Replacing binoculars with digi/video to laptop

[ews]

Hi.

Hope someone here can pass on some advice. I have a disabled partner, a Tetra (Four limbs affected after broken neck, with very limited use of arms and fingers). Our problem is she can no longer use, that is, hold or focus a pair of Bino's and I cannot do it for her.

So my question is- Is it possible to feed a Laptop with the output from a x10/20 optical zoom digi. In real time/stream it ???, ( i suppose this is like a super webcam ???) . So she can look at the Laptops screen as opposed to the view through Bino's.

I have no knowledge of Digital Video and we have not yet got a Laptop or Digi Video camera, we as yet are not sure what requirements both items would have to meet.

I allready have fitted a modified tripod to her wheelchair so she can use a Panasonic DMC-FZ7 Digital Camera plus a modification which enables her to take the image/photo ( she cannot press the button), this modified tripod will also clamp to the grab bar in our 4x4. This I hope will act as the mount for the Digi/Video camera. I will manipulate the Digi/Video as I will be also able to see the image on the Laptops screen.

Any suggestion or advice out there. As to types of camera, software, laptop power/CPU/memory/graphics cards, ect We are in the UK.


Many Thanks for reading this post.

Edward.

[Skyman]

yes it can be done. you will need a firewire connection in your laptop and some sort of viewing application. I am not so good on what software you might need as i normally use the video camera to load video to the computer not merely for viewing. it is possible that panasonic may even bundle it with the camera. hopefully someone else on here might know, but i will ask around and see what i can come up with. my immediate thought was that a small television might actually serve better, but then i guess powering it in the field would still be problematic. you could still use the camera's record function to take photos/video so a record could later be transfered to video. keep us posted on how it goes and welcome to the forums.

[SmartWombat]

Is it possible to feed a Laptop with the output from a x10/20 optical zoom digi. In real time

Yes, though it may need additional software.
My old Minolta A1 could do it, using just USB, and an additional program.

I was wondering about the video output too.
Using a vehicle 12V cigar lighter output to power everything is possible.
I know you can get travel TVs intended for motorhomes, our local caravan shop was selling them a few years ago, and they usually pop up in the Maplin sale catalogues - they're not a fast selling item it seems.
http://www.maplin.co.uk/module.aspx?...1&doy=8m6#spec 8.4" returned stock widescreen LCD is only £80 - though if you already have a laptop then using that is probably better