Flying a Canon EOS M

For five years the only cameras I flew under kites were Canon PowerShots. They are inexpensive, light weight, take great photos, and run CHDK for excellent control of camera settings. Last winter I bought a used Canon EOS M mirrorless camera. This has a big sensor (12 times more area than a small PowerShot) and interchangeable lenses like a DSLR, but does not have the flipping mirror which does the "reflex" part of digital single lens reflex. The image quality of the EOS M is conspicuously better than the PowerShots I have used, and even better than my favorite DSLR. In June I flew the EOS M on a Saturn V Rig under a nine foot delta kite and was pleased with the result.

Part of the "little planet" panorama stitched from EOS M aerial photos. This area includes parts of five or six photos.

The Saturn V Rig was panning and tilting every few seconds and taking a photo in a new direction. It took 36 different photos every 130 seconds covering the entire sphere except for the zenith. I was able to find only one set of photos that stitched into a 360° panorama of the whole scene, but that made it all worthwhile.

I didn't find other sets that stitched because many of them did not have all 36 of the photos they should have had. I don't yet know whether this was a software or hardware problem, so I have some detective work to do. 

There is more information about this flight at Public Lab.

The stereographic projection of a panorama stitched from 33 photos taken by the EOS M on a Saturn V Rig lofted by a nine foot delta kite.