WildW
Senior member
Dear Camcorder Gurus. . . .
I have a work requirement to select a camcorder to buy that will have to endure operating during a balloon flight at 15,000 to 20,000ft or so. So far I'm aware that hard-disk camcorders are out - we'd prefer a solid state one anyway. Obviously there are temperature issues with batteries regardless of what we choose, and we'll just have to get around that as best we can.
Any direct recommendations are welcome, but I'm also interested in any issues I may not have thought of relating to altitude/temperature/pressure/etc. I've read about people taking regular domestic camcorders and attaching them to weather balloons and working up to 100,000ft, so hopefully this kind of thing is feasable, although possibly it will instantly void any warranty.
It will need to be hand operated at that altitude, so preferably something without tiny buttons (I imagine the pilot will be wrapped up warm in bulky gloves).
Oh, and naturally there's the usual requirement that it should be cheap. Is there likely to be any advantage to reliability at altitude from buying something more expensive, or will we likely get away with a budget domestic camcorder?
I have a work requirement to select a camcorder to buy that will have to endure operating during a balloon flight at 15,000 to 20,000ft or so. So far I'm aware that hard-disk camcorders are out - we'd prefer a solid state one anyway. Obviously there are temperature issues with batteries regardless of what we choose, and we'll just have to get around that as best we can.
Any direct recommendations are welcome, but I'm also interested in any issues I may not have thought of relating to altitude/temperature/pressure/etc. I've read about people taking regular domestic camcorders and attaching them to weather balloons and working up to 100,000ft, so hopefully this kind of thing is feasable, although possibly it will instantly void any warranty.
It will need to be hand operated at that altitude, so preferably something without tiny buttons (I imagine the pilot will be wrapped up warm in bulky gloves).
Oh, and naturally there's the usual requirement that it should be cheap. Is there likely to be any advantage to reliability at altitude from buying something more expensive, or will we likely get away with a budget domestic camcorder?
