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3D ShowcaseAccessoriesCapture AppGeekHardwareLEDLightingNight

Capture Outdoors at Night57

WGAN Forum
Founder &
WGAN-TV Podcast
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Atlanta, Georgia
DanSmigrod private msg quote post Address this user
Geek Alert!

I have a client that would like an outdoor night capture photo shoot.

This week, I plan to test mounting an LED always-on light to the top of the Matterport Camera for outdoor night scans.

In my blog post, 10 Tips for Shooting Outdoors with the Matterport Pro 3D Camera, while I am happy with the Sunset 3D Showcase (except for the rain clouds) ....


... I am not happy with the Night 3D Showcase...



So I bought the following to test:

1. iKan iLED312-v2 light powered by two lithium batteries

2. Delkin Devices Fat Gecko dual suction cup camera mount

While I sent an email to Matterport asking for their input, I thought I would check with our 'Brain Trust' (you!) about why this will -- or will not -- work!

1. Combined weight too much for the camera?
2. I can set the color temperature between 3200K and 5600K. Any thoughts on which might work best? I haven't seen any Matterport tech specs on this topic.
3. I can control elevation of the light. I plan to "eye-ball" the Field of View (FoV) of the light with the FoV of the camera. While I would prefer less elevation to reduce the weight, I may need the elevation for the FoV.
4. Dimmer: Any thoughts on full power or somewhat less? (I looked at a lighter LED, but it didn't seem to be bright enough nor could you control the color temp.
5. Inside the nice carrying case: barn doors; A/C Adapter, car charger and a ball head.

Have you tested shooting outdoors at night with a different lighting solution?

Thanks,

Dan
Post 1 IP   flag post
sdubose99 private msg quote post Address this user
Dan I would expect the LED to not have much "throw" but I'm interested in your results...
Post 2 IP   flag post
GarySnyder private msg quote post Address this user
Dan I can't help with this one, but I am interested in the results of your test
Post 3 IP   flag post
WGAN Forum
Founder &
WGAN-TV Podcast
Host
Atlanta, Georgia
DanSmigrod private msg quote post Address this user
@sdubose99 @GarySnyder Good news ...

Matterport's Director of Manufacturing let me know that the weight of the LED light + dual suction cups should be fine to place on top of the camera: aligned with the tripod.

Solving the weight puzzle is probably 80 percent of the solution. It's that huge.

I anticipate hearing from Matterport this week about the suggested color temperature setting that I can set between 3200K and 5600K. Regarding the dimmer control, that's probably simply testing with walls/objects both close and far away.

I'll need to test how long the Sony DCR-VX200 Lithium-Ion batteries last too. [The LED light comes with two batteries. I ordered 8 more batteries and 4 extra chargers.]

If we can solve how to shoot at night, this way open up other capture opportunities for all of us.

Dan
Post 4 IP   flag post
sdubose99 private msg quote post Address this user
IMO the bigger challenge will be due to the camera's noise in dark areas.
Post 5 IP   flag post
WGAN Forum
Founder &
WGAN-TV Podcast
Host
Atlanta, Georgia
DanSmigrod private msg quote post Address this user
Good news ....

The short answer is you can create a great night-time Matterport 3D Showcase like this ...



Recipe for Success: It's As Easy As 1-2-3

1. Buy: iKan iLED312-v2 light powered by two lithium batteries
Settings: K5600 | 100% | No diffuser | Use Barn Doors | Bottom Barn Door open wider

2. Buy: Delkin Devices Fat Gecko dual suction cup camera mount

3. Instead of mounting on the camera with the suction cups, hold the Fat Gecko by hand about 8 includes above the camera and tilt down some. Try to get the light towards the legs of the tripod. Hold the lights still while the camera is still. (Move the light when the camera is moving)

When possible, do a test first. Adjust accordingly after you look at your test scan.

Successful outdoor nightine capture may open up other 3D opportunities for all of us.

Dan
Post 6 IP   flag post
YairYepez private msg quote post Address this user
Nothing like the feeling of accomplishment after a successful experiment!
Post 7 IP   flag post
Tim private msg quote post Address this user
Top job Dan, looks cool.
Post 8 IP   flag post
WGAN Forum
Founder &
WGAN-TV Podcast
Host
Atlanta, Georgia
DanSmigrod private msg quote post Address this user
@sdubose99 @YairYepez @Tim @GarySnyder

So this is cool.

After looking at the chromatic noise in my NIGHT 3D Showcase ...


