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Im going to try WyZe cam V3 out as a Meteor cam -
It is outdoor security cam water resistant
I do a lot to Cloud time lapse weather type stuff -
a few of my cams have broken so going to replace with WyZe Cam V3 -
From video I have seen the V3 looks like it might work for Meteor / fireBall filming -
I have a Earlier WyZe cam V2 and it works pretty well as cloud time lapse cam -
No night sky tho
V3 is Much Better from videos I watched -
Looks to be capable of Meteor detection with Flagging / notifications
1080P -
Cam has memory card slot -
Time Lapse settings function -
Outdoor -
USB power -
Has gain Up that looks Pretty clean -
built in stand - Ok ish --- Plus 1/4"x 20 mount hole - Nice
has phone app that is Pretty Nice - has worked well for me on V2 -
Time Lapse settings Pretty good - Way better than DJI action -
can set start/stop times -
Detection works amazingly well on people and Rules can be written so Maybe could
be programed to flag meteor - may work w Stock settings -
I Dont have V3 in my hand yet -
but it may be the cam I have been Looking for - Jay
Last I looked at the Wyze site, they were out of stock with no arrival date. Maybe they've received more since then.
============================================================================= I drink tea, I read books, I look at stars when I'm not cursing clouds. It's what I do. =============================================================================
AT50, AT72EDII, ST80, ST102; Scopetech Zero, AZ-GTi, AZ Pronto; Innorel RT90C, Oberwerk 5000; Orion Giantview 15x70s, Vortex 8x42s, Navy surplus 7x50s, Nikon 10x50s
Got the WyZe Cam V3 and it works pretty good -
Makes a Real Nice star / meteor video -
Below link has been composited in Resolve 16 -
stock video is noisy but still pretty good
this was shot in Night Mode with IR lights turned Off
camera makes a Timelapse file And files with 59 - One minute clips per hour
video below is the Timelapse file recorded @ 3 on timelapse setting - ( Lowest )
Big downside is cam has to make contact to internet for Some Reason first turned on -
Im not sure why this is -
what I did was connect cam to net - adjust setting and then place cam at location - Battery powered -
I have only had cams a few days but so far I Really Like - Jay
been using Wyze V3 cam a few days/nights -
Im traveling so have been changing locations - last night close to tiny town lights/ cars -
MilkyWay looked pretty nice on video -
got meteor first night in use on 3 cams - was a Wow moment for me -
Have seen several satellites -mag 2 ish - Very Cool -
cam writes 2types of files - One Timelapse and One that has 1 minute long clips - (60 clips = Hour )
Timelapse is Full Length - One file - Nice -
Im using a Mac - Resolve 16 editing -
One minute clips play No problem -
Timelapse I have to convert file in VLC to Mp4 and then plays / edits good -
cam is set to 3 on timelapse - I speed up 3x more in post
trying different compositing settings -like to get down to 2 layers and still have sparkle
Cam -
24mla power draw 5v usb - Nice
one power bank ran 2 cams all night -
adjustable stand w magnet - Ok ish
APP works well and easy to use - Gang Cam setting for multi cam possible
Downside
Cams have to Touch the internet when turning cam ON -
this is a Big Pain for me -
with Good internet setup is easy tho - 3 cams 5 minutes - possible few seconds only -
one cam has problem Seeing SD card - ouch
Car headlights Flash seem to glitch out cam - not 100% sure tho -
Tonights location Really dark open sky in low forest - middle of No where -
Best part is Tonight I have pretty fast internet - Very Nice -
last 2 weeks almost zero internet - Giant Pain -
Cams work pretty well in daytime timelapse so far but few clouds lately
lowest time setting is kind of fast on fast moving clouds but ok -
did get a little bit of Nice cloud TL video - Looks Good straight out of cam so far -
for $30 its Really nice cam - Night vision setting works Pretty good -
there is a lot of noise in video - Looks like Fuzz - filters out easily -
cam Sees as many stars as I can by eye -
One cam is Glitchy - Going bad pretty sure - Ouch -
worked Ok then started not seeing SD card -
video getting weird now - Toast -
other cams Ok so far -
Having to connect to internet is not good for me -
spent a week in location that internet came in waves -
one minute works a little then 30 minutes of zero then 3 minutes of maybe -
setting up cam in this situation is painful -
with good internet connection cams set up pretty easy -
testing today to get better at doing setup
Im going to try using Timer setting for shutoff -
Full night Timelapse is 1 gig ish file size -
my plan is to get several more cams and try some whole sky video -
having to Really compress video to upload to youtube - Jay
I just got 2 from Amazon. The 1st one is going to be my all-sky weather Cam. The 2nd ones use has yet to be determined. So far it's been easy to set up and the image is outstanding for what I need it for.
