Model Forum / General / Rockets / January 2006

sigh, this will take a bit to explain

I am getting tired of being stuck behind a camcorder on launch day, and have
thought about ways to solve that.....

In model rocketry, you only get one take for the first (and maybe last/only)
flight of a model rocket. wandering autofocus, poor tracking of subject, or
a dozen other little things can make your shot useless.

after looking on the internet, I found
http://www.camcorderinfo.com/content/portable_tv_studio.htm that mentioned
part of how to solve this, for under $6000.

way to much money for capture a $100 rocket flight.

so I looked at doing my own setup on paper, just to see how low I could
go......

First I want 4 cameras to match the 4 standard shots you usually see (wide,
close-up,mid, tracking) and I want the raw footage to edit for the shots.
since the cameras do not need to be manned (except the tracking), I can
stick tripods on them and let them record a whole days worth of events
(approx 4 hours)

ok, so I looked on eBay for cameras that could be used, or close to it. $10
apiece about, plus shipping.

4 VCR decks from Kmart at about $50 each (maybe eBay for less)

one used 13" color TV for $free! ($70 new) to make sure the cameras are
hooked up right and actually recording

a simple video switch to keep from yanking cords from the TV, $10

and a Power inverted to run it all. I went to a website to calculate wattage
needed plus some other things, plus 10% for upgrades. came to 6-800 watt
power inverter, or 2 400watt inverters at $50 each. (actually got a 400w on
eBay for $25)

so I have a system for less than $500 that will take a 4 hour long event,
give me continuous footage from 4 different angles, hopefully all in focus,
hopefully able to catch all events (at least in the wide shot), and
hopefully with only one person need to run things once the equipment is set
up.

comments?