Do you try to clear lens?

Originally Posted by AndreObi

Hi guys. Here is a small sample of those "air bubbles" that appear in my footage.

http://vimeo.com/25728605

This is really annoying and I don't know how to solve this.

You can see the bubbles in the top right corner, in the top center and on the bottom left...

I just receive this today and its the Jumbo 808 #11. I bought it from the seller eletoponline365.

Those spots appear to be some smudges or other small debris, and it could be in any one of FOUR places.

1. On the front surface of the lens - get some lens cleaning solution (plain drug store over the counter wound cleaning alcohol also works) and lens cleaning tissue to clean the lens. The front surface is tiny as you can see (1-2mm), so it's tough to get the tissue down into the lens surface. I lightly dampen the lens cleaning tissue, fold the tissue to a small point, then push into the lens opening lightly with a wood tooth pick, being carefully not to puncture the tissue. Then rotate the camera to wipe the surface clean. Repeat with a dry section of the tissue and shoot a test vid (hopefully it will be gone).

2. On the rear surface of the lens - you need to remove the screws that keep the case clamped together... there are two at the base of the standard #11... not sure where or how many on the Jumbo #11. Open the case so you can remove the lens (it unscrews from the base), but first put a thin line of paint across the gap between the lens barrel and base to mark it's rotational position. Then pick off any glue holding the lens barrel to the base. This MAY require removing the circuit board from the lower half of the case to get access to the glue, in which case you need to remove more tiny screws (two for the regular #11) to separate the lower case half from the circuit board. BEFORE handling the circuit board, I always put masking tape over all the circuit board traces and components or wear thin rubber gloves so you don't short any components or zap them with static discharge. Once you get the glue off you need to lightly clamp the fixed square lens base, then hold while rotating the lens barrel counter-clockwise to remove it. Note the width of the gap between the knurled lens ridge and the base, or count the number of revolutions of the lens as you remove it so you can get it back in the same location (you may want to re-focus it as well afterwards). Once the lens is removed, lightly clean the back surface of the lens with the cleaning solution and tissue. Do it lightly... the lens probably has a reddish-looking IR filter on the back, so don't dislodge it. You can then re-install the lens and shoot a test video, but I would also do step 3 before re-assembly.

3. On the surface of the CMOS array - this is the dark rectangular surface directly behind the lens in the plastic base. You can VERY LIGHTLY clean this surface with the same cleaning solution and tissue while the camera is open, but use a very gentle touch so you don't scratch it. Blow off the internal surfaces to be sure no dust has settled on the cleaned surfaces, and re-install the lens. Shoot a test video... hopefully the picture is now clear.

4. Inside the lens barrel - the lens has multiple elements and it's possible there is debris INSIDE the lens between the elements. In this case, there is nothing you can do other than replace the lens barrel with a new one, but there is no source for a replacement unless your vendor can get you one.

If cleaning the front surface of the lens does not solve the problem, the other steps may be too difficult or too much bother for some to try. The camera should not have this problem, so asking for a replacement from your vendor is not out of the question.

Thank you tom! I will try that.

Originally Posted by Tom Frank

Did you look in the FAQs in Post #3! There's a link to lenses and vendors there.

I don't use these lenses, so only posted info that was available at the time. If this info does not represent a consensus, or better lenses/vendors are now known, if someone wants so summarize the current info in a post, I'll re-link the FAQ to that post.

Thanks Tom
I did look there first, but wanted to make sure it was still up to date before ordering.

May I ask what lenses do you use?

Kev

Hey, do i understand that right, that the Jumbo version is NOT AVAILABLE in the standard case (The regular "key chain" version of the #11) ? I just want the Jumbo Version because of the Big battery. I read it is 500mah?? So is there a jumbo version of the regular #11 case or does it only exist in other case because of the bigger battery?

Originally Posted by Berkie

Thanks Tom
I did look there first, but wanted to make sure it was still up to date before ordering.

May I ask what lenses do you use?

Kev

I don't use any wide angle lenses... just the stock lens.

Originally Posted by Karkadam

Hey, do i understand that right, that the Jumbo version is NOT AVAILABLE in the standard case (The regular "key chain" version of the #11) ? I just want the Jumbo Version because of the Big battery. I read it is 500mah?? So is there a jumbo version of the regular #11 case or does it only exist in other case because of the bigger battery?

Gee... I thought this was shown well enough in Post #2. It's called the Jumbo version because the case is BIGGER, so it can hold a larger battery. The standard #11 is jam packed inside...no room for a bigger battery!

Hi Tom. Already did everything you said... Nothing worked. Thanks for the help though. Already contacted the seller for a refund but still waiting for an answer.

Originally Posted by Tom Frank

See the FAQs in Post #3, very first link under the Video Editing title. You need to get the ffdshow codec pack to get the H.264 codec to decode the video using Vdub. A link is provided there. Then once in Vdub, you can reset the Source Frame Rate in the Video menu to you selected speed. To output with no re-encoding or quality loss, you then go into the Video menu and select "Direct Stream Copy". Finally, in the File menu, select "Save as AVI", and your file will be saved at the new frame rate.

FWIW, you can set the size of the file chunks that MP4cam2AVI outputs using the toggle in the lower right corner of it's window. Maybe you already saw that. The largest file chunk size is about 2GB... not sure if that is bigger than your individual videos or not. Once you get all your individual clips sped up, you can load the first one back into Vdub, then append each one in succession using the "File/Append AVI Segment" menu item. Once all are loaded, just reset for Direct Stream copy" output, and save out the joined files as one long .AVI video. You could then load that into another editor to add text overlays, transitions, etc. if you want. But Video Pad can do that, too. Once you have the ffdshow codecs installed, WMM should also be able to load and play the H.264 codec .AVI files.