Cheers,
JT
∞ Primary Scopes: #1: Celestron CPC1100 #2: 8" f/7.5 Dob #3: CR150HD f/8 6" frac ∞ AP Scopes: #1: TPO 6" f/9 RC #2: ES 102 f/7 APO #3: ES 80mm f/6 APO ∞ G&G Scopes: #1: Meade 102mm f/7.8 #2: Bresser 102mm f/4.5 ∞ Guide Scopes: 70 & 80mm fracs -- The El Cheapo Bros. ∞ Mounts: iOptron CEM70AG, SW EQ6R, Celestron AVX, SLT & GT (Alt-Az), Meade DS2000 ∞ Cameras: #1: ZWO ASI294MC Pro #2: 662MC #3: 120MC, Canon T3i, Orion SSAG, WYZE Cam3 ∞ Binos: 10X50,11X70,15X70, 25X100 ∞ AP Gear: ZWO EAF and mini EFW and the Optolong L-eXteme filter ∞ EPs: ES 2": 21mm 100° & 30mm 82° Pentax XW: 7, 10, 14, & 20mm 70°
Searching the skies since 1966. "I never met a scope I didn't want to keep."
TJ nice - think you will like - are you in city lights or dark sky ?
Let me know any tricks you find -
when turning cam on Again - Home - right side - O - on
turns cam on again - with bad net it takes a while -
Work for you ?
last night was milky clouds with tiny opening -
could see stars ish and noise filtered out well - not worth messing with tho -
Set timer and it worked well - 5am both cams shut down - One gig TL file -
cam stand has magnet base so I mount on top food can for weight - works ok ish -
stand tilts / turns - its nice - strong wind will jiggle cam -
cam has a Metal 1/4 20 cam mount when stand removed - Nice
comes with a long plug in cable USB to mini - Nice
I use a standard Shorter usb/mini cable to battery bank - works well -
On cam Restart its not clear to me yet what cam does -
if cam defaults to last setting or some Stock setup or what -
bad net connection makes tricky -
When I look at wifi - No Wize cam listed - So Hidden Network ?
I have several other wifi cams and No net connection needed
to See and make cam adjustments ??? - Jay
video clouds and stars over last days -
really good cloud action today - trying different views -
Clouds seem to burn off 9pm - mostly clear night with high thin haze -
Very windy last 2 days /nights
mounted cams to pound cans with 4 #64 rubber bands -
helped alot - looking for tiny tripods that will tilt up enough -
stands on cam are ok if not windy -
2 nights ago was clearest night so far -
Milkyway was visible on video - I could tell what it is - looked Ok - thats is it -
last night cam picked up 4 meteors - bright - lasted 1 frame in timelapse
but One lasted 4 frames - got brighter then dimmed - cool
going to try Detection Mode and see if cam will Spot meteors -
That would be cool - tested Timer and works well -
Cam Sees meteors - my guess is Easily -
cam that does not See SD card so far is working again - ????
Locations I have used these cams are Really Dark - tiny town lights 50 miles
I have not used in a city lights yet -
for stars have gotten good results
using a 2 layer composite w one filter -
Raw star video looks OK ish -
trying different cloud angles / filters
tried dark Polarizing filter on clouds - not good
Clouds this location Really Bright white early day -
Hard to look at by eye -
App is Very Good - seems to work Great as long as good internet connection
4 cams setup on phone Easy - click to view cams other cam/ settings - Nice -
works Amazingly well -
My guess cams view will work distance of U R WiFi signal - Jay
For some reason I can't get my time lapse videos to save to disc and I do have the SD card installed. It keeps coming up with an empty file saying it can't be found. Haven't cracked that nut yet.
