At 23:18 15 November 2007, wrote:
Is anyone aware of miniature a cam-corder on the market
that can be
used to record up to 10 hours of flight as seen from
the glider
cockpit ? What I have in mind is a product like National
Geographic's
'Critter Cam'. The recording unit could be placed somewhere
in the
glider connected by cable to the camera, and battery-powered.
The
camera might be head-mounted or shoulder height mounted.
Any ideas?
Thanks, 7


An unothodox option is the CHDK 'firmware update',
available for many compact Canon cameras:

http://chdk.wikia.com/wiki/CHDK

It's an unofficial piece of software that loads into
program memory (gone when you switch off the camera,
unlike a real firmware update, so low-risk) adds a
ridiculous amount of features - and removes many of
the limitations - of these cameras. The limitations
on the movie lengths are removed, for example, turning
these digital camera into neat little camcorders. Parameters
such as focus and zoom are also scriptable, so for
example it should be possible to have the camera continuously
cycling focus between pilot and landscape.

Unfortunately it's not possible - yet - to make the
camera switch from movie to still mode without manually
turning the dial on the camera, which would be a nice
facility.

Resolution and video quality will vary between cameras,
but something like the Powershot A620 should give you
good quality video at 640x480, 30fps (non-interlaced)
with vivid colours.

10 hours of video might be a bit of a stretch, but
you can create a cable release with a USB cable and
a 3v battery that could toggle recording on/off (or
any other function).