Anyone notice what camera kit Virgil uses in Homeland? He always gets the perfect shot of his target's face, and it looks like a light setup.
Upvote
0
Long lens recommendation for surveillance.
- Thread starter aaronh
- Start date
- Status
The 7D + 100-400 seems like a good starting point, or a 70-200 f/2.8 if he needs better low light but not as much focal length. He might not need as much as you'd think, he'll probably normally want to include multiple people and/or a fair bit of background of proof of where it was taken.
Either that or he can just use a 640x480 webcam and send if off to CSI for enhacement
.
Either that or he can just use a 640x480 webcam and send if off to CSI for enhacement
.
Upvote
0
Zlatko said:
That's the big question. Also a question of Auto-Focus. Contrast detect is very accurate, but tends to be slower and you may not be able to easily tell it what part you want in focus. I haven't read any reviews, so I don't know if that applies to this camera or not.
Upvote
0
aaronh said:Hi, I've got a friend in law enforcement who is asking me for a recommendation for lens/camera combo for surveillance. I naturally thought to extend the question to you all!
What would you recommend as a set-up for surveillance? My friend won't be able to spend a ton of time learning the ins and outs of it and he's not interested in photography as an art. He will need to use it time to time at night and won't be using a flash (obviously).
Your thoughts?
P.S. Budget doesn't necessarily matter. Unless you are concerned about the fact that our taxes will be footing the bill...
600D with a 600FD f4.5 and edmika adapter plus a kenko 1.4 teleconverter
in video mode with the 3x digital zoom you can film in HD at equivalent focal lengths of
960mm with normal
2880mm with the 3x digital zoom in video
and
1344mm with the TC and
4032mm if you turn on the 3x digital zoom and use the TC
All in HD and some big SD cards
definately gonna want a gimbal and sturdy tripod too
the reason i specify this lens is that its flat out unreal for video because the focus wheels are not on the lens so you can pull focus very gently without shaking the lens like you would with a ring focus of newer lenses
its also very sharp and 1/10th of the price of a new 600 f4L not that budget is the issue but the focus mechanism is much much better for video
but as for range and potential wide aperture this is killer
the 600 FD, gimal and the camera body can all be loaded into a pelican case 1510 with wheels and handle that fits in carry on baggage on a plane
you could also remote control the camera using an android tablet an OTG cable and the chainfire app to reduce shake.
Upvote
0
This is a troll. No law enforcement officer will be asking us for information or advice.
Law enforcement agencies have experts in the field of survelience. There is gear availiable to them that is not offered up to the public, things like military grade night vision lenses, copies of the 1200 5.6 canon lens, and a host of other devices that would never appear on a public forum. Those in the know do not discuss these things in public.
If it isn't a troll, go talk to the FBI, or the RCMP, or whatever your national police force is. Posting in this forum is a very bad idea.
Law enforcement agencies have experts in the field of survelience. There is gear availiable to them that is not offered up to the public, things like military grade night vision lenses, copies of the 1200 5.6 canon lens, and a host of other devices that would never appear on a public forum. Those in the know do not discuss these things in public.
If it isn't a troll, go talk to the FBI, or the RCMP, or whatever your national police force is. Posting in this forum is a very bad idea.
Upvote
0
You guys are funny. ;D You think Law Enforcement is like in the movies. Unlimited budgets and computers that show you the fingerprints with cool noises as they check them.
If your friend is sitting in a parking lot, that means he needs something reasonable for the inside of a car ( a 5 year old american sedan with lousy shocks and brakes). A crop DSLR and an 18-200 is probably where he wants to start. It is not unusual to shoot surveillance photos from 6 feet away, and the 18-200 gives tremendous range while easily handheld, and relatively inconspicuous. A large aperture lens like a 70-200 f2.8 will add to the night shooting ability.
