Comments on: DIY Remote Controls For Pole Aerial Photography

By: Chester Bullock

Chester Bullock — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 23:42:02 +0000

I have a bunch of old r/c stuff laying around, never thought of trying this. Brilliant – thanks!

By: Captain Obvious

Captain Obvious — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 17:43:00 +0000

G10′s remote is a simple 2.5mm “stereo” plug.

Get one of those, solder in 3 wires of the length of your pole +some ( 20%? 30%? ), braid ‘em together ( takes a bloody while ), and try crossing the wires in different ways ( make *totally* certain there is no leakage between the solderings in the plug, or it’s screwed – ahem ), and then stick switches on ‘em, as appropriate.

I’m doing mine with a momentary-contact in parallel with a slide-switch for each, so I can get focus with one switch ( either momentary or slide ), then fire with the other, full-auto if I want.

CHEAP, any length you want, tape the switch-board on your pole, & you’re good to go.

By: Zac

Zac — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 23:10:15 +0000

just a tiny caution, be totally aware where any power wires are, especially when raising and lowering your pole.

By: Thomas

Thomas — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 08:46:21 +0000

I’m using the german Spieth glas fibre mast for antennas:
http://www.wimo.com/cgi-bin/verteiler.pl?url=spieth-portable-hf-antennas_e.html
Works fine up to 4 meters with a Canon 5D on a Markins ball head. With the lightweight Canon G9 you should reach 6 meters without a problem.

By: larry

larry — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 03:19:47 +0000

Lee and all- Yes, I agree that 20′ is completely adequate for 99.9% of situations. Many of the shots I see taken from really tall masts are mostly of roofs.

I’d like to compile a bunch of resources for inexpensive alternatives for 20′ and under PAP systems. Thanks much for all your equipment suggestions… keep it up! This will be a great resource for people.

By: Lee

Lee — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 02:36:27 +0000

Honestly, at 30′ I can usually lean to the pole enough to achieve the tilt I need, after I’ve set the initial angle before raising the pole. So the complexity of the tilt unit may not be needed.
I use a 30′ Hastings hotstick (google tel-o-pole) I purchased used for $200. I found an inexpensive monitor for framing the shot (Moultrie’s handheld Digital Picture Viewer) which Wal-Mart was clearing out for $20, but it’s only $55 retail. Finally, I use the DigiSnap 2000 from Harbortronics to control zoom and shutter (once I upgrade from my Coolpix 5400, I will probably lose the zoom function). It’s simple, light and easy to use for one person.
Many PAP systems raise over 50′, but I find that I rarely have a great photo of a house which is was taken from more than 20′ up and greater than 30′ requires more than one person to control or a mounting system adding to weight complexity and reducing flexibility. I’ve used my PAP system inside homes as easily as I use it outside.

By: David

David — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 01:46:52 +0000

Very cool, I have just begun experimenting with pole photography taping my mini-tripod to a painter pole along with my Nikon d70 & remote. I was thinking a wireless eye-fi memory card – http://www.eye.fi would be what I would try in conjunction with my laptop to see what my camera was capturing during the process. Not sure what the steps are, but if the card will send as images are captured it might be a good solution.

By: Mike Martin

Mike Martin — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 00:19:12 +0000

Similar to Larry’s setup, mine uses no sophisticated components. My pole is a heavy duty telescoping windsock pole, item# 77932 available from http://www.Premierkites.com or their retailers (about $100). It gets my camera up over 30 feet above street level. On top of it I fit an inexpensive pocket camera that can delay shutter action up to 30 seconds. I need almost 30 seconds to raise the pole and aim the camera. Most Canon cameras have a delay timer that will delay up to 30 seconds. I have the camera take a burst of shots and vary the horizontal angle a bit during each. I can stand most anywhere and operate everything without help. See an example of a PAP shot and the same view from street level at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/martinvirtualtours/sets/72157608289493713/

By: Phil

Phil — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 00:10:25 +0000

How about a Sony DSC-H50 with its tilt/swivel live view and a remote control?

By: marcus

marcus — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 21:57:59 +0000

Whilst carp poles and painters handles are OK for personal fun use, I think there are better options for a [budget] professional use PAP pole. IMO the best solution for a hand held telescopic pole are the ‘Exel Universal Telescopic Pole’ available in all different lengths and configurations. They are used for the high level window cleaning systems, so you should find a supplier in most areas. [ a UK cleaning supplier has the: 6 Sections, Glassfibre: 1.80m to 8.4m = 27ft (30FT REACH), for £150 ]
And they are strong enough for a [lightweight]dslr.