chronsys

Odin can now upload images to the Cloud!

Thu, 23 Jan 2025 14:03:14 GMT

We’re excited to announce that Odin now has the ability to upload its images to the cloud each day.

We’re equally excited to announce that you won’t have to pay any monthly subscriptions to use this new feature either! Yes, it won't cost you anything, other than spending a little of your time setting up your Odin so it can communicate to a free Google Drive, or DropBox account.

This is a feature that many customers, both existing owners and potential buyers have asked for, so we’re very proud to announce the launch of this feature. You’ll soon be able to view, and download, all your Odin’s images from the comfort of your office. No more having to visit the camera site to extract the images!

Older purchasers of an Odin are also included as you can return your systems for an upgrade. Alas, there will be a small charge for this service as we need to update the firmware and upgrade a couple of components inside the system, but we will keep these costs as reasonable as possible to you.

A quick overview of Odin’s new Cloud storage feature.

Odin uses free cloud storage solutions to upload your images to, with either Google Drive, or DropBox being our preferred suggestions. Although other Cloud storage solutions are available, these have not been tested and we cannot guarantee their operation.

Using a “free” Cloud storage service is slightly more difficult to setup than the “paid for” storage solution, so there will be some setup required by customers in order to make this work. That said, we have chosen this solution for the below reasons:

No monthly subscription costs for our customers (both Google Drive and DropBox offer free storage plans, 15GB and 2GB respectively, more than enough space to store 50,000 images if you use Google Drive!)
No GDPR issues as “your” images are stored on “your” Cloud account. We never see your images.
Ease of adding additional cameras to your Cloud account. Each camera has its own named folder to upload its images to.
If you do need to increase your storage space it is very reasonable to do so. I.e Google only charges £16 / year for 100GB of storage, Dropbox has 1TB for approx £80 / year.

There are a few caveats to note if you are going to use Odin’s image upload function, these being:

Image uploads are limited to a 1920x1080 resolution. This is to prevent very large image files being uploaded each day
To prevent too much power being used on each daily upload session.
To help reduce SIM card costs, if a 4G connection is being used.

We also recommend not uploading more than 300 images / day if using the standard 5W solar panel that comes with the system. This is so Odin should have plenty of power to run throughout winter months, especially in the Jan / Feb months in the western hemisphere.

It’s also good to note, your full-size images will remain on Odin's internal SD card so if you need to create a final Hi-res version of your timelapse you’ll still be able to do so at the end of your project.

Finally, Odin is very flexible, so if your requirements are different from the above we can modify the system to suit your needs, both in coding, or power solutions. Just call us to discuss your requirements.

If you want to watch a video on how to set up your Odin for the cloud, or read our PDF "how to" guide, just just click here to go to our support pages

Enabling cloud uploads in the user interface

Power to the people

Thu, 25 May 2023 14:08:57 GMT

No solar power? Here's some indoor power options for your Odin.

We've had a number of people ask how best to power Odin for long-term projects with no access to solar power. That's fine, not to worry, below are a few straightforward solutions which should suit your situation, none of which will break the bank. You can power Odin via:

Local mains power

You can extend Odin’s runtime by connecting a 12v power supply to the Odin's internal UPS battery. Doing so will allow your Odin to run indefinitely. Additionally, Odin will have many days of backup power should there be any interruption in the external power supply. It's also hassle free as the power supply simply plugs into the same connector the solar panel would normally use.

12V Motorb ike / Car battery

If no local mains power is nearby, you can easily, and cheaply, extend the run time of Odin by using any 12v battery. High power motorbike batteries are particularly good as they are smaller and easier to handle. We sell a 12V to 5V converter lead in our store, so all you need to add is a suitable 12v battery. As big as you like!

So, what sort of run times could I expect to get using a 12v motorbike, or car battery? Here's a guideline of what to expect, but please note, these are purely guidelines as user settings and usage may differ.

The figures below are Odin running in long-term mode taking an image every 5 mins, 24hrs / day (288 images a day).

