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UltravioletPhotography

How to set up a live UV cam? [Progress was made!]


Andrea B.

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Hello Members --

 

A live UV cam would only be of interest to complete and total UV-nerds. That would be me, of course.

US Slang: complete and total, compound adjective. Meant to ironically over-emphasize the intensity of the nerd's dedication to UV matters.

 

So how are live cams set up? Do you need a special camera made for the purpose? Or is there a way to set up a modified full spectrum DSLR as a live UV-cam? How does one feed the video into the internet?

 

I just realized I had absolutely no idea how such things are done. I would like to know.

 

If you happen to be bored, set up a window for the Penguin Cam at the San Diego Zoo. That Zoo has lots of other animal cams. Currently the Hippo Cam shows the hippos motionless at the bottom of their pool. I'm hoping for some action later from those guys. It is hot here and I don't feel like working on fotos.

Penguin Cam: https://zoo.sandiego...ams/penguin-cam

 

From your ever curious Friend and Editor.....

Andrea B.

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oh la! The penguins seem to have disappeared now. Oh well.
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What I thought were hippos might actually be rocks. I'll let you know later.

The penguins are back though.

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Exactly, 30 minutes ago I had this exact same thought.

My solution that I might setup is an Olympus camera in a window connected with powercord. Then connect to it via Olympus share android app on my phone. To move files.

 

If I use either a Em1 or Em5mk2, I could use Olympus capture software on a laptop. But wouldn't get remote control like with my phone.

 

For no UV I might connect my Panasonic GM5 with 14-42mm pz lens and connect via Panasonic android app. With the PZ lens I can adjust focus and zoom remotely. But the PZ lenses are not good for UV.

I also now have an app that does focus bracketing.

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Find old Lumix full spectrum GH1 and attach it to Laptop via the budget priced Black Magic Design UltraStudio Mini Recorder.

That is apparently a Live Streaming thingie which will work with a mirrorless or dslr.

 

So then how do I broadcast stuff? Must need something software-ish at this point.

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But if my Lumix GH1 is on the roof, how the heck do I connect it to the recorder thingie (linked in preceding) on the laptop on my desk? A big long cable? Seems kind of kludgy.

 

I am astounded that I know absolutely nothing about Live Streaming. Seems like these days we would all know how to do this?

 

I'm thinking I'd better start small and not put the GH1 on the roof just yet. Maybe just at a window like Dave was thinking about above. If I can get the GH1 live streaming just to my laptop, then I'll call Step One successful.

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Thanks, Dmitry.

 

That is a very good tutorial.

 

I'm going to try the OBS software. Free is good!

 

I also have now ordered a "video capture" device so I can livestream to my laptop.

This was not available locally, so I had to order from B&H. It will arrive next Monday.

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eye4invisible
Live cams tend to be just el-cheapo webcams. It should be easy enough to remove the IR-cut filter from one of them, but the challenge would be to find a UV-passing filter to fit over the front of it.
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I would use a tested camera and not a web camera. When I tested the Axis 212 it was garbage for UV and I had removed the huge blocking filter.

 

The raspberry pi camera might be promising. But still out of stock.

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Hi Andrea,

I wish you all the best with your wireless UV project.

At the other end of the spectrum, I have an old analog cam that I connected to our TV, with a long wire and a RCA video cable (no sound). By switching the TV input to 'AV' I get a live view our porch and street (if I'm too lazy to get up off the couch).

 

I forget when and where I acquired this cam, but it's color IR in the daytime, and bw IR sensitive at night.

 

Here's a direct shot from the TV screen.

post-189-0-56340800-1591401300.jpg

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That is a colorful view, Gary!

 

When I was taking care of a house for someone in Colorado, I used their livestream cams to check for skunks and bears before letting the dogs go into the fenced yard at night. Sure enough, one night a big ole skunk was wandering through the yard waving its tail and probably looking for trouble. I banged the door a couple of times and it ran off. Dogs and skunks do not mix well.

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This will not be of use in your case Andrea, but I am adding it here for reference.

Panasonic has just released a new version of tethering software that supports streaming.

It allows a USB tethered camera to work with OBS (without a video capture card) or as a webcam.

Currently it is beta and only supports Windows and the high end Lumixes (G9,Gh5,GH5S,S1,S1H,S1R)

Other cameras could be added in the future.

 

Article on 4/3 Rumors with detailed video of usage with OBS (has ads)

https://www.43rumors...eaming-purpose/

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Andrea, Do you want to use the D610 (or is it a D600, I forget)?

