A request for the OBS Staff

[Steve M]

That's cool. Did I read correctly that this camera is a backup camera from an SUV?

[RI Swamp Yankee]

This doesn't look like your basic cheap "spycam", it looks like a serious piece of equipment.

http://www.elmo.co.jp/suv-cam/en/index.html

[h2oeco]

That's cool. Did I read correctly that this camera is a backup camera from an SUV?

The name of the product is "SUV Cam Pro" - has nothing to do with SUVs...

Ed

[Brad]

And you expect something called "Elmo" to be able to handle those conditions?

[h2oeco]

What do you have in mind? Putting a stuffed "Elmo" character out there, and filming it to see what happens? Might make an interesting Obscast...

[Steve M]

What do you have in mind? Putting a stuffed "Elmo" character out there, and filming it to see what happens? Might make an interesting Obscast...

Poor Elmo might get frostbite!

[Brad]

Is it "frostbit" or "frostbited"?

[Patrad Fischroy]

Ed, would it be feasible/practical or even effective to mount the camera in a tube of some sort that might block the formation of rime on the camera lens? You would still have to keep the open end of the tube free of ice and there would be some "tunnel-vision" in the view. I would assume that the "camera in a tube" would have to be oriented with the prevailing winds across the field of view.

[h2oeco]

Yes. I have actually thought about this sort of mount for next time, and emailed Ryan some ideas about it. The camera would be mounted in clear plastic tubing - probably some sort of stiff aquarium tubing, near the open mouth. In theory, this would help keep some ice off the lens, but I actually think that the wind/fog/etc. would swirl around and into the tube, and might actually promote the formation of ice on the camera. The ideal thing would be this sort of mount with "warm" (not actually heated, just "room temperature" air from the top of the tower) blowing out of the tube, around/past the camera. This would do two things - one, provide a bit of warmth to camera to lessen the formation of ice, and two, hopefully the flow of air would keep fog/water/ice pellets, etc. from even entering the tube and getting on the camera/lens. The camera can handle the cold, ice, etc. and is waterproof, just need to keep the ice form physically obscuring the lens.

Ed

[Patrad Fischroy]

Some of this could be tested without the camera and with a minimum of observer attention by setting up a tube in the configuration noted. It would probably be necessary to also set up a wind direction indicator very near to the end of the tube to see at what orientation the system would work best.