HO Shelf Layout DCC & sound. Kust recieved the Micro Mart wireless Train Cam with reciever and all the hook ups. Battery operated. Took the topoff one off my boxcars and stuck it in there just to run it around the tracks to see how well it works. It works great but I was a little disappointed in the sharpness. I tried adjusting the focus but the picture still comes accross a little grainy or fussy on the 21 inch flat screen I have in the train room.
Is this normal with this camera? I am sure I have enought light. The layout sets right under a window and I also have roomlight on the layout. Any ideas or suggestions. Someof the videos I have seen of other members cams seem to be much sharper.
I’m pretty sure that the fuzziness is caused by the wireless link between the camera and the receiver at teh TV. does the picture get clearer when the camera is closer to the receiver?
Here are a couple of things to consider. First off, I’m betting the resolution of the camera is pretty low. If you are comparing it to a camera used by the the networks to cover a sporting event there is no comparison. Those cameras cost well over $50K and have lenses with price tags well north of $15K. The cameras have circuity up the wazhoo and the glass in the lenses is ground to much more exacting standards than anything in the consumer market. If you have an HD television and have grown accustomed to the picture you see on your display, a standard definition camera’s output is like comparing apples and oranges.
Here are a couple of hints on how to see better video from your new toy. View it on a smaller monitor. 12" will show a lot less warts than a 19". If the camera has some sort of auto focus control that can be turned off, do it! Set manual focus to infinity and then back it off a little bit. Also keep in mind that the more light that you throw on the subject, the less critical your depth of field will be. In other words, much more of the scene will appear to be in focus.
If you can provide a link to the camera you bought, I’d be happy to take a look at the specs and PM you about with some more suggestions.
You can adjust the focal length of some of these cameras by rotating the round lens piece on the front of the camera. Set it up with something about a foot from the camera, and try to get that in sharp focus. It’s not going to be great, particularly on a large TV, but you should be able to get a decent picture if you’ve got plenty of light.
Yes, I did play with adjusting the lens on front of the cam some more and I think that helped alot. Its not as bad as I first thought. And I am also working on getting more lights on the layout.