External "Power packs"

Lastly, you can also extend the runtime by connecting an external battery “pack” to Odin’s internal UPS battery. There are many “power banks”, or “Portable battery packs” available on the market to suit your needs, from an extra 100w pack to a huge 1000w that would run Odin for months, or even years.

Please note, if you intend to use Odin outside with an external battery pack you must ensure the external battery has adequate waterproofing and venting.

See the Odin Power chart here

Odin is now 4G connected!

Wed, 26 Apr 2023 14:35:21 GMT

Now Odin can roam anywhere with a 4G connection

We’re excited to announce that Odin can now be connected to the world via 4G!

This makes Odin free to be placed anywhere in the wilderness, and you'll still be able to enjoy your daily update emails to keep track of your project. Wherever you are, you can connect to your preferred mobile / cell network. Any 4G network. Remember, not all networks have equal coverage, so being able to choose the carrier with the best signal is vital for good communication.

This is an incredibly useful addition to the system, and a feature many potential owners have been waiting for! It also removes the previous restriction of having to place the camera near a local Wi-Fi network in order to receive your daily status updates.

How does Odin do this? - Odin simply adds a 4G LTE dongle to its system to connect to the internet via the mobile / cell network and send its update to the user once a day.

It’s very easy to set up - All you have to do is, purchase a pay-as-go Sim card, or subscribe to a monthly mobile mobile plan, then set up your 4G dongle. Once the 4G dongle is set up on your network, simply tell Odin to connect to that wifi network, and you’re done!

You will not use more than 200mb / month for the email updates, so a low-cost sim card plan will be perfectly adequate. Also, no monthly subscription fees from Chronosys either!

In the UK, you can use all the major networks with the unlocked 4G dongle that we supply:

O2
Vodafone
Three
EE
You can also use “virtual networks”, like GiffGaff, Tesco, Utility Warehouse, Lebara etc

The 4G Dongle in situ

Our 4G dongle should work fine in Europe as it uses popular 4G bands (bands B1, B3, B5). You can also check if our dongle will work in your country by checking on this Frequency Checker website . If our dongle is not compatible with your country, simply buy a dongle that IS compatible from any online retailer. Just check with us to make sure it'll be compatible with Odin before you buy anything!

In keeping with our low-cost, open, modular philosophy behind the Odin, if you don’t want to buy a dongle from us, you are free to use your own dongle. Again, check with us first to make sure it will be suitable with Odin.

See you in the Wild!

Choosing your lens

Mon, 16 May 2022 09:47:30 GMT

With so many different lenses out there, which one do you go for?

For most photographers, and videographers, being creative with lenses is one of the reasons they love what they do. Each project can come with its unique challenges so choosing the correct lens for a job is crucial.

Odin gives you a better creative choice as you can easily replace the supplied standard lens with any other lens you feel might improve the quality of your project. If you have a distant object you can use a telephoto lens to frame your subject nicely, or if a customer needs a close-up shot you can use any suitable macro lens available on the market. There’s a lens for every occasion…and wallet!

You’re free to pick whatever you choose. Either CCTV or photographic, lenses can be used as long as they conform to the below requirements,

C mount or CS-mount (C-CS adaptor supplied with Odin)
Lens is no more than 100mm / 4” in length
Lens outer diameter is not more than 55mm / 2”
Back focus: Adjustable (12.5 mm–22.4 mm)

There are some other considerations to take into account, like vignetting and a few others, but without getting too technical you are free to experiment with any lens you want to try. Remember, your Odin comes supplied with a standard lens so you don’t need to worry about lenses if you don’t need to, but if you do want to try something different, no problem, pop in a few compatible lenses if you have any to hand!

