I haven't seen any info on long distance voyeur yet, I hope I didn't miss them and am bring up something that has been talked about recently...
Here is sort of a broad topic, with a small portion below to satisfy my own curiosity. First, if given the opportunity, what kind of videos would you prefer to make...bathroom/bedroom/in-your-own-residence, or something using a digiscoping setup? Also, what influences your decision? Risk? Clarity? Cost?
More specifically I was wondering; what would you do if given a distance of 4,000 feet (give or take 1,000 ft.) for long range observation? Bear in mind, you would not be guaranteed to see anything special, but would you shell out a couple hundred bucks to try your luck on an apartment complex with a minimum of 50 windows facing in your direction?
Voyvid has some expenience with long distance observations. He has mentioned his set-up in a few threads. I haven't noticed him on the forum lately but maybe he will spot this thread and share his knowledge.
Back when I lived in an apt complex, I was too stupid to know what I was doing. A few days before i moved out (lived there for 4 years--DUH), I started seeing college girls undressing in the windows. So, if you have lots of people coming to your house, there is a thrill of seeing people you know naked. However, there seems to be much more of a chance...and sometimes less risk (depending on how you do it) to have an apt complex. I miss those days and wish I wasn't so dumb when I first moved in.
More specifically I was wondering; what would you do if given a distance of 4,000 feet (give or take 1,000 ft.) for long range observation? Bear in mind, you would not be guaranteed to see anything special, but would you shell out a couple hundred bucks to try your luck on an apartment complex with a minimum of 50 windows facing in your direction?
My experience is that your best success will be where you can view multiple windows without optical help, and then zero in on the promising ones. The fact is that a good view will be very rare. It takes time to learn the patterns of people behind windows you can see in order to improve your batting average. That's usually not practical for very long distance sights.
My experience is that your best success will be where you can view multiple windows without optical help, and then zero in on the promising ones. The fact is that a good view will be very rare. It takes time to learn the patterns of people behind windows you can see in order to improve your batting average. That's usually not practical for very long distance sights.
A bunch of windows within range for the unaided eye makes it easy to find a good one, but then there is the problem of people being aware of the close proximity and being religious about closing their blinds. An optical device with a wide focal range can accomplish essentially the same thing, and at those greater distances people may not think there is a need to worry about closing the blinds. The only question then becomes whether the sacrifice in size and/or quality of the image is worth the lowered risk and a higher percentage of people leaving their blinds open.
Good question. To do a long range observation, u need interesting things to see, and to discover that takes some time and u'll need some equipment to discover that. And, in my opinion, u need to have a good place to watch, probably a room like your bedroom or kinda of. But, like someone said, if u live in a apartments complex, it's almost 100% chance u get something interesting.
Inside observation, on the other side, can be cheaper, but for me it has been hard to get good stuff, because I don't have the right equipment for that and the subject is more smart than I guessed, lol.
Perfect for capturing your most important memories, the SDR-H60 boasts Panasonic's Advanced MEGA O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilization), which detects and corrects hand-shake approximately 4,000 times per second, which is about eight times more effective than Panasonic’s previous systems. The SDR-H60 also offers a super-powerful 50x optical zoom so you can always get a great shot, even from a distance.
Sensitivity (lux) - 2 lux (Night view mode in colour)
Canon FS11 48x Optical Zoom $428
16GB of internal flash memory, or store movies to easy-to-share removable memory cards
48x Optical Zoom
sensitivity range of 1.7 lux for night-time shots, (Review: Low light performance not good)
Sony DCR-SR45 30GB Hard Drive 40x Optical Zoom $350
Super NightShot Infrared System With the Super NightShot Infrared System, you can capture video in total darkness (0 lux) up to 10 feet away.
Panasonic SDR-H40 40GB Hard Drive Camcorder with 42x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom $300
These two photos were taken using a cheap astronomical telescope at about 2,000 feet.. believe me when I say I missed more than captured using this method!!!
Attached below is a video I took yesterday of a new neighbor at about 400 feet using my Sanyo CG65, which has 5x optical zoom so this was at about 15x using the digital zoom, so for 4,000 feet you will need the highend zoom for clarity and very good image stabilization.
But the video demonstrates the main advantage of using a camcorder over a telescope, insomuch as I knew she would be opening her curtains within a rough time period, but didn't have to wait around to see it, I just had to stop recording once I had seen the curtains were opened and knew I would have caught her (in her nightdress by the looks of it ) (FYI slo-mo using Windows Movie Maker)
I'm fairly convinced I need to add the 50x Panasonic to my toolkit, as my old optical camcorder is permantely employed filming my bedroom.. anybody had any experience with it yet?
Great vid, Alchemist. Although I found that women tended to open up the curtains right away, and then get dressed later on. So, I would generally record until I knew she was gone/a little later in the day. They woudl often open the curtain, have breakfast, get a shower, and then walk back into the room.
I haven't had access to the 50x, but it looks like a good idea. I noticed that HD drive you posted awhile back (The aiptek) only had 5x. Wonder how soon they'll have an hd with good zoom. Unless you know of one...
Finally, what about a good telescope that would allow a camcorder hook up?
Cost/Risk/Reward for long distance vs "in-house"
Camcorder for me
) (FYI slo-mo using Windows Movie Maker)
Linear Mode
