The camera is more compact than I had imagined. Not that it matters regarding image quality but the camera has a very solid feel to it. It is just a very satisfying object – pleasant to hold and to use.

My first order of business after the “new toy play period” was to work up an intervalometer for use on the carp pole and with the FC-E9 fisheye lens for QTVR work from the kite. This is my solution for remote interval shooting with the Panasonic LX3. My objective: have the LX3 shoot unattended at 10-second intervals.

The LX3 lacks a wired or infrared remote capability so my approach was to add a “psuedo finger” moved by a model aircraft servo. The timing and servo management are handled by a Gent360 Servo, a tiny circuit that rotates the servo arm through a 45 degree swing every ten seconds. I placed the Gent360 Servo inside a small section of aluminum tube which also offered a place to store the excess servo wiring. The circuit and servo are powered by a 4.8 VDC 2/3 AAA battery pack. Thanks to James for producing such a fabulous collection of KAP accessories and to Brooks for delivering them so conveniently..

The three components are fixed to a small strip of aluminum that is mounted to the LX3 hot shoe and held in place by friction. Works the charm. Total weight for the intervalometer with battery is 2-1/4 oz. (64 grams) with the battery accounting for 1-1/4 oz. (36 grams). I could probably use a smaller battery but I despise running out ofjuice in the field. My first session with this battery was going strong at 425 exposures. The camera and intervalometer combined are 11-1/4 oz. (320 grams) and this weight feels just fine at the end of my carp pole.

I have posted a set on Flickr with examples from my first pole aerial photography session with the Lumix LX3:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kap_cris/sets/72157611921014069/

As soon as my extension tube for the LX3 arrives from Hong Kong (the only place i could find it) I will get the Nikon FC-E9 rigged up and report back on that too.

——————-

Here is a quick, drafty response to see if my list matches your needs. Let me know if this is on target and if you need anything else like photographs or more words.

Brooks Leffler (http://www.brooxes.com) is cited several times as a source for good reason. He runs the only KAP-oriented gear shop in the country and offers a fine selection of components at very reasonable prices. Readers outside of North America should check Peter Bults’ KAP Shop (http://www.kapshop.com/) as a similarly specialized and reasonable source.

In no particular order:

The Aerial Eye CD
http://www.brooxes.com/newsite/HOME.html
$30

The Complete Aerial Eye CD contains all 18 issues of the quarterly journal published by the Kite Aerial Photography Committee of AKA between Fall 1994 and Summer 1999. The journal contains articles on every aspect of kite aerial photography, and hundreds of pictures and diagrams and aerial images. Although some material is dated, the Aerial Eye remains one of the most comprehensive resources on KAP for serious newcomers to the craft.

The disk contains PDF files of each issue as well as a directory of sources, plus Adobe Acrobat Reader and a cover picture that may be printed to use in a CD jewel case. The price includes postage to anywhere in the world.

Sutton Flowform 16
http://www.brooxes.com/newsite/BBKK/kitesales.html
http://www.intothewind.com/shop/Traditional_Kites/Airfoils/Flowform_16_with_Drogue_Tail
$110

One of the first questions facing a new KAPer is which kite to use. As with many simple questions there is no absolute answer. Much depends on the wind conditions expected, the weight of the camera cradle, and surrounding obstacles. Many experienced KAPers routinely carry a half dozen kites and select one to suit the conditions of the moment. Still, for open conditions and most starter rigs, the Sutton Flowform 16 is a fine performer. This kite does not have a rigid frame so it is easy to deploy and store. With a proper “fuzzy” tail it is a remarkably steady flyer worthy of your trust.

200# Black Dacron kite line and hoop winder
http://brooxes.com/newsite/BBKK/kitesales.html
$38 for line plus $12 for 9” hoop

Braided Dacron (polyester) kite line is a joy to use, particularly in the 200-pound test size. This line is thicker and thus easier on the hands. When kite flying gets tricky, say during the retrieval of a KAP cradle in unstable conditions, many KAPers will just lay the retrieved line on the ground and return to collect it later. The heavier weight lines handle this well and are less prone to tangle. I use black line because its presence is less jarring in the aerial images. And the hoop winder is an inexpensive, compact way to manage 1,000 feet of line in your hand and in your gear bag.