See below to help you decide which standard lens to choose with your Odin purchase. Please note - all of these lenses have been tested with Odin and no vignetting issues. We have also added a few other CCTV lens suggestions that can be found online at reasonable prices:

3.2mm 120° Wide Angle Lens (Standard supplied option)

Description

This lens provides a 120° Horizontal Field of View. It produces that "fish-eye" look made popular by GoPro cameras and can give you fantastically dramatic wide angle images. This lens can be chosen as your standard lens option

Specification

Optical Format: 1/7″
Focal Length: 3.2mm
Aperture: Max F2.0
Field of View (FOV): 120°(H) on Odin Camera
Focus Type: Manual
Mount: CS mount
Back Focal Length: 5.94mm
MOD: 0.3m
Dimension: Φ28×30mm
Weight: 54g

5mm 73° Standard Universal Lens (Standard supplied option)

Description

This 5.0mm CS-Mount Lens provides a 73⁰ Horizontal Field of View on 1/2.3" type sensors and is rated for 12MP. It's a good balance between being not too wide or narrow on the Odin. This lens is best if you do NOT want that extreme "fish-eye" GoPro look to your images. This lens can be chosen as your standard lens option

Lens Specification

Optimized for 4K Cameras with 1/1.7″ & 1/2.5″ image sensors
CS-Mount
Aperture: F2.0,
Field of View (FOV): 73°(H) on Odin Camera
35mm EFL - 24
Focal Length: 5mm
Focus type : Manual
Dimension: Φ28×31mm
M.O.D 0.3m
Weight: 50g

2.8-12mm Varifocal Lens (Lens suggestion)

Description

This varifocal C-mount lens with an adjustable aperture range (up to F1.6), is compatible with both your Odin camera.

Specification

Optical Format: 1/2″
Focal Length: 2.8-12mm
Aperture: F1:1.6
Field of View (FOV): 125°(H)-43°(H), 120°(H)-38°(H) on 1/2.3″ Odin Camera
Focus Type: manual
Mount: C mount
Back Focal Length: 17.53mm
MOD: 0.3m
Dimension: Φ44.5×58.5mm
Weight: 140g

16mm Telephoto Lens (Lens suggestion)

Description

The 16mm 10MP Telephoto lens offers a high level of zoom, for targeting your camera on specific subjects.

Specification:

Optical Format: 1″
Focal Length: 16mm
Aperture: F1.4-F16
Field of View (FOV): 24°(H)
Focus Type: manual
Mount: C mount
Back Focal Length: 17.53mm
MOD: 0.2m
Dimension: Φ39×50mm
Weight: 133.7g

35mm F1.6 Macro C-Mount Lens (Lens suggestion)

Description

Unbelievably Beautiful Images: F1.6 large Aperture constructed with 12 blades, make your Odin Camera take dream quality facula photos with its out of focus areas and wonderful bokeh. Excellent Performance: Good build quality for sharp images and performs well even in low light conditions. Perfect for close ups, portraits, children shots or animals.

Specification

Optical Format: 2/3″
Focal Length: 35mm
Aperture: F1.6-F16
Field of View (FOV): 18°(H)
Focus Type: Manual
Mount: C mount
Back Focal Length: 17.525mm
MOD: 0.3m
Dimension: Φ50×35.5mm
Weight: 108g

That's not all though, you can even use your Canon EF, EOS, or Nikon F lenses with a suitable C mount adaptor. There are plenty of reasonably priced adapters to choose from on Amazon or photographic websites.

So, there are a galaxy of options and possibilities to choose from if you so wish, far too many for this blog post to tackle. Just know that if you want to play with lenses Odin is open to experimentation!

Use your own lens filter

Fri, 13 May 2022 16:23:24 GMT

Yep, you can genuinely use any 67mm lens filter you want! Here's some ideas for you...

Oh, imagine all the possibilities!...

Uniquely, Odin allows you to replace the supplied lens filter with any 67mm filter you want to use. Simply unscrew the old lens and then screw in your preferred lens, or combination of lenses, as desired. Include into the mix the ability to control the Odin's ISO and shutter speed and you have some very creative possibilities available to you. Possibilities that would normally only be the remit of much more expensive, high-end, digital cameras.

