Pi Camera
pi-camera

This page collects different ways to use Raspberry Pi computer boards (and related boards) to make small, cheap, lightweight cameras for different purposes, including #aerial-mapping, #balloon-mapping, #kite-mapping, #timelapse and #spectrometry. ## Raspberry Pi Simple Camera Kit We've [been working on some software](https://github.com/publiclab/image-builder-rpi/) for this widely used mini camera-and-computer in a tiny box (especially the lightweight "Zero W" model) to make it available with a **pre-flashed SD card** that turns this into a **ready-to-use WiFi enabled camera**. This gets over many of the barriers of using the regular Raspberry Pi kit and having to do a lot of programming/installing to get it running. We've managed to get a **plug and play** version running! Just plug it in using a Micro USB cable (or battery pack) and it'll create a WiFi network called "00PiCamera" -- password "publiclab" -- which you can log into from your phone or laptop. You'll quickly see streaming video, be able to take photos, timelapses, or videos, do motion triggered capture, and more: * [Pi Camera Kit](https://store.publiclab.org/products/raspberry-pi-camera) * [Infragram Pi Camera Kit](https://store.publiclab.org/products/infragram-pi-camera) * our [Microscope Pi kits](https://store.publiclab.org/collections/microscopes) use this as well * [Pre-flashed SD cards for Raspberry Pi cameras](https://store.publiclab.org/products/pi-builder-cards) * combine with (maybe?) [CR123a lithium battery](https://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=cr123a) (and tell us how that goes!) For more on the open source Pi Builder software that made this possible, [see this blog post](/notes/icarito/10-21-2018/introducing-pi-builder) and [troubleshoot on this wiki page](/pi-builder) [notes:grid:activity:pi-camera-setup] **** ## Questions Questions can be either frequently asked questions, or "next step" challenges we're looking to solve. [questions:pi-camera] ## Activities Activities show how to use this project, step by step. [activities:pi-camera] **** ### Resources * Camera module http://m.e-cantonfair.com/#/product/552106 * Focus tricks https://raspi.tv/2013/adapt-your-raspberry-pi-camera-for-close-up-use * Very detailed documentation https://elinux.org/Rpi_Camera_Module * Datasheets and very detailed documentation on v1 camera: https://github.com/techyian/MMALSharp/wiki/OmniVision-OV5647-Camera-Module * Datasheets and very detailed documentation on v2 camera: https://github.com/techyian/MMALSharp/wiki/Sony-IMX219-Camera-Module...


Author Comment Last activity Moderation
stef "The BIG advantage of the Raspberry Pi is the use of the Sony IMX298 sensor whose spectral bandwidth is known and is 16 megapixel sensor. Much like ..." | Read more » about 8 years ago
abdul "@warren is there a chance to write a note about using a raspberry pi and post it as a build? I think others have had interest about this. Did we al..." | Read more » about 8 years ago
warren "Wow, this is super impressive!!! " | Read more » about 8 years ago
mathew "@plundh I'm not sure about this kit, but the OpenFlexure Microscope is moving towards a kit. More notes here: https://publiclab.org/tag/microscope ..." | Read more » about 8 years ago
plundh "Hi @Holger- I'm very interested in this, as well as a kit. Have you any updates on project? Best. -Peter " | Read more » about 8 years ago
warren "There's now been a lot of work on this via WebValley and @cristoforetti -- take a look at #webvalley posts, and we managed to get it working! " | Read more » over 8 years ago
warren "Hi! We just released a Node.js version of the core library here: https://github.com/publiclab/spectral-workbench.js I think it'd be possible to ta..." | Read more » over 8 years ago
cfastie "other areas (not foliage) showed values between 0.2 and 0.9 and I don't know why, since there is no photosynthesis occuring there. Getting high ND..." | Read more » almost 9 years ago
LaPa "I'm happy for this my first step in NIR and NDVI photograph! Maybe you know but ..... 1) I use not a real camera but a computer board (Raspberry Pi..." | Read more » almost 9 years ago
cfastie "That looks pretty good. With the defaults in the photo monitoring plugin, the plant leaves have an NDVI value around 0.3. We don't know what the ND..." | Read more » almost 9 years ago
LaPa "HI, What do you think about my last test? NoIR modulo cam+blue filter, WBgain red = 0.88 and WBgain blue = 0.57 " | Read more » almost 9 years ago
LaPa "I'll try to get blue > 30 and red < 200 changing the gain. At the moment I do not know how change the exposure. May be I have to read better ..." | Read more » almost 9 years ago
cfastie "Here is the range of NIR:VIS ratios for NDVI values between 0.2 and 0.8. " | Read more » almost 9 years ago
cfastie "That looks promising. I guess that PiCamera module is a useful tool. I think that photo is a little too yellow. The blue values for foliage are ver..." | Read more » almost 9 years ago
LaPa "Hi, I'm here again! I shoot a set of pictures by NoIR modulo cam and blue filter. I tryed finally different white balance. The photo that I post i..." | Read more » almost 9 years ago
cfastie "The Bayer filters determine how wavelengths are separated into the three color channels. This is how the camera can sense the balance between the t..." | Read more » almost 9 years ago
poo "this green photo don't Relevance to Bayer pattern Mr. @cfastie ? " | Read more » almost 9 years ago
cfastie "Black surfaces do not reflect much light, but they do reflect some. Some black surfaces might reflect more green than other colors, and other black..." | Read more » almost 9 years ago
poo "hi. I have a question. when I set a black paper or black thing in custom white balance, and then i take a photo, why my photo become a green photo?..." | Read more » almost 9 years ago
LaPa "ok, i have to solve some problems of remote link of the Raspberry before taking other photos. And, of course, I have to buy a red filter because th..." | Read more » almost 9 years ago
cfastie "LaPa, yes that would be very useful. It would also be useful if someone could do that with a red filter on the NoIR. Blue should be exaggerated whe..." | Read more » almost 9 years ago
LaPa "Hi Chris thank you for the suggestions! Do you think would it be a good idea take a set of photos (NoIR camera + blue filter) of the plant graduall..." | Read more » almost 9 years ago
cfastie "Those basil leaves should not be the same color as the flower pot. They need to be more orange. To get NDVI values in the appropriate range, the va..." | Read more » almost 9 years ago
LaPa "At the moment I took a photo two plants in sunny light. But I didn't manage to take another without gain because it became cloudy :(. Is it possib..." | Read more » almost 9 years ago