4 ms·

Won't the mirror collect dew?

by platz 9y ago

robotresearcher 9y ago
And vibrate independently of the camera.
- bdamm 9y ago
  Whether vibration is from the camera or the mirror does not matter; both will reduce quality on the image, assuming a slow exposure. But these exposures look very fast. Even so, if the camera can be made stable, then so surely too can a mirror.
  - wutbrodo 9y ago
    > Even so, if the camera can be made stable, then so surely too can a mirror. I don't think it makes sense to look at it as a binary of stable or not stable: the camera can be made stable to a certain degree, and the mirror introduces additional instability (even if just stochastically). I could understand wanting to minimize that.
  - robotresearcher 9y ago
    > both will reduce quality on the image Yep. So why have two instead of one?
    - bdamm 9y ago
      Why blow hundreds or thousands of dollars on damaging and replacing lenses? Photography doesn't generally pay well enough to afford that for very long.
      - dagw 9y ago
        "I’d likely be able to replace just the front element, but I picked up this lens for a hundred bucks, so if I want to do a fisheye shot for a future launch, I’ll probably just buy another one." Basically any setup to protect the lens will end up costing about as much as the lens.
        zaarn 9y ago
        A 30x30cm Mirror (which is enough to get the image to the camera) costs about 12$ with a quick google search. It's even high quality silver. With a small price at the start you can probably 3D print an apparatus that contains stabilizers for both camera and mirror plus a mechanism to easily swap mirrors.
zaarn 9y ago
It'll collect dirt. A lot of rocket starts have been filmed and photographed using mirrors. A small silvermirror is much much cheaper than most lenses and doesn't change picture quality much (if the mirror glass is good). Mirrors can also be easier cleaned; in the simplest model you pour acid over the backside to dissolve the silver then run the silver-drenched acid over a mirror while neutralizing it (of course the actual process is much more complicated.

Won't the mirror collect dew?

by platz 9y ago

Won't the mirror collect dew?

robotresearcher 9y ago

And vibrate independently of the camera.

bdamm 9y ago
Whether vibration is from the camera or the mirror does not matter; both will reduce quality on the image, assuming a slow exposure. But these exposures look very fast. Even so, if the camera can be made stable, then so surely too can a mirror.
- wutbrodo 9y ago
  > Even so, if the camera can be made stable, then so surely too can a mirror. I don't think it makes sense to look at it as a binary of stable or not stable: the camera can be made stable to a certain degree, and the mirror introduces additional instability (even if just stochastically). I could understand wanting to minimize that.
- robotresearcher 9y ago
  > both will reduce quality on the image Yep. So why have two instead of one?
  - bdamm 9y ago
    Why blow hundreds or thousands of dollars on damaging and replacing lenses? Photography doesn't generally pay well enough to afford that for very long.
    - dagw 9y ago
      "I’d likely be able to replace just the front element, but I picked up this lens for a hundred bucks, so if I want to do a fisheye shot for a future launch, I’ll probably just buy another one." Basically any setup to protect the lens will end up costing about as much as the lens.
      - zaarn 9y ago
        A 30x30cm Mirror (which is enough to get the image to the camera) costs about 12$ with a quick google search. It's even high quality silver. With a small price at the start you can probably 3D print an apparatus that contains stabilizers for both camera and mirror plus a mechanism to easily swap mirrors.

zaarn 9y ago

It'll collect dirt. A lot of rocket starts have been filmed and photographed using mirrors. A small silvermirror is much much cheaper than most lenses and doesn't change picture quality much (if the mirror glass is good). Mirrors can also be easier cleaned; in the simplest model you pour acid over the backside to dissolve the silver then run the silver-drenched acid over a mirror while neutralizing it (of course the actual process is much more complicated.