One bit of advice from us is, if you intend to use your Odin for long-term, outside, projects we would recommend you check the supplied O-ring is in place and that it is fully firmly sealed against your new lens. Failure to check this seal might cause water to ingress into the camera and hamper your filming. We have several O-ring sizes available if you ever need a larger, or smaller, O-ring. Please do not use nitrile O-rings as these will perish and fail.

Lens filters are transparent or translucent glass elements that attach to the front of a lens. They protect the camera lens, alter the characteristics of light passing through the lens or add special effects and colours to an image.

UV Filter

Ultra Violet filters are transparent filters that block ultra-violet light, in order to reduce the haziness that is noticeably apparent in some daylight photography. UV filters don’t affect the majority of visible light, so they are a perfect form of lens protection and they will not alter your exposure. There are some “strong” UV filters that are more effective at cutting atmospheric haze and reducing the notorious purple fringing that sometimes shows up in digital photography. Purple fringing is a purple ghost that you see at the edges of a subject when it is slightly out of focus.

Polarizing Filter

A Polarizing filter can be used to darken overly light skies as it increases the contrast between clouds and the sky. Like the UV filter, the Polarizer reduces atmospheric haze, but also reduces reflected sunlight. The most typical function of a Polarizer is to remove reflections from water and glass. When angled (or spun) properly, the Polarizer eliminates the reflection when shooting through a glass window or into water; a handy trick to be sure! There are two types of polarizers: linear and circular. Both types of polarizers produce a similar effect, except the circular polarizer eliminates unwanted reflected light with the help of a quarter-wave plate. The resulting image is free of reflected light, and transparent objects like glass are free of reflections.

Color Balancing Filter

As you know, visible light is made up of a multiple color spectrum. But in photography, you have to make a choice to capture images with the camera’s white balance set to record whitish blue light of daylight or set to record the reddish-orange tungsten (incandescent) light… with a few variations (i.e. sodium-vapor or fluorescent). This is what the white balance is used to control, and you use a color balancing filter to affect a change in your light sources.

However, you can use a Color Balancing filter to compensate for the various differences in the photographed color of light (e.g. daylight is cooler and appears blue, whereas tungsten is warmer and appears reddish orange). The 85B (warm-up/orange filter) and the 80A (cool-down/blue filter) are the two standard filters for compensating for color balancing. The 85B enables you to shoot in the daylight when the white balance/color temperature is set for tungsten. Without the 85B filter, your image will have a blue color cast to it. The 80A enables you to shoot under tungsten light when the color temperature/white balance is set for daylight. Without the 80A, your image will be abnormally warm/reddish orange.

These filters have fallen out of use recently because this type of color temperature correction can easily be achieved with image processing software. Some photographers use them for various artistic affects.

Neutral Density Filter

Attaching a neutral density (ND) filter to your lens uniformly reduces the amount of light entering the lens. The ND filter is helpful when the contrast between the highlights and shadows is too great to get a quality exposure. The ND Filter also can enable greater motion blurring and image detail by allowing a large aperture and/or a slow shutter speed to be used. A variant on the ND filter is the graduated ND, in which there is a gradient that effects the reduction of light in a graduated, neutral level from 100% to 0% across the length of the filter. The Graduated ND is recommended for shooting landscapes and seascapes, because you can reduce the brightness of the sky (for better contrast) but still maintain an affecting exposure of the land or water.

Filters for B&W Photography

There are specific filters for B&W photography that lighten similar colors and darken opposite colors, thereby enhancing the monochromatic look. There are Red, Orange, Yellow, Green and Blue filters for use in B&W photography.

Red filters are a favorite among landscape photographers and are often used to add drama. In nature photography, a red filter will increase the contrast between red flowers and green foliage. A red filter will deepen a blue sky and make white clouds pop out. It can also decrease the effects of haze and fog. In some cases, depending on its strength, a red filter could even turn the sky black.

