Hi all,
I'm trying to set up a low-cost, 360 camera for underwater use. The main criteria are:
1. It needs to run for 1 week, with 3* 2 hour intervals of recording per day, therefore needs an intervalometer
2. Needs an external battery pack to power device for this time
3. Needs to withstand pressure at 40 m
4. Must be small enough that it can be replaced easily during a dive, switched out with another unit.
Ideally if we can install an intervalometer & external battery for an Insta360 X3, this would be great. Keen to keep it simple, and open to all ideas!
Thanks, Sol
28 July 2023 4:48pm
Just to note that elements of this would be super useful on land too! I am thinking in particular of arboreal camera traps, for which a 360 view would really improve detections. Solving the battery problem (and, ideally, AI processing of the video on the edge) would be an essential part of this though...
Keen to see what you come up with underwater...
28 July 2023 7:43pm
Hi Sol,
For my research on fish, I had to put together a low-cost camera that could record video for several weeks. Here is the design I came up with
At the time of the paper, I was able to record video for ~12 hours a day at 10 fps and for up to 14 days. With new SD cards now, it is pushed to 21 days. It costs about 600 USD if you build it yourself. If you don't want to make it yourself, there is a company selling it now, but it is much more expensive. The FOV is 110 degrees, so not the 360 that you need, but I think there are ways to make it work (e.g. with the servo motor).
Happy to chat if you decide to go this route and/or want to brainstorm ideas.
Cheers,
Xavier
Ollie Wearn
Fauna & Flora