The Matterport team adjusted the chromatic setting in their cloud processor and asked me to resubmit the 3D Showcase for processing.

This is what the SAME 3D Showcase looks like AFTER the noise adjustment ...


This means all of us can now shoot at night with similar skyline/building lighting – without additional lighting – and create a very good 3D Showcase.

That said, I do like adding the LED light as shown in this test from last night ...


... so, I will continue to use LED to enhance night 3D Showcases. I also anticipate adding key lights in the distance to add some accents when/where possible.

Other thoughts about shooting at night?

Dan
Post 9 IP   flag post
GarySnyder private msg quote post Address this user
Very impressive

Will our uploads to Matterport automatically adjust for night shoots now or do we have to inform Matterport that the upload was shot at night and there needs to be some adjustments to the scans?

What if we're shooting outdoors and we encounter very bright sunlight can the team also adjust for this?

Great job Dan in pushing the boundaries of Matterport.
Post 10 IP   flag post
WGAN Forum
Founder &
WGAN-TV Podcast
Host
Atlanta, Georgia
DanSmigrod private msg quote post Address this user
@GarySnyder TY for your kind note. Simple capture at night and the cloud processing automatically works.

Very bight sun absorbs IR. At @YairYepez suggestion, I will be testing filters in front of the IR lenes. I have a red gel to experiment with next week.

Today and Thursday and potentially Friday, I have full day 3D Showcase shoots. So, thanks for your patience. In the mean time, have you seen my blog post about shooting at sunset and at night?

Dan
Post 11 IP   flag post
GarySnyder private msg quote post Address this user
That's great new Dan. The reason for my question is here in the UK the weather conditions change so quickly. You can get four seasons easily in an hour. One minute it can be heavy overcast or raining and the thing it's very bright sunshine. This time of year is a problem as the sun is very low and point directly into all of Matterport lenses.

I have seen you blog post on the outdoor shoot and have shot during these condition. I may have an industrial shoot that elevated and that was the reason for my question regarding the bright sun.

I'll eager await the outcome of the filter test as well as your shoot this week.

Again thank you for a great resource in these blogs as well as your own advice.

All the best
Gary
Post 12 IP   flag post
ccctucker private msg quote post Address this user
Nice job with getting the company to adjust their settings, actually nice work on all of it
Post 13 IP   flag post
WGAN Forum
Founder &
WGAN-TV Podcast
Host
Atlanta, Georgia
DanSmigrod private msg quote post Address this user
@sdubose99 @YairYepez @Tim @GarySnyder I shot this 3D Showcase inside (during sunset) and outside (at night).

From the inside, looking out, the lighting looks normal because I shot at sunset to dusk. (See how the lighting changes as I move from scanning by the windows first to the top of the stair case captured last.)

For the night capture outside, I used a hand-held LED light (I rotate with the camera to paint in the light) and an accent fill light in the dark places at either end of the building. [While I could have captured this space at night without the addition of the hand-held LED light or the accent fill light, it simply looks better / shows more of the landscaping by adding the lights.



Below is the outdoor patio captured at sunset ...



Here are my 10 Tips for Shooting Outdoors with the Matterport Pro 3D Camera.

Do you have other tips for capturing spaces outdoors or shooting indoors to get the lighting outside to look great?

Dan
Post 14 IP   flag post
WGAN Forum
Founder &
WGAN-TV Podcast
Host
Atlanta, Georgia
DanSmigrod private msg quote post Address this user
@sdubose99 @YairYepez @Tim @GarySnyder more on the topic of Matterport capture outdoors our my blog post today:

We Get Around Outdoor 3D Showcase Walk-Around Photography with the Matterport Pro 3D Camera.

Dan
Post 15 IP   flag post
sdubose99 private msg quote post Address this user
Thanks Dan... BTW off topic, I stuck one of these on top, really helps with verticals.
Post 16 IP   flag post
GarySnyder private msg quote post Address this user
Very well done Dan, this will be a big help to those Matterporters who are interested in doing exteriors.
Post 17 IP   flag post
WGAN Forum
Founder &
WGAN-TV Podcast
Host
Atlanta, Georgia
DanSmigrod private msg quote post Address this user
@sdubose99 Cool! A link to buy the level bubble?
Post 18 IP   flag post
sdubose99 private msg quote post Address this user
How about Home Depot
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Empire-1-3-8-in-Bull-Eye-Level-3604/100147382
Post 19 IP   flag post
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