数码相机NikonD200的应用

CivilAirPatrolNikonwithuseGPSOurLessonTodayWeareheretodaytolearnaboutsomenewequipmentforshootingaerialphotography,andhowtosetupthisequipment.Thissystemusesahigh-resolutiondigitalcameraattachedtoahandheldGPSwhichautomaticallyembedseachpicturewiththelocation,altitude,andtime–thusrelievingtheaircrewofthatresponsibility.Theonlyfunctiontheequipmentcan’tdoforusisidentifywhichwaythecameraispointingwhenthepictureisshot.Andinmostcases,thisisclearfromthepicture,canbeidentifiedbythecrew,orcanbedeterminedwithavailabletoolslikeGoogleEarth.ThissystemhasbeenextensivelytestedintheTexasWingandGroup5oftheTexasWingforovertwoyears.Recently,itwasoperationallyprovenduringHurricaneDollyandHurricaneIkerecoveryefforts.Wehopeourlessonslearnedcanjumpstartyourowneffortswiththissystem.OurLessonsTodayHowToConfigureTheEquipmentHowToConnectItAllTogetherTheEquipmentNecessaryHowToTestForCorrectOperationSomeRecommendationsForItsUsePiecesofthePuzzleNikonMC-35SerialPortAdapter

Adaptsa9-pincomputerserialconnectortotheNikonCameraGarminetrex-HmodelhandheldGPS

ProvidesLatitude/Longitude/Altitude/UTCTimeInformationNikonD200Camera

10.2MegapixelDigitalSingleLensReflex(DSLR)CameraGarminSerialDataCable(alsoknownascomputer

adaptercableandcanbeobtainfromaftermarketsuppliers)

ThiscableconnectedtheGarminGPStoNikonMC-35AdapterWhatequipmentdoweneed?NikonD200TheNikonD200DSLRisa10.2mega-pixeldigitalcamerawithmanyadvancedfeaturesusefultoourCAPaerialphotography.NikonD200Themostusefulfeatureistheexternaldatainterfaceport.NikonsellsaMC-35adapter.After-marketcompaniesalsoselladapters.NikonD200TheNikonD200’sinformationscreenontopshowsthecurrentcamerasettings/statusandtheGPSconnectionstatus.NikonMC-35AdapterNikon’sMC-35SerialPortAdapterconvertsa9-pinserialcomputerconnectortotheroundNikoninterfaceconnector.Garminetrex-HGPSTheGarminetrex-HGPShasahigh-sensitivityreceiverwithWAASbuiltin.Batterylifeisprojectedat18hoursuse.Thereisnobuilt-inmemorytoloadadditionalmapsoruserwaypoints,butthesefunctionsaren’trequiredforaerialphotography.Eveninsideahouse,thisetrex-Hwasabletopickupenoughsatellites(withWAAScorrection)topinpointalocationtowithin10feet!GarminSerialDataCableGarminandaftermarketcompaniessellaSerialDataCablethatcanconnecttheirGPStoacomputer,orinourcase–totheNikonMC-35andNikonD200.TheserialcablefromGarminissixfeetlongwhichissufficienttoreachfromtheGPSatoptheaircraft’sfrontpaneltothebackseatwherethephotographerusuallysits.Therearethreepartstoconnectingthisequipmentandgettingitfunctioning:PuttingItAllTogether1.CorrectlyconfiguretheGPStospeakthesame“language”asthecamera.2.Connectingthedatacablesbetweentheequipment.3.CHECKTHEENTIRESETUPFORCORRECTOPERATION!PuttingItAllTogetherTurnoffallequipment!

WhiletheNikonD200andGarminGPSmightnotbeaffectedifpoweredonwhileconnectinganddisconnectthecables–whowantstoriskdamaginga$2,000pluscamera?

Second–theNikonD200willnotdetecttheGPSunlesstheconnectionsarealreadymadeandtheGPSisturnedonBEFOREtheD200isturnedon.ThismeanstheD200isthelastdeviceturnedon.AndiftheGPSdies,theD200isturnedoff/ontoresetafterturningtheGPSonagain.Firstchecktoinsureallbatteriesarechargedorfresh.

Nothingisasfrustratingasbatteriesdyinghalf-waythroughasortie!

TheNikonD200batteryshouldbechargedbeforeEVERYsortie.

TheGPSshouldgetnewbatteriesatleastevery10hoursofoperationandasparesetshouldbecarriedoneverysortie–justincase!ConfiguringtheGPSThefivebuttonstonavigate/configuretheGarminetrex-Hare:Topright=theQUIT/PAGEbutton.Lowerleft=theENTER/MARKbutton.Pairoftwoattopleft=theUP/DOWNbuttons.Large,flatbuttonatlowerright=theON/OFF/BACKLIGHTbutton.ThefirsttimetheGarminetrex-HGPSisused,itshouldbecheckedforcorrectdataInput/Outputformat(languagetotalktothecamera)ConfiguringtheGPSFirststepinconfiguration:

UsethePAGEbuttontoscrollthroughthescreensuntilyoureachtheMENUscreen.

UsethedownbuttontogettotheSETUPselectionandpresstheENTERbutton.NOTE:TheGPSbatteryconditionisdisplayedatthebottomofthisscreen.Butdon’ttrustitasmorethanaguide.Ifthebatteryicondisplayshows½ormoredepleted–replacethembeforethenextsortie!ConfiguringtheGPSSecondstepinconfiguration:

UsethedownbuttontoscrolldowntotheINTERFACEselection.