Brooxes Basic KAP Kit (BBKK)
http://www.brooxes.com/newsite/BBKK/KITS.html
$55.00

Until recently virtually all KAP camera cradles were scratch built. Then Brooks Leffler, building on the experience of making dozens of custom rigs, developed a catalog of standard KAP cradle parts. His Brooxes Basic KAP Kit is a well rationalized, beautifully designed, and inexpensive way to get a camera in the air. Brooks’ WWW site presents a fine collection of components to fit out and extend the capacities of this basic rig.

Canon A590is with CHDK
http://www.amazon.com/Canon-PowerShot-A590IS-Digital-Stabilized/dp/B0011ZCDKS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=photo&qid=1228150276&sr=1-1
$113

It is always a good idea to practice (a lot) before sending your $1,000 dSLR up below a kite. Happily there are some capable point-and-shoot digital cameras that are downright affordable. A good first KAP camera is the 8-megapixel Canon A590is, which is valued by KAPers for its ability to run the open source Canon Hackers Development Kit (CHDK) software. With CHDK it is relatively straightforward to reprogram the camera to implement an intervalometer script which fires the shutter every 10 seconds. You can then send it aloft to take photographs without the complexity of radio-control in a technique called autoKAP.

PeKaBe blocks
http://www.brooxes.com/newsite/BBKK/BBKK-PARTS.html
four blocks for $40.00

KAPers use a suspension system to connect their camera cradle to the kite line. Typically attached 150 feet or so below the kite, the suspension must dampen vibration from the kite line, position the camera cradle level with the horizon, and provide something for the pan rotation motor to turn against. Most folks these days use a Picavet suspension. Named after inventor Pierre Picavet this technique places the camera cradle below a small cross with a continuous loop of line threaded between the ends of the cross and two points of attachment on the kite line. It all works well if the line can run smoothly through its connections on the cross and that’s where the PeKaBe blocks come in. These jewel-like ball bearing pulleys were developed for the radio-controlled sailboat world and are perfect for Picavet use.

Leather gloves
CostCo
Three pair for $18

Attach kite line to kites large enough to lift cameras and it can (and eventually will) do bad things to bare hands. Gloves are essential. I’ve tried gloves for rock climbing, sailing, bike riding and roping but to tell the truth inexpensive leather work gloves are just fine. I wear one on my dominant (right) hand with the fingertips removed (whack goes the chisel) for better line handling.

Opti-Logic Laser Hypsometers
http://www.forestry-suppliers.com/product_pages/View_Catalog_Page.asp?mi=7101
$409.00

After 13 years of kite aerial photography I still have a difficult time judging the camera’s position downrange. I can tell if I am to the left or right of a target and easily see if I will clear it. But knowing whether I am short, directly over, or long is devilishly difficult. Enter the hypsometer, a device used in the logging industry. The instrument uses a pulsed infrared laser rangefinder to measure the distance of your KAP target while simultaneously measuring its angle above the horizon. It then does the math to display the distance to target in a horizontal plane. Repeat the process to locate your camera cradle and you will answer that downrange question precisely.

Sky Shark P400 tubes
http://www.kitebuilder.com/catalog/product_info.php/cPath/33_56_60_190/products_id/1134?osCsid=3d97e326b1824e9cc307f3a0d65609f3
$6.50 per tube

I have made new frames for each of my rigid-framed kites using wrapped carbon-reinforced kite spars. These tubes have been adopted from the arrow shaft industry and used widely in two-line stunt kites. They are wonderfully strong and light in single-line KAP kites too. My Rokkakus, Doperos, and Delta-Conynes have never been happier.

