Camera rocket

the rocketry show
shop deals on amazon
SilicdyneTRF
Wildman Rocketry
The Rocketry Forum

Help Support The Rocketry Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
C

claytonfaulkner

Member
Joined
Apr 28, 2011
Messages
16
Reaction score
0
Has any one built a purpose built rocket for a camera? I don't mean duck taping a keyfob camera on one, I mean start with a camera and build a rocket with the intention of housing it.

Maybe something in the form of the estes oracle, but you know not so out of date.

I've got a few ideas I just want to see what some others have done.
 
I had a CamRoc in '75 and an AstroCam in '80. The CamRoc had a Fwd facing lens, so you had to have a long delay to point it down when the pic was taken. Each cartridge was one picture that, unless you knew someone with a darkroom and a developing kit, was a p.i.t.a. to get a print from. AstroCam took a regular 110 roll of film, so you could get normal developing for those snaps. It had a side-facing lens with a rear-facing mirror hood, so you had to use a short-delay motor with it.
 
Both of my Astrocams have the hood pointing forward. However, one of them is reversed and is set to take a photo after staging. It uses an Estes Warp II (2022). I haven't had much luck with the Astrocam, though. YMMV.

You could design and build a payload section to house whatever camera that you want to use.
 
claytonfaulkner said:
Has any one built a purpose built rocket for a camera? I don't mean duck taping a keyfob camera on one, I mean start with a camera and build a rocket with the intention of housing it.

Maybe something in the form of the estes oracle, but you know not so out of date.

I've got a few ideas I just want to see what some others have done.
Click to expand...

Oh, yeah... it's been done a lot over the years... by individuals anyway. Peter Alway had a good article in the "American Spacemodeling" magazine back in the late 80's about his "multiframe sequence camera" using either a 35mm or 110 autowinder, I forget which, and I think I recall reading an article on converting a disk camera (remember those??-- the film was in a flat paper disk arranged in little boxes around the edges like a revolver). I doubt many folks are flying film cameras anymore-- when the first pencams came out, and small digicams, folks started adapting them to flight. The keyfob cams are just the latest (and easiest) way to do it...

Art Upton has a TON of good stuff at his "boostervision.com" website... everything from mini-TV transmitter cams to all-up out-of-the-box DVRs...
I'm not sure about the other vendors, but AFAIK nobody else really commercially sold a system (I have a catalog from an outfit in California from the late 80's/early 90's that sold a kit and instructions to adapt a small 35 mm autowinder (sold separately) into a rocket, can't recall the name at the moment). Estes started with the Camroc in the late 60's/early 70's (IIRC) and then the Cineroc in the 70's, which was a movie camera. The Camroc used circular negatives that were a pain to develop; usually had to mail them back to Estes for developing/printing. Cineroc was a movie camera, shooting onto 8mm film in a special cassette (again had to order from Estes unless you learned how to do it yourself). The Astrocam came out in the early 80's (IIRC) and shot onto a regular roll of self-contained 110 film, which could be developed ANYWHERE back then... the only caveat was, the negatives needed to be reversed for printing due to the lens looking through a mirror to take the pic (making the pic "backwards" if the negatives weren't reversed). I flew one quite a bit in the 80's and had a lot of fun with it. The Oracle digital movie camera rocket came out in the 90's sometime (IIRC), and while a good start, could have really used some improvements and upgrades over time. It was only capable of short film clips of around a minute or so at most, the memory was volatile, meaning if the batteries died or the off switch was hit accidentally, it erased the video, the frame rate was poor, and it required special software on your computer to view the vids, but it WAS a pioneering product; there was NOTHING like it at the time and an admirable start... The Astrovision followed a few years later, but it had all the same shortcomings as the Oracle and now both have TOTALLY been surpassed by technologies like the keyfob cams, which themselves are improving, more or less... The only thing the Astrovision really brought to the table was the ability to set it to 'multi-frame still" mode and take 3 still shots during the flight a few seconds apart, rather than a movie. IIRC the Oracle didn't have this capability.

There are some threads on YORF about making Camroc clones and Cineroc clones that use a modern keyfob type digital camera in the faux nosecone/camera compartment-- they look identical to the original Camrocs and Cinerocs (the Cineroc was an especially elegant looking rocket!) and capture video with modern technology in the micro-digicams, instead of the old film technology... I'm sure you could find the threads over there with a search if you were so inclined...

Later and good luck! OL JR :)
 
mwtoelle said:
Both of my Astrocams have the hood pointing forward. However, one of them is reversed and is set to take a photo after staging. It uses an Estes Warp II (2022). I haven't had much luck with the Astrocam, though. YMMV.