If your friend is sitting in a parking lot, that means he needs something reasonable for the inside of a car ( a 5 year old american sedan with lousy shocks and brakes). A crop DSLR and an 18-200 is probably where he wants to start. It is not unusual to shoot surveillance photos from 6 feet away, and the 18-200 gives tremendous range while easily handheld, and relatively inconspicuous. A large aperture lens like a 70-200 f2.8 will add to the night shooting ability.
Upvote
0
jthomson said:
You HAVE to read some of the very creative comments on the amazon page for these...the first page or two kept me in stitches...
http://www.amazon.com/Sigma-200-500mm-Ultra-Telephoto-Canon-Cameras/product-reviews/B0013D8VDQ/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1
LOL...seeing into the future....
Upvote
0
Each jurisdiction will have its own standard operating procedure for handling and post processing of photographs (whether taken by a police officer, the general public or CCTV security cameras). As long as the steps are followed, the photos will be admitted as evidence. If there are claims that the photo has been tampered with, the officer that took the photo will usually be required to testify that it is the photo they took. In the case of UV and IR forensic photographs, they might also have to explain any steps they've taken. The jury will weigh up the credibility of the police officer in coming to their verdict. In itself, nothing hard, but photographic evidence is obviously very damaging to a defendent, so they'll argue any way possible to have it excluded. The data security kit makes it a little harder to raise objections as it is one less step to overcome. (Yes - I watch a lot of CSI and Law & Order)Zlatko said:
If you friend wants something discreet, try a micro four thirds camera with a 100-300 lens. The Nikon V1 with a 70-300 would also be pretty competent in daylight - That gives you about 810mm in real lens talk.
Upvote
0
Something to consider here is the length of the lens. If the guy is sat in a car then he will need to be flexible.
For daylight something like the 70-300L with Kenko 1.4X (forget which one but might be DGX) may be a nice portable option.
Then for low light something like the 70-200L usm is ii with either the same Kenko 1.4X or even Canon't 2.0X mk iii.
For daylight something like the 70-300L with Kenko 1.4X (forget which one but might be DGX) may be a nice portable option.
Then for low light something like the 70-200L usm is ii with either the same Kenko 1.4X or even Canon't 2.0X mk iii.
Upvote
0
I was thinking the same. When real-time *** tracking was less ubiquitous I used to manufacture / sell battery powered devices with magnets etc that sent in data by GPRS. I had a few guys from the local undercover division visit for a demonstration to see how my $1.5K device compared with their $10K "law enforcement only" device that used a continuous data call that cost over $500 a day in comms costs.TexPhoto said:
Anyway they found it to be technically superior, just they couldn't use it because I sold it to anyone with the cash, a practice I wasn't going to change just for a few sales to them :
. Actually one of the best customer groups were jealous / suspicious partners that wanted to save the cost of a PI.
Upvote
0
Unlimited budget.... HA! and who do you accuse of watching too much TV......
You do not decide to do survelience, you are assigned to do survelience. You assign competent people to do the task and anyone competent would know enough to go talk to experts in the field, the others who have previously done similar work, who have followed things all the way through the courts, who can better advise than us on equipment, and who can show them the equipment that needs to be purchased and how and where to purchase it. (government does not just run out and spend, there is a pile of paperwork and multiple levels of sign-off needed). Sometimes it can be borrowed, and sometimes it can be borrowed with an experienced user.
Experience is something that we do not have. For instance, he talks about use at night and none of us have mentioned Litton lenses.... none of use use them... none of us know what quality of image is necessary as evidence....this is not our field and it is delusional to pretend that it is. And there is a lot more to survelience than just pictures.... and once again, we know very little about it. If the guy is real, send him to the real experts for advice. If he isn't real, you are giving advice to a stalker or paparatzi wannabe.
Every few days I get emails from the director of the FBI. I also get lots of offers of millions of dollars and apparantly there are several women in Russia that want to marry my cat..... don't believe everything you see on the internet.
