Change in focal length of Images in after flight

[Chandrahas (Chandrahas Singh)]

@polina.buriak
My Setup -
1-Flight Controller- Cube Black
2-Camera - Sony Alpha 6000
3-Camera Trigger Cable- Drotag
https://www.airborneprojects.com/product/drotag-onboard-image-tagging-computer/

4-Emlid Reach - Connected Hot Shoe on Sony Alpha 6000 and Reach M2 C1 port
When I do not Connect Reach M2 Hot Shoe on Sony Alpha 6000 All Images Have same focal length (16 mm) but when I connect HotShoe with Camera and Emlid Focal length varies.

[polina.buriak]

Hi Chandrahas,

Reach receiver shouldn’t affect the focal length but I’m afraid that we can’t be of much help with it. I’d suggest checking it up on the support forum of your camera to see if the connection to its hot shoe changes any settings.

[Chandrahas (Chandrahas Singh)]

@polina.buriak
1-When I use Drotag cable with Drotag Hotshoe It does not effect focal length
but when I connect Drotag Cable with Emlid Hotshoe It changes the focal length

2-Can you suggest best setting for Reach M2 and Sony Alpha 6000 Camera
3-What is the use of C2 port in Reach M2,
4-If I connect HotShoe on C2 port no trigger message is received
5-Reach M2 gets hot after some time when I use it for long aerial survey

[polina.buriak]

Hi Chandrahas,

@Chandrahas

1-When I use Drotag cable with Drotag Hotshoe It does not effect focal length
but when I connect Drotag Cable with Emlid Hotshoe It changes the focal length

We’ll check what could be the cause of such change in a focal length and be in touch with you.

@Chandrahas

2-Can you suggest best setting for Reach M2 and Sony Alpha 6000 Camera

May I ask you to elaborate on this question? We have a guide on how to integrate Reach M2 with your camera. You can check it out here.

The number of photos and the frequency of their triggering depends on the site you’re planning to survey.

@Chandrahas

3-What is the use of C2 port in Reach M2,

It seems like I’ve answered you in this thread:

Sony Alpha 6000 trigger setting using Hot shoe

Hi Chandrahas, You can check the pinout scheme for the C2 port here. You can use this port for time marks recording or the time synchronization via PPS output. To make sure Reach is recording time marks to the raw data log, you need to integrate the receiver with the camera via the hot shoe connector. Then, Reach will record a time mark each time you take a photo. You can trigger the camera with the autopilot. You can connect the hot shoe cable to the C2 port. The time marks are going to …

Please note that you can’t trigger two cameras with C1 and C2 ports simultaneously. At one moment, you can use either hot shoe from the C1 or C2 ports.

@Chandrahas

4-If I connect HotShoe on C2 port no trigger message is received

Would you mind sharing the picture of your setup? Is it possible to record the events via C1 port?

Please note that according to Reach M2’s pinout scheme, C2 port doesn’t have a trigger pin. So you need to trigger the camera via C1 port to make sure the time mark record on C2 port.

@Chandrahas

5-Reach M2 gets hot after some time when I use it for long aerial survey

To check this, I’ll also need to see the photos of your hardware setup. Also, please describe the environmental conditions in which the receiver is working.

It’d be also great if you could share the Full System Report from the unit with me in PM or send it to the support@emlid.com so that I could check the working temperatures of the device. Please don’t post the system report on the public forum as it might contain sensitive information.

[mikhail.goryachev]

Hi Chandrahas,

We’ve checked your setup with Sony A6000 and our hot-shoe adapter. The pictures taken with hot-shoe connected had the same focal value as the pictures without.

Probably, since you’ve encountered this issue after the flight, it might be caused by in-air vibrations which moved the camera lens and physically changed the focal length.

I’d check if such behavior is observed while the camera is on the ground. This could provide clues on whether it is a mechanical or an electrical issue.