JT
∞ Primary Scopes: #1: Celestron CPC1100 #2: 8" f/7.5 Dob #3: CR150HD f/8 6" frac ∞ AP Scopes: #1: TPO 6" f/9 RC #2: ES 102 f/7 APO #3: ES 80mm f/6 APO ∞ G&G Scopes: #1: Meade 102mm f/7.8 #2: Bresser 102mm f/4.5 ∞ Guide Scopes: 70 & 80mm fracs -- The El Cheapo Bros. ∞ Mounts: iOptron CEM70AG, SW EQ6R, Celestron AVX, SLT & GT (Alt-Az), Meade DS2000 ∞ Cameras: #1: ZWO ASI294MC Pro #2: 662MC #3: 120MC, Canon T3i, Orion SSAG, WYZE Cam3 ∞ Binos: 10X50,11X70,15X70, 25X100 ∞ AP Gear: ZWO EAF and mini EFW and the Optolong L-eXteme filter ∞ EPs: ES 2": 21mm 100° & 30mm 82° Pentax XW: 7, 10, 14, & 20mm 70°
Searching the skies since 1966. "I never met a scope I didn't want to keep."
Hi TJ
not sure what question is -
this is card setup info - TL = time lapse
if cam writes TL file to SD card - - Open TL file using - VLC -
VLC has both a Player and a File conversion in app -
drag cam TL file into VLC player window to watch -
- VLC is what I use - to watch/ convert files -
TL File is apparently different - Not sure why TL File has to be converted -
I convert TL file in VLC to H264
once converted TL file edits like normal H264 file -
stock One minute files play on my Mac - no conversion needed -
if Cam is Not writing TL file to SD card -
Format card in cam using Wyze cam app - - Advanced page
Next -
Look for -- More -- 2nd page -- click it-
Time lapse icon right middle -
Click TL and set Timer - - Click -- Set --
screen will show Time TL is set for start /end -
press SET -- will show timer info -
-- Advanced page --
Top of screen is On switch for SD card - turn ON -
Manage SD cards is where Format card switch is -
Top of page set cam to Contentious Record -
if SD memory card warning shows up on screen Anytime -
Look to see what is not set -
By clicking on Any SD Memory card function it seems to make cam Look for card again and Reset -
So far most of problems I have had are Net related im pretty sure -
V3 as Day Cloud cam - just ok -
clouds here are Bright -
V3 cloud footage is pretty blown out -
I tried Dark polarized lens and did not help much -maybe worse -
going to try different lens filter more -
on Grey ish Cloud day cam could work nice - maybe
overall V3cam is setup for lowlight -
Im going to turn Timestamp ON and look for Meteors seen in TL
then find in the One Minute files that are recorded ALL Frame included -
should get Better look at meteor -
so far have seen 6 meteors -
20+ satellites - Nice -
Lots of airplanes
Pretty Sure V3 cam will be Good to Great for meteor shower - -
I have tried Many composites on star video -
can get video to Look Way Better than I expected -
Video software I using is not made for star video
with correct software video could look even better - Jay
Wyze cam has a online forum where questions can be asked / answered -
also has area for suggestions on improvements fixes etc - Nice -
pretty good site -
some people are using V3 cams for star meteor video -
setup 3 cams last night got 12+ meteors - 4 of them were fireball type looks like -
forgot to turn on Detection - but I did see a video online that V3 cam did detect fireball and flagged it - Nice
Dont know if Green detection Box can be removed from video later on -
Time Lapse looks to be maybe 40 to 60 X normal speed -
so there is lots of meteor stuff that dose not get recorded to time lapse video file -
Stock non TL frame rate is supposed to be 20 ish FPS -
I have not really looked closely at video specs yet
but my guess is fps is variable - depending on conditions -
#9 cam - cam that dose not see SD card is still working -
to make cam See SD card - Turn cam On - then push card In/out once -
cam will make Ding sound - wait 1 minute - cam sees card now -
For cloud video this cam is just ok depending on conditions
Darker clouds are Nice - bright clouds not good -
Tried several dark filters and did not help blown out highlights much -
Cam just gains Up with filters added -
some darker clouds w sun backlite can look pretty good -
This location is hard to walk around in - many rocks trying to trip me -
fell this morning not looking what i was doing carefully enough -
lucky to not get hurt -
Figured out
cam records stock video at 24 frames per Second -
Timeslapse video is recorded at 24 frames per Minute -
last night was fairly cloudy but still got several meteors - one really bright / close -