Good luck. Let me know what you find. Also, just curious what codec you used to out your file with VideoPad. Anything other than H.264 will inflate the file size, but maybe make playback easier on your computer.

Mr. Frank,
Back again to cause you more grief. Yes, I found the link to the codec im plain sight. Sorry...must be a blind spot or something.

I'm still having trouble getting the time lapse to work. I installed the codec and now Vdub runs fine, but I followed the steps you gave and got strange output. First thing I noticed when outputting at 10 times normal frame rate (near 300fps) was that the estimated file size was showing near original size. Yes, this program also works very fast. But when I open the output file in WMV or in RealPlayer, the video is not sped up. It plays normal speed and length. When I view the properties, it shows the length as reduced and the frame rate at 300 or so, but plays normally.

I'm not sure what I am doing wrong, but attaching some screen shots for your advice on perhaps some wrong setting.
You had inquired about the codec that Videopad used, so I also attach a screen shot showing that. I think it's the very same one that you had me install, h264.

I don't like that mp42avi breaks up a 40 minute video into 4 files, which then will all have to be run throught Vdub (assuming I can get the speed function to work), however both programs appear to have batch functions so once I figure out the process, it should be a good bit faster than VideoPad.

Thinking again of the cross country drives, 10 hours a day of saved video to process, hopefully while I sleep!

Thanks again for this awesome thread!

Just received my 808 #11.
Formatted my Trandscend 4G class 6 card.

Everything seems to look right (the lights are blinking as per directions) except there is no file created in the 100MEDIA subdirectory.

Tried reformatting, tried the reset button, finally upgraded the firmware.

Any suggestions? The lights are still performing correctly.

Thanks

(Delete duplicate)

Originally Posted by JumpySticks

Mr. Frank,
I'm still having trouble getting the time lapse to work.

To make a time-lapse with VirtualDub, you need to set both the frame rate and the "Decimate by" in the box below the frame rate setting. Decimate will throw out the frames you no longer need. If you want to speed the video up by 10, set the frame rate to the original rate x10 (= 300 in the #11), then set the "Decimate by" to 10 so it will only take every 10th frame. (That is, the output file will still have 30 frames per second, but they will be every 10th frame from the original.)

Originally Posted by RogerDH

To make a time-lapse with VirtualDub, you need to set both the frame rate and the "Decimate by" in the box below the frame rate setting. Decimate will throw out the frames you no longer need. If you want to speed the video up by 10, set the frame rate to the original rate x10 (= 300 in the #11), then set the "Decimate by" to 10 so it will only take every 10th frame. (That is, the output file will still have 30 frames per second, but they will be every 10th frame from the original.)

That makes sense, I tried both, but not together.
Thanks!

First, you can call me Tom! My comments are in GREEN below.

Originally Posted by JumpySticks

Mr. Frank,
Back again to cause you more grief. Yes, I found the link to the codec im plain sight. Sorry...must be a blind spot or something.

I'm still having trouble getting the time lapse to work. I installed the codec and now Vdub runs fine, but I followed the steps you gave and got strange output. First thing I noticed when outputting at 10 times normal frame rate (near 300fps) was that the estimated file size was showing near original size. Yes, this program also works very fast. But when I open the output file in WMV or in RealPlayer, the video is not sped up. It plays normal speed and length. When I view the properties, it shows the length as reduced and the frame rate at 300 or so, but plays normally.

I'm not sure what I am doing wrong, but attaching some screen shots for your advice on perhaps some wrong setting.
There is one small glitch in your process... I went back to my instructions to make sure I gave you correct advice (I did). In your second screen shot you show your frame rate settings. You need to make the frame rate conversion to the Source File block, not in the Frame Rate Conversion block. That seems counter-intuitive and it threw me off the same way the first time I did it. I have attached a screen grab of the correct toggles. The change you made converted the output to 300 fps, but because the source frame rate was kept at 30 fps, Vdub just plays each frame 10 times at a rate 10 times as fast, so when it plays back at 300 fps it looks like it is still playing at 30 fps! You can see this by stepping through your video in Vdub frame by frame. The file size won't change much by speeding it up... it just plays faster.
...
I don't like that mp42avi breaks up a 40 minute video into 4 files, which then will all have to be run throught Vdub (assuming I can get the speed function to work), however both programs appear to have batch functions so once I figure out the process, it should be a good bit faster than VideoPad.
You don't need to use the batch function. Load the first converted file segment from MP4cam2AVI into Vdub, then add each of the additional file segments (via menu File/Append AVI segment...) in succession into Vdub before you do any processing. It only takes several second per clip. THEN, do your frame rate conversion and all the files will come out joined back together at the higher frame rate.

Originally Posted by JumpySticks

That makes sense, I tried both, but not together.
Thanks!

I have it working now. It's very jerky if you don't use the right combination of numbers. I used 1000 fps & Decimate by 30. It's still a little jerkier than the VideoPad, but much much faster....and not reprocessing the video.

This should work for the long haul trips. I will need a faster rate anyway for such a long film.

You don't need to use the batch function. Load the first converted file segment from MP4cam2AVI into Vdub, then add each of the additional file segments (via menu File/Append AVI segment...) in succession into Vdub before you do any processing. It only takes several second per clip. THEN, do your frame rate conversion and all the files will come out joined back together at the higher frame rate.

Got it...that will work perfectly for the road trip. Ill first run the mp42avi on the batch of the day's clips. Go to dinner while that processes. Then after dinner I can set the avi clips up for processing overnight. Will have to restrain myself from watching the prior day's video while driving!

Excellent!

Thanks for all the help Tom...and Roger!

EDIT...at the rate this thing works, I won't have to wait overnight to see the finished product!!!