Point Grey Research, a provider of advanced digital camera systems, has released a black version of its Ladybug3 spherical digital video camera.
The anodised black 'stealth' model joins the classic red Ladybug3 and has been introduced as a result of specific OEM customer requests for a more subtle appearance, which is often required for applications where the user wants to minimise the attention given to the camera itself. Such applications can include geographical information systems (GIS) for street-level viewing, high-end security and surveillance, and roadway or city infrastructure mapping.
The spherical digital video system is a complete hardware and software package that delivers 12 Megapixels of high-resolution 360º visual coverage using six high-quality Sony CCDs. It is ideal for applications that require ultra-high resolution, a weather-resistant case, direct FireWire connection, and the ability to synchronise to external devices such as an external trigger or light source. The camera is pre-calibrated to enable high-quality spherical image stitching, and uses an embedded JPEG compression engine and 800Mb/s IEEE 1394b (FireWire) interface to stream full 12 Megapixel images at 15fps to the host system. Each system is supplied with a Ladybug3 camera, a licence of the Ladybug software development kit (SDK), FireWire card and cable, and mounting system.