Orange filters increase contrast between tones in textures such as tile or bricks, making it a good choice for general use and urban or abstract photography. It also helps to decrease haze and fog, but it’s effects on the sky and clouds are subtler than the red filter.

Yellow filters are even subtler than orange filters, making it a ‘classic’ choice for beginners just starting to explore using filters with black and white photography. It helps to darken the clouds slightly, and it also separates light green foliage from the darker shades of green.

Green filters lighten dark green foliage and boost light green foliage. They have a more specific use and are not as commonly used as the other filters, but green filters are extremely useful for the nature photographer. Green filters may lighten the sky, so landscape photographers should take note of this when using it.

Blue filters are not as commonly used in black and white photography because they lighten the sky and darken highlights or colors that are seen as light. Blue filters can draw attention to haze and fog, which can enhance the mood of the photo if needed. It’s a good idea to experiment with this filter using the B&W setting, as opposed to shooting in color and converting the image to B&W in an image processor.

Since a filter absorbs light, it necessitates an increase in exposure. Filter-makers will usually suggest an amount of exposure compensation in the form of a “filter factor”. A filter factor of 2X means that you should multiply the exposure by 2. A filter factor of 4X means that you should multiply your exposure by 4, and so on. If the filter factor is 2X and 4X, add 1 f/stop and 2 f/stops to your exposure respectively. Another alternative is to divide your ISO by the filter factor. If the filter factor is 2X and your ISO is 200, your new ISO is 100.

Compiling your time-lapse video

Sun, 08 May 2022 16:23:24 GMT

Once you’ve recorded your project you’re going to need to compile all your images into a video. Here’s a little advice on how to do this.

Odin is versatile, but it doesn’t do everything with a simple click of a button. You’re going to need some software, or a video editor, to compile all the individual images you’ve taken into one single video file.

There are many video editors and options out there, some free, some very expensive, we couldn’t possibly go through all of them in any great detail. The below is simply a little list of editors to consider should you need a little advice.

We’re assuming most of you who have bought or intend to buy an Odin camera know exactly what you’re doing so this list is skewed slightly toward the less experienced time-lapse creator.

Beginner

These are simple, free, editors to quickly create your time-lapse video

Enthusiast

If you want a little more creative control over your videos you’ll need to buy some dedicated software.

Time lapse Tool (approx $70) - We would recommend this very easy-to-use, but powerful, time-lapse creation tool if you want to produce a professional-level video. (We personally use this to create our videos). See more about this software below.

Professional

We’re not going to teach you guys how to suck eggs. You lot know exactly what you’re doing! Even so, here are a few suggestions if you really want to move into the professional world of filmmaking. Warning, it'll get expensive!!

Time Lapse Tool software (Windows only)

(Recommended software if you are not a professional, but want to produce "Pro" level videos)

Create Beautiful and Professional Time Lapse Video Fast!

Our Windows software builds 4K time-lapse videos from digital photographs. Time-Lapse Tool’s amazing variety of effects make it uniquely easy to use for creating stunning videos. Apply vignette, tilt focus and other effects instantly. Combine image sequences with different frame rates into one video file. Emulate zoom and move over still images with minimal effort.

Time-Lapse Tool is easy-to-use time lapse program. You can learn how to make a timelapse video in just a few clicks.

Enjoy Time Lapse Video Production with:

High performance for polished results
Render to H.264, Windows Media, and other formats
Create a single video from photos stored in multiple folders at once
Set varying rates of frames per second (FPS) for each sequence of images in your project for differential viewer impacts
Save your video in Full HD, or 4K resolution
4K video size with different aspect ratios (16:9, 4:3, 3:2, 360°)
Built-in de-flickering for quality impact
Built-in zoom and move functions to create video from parts of your images
Watermark and frame information effects for professional protection and branding for business users
Connectivity to YouTube for speedy publishing
Apply image effects with just a few clicks
Much more with 20+ built-in effects.
Did we mention that our software is affordable too?!

Which Micro SD card do i use?

