[Prev][Next][Index][Thread]
Re: (meteorobs) rotating shutter mania
In a message dated 96-07-09 22:06:41 EDT, you write:
<< That sounds like what George makes. The blades are just big enough to
cover
the camera lens. I'll talk to George about production.
Kevin
>>
For unguided camera's, you can maintain a smaller blade...but I have a guided
camera that moves...With a small blade, it's possible that the camera can
move partially out of the blades coverage. Thus, I made a little larger
blade to buy me some time as the camera moves. Having the big contraption
mounted onto a sturdy tripod enabled me to move the camera any direction I
want and still be able to easily conform the rotating shutter to cover the
lens. I have no problems with it in that respect. The one thing you want to
make sure about is maintaining a constant RPM. I've noticed after getting my
Strobe light, that RPM's can change a lot during the course of the night...as
the usage of electricity varies. I'm sure there are ways of maintining this,
but I knew for sure that if I had a strobe light, I can determine RPM's at
any time desired...Thus I check RPM's before and after the nites usage...and
again right after a significant fireball has crossed the camera's field.
Another problem I had was having an under powered motor for the shutter.
After I got the blades on...with a lot smaller fan, I had to spin the blade
to get it started. I was afraid of an eventual motor burn out that I decided
to jump up to the larger motor from the get go. Other than being a little too
fast, I've had no real complaints from the photos that I make using it. The
fast meteors seemed to work with it just find...I have yet to catch anything
slow with it yet, but expect to experience some problems then...it's
definitely a trade off I guess. If I ever catch a slow meteor I'll share what
the results are.
George Z.