Mechanical shutters

[orionshooter]

My curiosity was piqued last week by a poster discussing professional pilot opportunities in Michigan. One of the requirements was a camera with a mechanical shutter.

Can someone explain the reasoning - preferably in newbie terms?

P.S. I just realized this should have been posted in the photo forum - just couldn’t figure out how to delete the post or simply move it

Thanks

 

[Phantomrain.org]

My curiosity was piqued last week by a poster discussing professional pilot opportunities in Michigan. One of the requirements was a camera with a mechanical shutter.

Can someone explain the reasoning - preferably in newbie terms?

P.S. I just realized this should have been posted in the photo forum - just couldn’t figure out how to delete the post or simply move it

Thanks

These type of drones like the Phantom 4 pro are better for Mapping purposes and the software they use because of that kind of shutter. I dont know the details but that is the main idea.

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly in the Rain > Land on the Water.

 

[slup]

It most probably have to do with that they want to avoid "Rolling shutter distortion" ... the back bent rotor blades in the pic below is due to this distortion. It's often produced with CMOS sensors when recording fast moving subjects with fast shutter speeds or when panning rapidly.



With a mechanical shutter at fast shutter speeds the front and rear shutter curtains are often so close together that essentially only a slit of the image sensor is exposed at once which helps to reduce the effect of rolling shutter distortion.

 

[snowghost]

From the DJI website in re: Phantom 4 Pro v2

 

[eEridani]

Also, one needs to understand even mechanical shutters have artifacts. Change the format from a horizontal curtain to a vertical curtain and both those images from DJI will look similar. Saying this another way, rotate that mechanical shutter 90 and you get the same smear.

ps: do some searching for the various shutters types - leaf, curtain, electronic, etc.

 

[vindibona1]

I would think you'd need something like an Inspire or other professional drone where you'd purchase the camera separately from the drone.

 

[Meta4]

I would think you'd need something like an Inspire or other professional drone where you'd purchase the camera separately from the drone.

Except that the Phantom 4 pro has a mechanical shutter.

 

[orionshooter]

Thanks everyone - I think I understand the physics a little better. Still don’t quite get why someone interested in video footage of towers would be concerned with shutter distortion caused by objects moving at high velocity.

 

[Meta4]

Thanks everyone - I think I understand the physics a little better. Still don’t quite get why someone interested in video footage of towers would be concerned with shutter distortion caused by objects moving at high velocity.

The distortion that can come with rolling shutter can also show when you photograph a static object with a moving camera.
The post you refer to said nothing of videoing towers, and video cameras don't have mechanical shutters.
The words in the post were: mapping wireless telecommunications towers.

 

[orionshooter]

Good points. Thanks Meta4