You could design and build a payload section to house whatever camera that you want to use.
Click to expand...

Quite correct-- the Astrocam hood faced forward. This required the use of a dash-7 type motor for 'ground shots' and a dash-5 motor for "horizon shots". I flew them on C6 motors til I got bored with that and then moved the camera payload over to an Eliminator (called a Maniac back in the late 80's) and flew the heck out of it on D12's... The side-mount hood with forward looking mirror was required due to the length/shape of the 110 film cartridge, which had to be mounted 'standing up' in the nosecone, with the film looking out the side... so to get a picture looking down reliably, a forward-looking mirror was required.

The Camroc had a round lens right in the nose TIP of the nosecone. The shutter was behind it, and the film held in a round holder behind that about halfway down the nosecone. Hence the necessity of the round negative. It also required a long-delay motor to ensure the rocket had 'nosed over' at apogee and was looking down to take the pic.

Cineroc looked out through the side of the camera housing, but had a mirror hood as well, looking down. That way it took video on the ascent off the launch pad to apogee, and was configurable with a recovery harness to either record with the nosecone hanging under the chute with the camera 'looking up' into the parachute, or from the forward end with the camera hanging 'upside down' (compared to a regular rocket nosecone) and looking down at the ground during recovery.

If you're looking into building your own, remember, the picture quality will be better if the lens can be pointed directly at what you want to look at... with micro-cams like we have today, this is particularly easy-- with the old film formats and flying movie cameras and camcorders and stuff, it was quite difficult if not impossible, which required the use of mirrors to bring the desired view to the camera lens. If you use a mirror(s) I'd suggest going to a glass shop and getting some 'first surface' mirror, as they have superior optical quality. If using a small micro-cam, basically you can pick your desired view, orient the camera to obtain it, and then design your payload section around that, with bulkheads or structure to hold the camera in the desired orientation and then build or choose your booster accordingly.

Later! OL JR :)

PS... I've got a book somewhere around here about experimental projects in rocketry that I bought at a hobby shop YEARS AND YEARS ago, that had "reversed" Astrocams in it... they were turned around using a homemade adapter section glued over the nosecone and another bit of BT-56 body tube and nosecone on the former 'back end' (now at the front) and the shutter string lengthened and run over and thru the trigger slot on it and back to the booster stage of the rocket, which snapped the picture at separation, or to the new adapter/rocket body tube interface to snap the picture looking back along the rocket near parachute ejection... Even was an article about taping TWO astrocams to the side of a rocket to make "stereopairs" that could make a kind of 3D effect... sorta like conduction your own mini-Corona program... LOL:)
 
Last edited:
I've built a few rockets just to carry cameras including an Upscale Cineroc/Omega. All of my rockets have been larger, mid- and high-power ones because the cameras I had were larger.

Originally I spent a lot of time designing and constructing shrouds for the cameras such as the dual-camera mount for my Tikva. But, lately, I've switched to a simplier mount where the camera is basically just sticking out of the rocket as I did for my YouBee. In addition to being simplier to build, the new style of mount allows me to turn on the camera then attach it to the rocket when the rocket is on the launch pad.

Of course, there are now smaller "gum pack" and "key chain" cameras that can be carried by model rockets. I haven't had any luck with the cheap ones from China, but others have.

I have had success with Boostervision GearCam DVR which is small enough to tape to the side of a larger model rocket.

One of the projects in my "To Do" list is to make a Cineroc capsule for my actual-size Omega clone. Semroc sells the nose cone and transition for making a Cineroc-style payload section. I plan to put one of the little cameras in it. There's a thread at YORF by Doug Sams who already did what I want to do.

-- Roger
 
Last edited:
I've built a few, and have found that the new HD Keychains are more than adequate for video, and GoPro Hd's are perhaps the best for stills; they have the option for wireless feed output for ground viewing and telemetry overlay, and with the time-lapse still feature and 60fps video, the bang for buck is unsurpassed.

Here's an image taken from a similar camera, the Drift HD 170.. This is a LOW resolution frame grab from video, as the rocket pushed 3800'.

Cheers,

PT

Drift Video Sample.jpg
 
Mid 80s, the hard way, homebrew rocket and electronics. 35mm compact camera (Best Buy), uses film! Self designed timing and counter circuitry permits me to choose how many exposures to take per flight. Peeks out side of payload bay, flush mount window (no hood). H238 reloadable when reloads were new. Make airplane trip from Mpls to Phoenix to fly the bird. Very expensive pictures, exactly one flight. (vehicle/payload survives, but long absence from the hobby).
 
claytonfaulkner said:
Has any one built a purpose built rocket for a camera? I don't mean duck taping a keyfob camera on one, I mean start with a camera and build a rocket with the intention of housing it.

