Camera position on 3 fin rocket

[FlyBy01]

Camera placement on a 4 fin rocket is easy, between the fins but different on a 3 fin.

For all of the cool points should the camera be:

A: Aligned with the fin

B: Offset so you get the same view as a 4 fin rocket

Pictures are for reference and mount will be on the payload section.

 

[Banzai88]

I always mount between fins. Overall it seems to give a better field of view.

 

[jkovac]

I’ve always done between the fins.

 

[danielhv]

Definitely between.

 

[FlyBy01]

I’ve always done between the fins.
View attachment 660348

Awesome shot even on a 3 fin rocket?

 

[OzHybrid]

Tape the camera on the rocket in the 2 positions and choose the frame you like. I've always liked the fin aligned look, but that's a VERY wide lens and a long rocket.
Or make it so you can mount it in both positions. It's only a couple of extra thread inserts for the mounting point.

 

[FlyBy01]

Tape the camera on the rocket in the 2 positions and choose the frame you like. I've always liked the fin aligned look, but that's a VERY wide lens and a long rocket.
Or make it so you can mount it in both positions. It's only a couple of extra thread inserts for the mounting point.

Good analysis

 

[cls]

look out, not down?

 

[jkovac]

look out, not down?

Looking down is a much more dramatic and interesting shot, in my opinion.

 

[Kframe]

Always between, regardless of 3 or 4 fins.

 

[bad_idea]

Camera placement on a 4 fin rocket is easy, between the fins

Aligning centered on the fin instead of between fins leaves less of the overall view blocked.

 

[Kframe]

Aligning centered on the fin instead of between fins leaves less of the overall view blocked.

There is that.

 

[Banzai88]

Put a piece of tape down the center of your TV screen and watch an episode of your favorite show.

Then take the tape off of the middle and put a stripe of tape along each side of your TV screen and watch another episode.

Then ask yourself which was the more enjoyable experience.

 

[FlyBy01]

Put a piece of tape down the center of your TV screen and watch an episode of your favorite show.

Then take the tape off of the middle and put a stripe of tape along each side of your TV screen and watch another episode.

Then ask yourself which was the more enjoyable experience.

good point. I just ordered the camera tonight so I am go going to mock it up and see what looks best. I also didn’t realize most of my rockets have 4 fins.

 

[OzHybrid]

Put a piece of tape down the center of your TV screen and watch an episode of your favorite show.

Then take the tape off of the middle and put a stripe of tape along each side of your TV screen and watch another episode.

Then ask yourself which was the more enjoyable experience.

A single fin is not really a piece of tape down the middle of the screen. Depends on alignment of everything. Many options. Have a play and decide what you want.

 

[Kframe]

A single fin is not really a piece of tape down the middle of the screen. Depends on alignment of everything. Many options. Have a play and decide what you want.
View attachment 660700

This confuses me.
If the camera is square to the rocket I would assume the fin would appear to be either perfectly vertical or horizontal in the frame.
Yours is canted.
I don’t understand why.

 

[atestani]

look out, not down?

I had both on a rocket once and the outward facing video was sort of useless unless you have a rocket that doesn't spin at all

 

[tjkopena]

Would a camera centered on one fin make that fin less effective by disturbing the air ahead of it?

 

[OzHybrid]

This confuses me.
If the camera is square to the rocket I would assume the fin would appear to be either perfectly vertical or horizontal in the frame.
Yours is canted.
I don’t understand why.

This camera was mounted in a portrait-ish position. Imagine the whole frame rotated to portrait and it will make more sense. When it's on a rocket it's already an unusual view. There's no issue looking at it as you don't get people horizontal when you rotate it back visually.
You can mount a camera in ANY position and that position can be relative to ANY fin position, Whatever floats your boat.
There's no right or wrong answer. Just because someone else doesn't like it doesn't make it wrong and just because I like it doesn't make it right. But if I like it and it's my rocket flight, you're all wrong unless you like it too and then you're right.....

Would a camera centered on one fin make that fin less effective by disturbing the air ahead of it?

This has been discussed a number of times on the forum. There doesn't seem to be any evidence for a camera housing having caused a flight issue in any position. But good sense says you should think about it.
Having at least 1 caliber of stability probably has more than enough margin to allow for the camera mount and still be stable.

 

[FlyBy01]

Would a camera centered on one fin make that fin less effective by disturbing the air ahead of it?

I don’t think it would have an impact in this case because the rocket is so long in this case. 10’ ft. 9”+inches

 

[RocketSquirrel]

I'm mounting a mobius maxi 4k on a 4" rocket, and im messing around with different camera placements. I like it up higher, less of the frame is blocked by the fins as it moves fwd. Anyone else have a preference?

 

[rfjustin]

Between fins, and offset a bit is an option as well.

 

[RocketSquirrel]

Between fins, and offset a bit is an option as well.

NICE!

 

[Sooner Boomer]

My Eggtimer DD. Yeah, it's four fins instead of three, but it's all I've got. Estes Astrocam (not too bad at video!).

Placement of camera on rocket


Screen grab of video

 

[FlyBy01]

I'm mounting a mobius maxi 4k on a 4" rocket, and im messing around with different camera placements. I like it up higher, less of the frame is blocked by the fins as it moves fwd. Anyone else have a preference?

View attachment 669740

 

[VAXman]

Aligning centered on the fin instead of between fins leaves less of the overall view blocked.

Depends how far from the aft you mount your camera. I have several rockets where I mounted the camera close to the business end and positioned it so that the fins did not obstruct its FOV. Between the fins on the booster section provides more security for the camera when landing too.

 

[atestani]

Depends how far from the aft you mount your camera. I have several rockets where I mounted the camera close to the business end and positioned it so that the fins did not obstruct its FOV. Between the fins on the booster section provides more security for the camera when landing too.

This is a good point. There seems to be another benefit , at least how OpenRocket deals with the stability and drag. I have yet to test the simulation but the net is that mounting the cameras aft of the CG is what to do. The drag of the dual cameras I have (one centered and on on fin) is a variable depending on the shape of the camera shroud but the stability effect is negligible. Putting cameras ahead of the CG made a difference in stability and required nose weight to correct. Check out this thread if you want details: https://www.rocketryforum.com/threa...hick-fins-may-not-simulate-accurately.188675/

BTW, I just flew a rocket with the two cameras near the nose cone and had to put weight in to get to a margin I was happy with. I'm moving the cameras aft for future flights. Point is I have videos of both the centered and on fin cameras of the same flight. Let me know if you are interested and I will post them.

 

[Alan15578]

A single fin is not really a piece of tape down the middle of the screen. Depends on alignment of everything. Many options. Have a play and decide what you want.
View attachment 660700

I want to mention that that is an awesome lined effect on the fields. If you are doing any sort of photogrametry analysis to measure altitude and orientation from the video, you could not afford to lay out a better background. I'm guessing that the green is young crops, and the white is water pooling from a recent heavy rain between the furrows.

 

[OzHybrid]

I want to mention that that is an awesome lined effect on the fields. If you are doing any sort of photogrametry analysis to measure altitude and orientation from the video, you could not afford to lay out a better background. I'm guessing that the green is young crops, and the white is water pooling from a recent heavy rain between the furrows.

The location is Tripoli Victoria, Serpentine launch site. Big white is roads, smaller white is I think the cut waste stems of the crop that gets mulched in.