Camera's for field documentation.

SO!

Where the heck are these pictures?

Paul in PA

I use the 5 MP camera built in to my phone. With built in GPS and Compass it geotags them automatically. The quality is actually quite nice for a phone camera.

The Megapixel Myth

SO!

Like Paul said, where are the pics?

SO!

The size/quality of them would be seriously reduced to post on Beer Leg.

SO!

I cut this one in half then Beer Leg notified me that it was further reducing it but you can tell how clear the shot is and how well the Zeiss optics are in any case.

Nice picture Deral,
we use the Canon Powershot series at the office, (discovered last week they have an adjustable timer function ... just what solo surveyors need it they want to be part of the scene!)
at home we use the Panasonic Lumix (DMC TZ5) with Leica lens and a 10x optical zoom, it has 9M. pixels.
I love it, very clear optics and still fits in your pocket.

chr.

I agree it's not so much the megapixels but I'm impressed with the optics of the lens. I doubt that the name Zeiss would have been used lightly so that it what first caught my eye when shopping for a new camera.

I also bought a telescoping tripod. It's only about 6 inches long but when you pull out the legs it extends to 18" long. Using the timer then you can get much crisper shots, as mentioned in your link, by it being more stable that your hand.

Pictures are pretty important now days in most field work and especially in public works infrastructure. I don't know how many times that I used it to shoot into a manhole and then reviewed the picture to see what is actually down there as far as inflows and such. Very handy tool to document almost anything we do.

Our inspectors document broken concrete in driveways and such to avoid claims when we do a project where a land owner says that we broke his driveway with our construction. Picture with time and date. Claim denied.

Ditto on the Canon cameras.

I actually like my personal older model because it has a viewfinder (handy in bright daylight sometimes). Powershot A520.

My State-issued Canon is the newer flatter one with a fairly large screen but I don't like it as well. Powershot SD750.

I find it especially handy to put it in close-up mode and take several pictures of the cap if there's a lot of stamping on there. Sometimes I force the flash on so I'm sure to get a good sharp picture.

I even used it to take a photo of a tag I couldn't read because it is riveted to the side of the pipe which is leaning. My closeup vision isn't as good as it used to be so I got the camera under there in close up mode and got a beautifully sharp photo of the tag I could actually read.

Has Canon fixed the problem on the PowerShot cameras where the protective iris only opens partway when you turn the camera on? You have to always remember to snap it with a finger to get it fully open. I had this problem right out of the box about 5 years ago, took it back for an exchange, and the replacement did it after a few weeks. I've talked to other PowerShot owners who had the same problem.

Other than that I like the camera. This series was one of very few at that time offering optical zoom. My advice these days is to buy the lens and take whatever camera it is installed on. Digital zoom is not worth talking about.

I agree that 5 Mpixels is plenty unless you are going to do huge prints. How many megapixels does the eye process?

Bill,
one of the older models starts having the problem now and then, probably caused by the somewhat rough treatment when you run around with the camera in the pocket, a lot of dust there too.
No problems with the newer A570 so far.
chr.

My A520 was doing that but it's gotten better lately. The newer one has never had that problem.

The Panasonic Lumix with the Leica lenses are the common choices of Photogrammetrists because it offers the widest wide angle of all of the small format digital cameras. Various models have differenct resolutions ... the wide angle setting is the most important. Anything at or above 6 Mega-pixels allows for some pretty fancy photogrammetry if ever needed.

My Dad did aerial photogrammetry with a war surplus camera he hung over the window sill (sash type window open) of a 1959 Cessna 182 Skylane. This was in the 1960s in Fresno.

In high wing Cessnas if you disconnect the thing that holds the window open about 10 or 15° (one screw) then the window will fly open parallel with the wing when you are flying (unless you slip toward the right side). Makes a huge opening to look through.

Specially-modified aerial photo planes are particularly creepy to fly in when there's no camera ... just a man-sized hole in the floor right behind the pilot.

We are looking at the boot for the Ranger that has a camera. About $150 I believe. The idea there is the photo can be taken when the point is located and it becomes metadata along with all the other attributes of the point. I haven't tried it yet but sounds like a time saver.

We will be taking a photo of every monument we locate in the future.

Jim

Another great tool for us from the digital world. When i think of the thousands of monuments of all sorts that could have been enhanced with digital pics from just my practice alone...oh well. Such is history. Film was just too cumbersome.

7-8 years ago starting using a Canon ProShot G series, and then bought the G6. Have since documented thousands of shots of monuments, refernces, field conditons, setups, documents, construction, and people that add an invaluable element to our reports.

During film i was a Minolta fan, digital has me working Canon; but, there are so many choices of quality units, pick one and run with it!

Canon has just released last month the G12. Appears to be another great unit.

http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/consumer/products/cameras/digital_cameras/powershot_g12

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Canon/canon_g12.asp

all the best,
dla