First camera tests

The camera arrived on Wednesday, June 24. After charging it and completing the initial setup, I carried out a series of test captures using different mounting configurations.

The first tests took place around Péronnes. The camera was mounted on the car roof using a suction cup mount, positioned fairly close to the roof, with the two lenses facing forward and backward along the direction of travel. This setup produced usable imagery, but the roof of the car is quite prominent in the images.

Examples : https://www.mapillary.com/app/?pKey=2769927180052593&lat=50.5526563&lng=3.4495936&z=17&mapStyle=Esri+satellite

I plan to repeat this configuration later using a roof mount combined with an extension pole (selfie stick) to raise the camera significantly higher above the vehicle. This should reduce the visibility of the car roof and improve the overall field of view.

While waiting for this mounting system, I carried out additional tests on the road between Tournai and Gaurain-Ramecroix. This time, the camera remained mounted on the roof, but the lenses were oriented toward the left and right sides of the vehicle instead of the front and rear. The idea was to keep the camera body aligned with the direction of travel, reducing wind resistance and minimizing the risk of the lenses hitting insects or any flying debris or accumulating dust since this road travels between two quarries.

Images : https://www.mapillary.com/app/user/rmic?pKey=27486390067718753&lat=50.600637122569&lng=3.439559134437218&z=17&mapStyle=Esri+satellite&x=0.2697418733617699&y=0.6167859388603529&zoom=0

On the morning of Thursday, June 25, I performed another series of tests on the motorway between Tournai and Charleroi. For safety reasons, the camera was mounted inside the vehicle using a suction cup attached to the windshield. At motorway speeds, I was concerned that the roof mount might not withstand the combined effects of wind and vibration, or that the camera could be damaged by gravel or other debris.

The images are still being processed at the time of writing.

In this configuration, the camera was no longer used in 360° mode. Only the forward-facing lens was active, capturing a more conventional view through the windshield. The resulting imagery will allow me to compare this setup with the roof-mounted configurations in terms of image quality, practicality, and usefulness for mapping.