cam picked up stars threw thin clouds well -
turned Detection On and it did See /Tag one airplane fly over but
there was Many other planes fly over no tag -
did film one really bright meteor and cam Detection did not See it -
did some tests and for detection to work meteor have to be 20x larger or more-
so no meteor detection - Bummer -
2 nights ago cam recorded some type of big Flash -
not sure what this was but cam did make a photo frame that was added to Alarms photo folder -
(did not Detect flash = Green box )
Alarm photo folder has to be turned On -
clouds last night looked nice on video -
im experimenting with mounting 2 cams together - for stars-
then Stack video from cams and see what it looks like -
may get more frames of meteor streak in TL- Longer
Timers setting work well - On and Off / time lapse
I have been turning ON cam / make setting -timers and then turning Off wifi -
cams run as programed -
with cams set to Auto Night Vision and Off IR lights cam seems to switch between
modes pretty well - Day / Night
with Time ON screen was able to find meteors in Stock video files -
Cam writes several files - not sure what most do -
I delete All files except of TL files - No Problem - Jay
Clouds and rain so did not put out cams last night for stars -
tried more cloud video and it was ok -
I forgot and had Green Box detection turned ON - ouch -
so Green box flashing contentious -
2 nights ago tried mounting 2 cams together - worked well -
alining stars between 2 videos was amazingly simple - 1 minute -
cams stay Frame accurate during whole TL - 9 hour video - wow
Time code on cam screens was 10 seconds off between the 2 cams - steady -
I did the 2 cam together to See if stacking 2 videos would work together to give
longer meteor streak if 1st cam frame Ended before meteor Streak was Finished in sky -
Also to show meteors that 2nd cam recorded -
Seems to have worked ok ish -
Cam One video had meteor w 2 Fireballs 50mm apart with 15mm long streak between them - ( 15"Laptop screen )
Cam 2 only had One of the fireBalls - no streak
with both videos stacked more meteors were visible -
both cams everything happened 1 frame -
got 11 meteors on one cam - not sure on 2nd cam but more/ different ones -
the last 2 nights have video 4 meteors with 2 fireballs each -
My next location is Meteor Crater in Arizona -
will stay there a few days/nights -
A few yrs ago was camped by crater and was fixing a wood part in Rv using Super Glue-
New tube of super glue burst in my hands - O -
not expecting this to happen at all -
ended up with Both of my hands glued Together - 4 Hours -
2 hands- glue tube and a small wood stick in one glue blob -
was like having instant hand cuffs - had only been at location a few minutes when glued hands fingers -
Folded end of New tube split when screwing on nozzle -
I was alone and no one around had not even set out RV steps or anything -
soaked hands with Olive oil and peanut butter - was only things I could get at and open -
did not help - ended up using writing pen to work skin apart - took 4 hours -
Finger Nail polish remover is solvent for super glue - I have on hand now -
Last night Many meteors visible even with big moon -
maybe the most in last few nights -
One meteor was the longest seen so far - about 4 inches long on Laptop screen
made 3 ball flashes in 2 frames of TL - ( time lapse ) video - pretty wow
going to convert file and look closer at it -
using VLC as a Player works well but May not play All frames -not sure yet -
I have messed around with Stock 24F video (1 minute files) and it does weird stuff on computer -
will play file a few times but then goes OffLine - ???
several times has Crashed video editing program - so I quit messing with it -
TL video file is a GOP - Group of Pictures - looks to be 5 frames to gop but not sure -
So if Bright meteor appears in middle of TL frame it kind of weirds out compression -
Being able to See Live video on phone from Many cams is Amazing -
Pretty much Star Trek -
Settings and stuff work Very well on app if good internet -
Alarm On - makes photo when triggered - lists in a folder - nice
maybe Possible to flag meteor - No Green box on screen -
I did read that- Maybe - I dont have to convert TL file to use -
could be glitch because I have V2 cam on Same phone as V3 cams ?
