monitoring rats with multiple cameras

[Martin Wessendorf-2]

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Dear List--

I would like to be able to capture video of behaving rats simultaneously
from more than one camera (probably just 2, but possibly 3).  High-res
is not necessary but ~30fps frame-rate is.  I'll want to be able to
compare images from the different cameras after the fact, so I'll want
to be able to scroll through all 3 video channels at once and have them
all show the same instant in time.  I haven't found many references in
the literature do doing this and those that I've found haven't been
helpful.  Does anyone have suggestions?

Thanks!

Martin
--
Martin Wessendorf, Ph.D.                   office: [phone]
Assoc Prof, Dept Neuroscience                 lab: [phone]
University of Minnesota             Preferred FAX: [phone]
6-145 Jackson Hall, 321 Church St. SE    Dept Fax: [phone]
Minneapolis, MN  55455                    e-mail: [hidden email]

[mcammer]

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Off the top of my head I'd suggest using consumer cameras that save on SIM cards and then combining into one video with an effect in Premier or similar software.

________________________________________________________
Michael Cammer, Assistant Research Scientist
Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine
Lab: [phone]  Cell: [phone]

-----Original Message-----
From: Confocal Microscopy List [mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Martin Wessendorf
Sent: Thursday, May 17, 2012 1:51 PM
To: [hidden email]
Subject: monitoring rats with multiple cameras

Dear List--

I would like to be able to capture video of behaving rats simultaneously from more than one camera (probably just 2, but possibly 3).  High-res is not necessary but ~30fps frame-rate is.  I'll want to be able to compare images from the different cameras after the fact, so I'll want to be able to scroll through all 3 video channels at once and have them all show the same instant in time.  I haven't found many references in the literature do doing this and those that I've found haven't been helpful.  Does anyone have suggestions?

Thanks!

Martin
--
Martin Wessendorf, Ph.D.                   office: [phone]
Assoc Prof, Dept Neuroscience                 lab: [phone]
University of Minnesota             Preferred FAX: [phone]
6-145 Jackson Hall, 321 Church St. SE    Dept Fax: [phone]
Minneapolis, MN  55455                    e-mail: [hidden email]

[Wataru Ito]

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Hello-

StreamPix can do it.

http://www.norpix.com/products/streampix5/streampix5.php

Wataru

[Jurkevic, Aleksandr]

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The Observer XT software from Noldus (http://www.noldus.com/animal-behavior-research/products/the-observer-xt) can quite accurately synchronize video signals from two (standard configuration) or more (customized option) video cameras.

Aleksandr


Aleksandr Jurkevic, PhD
Associate Director
Molecular Cytology Core
University of Missouri-Columbia
120 Life Sciences Center
1201 E. Rollins St.
Columbia, MO 65211-7310

Phone:    [phone]
Fax:           [phone]
website  http://www.biotech.missouri.edu/mcc/



-----Original Message-----
From: Confocal Microscopy List [mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Martin Wessendorf
Sent: Thursday, May 17, 2012 12:51 PM
To: [hidden email]
Subject: monitoring rats with multiple cameras

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To join, leave or search the confocal microscopy listserv, go to:
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Dear List--

I would like to be able to capture video of behaving rats simultaneously
from more than one camera (probably just 2, but possibly 3).  High-res
is not necessary but ~30fps frame-rate is.  I'll want to be able to
compare images from the different cameras after the fact, so I'll want
to be able to scroll through all 3 video channels at once and have them
all show the same instant in time.  I haven't found many references in
the literature do doing this and those that I've found haven't been
helpful.  Does anyone have suggestions?

Thanks!