You do not decide to do survelience, you are assigned to do survelience. You assign competent people to do the task and anyone competent would know enough to go talk to experts in the field, the others who have previously done similar work, who have followed things all the way through the courts, who can better advise than us on equipment, and who can show them the equipment that needs to be purchased and how and where to purchase it. (government does not just run out and spend, there is a pile of paperwork and multiple levels of sign-off needed). Sometimes it can be borrowed, and sometimes it can be borrowed with an experienced user.
Experience is something that we do not have. For instance, he talks about use at night and none of us have mentioned Litton lenses.... none of use use them... none of us know what quality of image is necessary as evidence....this is not our field and it is delusional to pretend that it is. And there is a lot more to survelience than just pictures.... and once again, we know very little about it. If the guy is real, send him to the real experts for advice. If he isn't real, you are giving advice to a stalker or paparatzi wannabe.
Every few days I get emails from the director of the FBI. I also get lots of offers of millions of dollars and apparantly there are several women in Russia that want to marry my cat..... don't believe everything you see on the internet.
Upvote
0
I thought I'd follow up with more info and what my friend decided to do, in case you are interested.
This guy was closest to the reality of the situation:
After talking more to him about his needs, he ended up getting a T4i kit w/ 18-135 & 55-250. All the fancy CSI/NASA equipment would be "cooler" but it's a little overkill for him. Thanks for the help!
This guy was closest to the reality of the situation:
TexPhoto said:
After talking more to him about his needs, he ended up getting a T4i kit w/ 18-135 & 55-250. All the fancy CSI/NASA equipment would be "cooler" but it's a little overkill for him. Thanks for the help!
Upvote
0
No problem! One thing people rarely consider with surveillance photography is you must capture the scene, the place. what was happening where? Headshots with wonderful bokeh from a 600 f4 will be a nice souvenir for the bad guy, but will not do much in court. The bad guy need only be recognizable, he is not selling underwear. And the photos are only meant to compliment officer testimony, not replace it.
Of course monster lenses do have their place, but the opportunity to use one from waaaaaay far away is rare. Long shots must be set up way in advance, and buildings, trees, damn SUVs!, etc tend to get in the way. A guy in a car with a kit lens can move, and can blend.
Remind your friend to set his camera clock. Nothing worse than having t explain in court that all your photos are digitally dated and time stamped, but... the camera was off by 2 minutes, 1 hour, and 9 years. Oh and cover any lights on the front of the camera with black electrical tape. (for obvious reasons) Use P mode with Auto ISO instead of full auto (green box, idiot mode) because full auto will deploy the flash when it wants to. Or more complex settings if he is comfortable with that.
Good luck to your friend, hope he stays safe.
Of course monster lenses do have their place, but the opportunity to use one from waaaaaay far away is rare. Long shots must be set up way in advance, and buildings, trees, damn SUVs!, etc tend to get in the way. A guy in a car with a kit lens can move, and can blend.
Remind your friend to set his camera clock. Nothing worse than having t explain in court that all your photos are digitally dated and time stamped, but... the camera was off by 2 minutes, 1 hour, and 9 years. Oh and cover any lights on the front of the camera with black electrical tape. (for obvious reasons) Use P mode with Auto ISO instead of full auto (green box, idiot mode) because full auto will deploy the flash when it wants to. Or more complex settings if he is comfortable with that.
Good luck to your friend, hope he stays safe.
Upvote
0
Show me one police force in a G8 nation that does not have cameras...... Any officer doing survelience can simply walk down the hall and sign one out.... assuming that it is official business.....
Upvote
0
Again, it's all about the distance.
Considering you've said "surveillance, I believe he will be a distance.
I'd go for a 1dx, since you can slip 2 cf cards in, the battery is great
Then the *** module, it is small, light weight, and won't get in the way
Both the canon iii tc's he'll need them.
A big tripod
A monopod, if he is moving
A gimball head
Bracket foots, and all the gear.
And for super length, the 600 f4 is ii
At mid. Range, 300mm 2.8 is ii
At night, the 300 will be good, because you have the fast aperature.