Radio Shack GO! MOD Nibbler 29524 Metal Cutting Tool aka chassis nibbler
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2289712
$10.99

One of the easiest materials for making a scratch built camera cradle is aluminum. Aluminum is light and strong. While standard hardware store angles and flats at 1/16” thick are easily worked with conventional workbench hand tools, it is a challenge to cut out small square holes and notches for mounting servos. The chassis nibbler is perfect for this job and makes quick work of nibbling out an attractive, square-edged hole at just the right size.

Climber’s sling, carabiner, and figure 8 descender
http://www.rei.com/product/682627
http://www.rei.com/product/709160
http://www.rei.com/product/471098
$35

I often KAP solo. When the kite is flying well and it is time to attach the camera cradle I need a quick way to anchor the kite to staionary objects. My standard solution is to take a climber’s sling, basically a loop of flexible webbing, and loop it around whatever is handy (e.g., tree, bench, fence, or myself). I keep a carabiner on the sling and in literally a second or two can clip this to a running clove hitch in the kite line. Be sure to select a carabiner that allows you to easily slip the knot off the gate when it is time to fly again. I learned this trick from Wolfgang Beick a dozen years ago and it is the cat’s meow. I have added the figure 8 descender to the kit at Dave Mitchell’s suggestion. I carry one of these at all times and use it occasionally to ease the playing out of kite line when the kite is pulling hard.

The SALT PONDS: A Bird’s Eye View of Colors and Textures in South San Francisco Bay runs from 7 July to 1 September. If you are in the neighborhood, stop by and take a look. Be forewarned that this involves an entrance fee for the Coyote Point Park ($5/car) and the museum itself ($7/adult), both worthy causes and pleasant spots.

My Son Thomas edited a brief (< 3 minutes) trailer for the exhibit which we have posted to YouTube. It shows just how fast an exhibit can come together.

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I have also posted small versions of the SALT PONDS exhibit in an online gallery. Give it a browse if you have the time.

http://www.thestar.com/article/468030

Earlier in the year I worked with Charlotte Buchen, a graduate of UC Berkeley’s School of Journalism, to develop a KAP segment for Current TV. The early feedback from Current was that they were targeting a “younger demographic” and could we make adjustments along that line? By chance, my son Charlie had tagged along on one of the demonstration outings with Charlotte. They put their heads together and the project morphed into the story of Charlie developing his own rig. Charlie went through a couple of iterations of molding carbon fiber cradle components but then time pressures led to modifying one of my earlier cradles for his camera. It all makes a father proud.

The segment, which lasts about six minutes, is running now on Current TV’s cable channel and also on their WWW site.

http://current.com/items/89113737_in_the_kite_s_eye

Charlie graduated in Mechanical Engineering from UC San Diego about a year ago and has been working in Berkeley since then. It is great fun to have him around. Of late he has been playing around with pole photography and posting on Flickr as BarleyBenton.

Jane’s article went out on the wire and it is fun to watch these things spead. Here is a version in Italian.

But I did get a chance to walk around a bit with the carp pole. You can find that image set here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kap_cris/sets/72157605027617122/

By the way, we got some ink in this Tuesday’s Science section of the New York Times. You can find the story online along with an audio clip and a few images:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/13/science/13make.html

Not too shabby for a ‘lemonade stand.’

The kite is 8′-2″ (2.5 M) tall by 6′-9″ (2.06 M) wide with a total weight of 15.5 oz (440 g) of which 6 oz. (170 g) is a lightweight frame made from SkyShark P400 and P200 tubes. I like these tubes as they have linear as well as radial carbon fiber reinforcement and can be joined with an internal ferrule.

My first substantial test flight was today and the kite was very stable. It developed sufficient lift for my Digital Elph rig when the wind was only 3.5 mph or so on the ground. Later when the wind filled in to 7.5 mph or so the frame was still holding its shape fairly well. I would guess that substantial deformation would set in by 10 mph or so.

