Flying Sony RX100 - The Bumble Bee in action

[Bjørn J]

As some of the old NikonGear readers may know, I have a DJI Phantom 2, with a special-built attachment for use with a Sony RX100. On a monitor on the ground I can see what the camera sees, and tilt it 90 degrees, and of course trigger the shutter. Most people use the Phantom with a GoPro, but for stills the quality is terrible. With the RX100 I get photos that even my picky photo agency can accept. The good thing with this setup is that I can fly much lower than a plane, and get a better angle. Literally a new perspective on my photography - and it is great fun too! 
Photo number 4 is a panoramic stitch from 4 photos, I rotated the Bumble-Bee slightly between each exposure.
I call it the bumble-bee because I don't like the word drone, I associate it with remote killing machines. And as the real bumble-bee, it seems highly unlikely that this 1,6 kilo plastic thing with tiny cheap propellers can actually fly
More aerial shots can be seen here: http://www.arcticphoto.no/flyingcamera/

[Bjørn Rørslett]

These are so nice besides proving that there can be sunshine and pretty weather even up here in the high North

Let me see: #1 and 4 Tromsø, #2 Hamnøy, #3 Svolvær?

I agree 'bumble-bee' is an apt name for your contraption. It certainly sounds like one running zig-zag around.

[Bjørn J]

4 points of 4 possible to you

[Bjørn Rørslett]

Thanks, that made my day Also helps been to all of those places.

[Gary]

Nicely done and sounds like fun. I need to get one of those Bumble Bees.

[John Geerts]

What an interesting project Bjørn! Very effective use of this 'Bumble-Bee'  (love the name). 

What I normally see here are bad quality 'movies' on YouTube with a too wide lens, useless long running time, without any script and accompanied by 'James Last -like' adaptations of music...

[Bjørn J]

Thanks!
John, I agree! Although I beleive the RX100 can record video, I have never used it - likewise with the Nikons I have. I am a stills photographer. At one time I had a good video camera, but thinking video and thinking stills is so fundamentally different that I found it impossible to change my mindset from one to the other when I had both with me in the field. Making video is very complicated, not least the sound bit, which is just as important as the video images.

[Sash]

Very nice pictures and great idea

[Jørgen Ramskov]

It's an impressive tool you have made, the results clearly shows that, well done.

Is that a church in the bottom middle of the first picture? The architecture certainly caught my eye.

[ewfarrell]

Wonderful shots, very impressive results from the little RX100.  I keep saying to myself that I have to visit Norway, and shots like these make that voice even more insistent.  Great photos on your website too, BTW.  I especially liked the ones of Lofoten in summer.

[Bjørn J]

It's an impressive tool you have made, the results clearly shows that, well done.

Is that a church in the bottom middle of the first picture? The architecture certainly caught my eye.

Jørgen, I didn't notice your question until now.
That church is a landmark in Tromsø, and a popular tourist attraction. It's called the Arctic Cathedral. One can say a lot about churches (and religion), but some of them represent brilliant architecture (Sagrada Familia in Barcelona comes to mind).
Here are two more photos of it, flooded in blue light to mark the World Diabetes Day.

[Frank Fremerey]

Drones ... After reading the book "kill decision" by Suarez .... many years ago ... then read German legislation on picture drones ... pure discouragement ... anyway. I love your pictures ... take them until some bureaucratic a***hole takes them away!

[Jørgen Ramskov]

Thanks for the explanation and extra pictures.

[Ilkka Nissilä]

Very nice results.