Lense choice for roof inspections.

[John Hennessy]

I am looking at either a Pixaero 8mm with 36 °FOV or a Peau 8.25 mm with 41° FOV . I will set up a separate CGO3+ with the chosen lense just for the roof inspections. I would value everbody's input to this as I know very little about photos, you could actually say it is (SFA) , that is ozzie slang Arnhem ant will understand and a few more that I have met through this forum .. Your input of knowledge would be of great value to us in our business ventures. Thanks ahead of schedule. Johnno Hennessy.
Keep flying on the green side of the grass.

 

[Eagle's Eye Video]

I would go with either the new 6mm or the 8mm lens from PixAero. From comparisons between my current PixAero 3.77 and my current Peau 8.25, you will get sharper results and better detail resolved with the PixAero lenses, as well better color rendition. I have just purchased the 6mm PixAero lens to replace my Peau 8.25.

I will be doing some testing once I receive the installed lens from Carolina Dronz. I also authorized Carolina Dronz to take my current 3.77mm PixAero camera and take some photos and video as a baseline. As soon as I send my 2nd camera with the currently installed Peau 8.25, they will take duplicate video and photos as a baseline of the Peau's performance.

They will subsequently replace the Peau lens with the new PixAero 6mm. Finally they will take an additional series of photos/video with the new PixAero. This will give them (and all of us) direct and quantifiable comparisons between the performance and characteristics of all 3 lenses.

The video below is a comparison video between the original stock Yuneec 3.29 lens, the PixAero 3.77 and the Peau 3.97 lens. It was the results of this video that made my decision to go with the PixAero 3.77 originally:

 

[Rubik]

With 36-41 deg FOV lens, the gimbal may have difficulty holding the camera steady enough for smooth video. It was designed for a wider angle lens. I'm interested to see the test results.

 

[Eagle's Eye Video]

Yes, there have been some previous posts about the video quality with the Peau 8.25 lens... it's the main reason that I hedged my bet by getting the PixAero 6mm lens. Slightly less magnification, and maybe with the shorter focal length will have less of a negative impact on some factors, such as the change in center of gravity with more glass (weight) towards the front.

I will also be doing testing on gimbal dampeners and pins, as CraigCam has found some interesting results by testing different setups.

 

[John Hennessy]

Well,
Thank you Eagle Eye and Rubicon for your replys and I will be looking with interest at the comparison videos that Carolina Drones will be doing for you. I will be mainly taking still photos and need the best lense for the ability to enlarge them for the detail of broken or damaged materials. Thank you for your prompt opinions and I am looking forward to more on this question that I have posed to the forum. I am going to use the Jeff Sibelius method of having the camera set in the highest video setting then take a still shot with that higher pixel count ,to enable us to post zoom in for the detail. I think that we are on the right track if not your option other wise would be greatly accepted also. Johnno Hennessy. Keep flying on the green side of the grass.

 

[Eagle's Eye Video]

Another suggestion... if you are doing mostly photo inspections as opposed to video, do not use a ND filter on the camera. The higher shutter speeds will remove any vibration induced softness in the final image. Jeff is correct in that the video settings must be at 4K to get full 12MP resolution photos. If editing, use the DNG format rather than JPG.

 

[Rubik]

Another suggestion... if you are doing mostly photo inspections as opposed to video, do not use a ND filter on the camera. The higher shutter speeds will remove any vibration induced softness in the final image. Jeff is correct in that the video settings must be at 4K to get full 12MP resolution photos. If editing, use the DNG format rather than JPG.

Also, set camera to PHOTO mode for full 4x3, 12 MP photos. Best for cropping (zooming) in for details. Stills taken while in 4K video mode are only about 8 MP.
You can also extract 8 MP stills from 4K video footage after the fact. This is accomplished by using the PrtScr button on the keyboard to capture the image from a 4K monitor screen and pasting it into a photo editor and saving. Or use procedures in the link below. The advantage of pulling stills from videos is the opportunity to pick exactly the best moment for the still shot.
How to Take Screenshots in Windows 10

 

[ArnhemAnt]

you could actually say it is (SFA) , that is ozzie slang Arnhem ant will understand .

Got it loud and clear mate. Unfortunately, I know SFA about your question. I will say that the PixAero does seem to have a better all round quality. I'm currently using the 3.77mm lens.

 

[PatR]

Pretty much agree with all of the above. If using the Peau lens it might be better to forego video and shoot only stills, which are not as easily impacted by minor gimbal instability.

Don't know what image processing program you are using but many of them provide the ability to capture a "screen grab" from a video, essentially capturing only one frame from the video at full video resolution. Some are saved in TIFF format, which allows a lot of post processing working latitude. I know both Adobe and Filmora have this capability.

 

[Rubik]

Don't know what image processing program you are using but many of them provide the ability to capture a "screen grab" from a video, essentially capturing only one frame from the video at full video resolution. Some are saved in TIFF format, which allows a lot of post processing working latitude. I know both Adobe and Filmora have this capability.

Not all video editors provide a full 4K (8 Mpixel) resolution frame grab. My favorite, Cyberlink PowerDirector 15 allows only a lower resolution "snapshot". Test your editor to see the resolution the frame capture image. File-Properties-Details is a quick way to tell what you have. That's why I was so happy to "discover" how well PrtScn function works with a 4K monitor.

 

[PatR]

Just don't save it in "Paint". Resolution goes waaaay down.

 

[John Hennessy]

Thank you all for your replys, now I have to go back to school and learn about photography. I will keep looking and learning from this forum , especially when Eagle Eye places his comparison videos. All the tips for editing apps to use , this has given me plenty of home work . But anyone else with a view please post it as the more knowledge the better. Johnno Hennessy.
Keep flying on the green side of the grass.

 

[John Hennessy]

Hi All, I have taken the big jump and with a lot of luck. I picked up a CGO3+ off eBay yesterday for $290 aud and last night ordered and paid for my 8mm Pixaero lense. The person that I purchased the camera from is a photographer and it was surplus to his needs and good for my luck as he was 7 km down the road in Brisbane Qld Australia. He said that for my work this will work very well and when it is ready to hook up would I take it around and show him. He seems a very nice person and also would like to come and fly with us in our spare time. There are not a lot of UAV clubs around here. The best thing for me is that I know SFA with cameras and he does, so it could be a win-win for both of us. This may also be the way that I can post some video of my drone fishing for all to look at. Thanks again Johnno Hennessy .Keep flying on the green side of the grass.

 

[AH-1G]

Another suggestion... if you are doing mostly photo inspections as opposed to video, do not use a ND filter on the camera. The higher shutter speeds will remove any vibration induced softness in the final image. Jeff is correct in that the video settings must be at 4K to get full 12MP resolution photos. If editing, use the DNG format rather than JPG.

GOM Player is also nice