Taking pictures of a field - how far apart

a31burgervan · Mar 16, 2017

As part of a little metal detecting project I have, I wish to take pics of a field from 120m altitude with camera facing 90deg straight down

I am planning my mission with waypoints to cover the whole area of the field taking a picture at each waypoint

I have 2 questions,

What would be the best specify between each waypoint to ensure minimal overlap but still cover the whole field (I am putting the pics together to create one whole picture?

Do I need the drone to pause before it takes the picture and if so for how long ?

Thanks

Richard R · Mar 16, 2017

At that height, the footprint on the ground would be approximately 75 m hi, by 100 m wide. If you take a picture every 75 m, you get 50% overlap (2 looks at each point on the ground), probably more than you need. 100 m should give you plenty. Using the same estimate, distance between passes could be on the order of 120-130 m. Apps like Maps Made Easy don't pause to take pics. On a bright enough day, shutter speed will be fast enough that you would have minimal blur. Using litchi, the app will stop briefly at each waypoint anyway.

Plane Mack · Mar 16, 2017

What software does anyone use/recommend for photo stitching?

Pharm · Mar 16, 2017

Plane Mack said:
What software does anyone use/recommend for photo stitching?

PTGui. Link below:

Photo stitching software 360 degree Panorama image software - PTGui Stitching Software

a31burgervan · Mar 17, 2017

Richard R said:
At that height, the footprint on the ground would be approximately 75 m hi, by 100 m wide. If you take a picture every 75 m, you get 50% overlap (2 looks at each point on the ground), probably more than you need. 100 m should give you plenty. Using the same estimate, distance between passes could be on the order of 120-130 m. Apps like Maps Made Easy don't pause to take pics. On a bright enough day, shutter speed will be fast enough that you would have minimal blur. Using litchi, the app will stop briefly at each waypoint anyway.

Thanks for that info - spot on great help !!!