Olympus camera (PM2/PL5/PL6) settings questions

CNY_AP wrote:

Thanks for testing. Can the delay be set to 1.5s or just integer values? Just curious.

Just that list I made above, 1/8, 1/4, 1/2, 1, 2, 4, 8, 15, 30 seconds.

Adding the video downlink adds weight and complexity, and then I'd would always NEED a second person to watch my plane or the screen (it's against AMA and likely now FAA rules to fly by first person view - one person must use their plain old eyes to directly watch the airplane).

Yes, I see, the rules will definitely determine the future use of these gadgets.

I need stills because create calendars mostly for myself, and give for xmas presents, and I sell a few at work to whoever asked about it during the prior year. Also, from my airplane, video is boring in that the plane bounces around quite a bit. Maybe once my quad is built, I'll find video more interesting.

OK, understood. I do realise that according to the size of the airplane, things can get a bit bouncy. Only the self correcting 'copters would make things more stable.

Another arson I like to simply hold the shutter down is that many of my most interesting images are not of the lake or whatever I was primarily shooting. Often in the "other direction", there are interesting things that I likely never would have shot if I was carefully framing/choosing each shot.

Always true, luckily digital shots come cheap.

Because I simply have the camera shooting every 2 seconds (my current/old/slow camera), I almost always get the shot I wanted just by "dumb luck" (I shoot 400+ images, but most of them are pointing way up, or at the ground, or are blurry, or were not pointed at the lake).

I have the camera shooting to the left and slightly forward so the wing is not is the images. When I fly towards my right, the camera is shooting generally in the direction I am facing. So I glide in that direction (no propeller vibration - this is the key mistake people make). I then power back up, turn, fly back to my left while gaining altitude, turn right, and glide to make another pass. Each time I fly at a slightly different angle in case I missed the lake (which I often do, but the "film" is free, so who cares).

I can see value in some radio link to control when to shoot, but as you say, it's free, so why not collect the lot. You may get something surprising at times when not expected, bird strike maybe?

With a quadrotor/drone, the "keeper ratio" should be higher since the quad rotor will be level. The open-source software my quad uses (the APM 2.5 board) even accepts programmable GPS locations/waypoints. Via waypoints, I could aim it towards my "subject", have it stop, and even have it slowly turn (so I can create a panoramic on the computer, which I haven't' seen anyone do yet, so don't spread this idea around, hahaha. Also have not seen anyone do an aerial HDR - that's why I hoped it would shoot non stop bracketed).

With raw so much HDR content can be recovered that I don't see the need for an HDR bracket. In my case for that I would play with Silkypix which has an HDR labelled slider which works well, other software also has similar controls I guess, but just is mostly a matter of playing with Curves.

With all that GPS control etc the skill needed is lessened, but so are mistakes and accidents lessened so it is a good thing.

Regards.... Guy