This ground view shows me, at 6′-4″ (1.93 M) tall, for scale.

I started with a 3:4:5 proportioning system (height between cross spars, total width, total height) and ended up increasing the width by a small amount. This page from my sketchbook has the actual dimensions: The height of the kite was established by the dimension of three full lengths of Sky Shark tubing.

And here are few of the kite’s details:

I am indebted to Kevin Shannon of Carlisle Kiteworks and the maker of my favorite Rokkakus for the general proportions and an approach to details.

———–

After posted the basic information on my lightweight there ensued a bit of discussion on the KAP Discussion Page about the role of such a kite. Here are my thoughts:

Michael refers to an 8-foot Rokkaku that I made at the beginning of the year. I think of this kite as a real specialty item, an exercise is very lightwieght construction. My current KAP kite lineup runs Sutton 8, Sutton 16, Sutton 30, 7.5-foot Kevin Shannon Rokkaku, 8-foot lightweight Rokkaku, and Maxi-Dopero. I have a fair variety of other kites but the ones listed are the ones I use for KAPping. It is not unusual for me to carry all six kites but if the wind is fresh I will leave the framed kites in the car. In my lineup the Kevin Shannon Rokkaku has been a workhorse. I have flown this kite for hundreds of hours (perhaps over a thousand) and if the Sutton 30 cannot do the job the 7.5 Rokkaku, currently framed with Skyshark P400 spine and Skyshark P200 spreaders, gets the call.

The Maxi Dopero is fine for when the 7.5-foot Rokkaku doesn’t work except the Dopero is a bit more work to set up and the kite is pretty big when packed up. So, when I made the 8-foot Rokakku I had the notion that it might fit between these two kites with the benefits that is was easier to setup and (much) smaller when packed compared to the Dopero. To do this it should be really light since i would only use it when the 7.5-foot Rokkaku is inadequate. The 8-foor Rokkaku is, as Michael notes, framed with improbably small Skyshark P400 and P200 tubing. So far this has worked out just fine. If the winds fill in I am quick to pull the kite down and switch to another in the lineup. That said, I have had the 8=foot Rokkaku overloaded on a number of occasions without spar failure. In the geometry of 8-foot Rokkaku, the Skyshark spars deflect dramatically under load (which makes for an ungainly kite) but so far, for me, the spars have not failed.

If the 8-foot Rokkaku was the next kite in the lineup from the Sutton 30 I think I would be really disappointed in its performance. But as a specialty kite for winds below the 7.5-foot Rokkaku’s range it is a delight.

——————

In answer to a question about whether the 8-foot Rokkaku is my favorite KAP kite for the lightest winds:

The answer is yes and no. The 8-foot Rokkaku serves a narrow range of wind speeds that begin at the low end of the 7.5-foot Rokakku’s range (say 7-9 mph for my dSLR rig) and end at the 8-footer’s range (say 5 mph for the dSLR). If I have enough for the 7.5-foot Rokkaku I prefer to use it. If I do not have enough for the 7.5-foot Rokakku but enough fo the 8-foot Rokkaku then the latter is (for the moment) my favorite.

If the 8-foot Rokaku doesn’t work then the Doprero comes out. I did not have the Dopero when I visited the Spiral Jetty and the 8-foot Rokkaku saved the day for me. For that alone I am fond of it. My little Kestrel anemometer indicated a steady 5 mph wind at ground level and the Rokkaku did get my dSLR and fisheye rigs in the air, although just barely.

I made the 8-foot Rokkaku our of 0.65 oz/sq yard ripstop which is on the light end of the ripstop weights.

I guess in summing it up, the 8-foot Rokkaku’s narrow wind range would make it a great disappointment in a one kite KAP system. It would not be my choice for a two kite or three kite system. But when the bulk of the wind bands are covered and you want a specialty kite for light winds it is dandy.

http://jscms.jrn.columbia.edu/cns/2008-02-19/leber-kiteaerialphotos