Translations:Category:Anti vandalism/1/es

statusdraft

Rapid Grants

Line scan camera

To purchase a high quality color line scan camera for the purpose of strip photography, a unique type of photo similar to a photo finish.

targetWikimedia Commons; Wikipedia

start dateMarch 30

end dateMarch 30

budget (local currency)USD $2000

budget (USD)2000

grant typeIndividual

grantee• dllu

contact(s)• daniellawrence.lu

friendly space expectations

ucc

privacystatement

Create your report

Please see the sample Equipment application before drafting your application.

Project Goal

Choose one or more of the following goals. You can add or delete goals as needed. You can add details to each goal. For example, if you want to add content on a specific subject.

1. Add or improve content of a primarily photographic nature
2. Expand prose on English Wikipedia of relevant articles
3. Engage and inspire other Commons photographers and Wikipedia editors

Project Plan

Activities

Tell us how you'll carry out your project. Be sure to answer the following questions:
1. What content gaps will you be filling with the equipment?

All existing examples of strip photography on Wikimedia projects are of low resolution and/or are decades old.

The current Wikipedia articles on en:Strip photography, en:Slit-scan photography, and en:Photo finish are sparse and have very few examples produced with modern equipment. The lack of images hampers understanding of an imaging technique. Meanwhile, commons:Category:Photo finish is nearly devoid of Wikimedian-produced content, and half of the photos therein are not strip photos. Strip photography is an important technology that is used for artistic expression, industrial quality assurance, and for determining the winner in races. As opportunities arise, I will also be enriching Wikimedia Commons and English Wikipedia with the many other applications of a line scan camera, detailed in section 5.
2. What activities will you organize in the next 6 months to create content and use it on Wikimedia projects?

Equipped with the line scan camera, I will conduct numerous photo walks around San Francisco, at least twice per month, to create artistic images of the historic streetcars and other vehicles in the area. In May, I will travel to Xi'an, China, as well as Shanghai, for a yet undetermined period of time to take further images. Later in the year, I will also travel to Vancouver, BC for an undetermined period of time for additional photographic opportunities.
3. How will the equipment be shared/tracked/cared for by members of your community?

Upon request, the line scan camera will be lent out to nearby Wikimedians on a first-come-first-serve basis. The location of the equipment will be tracked using an online spreadsheet. When not in use, it will be stored at the residence of Daniel Lu.
4. How long will the equipment be used, and by whom?

The equipment is anticipated to be used for at least 5 years.
5. Is there anything else you want to tell us about this project?

A line scan camera is a high-speed camera which only takes 1 row (or column) of pixels at a time. It can be used for many purposes, most of which cannot be replicated by conventional camera:

1. To take pictures of fast-moving vehicles for a high-resolution profile view.
2. To take 360 degree images of arbitrary small household items, i.e. by placing said item on a turntable and then imaging with a line scan camera.
3. To illustrate the movement of various mechanisms and physical phenomena.
4. To create a very high resolution panorama without obvious discontinuities by panning the camera (i.e. as a en:Rotating line camera).
5. To capture very long objects, such as trains, streets, buildings, artworks, and so forth.
6. Archival of film.

As such, the photos created from this project will be of a very diverse nature, covering many different subjects to optimally make use of the many applications of this technology.

High quality line scan cameras are typically not designed for portable, outdoor use by consumers. Custom mounts and electronics (or a laptop computer) may be needed to use the camera. As a mechatronic engineer by training, I am capable of designing and constructing any necessary mounts (cf. https://lawrence.lu/engineering/ for some past projects from university). Note that the Necta camera chosen is a recent model that uses USB3, which is much easier to interface with modern portable laptops. The vast majority of other line scan cameras use Camera Link instead of USB3, which require their own power supplies and a PCI Express board mounted in a desktop computer.

If the camera is not stationary, or if the subject is not moving at a constant speed, distortions may occur. Moreover, artificial lighting tends to flicker in a manner that may affect the photo. Software corrections will be needed. As I am proficient in non-rigid image registration algorithms (cf. en:Point set registration, an article I started), I will be able to develop the necessary software for performing said corrections. Any software created for this purpose will be licensed under the appropriate open-source license.

Many hobbyist projects have used a converted flatbed scanner or film; however, although they are cheap, such cameras have poor scanning rate and are not suitable for fast-moving objects. The line rate of a typical flatbed scanner is about two orders of magnitudes worse than that of the requested line scan camera.

Impact

How will you know if the project is successful and you've met your goals? Please include the following targets and feel free to add more:

1. Number of photos uploaded: 400 over the next 12 months, of which
2. Number of quality images: 300
3. Number of featured pictures: 10
4. Number of photos used on Wikimedia projects: 200 (33%)
5. Number of articles created/improved: 50

Resources

What resources do you have? Include information on who is organizing the project, what they will do, and if you will receive support from anywhere else (in-kind donations or additional funding).

I, Daniel Lu, am equipped with conventional photographic equipment such as:

1. Manfrotto tripod
2. Two powerful laptop computers and one desktop computer with calibrated sRGB displays
3. Sony a7R camera
4. Assortment of lenses covering a focal length of 15mm to 300mm

Several of my lenses can be readily adapted to the desired line scan camera with little or no cost. Any additional equipment, such as extra lenses, custom mounts, a portable embedded computer attached to the camera, and so forth will be self-funded.

The project will be entirely conducted by myself. I have 11 featured photos on Wikimedia Commons and many dozens of quality images, as well as started or greatly expanded several technical articles on English Wikipedia.

What resources do you need? For your funding request, list bullet points for each expense and include a total amount.

1. NECTA N4K2-7C color line-scan camera [1], list price €1859 including F-mount adapter. (USD $1982 at current exchange rate)
2. Importing camera equipment to the USA is duty free
3. Shipping, insurance, and other misc fees: at least $18

Total: $2000

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