Tech Forum

I'm looking at mounting a D70 at the rear of the chapel above the curtains (as well as one on each side). So this will be very high (no mechanism or mounting to drop it down).

For those of you who have done this, how is the picture from that angle? The angle seems like it would be pretty steep and may make for an awkward picture. Anyone have a sample they could post? michaelfish, looks like from your picture that your center camera is dropped down. Is that correct?

And for those of you who have mounted them on the sides, anything you'd do differently if you were to do it again (e.g. not symetrical on each side? closer to the front?)?

michaelfish, looks like from your picture that your center camera is dropped down. Is that correct?

Yes, that is correct. The center camera drops out and lowers from the ceiling.

Check out this video to see how it operates: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joRK1Vqr ... e=youtu.be

From my experience in mounting cameras at high angles, plan to see a lot of forehead - especially if they read their talks. If the speaker is bald, you may even get shiney reflections of the lights.

In addition, at certain angles members are visible behind the speaker so you may want to plan your camera angles so the background is not a seat. Perhaps positioning the camera so the organ or piano is the background may cut down on distractions behind the speaker.

Guess I should have read the rest of the thread before posting :-/ Most of my questions were answered there. I would like to see the original ppt, however.

michaelfish wrote:Yes, that is correct. The center camera drops out and low

<<snip>>

From my experience in mounting cameras at high angles, plan to see a lot of forehead - especially if they read their talks. If the speaker is bald, you may even get shiney reflections of the lights.

<<snip>>

This is exactly what I have been contemplating for our stake center. We also have the camera mounted in the wall above the overflow and have found the angle to be suboptimal including the shiny reflections.

I would extremely appreciate more details on your raise/lower mechanism... trap door... cables and pulley... hydraulic... etc. Also, how do you control the pan zoom tilt on the camera? Do you use Sony's controller or a serial based app on a computer?

I would extremely appreciate more details on your raise/lower mechanism... trap door... cables and pulley... hydraulic... etc. Also, how do you control the pan zoom tilt on the camera? Do you use Sony's controller or a serial based app on a computer?

Using a garage door opener in the attic mounted vertically instead of horizontally, I was able to implement a motorized retractable camera mount for the Sony EVI-D70.

The camera is raised/lowered by a 3/4" EMT conduit mounted to the scew drive trolley. It is actuated either via wired button control or from a wireless keypad mounted on the wall. Pan/Tilt/Zoom is accomplished via a Sony RM-B300 joystick controller located in the media center.

I used an straight air conditioning register boot installed in the ceiling to store the camera when not in use. The camera retracts into the boot and a 10" x 6" A/C grill mounted on hinges is pulled into place or opened by the camera base via a cable and springs.

Limits on the garage door track control the stops.

The camera drops 7' from the ceiling and suspends 8 1/2 feet off the ground.

The cost of the project was about $375, but there was a lot of work involved.

An option to get the camera closer and place it about eye level could be to hang the camera in the chapel from the soffit. The tuck at the front of our Legacy style stake center is great for concealing most of the camera from the congregation's view.

I did this by using a 1" steel bar and bent it at the right places so that it simply hangs from the soffit. The steel was painted and wires taped behind so everything is nicely concealed (white tape).

Since the camera about 7' off the ground, there is no problem with shiny-heads-reflecting-lights. In addition, the camera is close enough so smooth slow pans of the choir are possible. We also get great close-ups of hands playing the piano keys when they play the introduction or for solos. The camera is only used for supplimental views since it can only show the speaker from the side.

We also mounted the camera at the bottom of the curtain wall, and attached is an example of how it views.

I went by the AZ Gilbert Highland Stake last night (Higley and Greenfield) and what they did blew me away. They had said they wanted to install a motorized retractable drop-down camera like what I had done. However, instead of a doing a pretty good job like my installation, the installer did a FANTASTIC job. Just look at the pictures… The installer even went so far as to research fire codes, create plans, fabricate the camera mount and base, install plywood floor in the attic as well as a ladder, lights in the attic and a light switch.

…and the total cost was less than $150.00 (for the garage door opener. The labor, fireproof box and mounting hardware was all donated.)

You should see it!

I received this email from Brother Slaugh and it is a great extension to this thread. This is a great STS project and a real improvement in the remote viewing experience of our members and investigators. Brother Sierakowski, Area Technology Specialist - San Antonio Area
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Hello Brothers. I wanted to share with you the completed results of our camera installations. Brother Katherman and I took our pictures and put them in a presentation and then made some YouTube videos of us walking through the installation. There is a long version (about 35 minutes) and a short version (about 6 minutes). We tell the story of how we did it and hopefully pass on some lessons learned to others who may do something like this.

Here are some links to the video.

Extended Version (35 Minutes): https://youtu.be/DCMlXOHqSz8
Short Version (6 Minutes): https://youtu.be/gH4v-oKqwHw
Photos: http://bit.ly/1F10DP1

Great job, guys! Very nice video and pictures. I really like your custom metal enclosure and door, and the permanent lighting in the space. We did this in our stake (Vancouver Washington East) just about two years ago, generally following Michael Fish's design. Here are some things we did (and would like to have done) just a bit different:

1. We mounted the garage door opener upside down, with the power head at the bottom simply sitting on a framed platform. This allowed for much easier positional adjustment.
2. We ran a separate switched circuit for the camera (we also have a projector mounted in the same space).
3. We oriented the camera with the home position facing the pulpit, as you did. If we did it again, we would probably turn the camera home position 90 degrees, which would allow us to pan the camera to the back of the cultural hall in addition to the pulpit.
4. We hang pin spots from the cove light shelves that effectively makes the choir disappear when we drop the lights in the chapel. While the speakers initially don't like it because they can't see the audience, they usually see the value when we show them the picture zoomed on the speaker with bouncing primary choir knees in the background. We also have cameras mounted on these hangers that provide a different angle, including parts of the audience.

Here is a link https://plus.google.com/+MarkDeason/posts/YvYjUCxEsgq to my pictures (including some other stuff we've done in the attic).

msd360 wrote:4. We hang pin spots from the cove light shelves that effectively makes the choir disappear when we drop the lights in the chapel.

Are the lights on dimmers? I'd think switching them off would be distracting. If they're on dimmers, is that normal or was that added?