the SONY Cybershot W200 taken from a moving aircraft is unfortunately both expected and disappointing. The images are more blurred than those from the mid-size and DSLR cameras, simply confirming the importance of using a large, quality, lens and a sensitive, high fill factor, CCD imager, when taking photographs from a moving platform.

return to top


© Barnard Microsystems Limited 2006 - 2008