cameras: best settings for catching plate numbers
09-25-11, 09:11 AM
#1
Vegan on a bicycle
Thread Starter
cameras: best settings for catching plate numbers
i just upgraded one of my HERO-960s to a "real" HERO-1080. i was expecting the 1280x720 @60fps to be best at catching plates, but it's really not any better (nor any worse) than either of the HERO-960's 30fps modes. my theory, now demonstrated to be incorrect, was that the faster "shutter" of 60fps would snap clear images of plates that were blurred at 30fps.
1920x1080 - WOW!!!
i'm not sure if it's the increased resolution or the narrower FOV (127° @1080, instead of 170° in other modes) but compared to the modes available on the HERO-960... well, i just ordered a 2nd HERO-1080 (currently $230 on amazon for the "motor-sports" package). side by side - i was able to capture plate numbers at 1080, while the 960 left me with a blur that makes it hard/impossible to even count how many letters/numbers are on the plate.
i wish the settings for FoV were independent from the resolution settings because if the plate is in-frame, a narrow FoV gives advantage in addition to higher resolution. i guess it would be possible to mess around with different lenses but i'm not going down that road.
i don't have any videos to post, but if i do a test at a traffic light (RLJ hot-spot) i'll post some results
in a few weeks i'll have my 2nd contour-1300 (aka HD, 1080) and i'll do some testing with those, side by side. without having two units to compare, it seemed like i was getting best results at 1280x720 60fps, but i may again be proven wrong and switch up to 1920x1080. on the 1300 switching up to 1080 drops the FoV from 135° to 110° which again, cuts out stuff on the sides, but makes things on camera look closer (err, less far).
1920x1080 - WOW!!!
i'm not sure if it's the increased resolution or the narrower FOV (127° @1080, instead of 170° in other modes) but compared to the modes available on the HERO-960... well, i just ordered a 2nd HERO-1080 (currently $230 on amazon for the "motor-sports" package). side by side - i was able to capture plate numbers at 1080, while the 960 left me with a blur that makes it hard/impossible to even count how many letters/numbers are on the plate.i wish the settings for FoV were independent from the resolution settings because if the plate is in-frame, a narrow FoV gives advantage in addition to higher resolution. i guess it would be possible to mess around with different lenses but i'm not going down that road.
i don't have any videos to post, but if i do a test at a traffic light (RLJ hot-spot) i'll post some results
in a few weeks i'll have my 2nd contour-1300 (aka HD, 1080) and i'll do some testing with those, side by side. without having two units to compare, it seemed like i was getting best results at 1280x720 60fps, but i may again be proven wrong and switch up to 1920x1080. on the 1300 switching up to 1080 drops the FoV from 135° to 110° which again, cuts out stuff on the sides, but makes things on camera look closer (err, less far).
09-25-11, 10:59 AM
#3
Vegan on a bicycle
Thread Starter
stationary cameras, moving cars. it was near an intersection so the cars weren't going highway speed, but fast enough to get a feel for the speed differential while bicycling. at 1080, i didn't miss any plates due to speed and also got a lot of plates at much greater distance than i got with the 960 (but again, 960 is 170° and 1080 is 127°).
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