Motion detection using a Canon 40D

[clop]

Hi all,

With the advent of LiveView it seems like it would be possible to write a software program that would allow a computer connected to the camera to monitor a scene, detect movement and fire the shutter automatically.

Does anyone know if such software exists?

Thanks,

clop

[jds9000]

Wouldn't the sensor overheat ?

Thought I read somewhere that when the camera is put into 'live view' the the sensor is gradually getting hotter due to it picking up the light ...
... or something like that :eek:

Probably 'off my trolley' on this one .... but it rings a bell *whack

I know there used to be one for webcams .... 'motion detector' software,
but don't know if it would work with a 'real' camera :confused:

Jay

[clop]

Wouldn't the sensor overheat ?

Thought I read somewhere that when the camera is put into 'live view' the the sensor is gradually getting hotter due to it picking up the light ...
... or something like that :eek:

Probably 'off my trolley' on this one .... but it rings a bell *whack

I know there used to be one for webcams .... 'motion detector' software,
but don't know if it would work with a 'real' camera :confused:

Jay


I know the sensor would warm up, but I don't think it would contribute a significant amount of noise providing that the scene was well lit (hence the ISO was low).

My primary use of cameras is astrophotography, where noise is the greatest bane. I can't see it causing a problem in daylight.

clop

[jds9000]

Aha ...... always wanted to try that .....

I had a go with a normal lens, but ended up with 'star trails' *LOL
Think a 30 minute exposure was a bit long *LOL (with my 400D)

Wouldn't mind picking up a cheap telescope and trying with that.
Is there a 'minimum' size ? .... I know absolutely nothing about them :eek:

Jay

[clop]

Aha ...... always wanted to try that .....

I had a go with a normal lens, but ended up with 'star trails' *LOL
Think a 30 minute exposure was a bit long *LOL (with my 400D)

Wouldn't mind picking up a cheap telescope and trying with that.
Is there a 'minimum' size ? .... I know absolutely nothing about them :eek:

Jay


Hi Jay, for most large objects you don't need a telescope. A 200mm lens will do just fine. If you take long exposures you do need some way to track the stars though, so you'd need an equatorial mount with an RA drive. Do some googling!

If you're interested, here are a few shots I've taken with a 400D (and a 40D) with an f/4L 70-200mm lens (no telescope). You'll notice that the exposure times are down around 30 seconds - you then use a technique called stacking. At 30 seconds the star trails are negligible, so as long as you keep the target more or less centred you should be able to emulate much of this work with a normal tripod.

http://www.redbubble.com/people/arkle/art/623845-6-the-great-orion-nebula

http://www.redbubble.com/people/arkle/art/692600-12-milky-way-in-crux-and-carina

http://www.redbubble.com/people/arkle/art/626016-6-omega-centauri-ngc5139

http://www.redbubble.com/people/arkle/art/697132-8-the-great-carina-nebula

Here is a much higher resolution version of the last photograph - again, all done with a 70-200mm Canon lens on a 40D.

http://img138.imageshack.us/my.php?image=080209cn15xj5.jpg

Good luck!

[jds9000]

Those pics are great ..... should be able to manage that ...
I've got a Canon 40D (and a 400D) ... 70-200 f4L, and plenty of time :D

If it's clear tonight, may give it a try, but it's light till almost 11pm, so may be easier to wait till later in the year !! :\

Thanks for the info though ... really interesting. Can the pics be 'done' in DeepskyStacker or is there better software around ?

Jay

[clop]

Those pics are great ..... should be able to manage that ...
I've got a Canon 40D (and a 400D) ... 70-200 f4L, and plenty of time :D

If it's clear tonight, may give it a try, but it's light till almost 11pm, so may be easier to wait till later in the year !! :

Thanks for the info though ... really interesting. Can the pics be 'done' in DeepskyStacker or is there better software around ?

Jay

I use IRIS.

http://www.astrosurf.com/buil/us/iris/iris.htm

If you're being pedantic you have to take flat lights (to correct for vignetting), flat darks (to remove the hot pixels from the flat lights), lights (exposures of the target), and darks (to remove the hot pixels from the lights), but you can easily get away with just the lights and ignore the rest until you know more about what you are doing.

There is an excellent tutorial here

http://www.saratogaskies.com/articles/cookbook/index.html

clop

[jds9000]

Thanks for that, I'll give it a go when it gets a bit darker earlier in the evenings.

The tutorial looks pretty comprehensive .... I've had a quick flick through it. Think I'll try it hooked up to my laptop, and try with the live-view on the 40D with my 400L .... should be close enough ... or the 70-200L .... :)

... should be interesting .... I'll let you know what happens ... t-up

Thanks for the help ...

Jay

[vanpix]

Hi all,

With the advent of LiveView it seems like it would be possible to write a software program that would allow a computer connected to the camera to monitor a scene, detect movement and fire the shutter automatically.

Does anyone know if such software exists?

Thanks,

clop
Hi Clop

Did you ever find a solution to this?

- Vanpix

[Ian]

There are quite a few webcam-style software packages, with motion detection, that can work easily from the live view feed off a DSLR, though you would need to treat the camera like a webcam and connect it via the composite video output to a capture port or card.

I must admit that I'm not aware of any DSLR specific software that has motion detection built in.

Ian