Not sure - post was not explained well -
That would be Great - make easier
TL file seems to be 24F- H264 -
Have tried cams several days as cloud cam -
has a Lot of Blown out areas in clouds -
so for regular cloud use Not a good choice -
filters dont help - Cam gains up more -
does nice video on Dark clouds tho -
Clouds TL at night May Look Nice with City lights reflection off clouds-
have not tried yet -
Night mode is pretty Nice -
Cam is Gained Up and video noise is pretty easy to filter out -
have been trying different filter combos and can get Nice looking Star Circle video
with 2 layers and 2 filters -
Best results have 4 layers 4 filters but improvement is Tiny -
filters I use most - Color Dodge - Difference - Linear Light - Vivid - Stock
tweak filter- change layer order etc - Jay
Was not sure till today - cam is Seeing Lots of satellites fly over -
some in Magnitude 4 ish range -
Cam has been recording Pairs of Lights flying over - nightly -
I had been seeing these pairs of lights in video for weeks but thought must be military airplanes -
there is several sets of NOSS satellites - all orbit in pairs - ( watch shipping /oceans - spy )
Now im 99% sure these Pairs are NOSS satellites flying over - ( NOSS 3-1A Last night mag 4.2 )
NOSS satellites are pretty dim overall - mag 4 ish usually - brightest mag 2.4
Many of the Things flying over I thought must be airplanes are satellites - maybe 50% -
have been seeing Many things in video have No flashing lights and Really Look like satellites -
I Was thinking No Way is this cam Seeing Satellites - but cams are - Wow
Last night cam recorded NOSS 3-1A flyover with close to Full Moon high in sky - Nice
Cam may be recording 15 ish satellites a night fly over -
I am in a pretty Dark locations except for moon -
I ve been photographing satellites with DSLA for a year now -
watched 100s of satellites flyover by eye -
thought it was going to cost $1000s to video satellites flying over -
Stock V3 TL video from cam is Ok and very watchable -
On TL video there is Many ( 100 ish ) of Tiny flashes and had been thinking
flashes were some type of video glitch but Now not sure - could be meteors -
If cams are Seeing mag 4 satellites seeing meteors is likely Easy -
have also seen objects that Really look like meteors that last several seconds
and fly across much of sky quickly - Fast Bright airplane - now not sure -
also see Lots of Quick Round flashes - FireBalls - Im pretty sure -
In video I posted has been Super Compressed
and also 5X speed plus several filters added -
Never had a cam that could video in dark like this one can - Jay
Snowed 3 inches at my location and pretty cold -
thick clouds last few days -
Looks like V3 cams are back in stock -
WyZe had Note on web site saying late shipment likely - note is gone now-
I got threw amazon -
going to make One stand to for all have not decided on design yet -
short -work on ruff ground - ez carry - simple - hold 5 power bank
wind is main problem - vibration - ruins cloud TL -
have to Super compress final video to upload - this one 13mb - stock 90mb
video loses a Lot of detail doing this and then youtube compresses a Bunch more-
Have not been connected to real net in over a year -
this video is 0ne hour real time -
video is Stock TL output speed #3 TL setting -
composite
2 layers - Color Dodge and opacity adjust - Looks ok-
this combo is quick but loses sparkle -
there is small fireball at First 1 second - just right of text -
lots of things in sky -
Noss satellite is usually hard to see by eye -
notice how both sats dim out same place in sky -
seeing these brighten and dim just like listed on Heavens Above is pretty wow -
jay https://youtu.be/bcy0OIxAVe8