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<\/center><\/p>\nIt turns out that AeriCam<\/a> manufactures a state-of-the-art miniature helicopter which permits a movie camera or DSLR to be attached for aerial photography. It costs $12,000 ready to fly. They also manufacture a gimbal mount for an additional $2-3,000 which helps minimize vibration and the results are quite extraordinary in their smoothness and professional quality.<\/p>\n Results from their six bladed ‘hexacopter’ can be seen by clicking the image below.<\/p>\n If you can overlook the extraordinary car skills displayed by the driver, focus on the smoothness of the aerial shots. It’s not quite clear to me how one gets a video feed from the camera to the operator to permit accurate composition, but at $15,000 this device appears to be far cheaper than helicopter rental, and is available in moments to any cinematographer. The rather sparse web site refers to a ‘video transmitter’ so I assume that beams a live picture back to earth to the included ‘9″ SonyMonitor’. Bad weather? Put it back in the box and come back another day.<\/p>\n The recommended payload is 10lbs which will easily accommodate a big DSLR and lens. The device is GPS capable so programming locations should be easy. Order lead time is 6-8 weeks. American ingenuity at its best.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A fascinating device. Waiting at the traffic lights in San Francisco the other day, my eye was caught by this plaque so I quickly made a snap. It turns out that AeriCam manufactures a state-of-the-art miniature helicopter which permits a movie camera or DSLR to be attached for aerial photography. It costs $12,000 ready to … Continue reading AeriCam<\/span> ![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.pindelski.org\/Blog\/AeriCam_Hexacopter.jpg\")
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\nSan Francisco from the Bay Bridge. Click the image for the video.<\/i><\/center><\/p>\n