Exotic Cameras if Money Were No Object

[Jasper 0]

What cameras would like you to own or play with if you could afford anything you wanted?

 

Some examples would be: Thermal Imaging Cameras, Cameras military uses on their predator drone planes, helicopter cameras and night vision cameras.

 

It would be interesting to see what people have come across in the way of exotic cameras.

 

Tell us what you like about the camera. What special features do they offer?

 

Post a link to the camera specifications or other information regarding the camera.

 

This should be an interesting thread if people participate.

[jeromephone 6]

Saw something in PoP Science discover or some mag like that where a guy took a WWII Areial camera and converted into a digital still cam he had the highest res camera around he could see individual blades of grass at 1 mile.

[Jasper 0]

OK, Here is a 1 Gigapixel camera. She be ready for the consumer in about 20 years.

 

http://www.gigapxl.org/

 

They are working on a 4 Gigapixel camera now.

[cam2 0]

i watched a programme made for the BBC on Sunday (Natural Earth)

 

Most of it was shot using a "chopper" with a hidef ptz dome, "chopper gimble" i think was the name they gave it.

 

Crystal clear hidef, it could zoom in from around 3/4 of a mile away and see the colour of the animals eyes,simply stunning............

[jisaac 0]

I would definitly have to say one of those thermal imaging cameras that i recently got to play with that some of you guys saw. That was by far the coolest thing i have got to see in my job yet. And then some of the pelco positioning series ptz that can zoom 2+ miles. Those were pretty fun to play with. Oh the government toys. Well like you said "if money was no option". They buy the fun stuff

[WirelessEye 0]

I got a quote for a cooled thermal with a human detection range > 10 miles. $105,000.00 It can see through fog and dust storms as well.

 

I'd like to be the first guy on my block with one of those.

[Jasper 0]

Heck, I would just like to see what that camera looks like, because god knows I am never going to see one.

[GECAMGUY 0]

I got to play with a 300X zoom lens a couple months ago.

 

With it you can discern facial features or people on a boat that's 3-4 miles off shore.

 

Incredible.

 

of course, at $400,000 per lens, it's not something I'm going to run over to Sammy's cameras and buy

[Jasper 0]

Ah, you guys got to play with some nice toys.

[JMANOFNVS 0]

If you paid that much for a lens when you could have got this for about the same you are nuts.

http://www.extremecctv.com/press/PDF/CN041129-Extreme-CCTV-and-Obzerv-Sign-Commercial-Agreements.pdf

[Jasper 0]

It will read license plates at 1.25 miles, which isn't quite as good as what the other camera will do, but then again I don't know how much Extreme is asking for this one.

 

I would imagine, it is a lot less.

 

I thought I saw some type of camera that could see through pretty thick concrete, but I can't remember what technology it used?

[GECAMGUY 0]

Ah, you guys got to play with some nice toys.

 

Wow that's pretty cool but I didn't see a price. I'm willing to bet the lens I was referring to gets better zoom than the Extreme unit, but dang, that IS nice.

[kandcorp 0]

Actually just found this website today. Never heard of them but I am sure there pretty expensive.

 

http://www.jai.com/camera/products.asp/sprog=uk

 

Or the thermal cameras.

[200mph 0]

I'm working on a project that is half done. I'm building it from scratch.

 

It uses 3 camera's and can see a human from 20+ miles.

 

The first camera is actually the finder scope for the big lens.

It's a 15-180mm F1.9(6 pound lens) PTZ with a .00004 lux Samsung SHC-730. This part is already done.

 

The main lens is a meade 2500mm 10" diameter schmidt cassegrain setup with complete remote PTZ. It has 2 camera's attached + the finder scope above. One .00004 Lux Samsung SHC-730 for video and a 8 megapixal Digital Camera for stills. It also has a 20,000mw 808nm decollimated Laser diode for night vision. The primary and secondary mirrors are being recoated at spectrum coatings so it will be a few weeks before it's finished.

[Jasper 0]

That sounds like one interesting project. See a human at 20+ miles, wow!

 

some good examples of exotic cameras definately.

 

I wonder what toys Bill Gates must have? I would have a hand held portable thermal camera to play with. Military grade night vision equipment and who knows what else.

[WirelessEye 0]

Bill Gates doesn't need cameras. He can see into our computers.

[Jasper 0]

Boy, isn't that the truth. Not only into our computers, but get a good idea about you by what is on your computer.

 

Microsoft is in bed with the Government.

 

Look out for the Global Unique Identifier.

 

Mr. Gates almost had a tent collaspe on him today along with Jimmy Carter. Well almost.

[CollinR 0]

If Bill Gates had a penny for every time Win98 crashed....

 

 

 

 

 

Oh wait, I guess he does.

[evilkitty 0]

OK, Here is a 1 Gigapixel camera. She be ready for the consumer in about 20 years.

 

http://www.gigapxl.org/

 

They are working on a 4 Gigapixel camera now.

 

I'm new here. I was just browsing the forums and ran across this. I looked at that awhile back and noticed in the process that they use film and then scan the image. Did you look at the whole site to be sure?

 

ipix is working on a gigapixel camera. They have a reprint from GSN on their homepage that describes it.

 

Also, some nice fellow on the Yahoo stock board posted a like that I thought was really interesting. He was trying to get an idea of what gigapixel really means and found a link to a site that used 600 pictures taken over hours and took days to stitch together. The cool thing is you get some idea of what you can see because the image lets you zoom and look around.

 

I'm looking for the link on that board as I post this...it's actually 2.5GP.

 

www.tpd.tno.nl/Pics/DII/gigazoom/Delft2.htm

 

So, that's something I wouldn't mind playing with!

 

I also think that Obzerv is pretty nice as well that someone mentioned earlier. I'm not in the biz though. I'm really into Stocks, but have taken a bit of interest in the subject since I became exposed to it.

 

 

Anyway, a gigapixel cam will be here before you know it. That's the good news.

[Jasper 0]

Very good link.

 

Clear picture, with that many pixels and that is the type of zoom you can achieve. Amazing.