Maybe something in the form of the estes oracle, but you know not so out of date.

I've got a few ideas I just want to see what some others have done.
Click to expand...

I'm very much a beginner in rocketry, but I'm a career network engineer and avid electronics hobbyist. I got a really good deal on the Estes Oracle, but you're right -- the tech in it is rather old in terms of digital video.

Again, since I'm lacking skills and experience in rocketry, I'm just going to gut and replace the video electronics in the Oracle nose cone with something more modern (like a keychain video cam). Shouldn't be difficult to do, and then I can modify the rocket a bit with a bigger parachute and more slightly more powerful engine to match the much longer record times of the new camera.

I know that there are those here with a lot more expertise and experience than me, but I highly suspect that my lack of experience/expertise makes my way the easiest :wink: Not sure if you're looking for easy or if you're looking for a challenge, though!
 
I was eyeballing the purchase of the Contour HD and mounting it
partly inside the rocket (the base segment) with the tubular camera
segment sticking outside the rocket looking back towards the fins.
For only $250, it seems like a good compact high quality deal to me.


URL: https://contour.com/products/contour-hd


1.jpg
 
InternetPilot said:
I'm very much a beginner in rocketry, but I'm a career network engineer and avid electronics hobbyist. I got a really good deal on the Estes Oracle, but you're right -- the tech in it is rather old in terms of digital video.

Again, since I'm lacking skills and experience in rocketry, I'm just going to gut and replace the video electronics in the Oracle nose cone with something more modern (like a keychain video cam). Shouldn't be difficult to do, and then I can modify the rocket a bit with a bigger parachute and more slightly more powerful engine to match the much longer record times of the new camera.

I know that there are those here with a lot more expertise and experience than me, but I highly suspect that my lack of experience/expertise makes my way the easiest :wink: Not sure if you're looking for easy or if you're looking for a challenge, though!
Click to expand...

Welcome to the forum and rocketry...

There's nothing particularly difficult about using a keyfob or gumpack camera and adapting it to a rocket-- there's no *one* right answer-- it really depends on the camera your planning to use and the view you want from it. Gutting the Oracle might be more trouble than it's worth, depending on the camera.

I'm looking at putting a keyfob cam into a Semroc "Lil' Hustler"... the payload section is larger than the main body tube, having an inverted conical transition to adapt the large payload tube to the smaller main body tube. It wouldn't be particularly difficult to 'modify' the balsa transition with a razor saw to hold the camera at the desired angle looking out the side of the transition downward toward the ground. Personally I think you want the camera angled enough so that you only see a little bit of the fins and body tube at the "bottom edge" of the picture... lining the camera up straight down the body tube usually puts the fins right smack dab in the middle of the picture, which kinda ruins it IMHO... mounting the camera at a slight angle (depending on the half-angle of the camera's field of view angle) can allow you to minimize the amount of "fins-n-tube" taking up real estate in the picture...

Course some of the most INTERESTING video I've seen from rockets has been shot by Wes at Dr. Zooch rockets-- he's got a 'between the stages' video at his dr. zooch rockets website that is REALLY cool, taken with a microcam located next to the upper stage engine tube of a rocket, looking downward through a small plexiglass window (to protect the cam from hot staging gases) with some small 'windows' cut in the lower stage (for vent purposes and to let a little light into the stage for filming purposes so you don't watch total darkness until staging. The upper stage ignites and the lower stage blows away, and it's a REALLY cool video!

Another neat thing he's done is mount boostervision microcams (the "sugar cube" analog video transmitter kind received/recorded on the ground) to the rocket, placed out several inches away from the body tube on "rigging" (picture a rocket with two long dowels affixed from the front sticking out on either side, sorta like the antennas of the Sputnik, with microcams at the far end of each "antenna") He puts a good cam on one side and a counterweight (usually a "dead" broken cam) on the other side. That way he can shoot "chase plane" video from the rocket during flight, and watch the staging or other events from this vantage point. REALLY cool video!

Good luck on your project, and remember, WE LIKE PICS!! POST LOTS OF PICS! :D

Later! OL JR :)
 
Alby said:
I was eyeballing the purchase of the Contour HD and mounting it
partly inside the rocket (the base segment) with the tubular camera
segment sticking outside the rocket looking back towards the fins.
For only $250, it seems like a good compact high quality deal to me.
Click to expand...

You might consider the GearCam HD-DVR from BoosterVision.

GearCam-HDMD.jpg


High-Def, and very compact.

-Kevin
 
Alby said:
I was eyeballing the purchase of the Contour HD and mounting it
partly inside the rocket (the base segment) with the tubular camera
segment sticking outside the rocket looking back towards the fins.
Click to expand...

