What factors affect the quality of my FinishLynx images?
Five things: the light source and where it comes from, the lens type, the frame rate for the speed of the athletes, depth of field (raise the camera), and lens speed (open the iris at higher frame rates).
Photography basics apply to FinishLynx images too. Five things matter most:
- Light source. The sun is the best light, but shining straight into the lens it can wash the image out completely. It is best directly behind the camera, reflecting off the athletes back to the lens. Shadows on the camera side of the finish line make hip numbers harder to read. Adjust the iris and gain for the ambient light, and under artificial light (indoors, stadium lights) add extra light pointing at the finish line.
- Lens type. A fixed lens gives slightly better images because there are fewer moving parts and less glass for the light to pass through. A zoom lens gives flexibility in where the camera goes, and several fixed lenses get expensive, so weigh your options.
- Frame rate. The speed of the object crossing the line and the frames per second are closely related: the faster the object, the higher the rate. Think about the type of race (sprint versus distance) and the level (youth versus Division I).
- Depth of field. A large depth of field makes it hard to get near and far lanes all in focus. Raise the camera: as the height increases, the ratio between the distance to lane 1 and lane 8 shrinks. Closing the iris (like squinting) also helps, but not when light is poor.
- Lens speed. The f-stops (1.4 to 16) and how wide the iris opens. Because the iris is fixed during capture, this sets how much light floods the sensor. A higher frame rate produces a darker image, so open the iris to compensate.
Goes deeper
- Starting camera settings — Troubleshoot · Camera · EtherLynx Camera · Image & Focus
Related questions
- Where should my camera be located in relation to the finish line? — In the plane of the finish line: for athletics, 7 to 15 feet high, about the same distance back from the track, pointing down at about 45 degrees. The Lens Calculator picks the lens for your spot.
- The image is too dark at dusk or under lights. Which settings help? — Set Gain Method to AGC with Auto Iris, open a manual iris toward the smaller f-numbers, raise AGC Brightness, add light at the line, then lower the frame rate a little. LuxBoost helps once gain passes 150.
- How can I correct overexposed or underexposed FinishLynx images? — With AGC and the gain between 70 and 90: reduce Brightness in steps of 5 for blown-out highlights, or reduce Gamma in steps of 0.05 to bring back detail in dark areas.
- My camera's lens won't focus, or the focus drifts. What do I check? — Sharp at some distances but not others: tighten the four silver screws on the back of the 8-48mm lens. Sharp at no distance: the CS-C mount adapter is wrong (exactly one 5 mm ring, or none for the 2.8-10mm lens).