Martin
--
Martin Wessendorf, Ph.D.                   office: [phone]
Assoc Prof, Dept Neuroscience                 lab: [phone]
University of Minnesota             Preferred FAX: [phone]
6-145 Jackson Hall, 321 Church St. SE    Dept Fax: [phone]
Minneapolis, MN  55455                    e-mail: [hidden email]

[Julio Vazquez]

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Hi Martin,

I have a compact Canon S95 that does quite nice video (24 fps in HD, 30 fps otherwise).  I'm sure there are other compacts (not speaking of more expensive DSLRs) that could be used too. Not sure how you would synchronize several cameras, unless maybe they have wireless or remote control, but some version of a clapper -maybe a short flash of light, or just a little tap on the cage - that can be seen by all cameras might do the trick and help you sync the different movies. The MOV movies can be loaded into ImageJ, and you can use the Analyze > Tools > Sync Windows to synchronize the viewing. A google search for "MOV to  JPEG" will help you find some affordable software to also convert movies to single frames for loading into imagej (this could be done easily with older versions of Quick Time, but this functionality seems to have disappeared in the newer versions).

Julio.



--
Julio Vazquez
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
Seattle, WA 98109-1024


http://www.fhcrc.org

==

On May 17, 2012, at 10:50 AM, Martin Wessendorf wrote:

> *****
> To join, leave or search the confocal microscopy listserv, go to:
> http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A0=confocalmicroscopy
> *****
>
> Dear List--
>
> I would like to be able to capture video of behaving rats simultaneously from more than one camera (probably just 2, but possibly 3).  High-res is not necessary but ~30fps frame-rate is.  I'll want to be able to compare images from the different cameras after the fact, so I'll want to be able to scroll through all 3 video channels at once and have them all show the same instant in time.  I haven't found many references in the literature do doing this and those that I've found haven't been helpful.  Does anyone have suggestions?
>
> Thanks!
>
> Martin
> --
> Martin Wessendorf, Ph.D.                   office: [phone]
> Assoc Prof, Dept Neuroscience                 lab: [phone]
> University of Minnesota             Preferred FAX: [phone]
> 6-145 Jackson Hall, 321 Church St. SE    Dept Fax: [phone]
> Minneapolis, MN  55455                    e-mail: [hidden email]

[Martin Wessendorf-2]

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Thanks to all who responded.  It looks as if the StreamPix system can do
exactly what I need for about $8K.  (Synchronization of multiple cameras
drives up the price.)

I appreciate the help!

Martin Wessendorf

On 5/17/2012 1:19 PM, Wataru Ito wrote:
> Hello-
>
> StreamPix can do it.
>
> http://www.norpix.com/products/streampix5/streampix5.php
>
> Wataru

--
Martin Wessendorf, Ph.D.                   office: [phone]
Assoc Prof, Dept Neuroscience                 lab: [phone]
University of Minnesota             Preferred FAX: [phone]
6-145 Jackson Hall, 321 Church St. SE    Dept Fax: [phone]
Minneapolis, MN  55455                    e-mail: [hidden email]

[Peter Gabriel Pitrone]

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Hello Martin,

One more thing before you go and spend a mint of equipment... Check out
CHDK (Canon Hackers Development Kit... http://chdk.wikia.com/wiki/CHDK)!!
It is an open source project that uses a software "firmware hack" that
open up all possibilities with Canon Powershot consumer cameras. I have a
Canon Powershot SX20 IS that I have used to take timelapse videos with
(self promotion is a terrible thing to waste... ;-)
http://vimeo.com/petergpitrone). It is possible to trigger 2 cameras using
this software to make stereo kite photography, so your project might
benefit from a "poor man's solution". Either way you go, good luck!!