That's basically the way I mount cameras in my larger rockets. I build a box inside the tube that the camera's base fits in. I put a short length of all-thread in the camera's tripod mount that fits into a hole in the box in the rocket. A Velcro strap is mounted to the box and wraps around the camera to hold it into place. This allows me to start the camera and install it when the rocket is on the pad.

I use a Booster cam, as mentioned above, on smaller rockets. I just use electrical tape to hold it to the side of a rocket. I've used it on as small a rocket as one with a BT-55 body tube that was about 24" long.

-- Roger
 
jadebox said:
That's basically the way I mount cameras in my larger rockets. I build a box inside the tube that the camera's base fits in. I put a short length of all-thread in the camera's tripod mount that fits into a hole in the box in the rocket. A Velcro strap is mounted to the box and wraps around the camera to hold it into place. This allows me to start the camera and install it when the rocket is on the pad.

I use a Booster cam, as mentioned above, on smaller rockets. I just use electrical tape to hold it to the side of a rocket. I've used it on as small a rocket as one with a BT-55 body tube that was about 24" long.

-- Roger
Click to expand...



Jadebox:


Got any pictures of how it looks mounted?
 
Alby said:
Jadebox:


Got any pictures of how it looks mounted?
Click to expand...

Sorry ... I normally include or link to photos, but I was in a hurry.

Here's the "box" that I put in the rocket:

4100.jpg


The hole is where the screw I thread in the camera goes.

Here's what the box looks like mounted in the body tube. There's a rectangle cut out of the tube the size of the box:

4102.jpg


Here's what it looks like with the camera in place from inside the tube:

5006.jpg


Note, the Velcro strap around the bottom of the box. It's glued to the box so it doesn't get lost. And, this is the rocket's electronics bay, so I didn't have to protect the camera from the ejection charge.

Here's what it looks like from the outside:

5005.jpg


I had the camera stick out a bit because it's mounted near the top of a long rocket and I was afraid that all you would see is the body of the rocket if it didn't stick out so much. As it turns out, you can't see any of the motor's flame after lift-off, so I probably should have mounted the camera a little deeper into the tube.

Here's the camera outside of the rocket:

5007.jpg


You can see the screw I added that fits in the hole in the box. When I install the camera in the rocket, I press it down on the foam that's glued to the bottom of the box and insert the screw in the hole. The foam then pushes up on the camera and causes the screw to hold the camera in place. This makes it easy to wrap the Velcro around the camera and secure it. The piece of Velcro on the camera keeps the strap from slipping off.

Here's what it looks like when I insert the camera into the rocket:

image-installing-the-camera-in-the-youbee-600-800.jpg


And, finally, you can see the on-board video at:

https://www.rocketreviews.com/roger-smiths-youbee.html

I first used this method of mounting a camera on a smaller, 4" diameter rocket (a NCR Phantom 4000). At the time, I was just trying a cheap and quick way to add a camera to that rocket. But, it worked out so well, that I used the same idea for the larger rocket.

I'm really pleased with how this camera mount works. It was simple to construct and it allows me to "arm" and install the camera on the pad without taking the rocket apart.

-- Roger
 
I have had one on paper (Rocksim) for 3 or 4 years that I have yet to get very far on building. It has a BT-60 payload section that houses a side-looking Aiptek camera. At the time the camera seemed pretty state of the art for LPR video. Now keychain cameras make almost any rocket a movie camera rocket. I'll still finish my design, and the video of the launch crew and broadeninig horizon should still be pretty cool.
 
Last edited:
You can read about Doug Gerrard's endeavors:

https://www.rocketryphotography.com/index.html
Click to expand...

Actually I'm embarrassed that I haven't updated that web site is such a long time. I have gone to digital cameras but never updated the web site. I want to completely redesign the layout and content but I'm usually too busy building the rockets...

I prefer the Panasonic cameras for still images on board since the user can override the automatic shut off. This is very handy since it could be sitting on the pad for a while before liftoff. It isn't really necessary for video since the flier usually turns on the camera before leaving the pad.

Doug
 

Similar threads

Kane
RunCam Splits
Replies
1
Views
154
Kane
Kane
techrat
Drone Camera on a rocket??
Replies
4
Views
778
techrat
techrat
W
DSLR Camera Photography Tips
2
Replies
50
Views
2K
troj
troj
Blast it Tom!
reviving a Lipo battery
Replies
7
Views
270
MikeT
MikeT
Peaceful_Warrior
Learning model rocketry, all over again, in Tennessee.
Replies
3
Views
248
teepot
teepot

Latest posts

Back
Top