But there are all kinds of other possibilities based on his needs.
-modify the cameras for thermal or infared
-hook up the camera to nvg's.
At dark, there are issues
My law enforcement in Fl has a really cool system the showed me, they had...
Spotting system
--------------------
A 1ds3 thermal image modified w/ 24-70mm 2.8
A 1ds3 infared w/ 70-200 2.8 is ii
Capture system
------------------------
A 1div thermal 300mm 2.8 is ii
A 1div infared 600mm f4 is
A 1div 400mm 2.8 is ii
Each system is mounted to a modified Gitzo athena head.
They have *** devices
All have the cable outlet plug batteries connected to a small power pack, and are returned to the station via satellite dish.
There are 3 capture systems and 1 spotting system.
The tech crew sets them up on ridges, in trees, anywhere.
Each system is monitored by one of the 4 tech specialists.
They've actually talked to homeland security about its possible border patrol use, butit's expensive! And only good for night.
I work as an intern for my local photography store, and they come in to upgrade and get things fixed, it's expensive, but a super expensive system.
My point is, he will be needing to see various things. When I hear surveillance, I think long range spy remote controlled cameras.
But if he just needs daytime manned shooting, it's just like a safari hunt. He brings along one body (1dx), but he will need various lenses, equipment.
And if it is something out in the desert or something, maybe even a camo suit.
The military does this stuff all the time, so try and find someone who does that.
Ask him to specify the surveillance, because there are various types he could need to do.
The setup could be simply an 800mm, a 1dx and a sandbag, but it may even be as complicated as my law enforcements.
And remember that desperate times call for desperate measures.
If he's trying to spy on teens selling drugs, a 1dx may not be necessary, but if someone is crossing the border with weapons, it could be that important.
Considering you've said "surveillance, I believe he will be a distance.
I'd go for a 1dx, since you can slip 2 cf cards in, the battery is great
Then the *** module, it is small, light weight, and won't get in the way
Both the canon iii tc's he'll need them.
A big tripod
A monopod, if he is moving
A gimball head
Bracket foots, and all the gear.
And for super length, the 600 f4 is ii
At mid. Range, 300mm 2.8 is ii
At night, the 300 will be good, because you have the fast aperature.
But there are all kinds of other possibilities based on his needs.
-modify the cameras for thermal or infared
-hook up the camera to nvg's.
At dark, there are issues
My law enforcement in Fl has a really cool system the showed me, they had...
Spotting system
--------------------
A 1ds3 thermal image modified w/ 24-70mm 2.8
A 1ds3 infared w/ 70-200 2.8 is ii
Capture system
------------------------
A 1div thermal 300mm 2.8 is ii
A 1div infared 600mm f4 is
A 1div 400mm 2.8 is ii
Each system is mounted to a modified Gitzo athena head.
They have *** devices
All have the cable outlet plug batteries connected to a small power pack, and are returned to the station via satellite dish.
There are 3 capture systems and 1 spotting system.
The tech crew sets them up on ridges, in trees, anywhere.
Each system is monitored by one of the 4 tech specialists.
They've actually talked to homeland security about its possible border patrol use, butit's expensive! And only good for night.
I work as an intern for my local photography store, and they come in to upgrade and get things fixed, it's expensive, but a super expensive system.
My point is, he will be needing to see various things. When I hear surveillance, I think long range spy remote controlled cameras.
But if he just needs daytime manned shooting, it's just like a safari hunt. He brings along one body (1dx), but he will need various lenses, equipment.
And if it is something out in the desert or something, maybe even a camo suit.
The military does this stuff all the time, so try and find someone who does that.
Ask him to specify the surveillance, because there are various types he could need to do.
The setup could be simply an 800mm, a 1dx and a sandbag, but it may even be as complicated as my law enforcements.
And remember that desperate times call for desperate measures.
If he's trying to spy on teens selling drugs, a 1dx may not be necessary, but if someone is crossing the border with weapons, it could be that important.
Upvote
0
- Status