Can you get a good enough in camera white balance for UV with the D600/610?

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I will probably try this out with the Sony A7R or the Lumix S1R. The S1R is not yet converted, but I want to practice with the camera before converting it.

 

The Nikon D610 will of course not attain the full UV white-balance we use in our photo presentations, but I have manipulated the color coordinates to be closer to unity. Didn't get to full unitary WB, but close enough to reduce the red overload.

 

My recorder gadget just arrived to use with OBS.

I'll also try the Panasonic streaming software mentioned above. (Thanks for that comment, Steve!) I use mostly Macbooks, but we have some Windows laptops around here also.

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Bill De Jager
The Nikon D610 will of course not attain the full UV white-balance we use in our photo presentations, but I have manipulated the color coordinates to be closer to unity. Didn't get to full unitary WB, but close enough to reduce the red overload.

 

I now have a broadband-converted D610, the stock camera having been acquired at a very good price during the recent sale. I felt this would make it easier and give useful EXIF data when using an F-mount lens. Of course I was expecting to get out more and do more landscape photography this year, but some rogue RNA intervened.

 

I've also been intending to finally get going on doing correct (as per UVP standards) UV color; I have the lens, filter, and standards. So this news is a bit disappointing but I guess I'll survive. ;-) Once I get the hang of it I'll have to try proper white balance on my Canon 6D broadband to see if that one works any better than the D610.

 

What I'm wondering is which cameras are known to be able to do the full UV white balance? Not that I'm in any hurry to get another broadband camera, but even after a search of UVP I still have no idea of how different makes and models compare in this regard.

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Bill De Jager

Bill, both my Sony A7S and NEX-7 can do full UV WB in-camera? Is that what you are asking?

 

I believe my thinking was actually a bit fuzzy at the time I posted, but that would have to be the correct meaning. The red overload that Andrea mentions is not a good thing, or would have to be combated by deliberate underexposure. Now that we're discussing it, I remember previous discussions years ago that Panasonic cameras are also capable of good UV WB in-camera. When I used the Canon 6D last fall I was shooting in monochrome so WB wasn't an issue.

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Bill,

Not a bad idea for a totally different thread title.

Which cameras are easily capable to WB in UV.

I would say Olympus is definitely one. I can get a custom white balance under any lighting condition. Sometimes it takes 3 or 4 attempts, but will work.

 

The recent Kolari full spectrum teardown articles might be an other good source of information. Some seemed useless at getting WB. But I remembered the Panasonic S1R did really well.

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My answer here is a bit Off Topic from the original question about Live Streaming. That's OK. Sometimes we drift. Thanks to all again for their help with Live Streaming. I think I've made a good start!

 

I've also been intending to finally get going on doing correct (as per UVP standards) UV color; I have the lens, filter, and standards. So this news is a bit disappointing but I guess I'll survive. ;-) Once I get the hang of it I'll have to try proper white balance on my Canon 6D broadband to see if that one works any better than the D610.

 

Bill, I don't know what converters or editing software you use, but the D610 UV or IR files are quite easily white balanced in any converter such as Photo Ninja, View NX, Capture NX, Raw Therapeee, Dark Table and/or others. After the WB step, simply save the file as TIFF and use the software of your choice for further work. It is not a major hit on any workflow, IMHO, to run UV files in batch thru one of the acceptable converters. YMMV, of course. :grin:

 

The D610 has very good image quality, so I encourage you to continue to work with it. Shoot your raw D610 UV photos using the Monochrome Picture Control to avoid dealing with red/magenta overload while shooting. Aim to place the monochrome brightness "hump" in the middle for best UV exposure of wide scenes. For close work, that suggestion may change. (Example: very UV-dark flower photographed in macro mode might produce a brightness hump more on the left side of the histogram.)

 

We've seen that Canons, Panasonic Lumix, Sony, and Olympus will all make good in-camera measurements under a UV-pass filter --- most of the time. Be sure with these cameras to set the exposure manually and make a couple of test shots to verify it before attempting to measure WB under the UV-pass filter. Metering can be weird under a UV-pass filter so you cannot always take the camera's word for the proper exposure settings when working in UV.

 

BTW, even though a non-Nikon camera might produce a WB measurement under UV, you still want to use your white standards to confirm accuracy. And also to use in a converter for making presets for faster workflow.

 

Hope this helps!

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