Natural History Wanderings

Basement Start-up Creates Inexpensive Photographic Gear For High Speed Insect Photography

Wired Science recently ran an a story about Cognisys, a photographic equipment business that was a basement start-up that develop unique and inexpensive photographic equipment.  One of their accomplishments is the creation of a  high-speed handheld flexible timing module  called “StopShot”. It has a shutter system that operates in about 5 milliseconds from pushing the button to recording a photo.   This is 12-13 times faster than most current consumer digital cameras.  This has great applications for capturing insects in mid-flight.

Another product Cognisys has developed is  “StackShot” which is an  automated stacking rail used to capture  multiple images with different points of focus.  The images are than single combined into a single image using photographic software program such as Helicon Soft. to create a high level of focal sharpness throughout the final image.

Wired Science reports: “Some of the equipment Cognisys sells for a few hundred dollars can cost tens of thousands of dollars from other companies.”

To learn more and see examples of mid-air insect photos captured with “StopShot”  go to the article  Cheap DIY Camera Systems Perform Amazing Photographic Feats | Wired Science | Wired.com. and to learn more about the products go to the website of Cognisys.   If anyone has used these products please comment about your experience.