Sat, 07 May 2022 00:00:00 GMT

Never, ever, use a cheap Micro SD card! Here's a little advice on which card to use and how to format it to store your images safely.

Memory cards are not made all the same. There’s a huge difference between the quality of the cheaper brands and the more expensive “branded” cards. The cheaper cards and brands can use silicon that has previously been rejected for the top-tier cards. You could get lucky and never have an issue with a cheap card, but then again, your cheapo card might let you down almost immediately? “You get what you pay for” is the perfect adage when buying memory cards!

Another bit of advice is, never, ever, buy memory cards from cheap sources like Amazon, eBay and some shady online stores as they may be selling fake copies of high-end cards. We have seen this far too many times, so be aware. Only buy cards from well-known, reputable, sources to ensure you get the genuine article. Again, if the price seems too good to be true, then it probably is.

Any size Micro SD card can be used, but at least 128Gb is recommended. You could even go to the largest 1TB card on the market if you want!

When time-lapsing you do not want your project to fail because you saved a few pounds on a card, so here are a few recommended Micro SD cards to use in your Odin.

The most important considerations for your image storage card is that it conforms to these specifications:

A genuine, branded, high-end manufacturer
U3 transfer speed, or higher
High endurance, or “industrial” specification cards are fine to use
Protection from:
Temperature (in particular low temperatures if being used in frigid environs)
X-Ray
Magnets
Wear-out (write life cycles)

IMPORTANT - Make sure your card is always formatted in the “ ExFAT ” file system to ensure Odin can save the images to the cards larger than 32GB. Formatting SD cards can be done with most PC’s, Macs, and Chromebooks.

Lastly, it’s always worth freshly formatting your card before you start any project, just to make sure your card is clean and your file system is free from any corrupted files.

Odin is Shipping!

Tue, 03 May 2022 00:00:00 GMT

It's taken a while, but finally Odin is ready to ship...

We are very proud to launch our new 4K time-lapse camera and we believe you'll be pleasantly surprised how it's turned out too.

The Odin 4K time-lapse camera allows you to do all your favourite time lapsing projects, from short-term projects like sunsets, flowers blooming and night-time cityscapes to long-term indefinite projects like house builds, civil engineering and even filming glacial movement over months, or even years. Indoor projects or outside in the rain and wind, wide panoramic shots, or close-up macro subjects, Odin can be used to do any project you need.

Yes, there are many other time-lapse products out there on the market but none that will let you record your project in stunning 4K using your own photographic lens, custom lens filter, or let you save your individual images in the Raw format so you can edit to your heart's content in your favourite video editor. Odin will even send you a daily email telling you how many images it's taken throughout the previous day and show you several images so you can check your project is still looking perfectly shot!

No other camera gives you this amount of flexibility and creative potential, all at a price that isn’t going to break the bank.

Here are some of Odin’s features :

Reliable and affordable 4K solution
Designed for professional, or time-lapse enthusiasts
Easily customisable design.
Use any C or CS lens (up to 100mm)
Use any 67mm lens filter
Use solar panels (up to 20W)
Auto, or Pro mode with control over shutter and ISO.
Selectable image output - Jpeg, or Jpeg+Raw
Browser-based user interface (No Apps!)
Daily status updates via local WiFi
Programmable weekly scheduler
Micro SD storage up to 1TB
Sturdy ABS waterproof case
Designed and made in the UK
No subscription costs

Looking to the future...

Chronosys is only a small company, but the beauty of being small means you can change and adapt your product with relative ease. There are many future features and ideas we have waiting in the wings and since Odin uses many standard photographic components or electronics the user can simply update many of these elements themselves to release new functionality as and when it arrives. No other system has such an unrestricted design to ensure it is as future-proof as possible.

So, thank you for taking the time to look at our new camera. We hope you like what we’ve created, and look forward to helping you create some stunning 4K time-lapse videos with Odin.

If you have any questions or would like to discuss anything about Odin, just drop me a line and I’ll be happy to answer your questions.

Many regards

Julian