Friday, December 30, 2011
Military Flying Drone Boasts a 1.8 GigaPixel Camera!
I just read an article about a new Military Drone that has a crazy cool camera. The A160 Hummingbird robo-drone has a handful of new features that will set it apart, and most likely set it above the currently used Predator Drones.The first new feature is that, unlike the Predator, the Hummingbird doesn't fly like a plane, but is rather rotor based, so it is closer in operation to a helicopter. This will give soldiers greater control of the drone, and allow for more detailed viewing of certain parts of the terrain.
But that's not the part that caught my eye. The Hummingbird Drone has a suped up camera that will give far greater resolution. The 1.8-gigapixel camera (yeah, I said GIGApixel) will allow the drone to scan an area of 25 square miles from altitudes up to 20,000 feet. That's a little under 4 miles up!
Soldiers on the ground will be able to download images and video in real time. This should give them far greater situational awareness and allow them to make more informed choices on the battlefield.
To put that 1.8-gigapixel camera in perspective, the latest smartphones might have a camera around 8 megapixels. And people swoon over the quality of the photos they take. Most consider the resolution from many smartphones today to be on par with professional grade cameras. A gigapixel gives a thousand times more detail than a megapixel, so the Hummingbird Drone should do a pretty good job.
At about 4 miles up it will be able to distinguish people, cars and more, and the operators can see what's around a corner before they poke their head out.
The technology here goes beyond just getting a good picture though, and the soldiers can also can be set to watch up to 65 designated areas, including following cars or people regardless of where they go!
Well, I should mention that any drone has limitations. As The Simpsons once joked, "Satellite Imagery has shown us the trillion dollar bill isn't on the roof."
Reading about the Hummingbird Drone got me thinking about the various camera options we have at Tactical-Store. For long distance viewing and photography many people like to use a digital camera binocular. These are a great option when you want to cut down on the amount of gear you carry with you when hunting or birding, but we have a new option from Nikon that you might have even greater success with.
The Nikon EDG VR FieldScope 88mm Spotting Scope is, first and foremost, a fantastic spotting scope. The 85mm objective lens will gather a ton of light for a really bright and clear image, and since the EDG FieldScope comes from Nikon, you can trust in the quality of the lenses and the construction of the body.
But what makes the Nikon EDG FieldScope really special is the VR (Vibration Reduction) system. It's tough to use a spotting scope on the go, as even slight shaking from your hands will blur the image, and even when mounted on a tripod the wind or other environmental disturbances there can be a bit of shaking. The VR System reduces the effects of this and gives you a really clear image. That's a huge deal when you're running around and need to take a quick look!
Another thing that's great about this Nikon FieldScope is that it is perfect for digiscoping. For those who don't know, digiscoping is when you attached a digital camera to the eyepiece of your spotting scope or telescope to take a photo. As Nikon is world-renowned for their Cameras, it makes sense that they would make a number of great camera-ready optics like the EDG FieldScope.
You probably won't be able to get the same resolution as from the Hummingbird Drone, but you'll get a great picture if you use the Nikon EDG VR FieldScope the next time you're out hunting, birding or just enjoying the great outdoors!
Labels: camera, digiscoping, military technology, nikon, spotting scope
Posted by brian.coughlin at 11:01 AM Read Article 