What cameras can keep recording around -25°C to -50°C for high-altitude or rocket-mounted use?
Asked 9/25/2018
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We need a camera for a high-altitude/sounding-rocket style project where ambient temperatures may drop to about -50°C around 10 km altitude. The camera will be externally powered, so onboard battery performance is less important. Our priority is getting usable video at a decent frame rate, with acceptable exposure changes through varying light conditions and minimal optical distortion. What type of camera setup works in these temperatures, and what precautions are typically needed?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
7y ago
2 Answers
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For sounding rockets, just use an insulated enclosure with the lens sticking out -- flight time is short, and thermal inertia should keep the camera working. A hand-warmer containing iron filings and salt water might keep it warmer, if need be. Since these heaters require oxygen, they'll slow in less-dense atmosphere, where the need is less because of low thermal conductivity.
Supersonic aircraft have the opposite problem: heating due to air resistance, so you still need thermal isolation.
L. Paul Verhage has an excellent series of articles on near-space science, including photography using a variety of cameras (Raspberry Pi NoIR camera in Sep/Oct Nuts & Volts magazine).
Originally by user35542. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user35542
7y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
For this kind of project, the key is usually not a special “extreme cold” action camera, but protecting a normal camera in an insulated enclosure. For sounding rockets or short high-altitude flights, thermal inertia often keeps the camera warm enough to keep working if it starts at room temperature and is enclosed, with only the lens exposed.
If needed, a small chemical hand-warmer can add heat inside the enclosure. Keep in mind those warmers need oxygen, so they become less effective as air gets thinner.
For supersonic aircraft, the concern can flip from extreme cold to aerodynamic heating, so thermal isolation still matters.
Since you can provide external power, that removes one of the biggest cold-weather failure points: batteries. The practical approach is therefore:
- use an insulated housing,
- expose only the lens/window,
- pre-warm the camera before launch,
- test the full setup under expected conditions.
A compact camera module or action-style camera can work if housed properly, and near-space projects have also used Raspberry Pi camera modules successfully. The enclosure and thermal management are likely more important than the exact camera model.
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