Pete

On Thu, May 17, 2012 9:20 pm, Martin Wessendorf wrote:
| *****
| To join, leave or search the confocal microscopy listserv, go to:
| http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A0=confocalmicroscopy
| *****
|
| Thanks to all who responded.  It looks as if the StreamPix system can do
| exactly what I need for about $8K.  (Synchronization of multiple cameras
| drives up the price.)
|
| I appreciate the help!
|
| Martin Wessendorf
|
| On 5/17/2012 1:19 PM, Wataru Ito wrote:
|> Hello-
|>
|> StreamPix can do it.
|>
|> http://www.norpix.com/products/streampix5/streampix5.php
|>
|> Wataru
|
| --
| Martin Wessendorf, Ph.D.                   office: [phone]
| Assoc Prof, Dept Neuroscience                 lab: [phone]
| University of Minnesota             Preferred FAX: [phone]
| 6-145 Jackson Hall, 321 Church St. SE    Dept Fax: [phone]
| Minneapolis, MN  55455                    e-mail: [hidden email]
|


--
Peter Gabriel Pitrone - TechRMS
Microscopy/Imaging Specialist
Prof. Dr. Pavel Tomancak group
Max Planck Institute for
Molecular Biology and Genetics
Pfotenhauerstr. 108
01307 Dresden

"If a straight line fit is required, obtain only two data points." - Anon.

[Graham Wright]

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Hello Martin,

A bit late (that's the date-line for you) but it's not been mentioned yet.
Once you have multiple movies/stacks, if you want to combine them so that
all your views play together in a single exported movie you can use the
Image>Stacks>Tools>Combine function within Fiji/ImageJ to make a 'montage'
of your movies before saving in your preferred format.

Regards,
Graham

--
*Dr Graham Wright*
Microscopy Unit Manager

Institute of Medical Biology
8A Biomedical Grove, #06-06 Immunos, Singapore 138648

E:   [hidden email]
W:  http://www.imb.a-star.edu.sg/imu/


On 18 May 2012 05:09, Peter Gabriel Pitrone <[hidden email]> wrote:

> *****
> To join, leave or search the confocal microscopy listserv, go to:
> http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A0=confocalmicroscopy
> *****
>
> Hello Martin,
>
> One more thing before you go and spend a mint of equipment... Check out
> CHDK (Canon Hackers Development Kit... http://chdk.wikia.com/wiki/CHDK)!!
> It is an open source project that uses a software "firmware hack" that
> open up all possibilities with Canon Powershot consumer cameras. I have a
> Canon Powershot SX20 IS that I have used to take timelapse videos with
> (self promotion is a terrible thing to waste... ;-)
> http://vimeo.com/petergpitrone). It is possible to trigger 2 cameras using
> this software to make stereo kite photography, so your project might
> benefit from a "poor man's solution". Either way you go, good luck!!
>
> Pete
>
> On Thu, May 17, 2012 9:20 pm, Martin Wessendorf wrote:
> | *****
> | To join, leave or search the confocal microscopy listserv, go to:
> | http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A0=confocalmicroscopy
> | *****
> |
> | Thanks to all who responded.  It looks as if the StreamPix system can do
> | exactly what I need for about $8K.  (Synchronization of multiple cameras
> | drives up the price.)
> |
> | I appreciate the help!
> |
> | Martin Wessendorf
> |
> | On 5/17/2012 1:19 PM, Wataru Ito wrote:
> |> Hello-
> |>
> |> StreamPix can do it.
> |>
> |> http://www.norpix.com/products/streampix5/streampix5.php
> |>
> |> Wataru
> |
> | --
> | Martin Wessendorf, Ph.D.                   office: [phone]
> | Assoc Prof, Dept Neuroscience                 lab: [phone]
> | University of Minnesota             Preferred FAX: [phone]
> | 6-145 Jackson Hall, 321 Church St. SE    Dept Fax: [phone]
> | Minneapolis, MN  55455                    e-mail: [hidden email]
> |
>
>
> --
> Peter Gabriel Pitrone - TechRMS
> Microscopy/Imaging Specialist
> Prof. Dr. Pavel Tomancak group
> Max Planck Institute for
> Molecular Biology and Genetics
> Pfotenhauerstr. 108
> 01307 Dresden
>
> "If a straight line fit is required, obtain only two data points." - Anon.
>