PresstheENTERbutton.NOTE:TheGPSbatteryconditionisdisplayedatthebottomofthisscreen.Butdon’ttrustitasmorethanaguide.Ifthebatteryicondisplayshows½ormoredepleted–replacethembeforethenextsortie!ConfiguringtheGPSThirdstepinconfiguration:

IftheGPSiscorrectlysetto“NMEAOUT”setting–nothingfurtherisneeded.ThisisthecorrectInput/OutputtocommunicatewiththeNikonD200.IftheI/Oissettoanythingotherthan“NMEAOUT”,followtheinstructiononthenextslide.ConfiguringtheGPSFourthstepinconfiguration:

IftheGPSisnotsetto“NMEAOUT”intheInterfaceScreen-presstheENTERbutton,usetheUPorDOWNbuttonstoscrollto“NMEAOUT”,andpressENTERagaintoselectit.ConfiguringtheGPSConfigurationcomplete.

WiththeGPScorrectlysetto“NMEAOUT”,usetheQUIT/PAGEbuttontogobacktotheSATELLITEpage.WhensufficientsatelliteshavebeenlockedonbytheGPS–thescreenwillshow“READYTONAVIGATE”andthepossiblepositionalerror.ConnectingtheEquipmentThefirstconnectionsshouldbetheMC-35totheGarmindatacable.

Screwdownthelockdownsonthedatacable.Ifthiscableisstrungacrossacockpit,vibrationsoraslighttugwillcauseittoseparatewhennotscrewedtogether!Don’tover-tighten,justsnugthescrews.NexttheGPSSlidethedatacableontotheGarminGPS

Theconnectoriskeyed,soitcan’tbeconnectedwrong.

Theconnectoristight,andsomeforcemaybenecessaryatfirst.FinallytheNikonD200InserttheMC-35plugintotheD200port

Theconnectorisalsokeyed,andcan’tbeinsertedincorrectly.

Afterfullyseatingtheconnector,screwdownthethreadedlockring.Powerupsequence:PowerUpandTestFirsttheGPS:

Holddownthepowerbuttononlower-rightforafewsecondsuntiltheGPSscreencomestolife.Waitforthesatellitepagetocomeupshowingreceptionofsufficientsatellitesforpositionaldata.Then,theNikonD200camera:

RotatethepowerlevertoON.Thecamera’stopscreenshouldbecomeactiveshowingthecurrentsettingsandcameradata.PowerUpandTestIfthebatteriesaregood,theconnectionsright,andtheGPSconfigurationcorrect–youshouldseeaGPSindicatorsymbolonthecamera’stopscreen.NOTE:IftheGPSsymbolisflashing–itmeanstheGPShasn’tlockedontoenoughsatellitesyet.ButthecameraISreceivingdatafromtheGPS.Bepatient–itscoming!Ifyoudon’tgettheGPSindicatorsymbol:PowerUpandTestFirsttrypoweringthecameraoffandon.

Wedon’tusuallyhaveproblems,butonceinawhile–thecamerahastobeturnedoffandbackonagainbeforeitrecognizedtheGPS.Ifthatdoesn’twork:

Turnoffalltheequipment,

Separateallcableconnections,

Reconnectthecables,

Tryturningonthecameraagain.Thelastandmostimportanttest:FinalTestWithalltheequipmentstillconnectedandon:Takeapicture(ofanything)Checkthepictureonthecamera’sbackscreentoinsureithasGPSdatastoredHowcanwecheckifthecameraisrecordingtheGPSdataineachpicture??DisplaythepictureusingthePLAYbutton:FinalTestFinalTest2.ScrollupthroughdatascreenstotheGPSDatascreen.Theremaybemanyscreensofdatatoscrollthrough,dependingonthecamera’sconfiguration–someareshownbelow:

(Note:theGPSdatascreenwillnotevenbethereifthecameraisn’tgettingdatafromtheGPS!)FinalTest3.Andhere’stheGPSdatascreen:FinalTestAsyoucansee,theGPSdatascreenprovidesLatitude,Longitude,Altitude(inmeters),andUTCtimeforeachphotograph.EntireSetUpHereisthecompetesetupreadyforpictures:WrapUpSuggestionsThecamerapersonshouldchecktheGPSsymbolontheD200topscreenoftenwhileshooting.Ifitdisappears(indicatingnoGPSdata),itseasytocirclebackfor5to10pictures.ItsnotaseasyiftheGPSdatahasbeenoffforawhile.So,checkfrequently!RunbothtestsBEFOREdepartingonasortie.Youdon’twanttodiscoveryouhaveaproblemASyougetintoyourtargetarea!WrapUpSuggestionsStorethecamerawiththecablesandGPSstillattached.Fewerchancesofproblemsifeverythingisalreadyconnected.TakeaLOTofphotosoneachsortie.Forgettheold5-10photospertargettraining.Withthecamerarecordinglocation,altitude,andtimeintoeachpicture–therecordingfunctionisautomatic.

DuringthehurricaneDollyandIkerecoveryefforts,weshot300-700picturespersortie!WrapUpSuggestionsKeepainexpensivefilteronthefrontofthelens.Itseasiertoreplacea$7.00filterthanthe$400lens!Andkeepproperlenscleaningsupplieshandy.Don’tuseKleenexes,napkins,papertowels,oryourshirttail!Practicewiththecameraasmuchaspossible.Signthecameraouttomembersforatimesotheycanreviewthemanualandpractice.Nothingbeatsknowinghowtoresetmis-configuredcontrolswhileflying!WrapUpSuggestionsWealsosuggestthereceivingunitspendalittlemoneyforafewextraaccessories:Purchaseabackupc