Scamera Vans - Range Question
Discussion
Hey!Does anyone have any reliable info on how far away from the Camera Van you are when it measures your speed/takes the picture?? The reason I ask is that I went past one this morning on the A329....was doing about 90ish, saw him, slammed on anchors and got down to 60ish at about 100 metres away from it. Any ideas??
Cheers, J.
Cheers, J.
When I stopped for a chat with one of those ba$tards he said they use different lenses depending on the range. So theoretically if he had a close range lens on his camera you might be OK. However, this was in April 2000 so their scamera technology may well have improved since then and have some sort of auto focus for different ranges.
Had a similar situation a few weeks back on the A44 in Oxfordshire. Spotted him ~200m away and managed to get down to a reasonable speed, and have heard nothing.
He definately could have got me a long time before, but I guess it depends if there was any traffic in front of you that was being scammed first....
He definately could have got me a long time before, but I guess it depends if there was any traffic in front of you that was being scammed first....
jeremyadamson said: Does anyone know a good website with exact details on these vans?
www.speedcam.co.uk/van.htm
Is a pretty good site loads of pictures of vans on there. Most Councils have some sort of speed camera website listing where they are and even the mobile ones. A quick search on google under "safety camera vans" showed that for Leicester you can even join a mailing list and they will email the locations and it tells you where the vans will be the following week!
www.speedorsafety.com/index.html
As told to me by A N Other. Matey sits in the van and aims the camera at you at the set distance and speed, both variable. Camera is on a tripod for stability at long ranges and a moniter is used rather than the lense.
So camera is focused on the 3rd lane for example at 500 meters and trigger speed set at 75 mph, as the car is measured an indication as to good or bad reading and if good the trigger is pressed. Click. Done. Next please and so on.
As I said explained to me by someone else but seems logical.
So camera is focused on the 3rd lane for example at 500 meters and trigger speed set at 75 mph, as the car is measured an indication as to good or bad reading and if good the trigger is pressed. Click. Done. Next please and so on.
As I said explained to me by someone else but seems logical.
has anyone succesfully questioned the accuracy of these vans?
The following points mey be worth considering
1, the camera is mounted inside a vehicle which is not the most stable of environments - wind, other traffic, movement within the van itself will all cause the camera to move small distances.
2, if we are taking long distance shots with telephoto lenses the focal distance of the lens is going to be crucial - if the focal point is changed by even a small amount the readout will not be accurate
Prepared to be shot down on this one but as someone who plays with photography I know how trick it can be to get that perfect shot when your situation is less than perfect.
Andy
The following points mey be worth considering
1, the camera is mounted inside a vehicle which is not the most stable of environments - wind, other traffic, movement within the van itself will all cause the camera to move small distances.
2, if we are taking long distance shots with telephoto lenses the focal distance of the lens is going to be crucial - if the focal point is changed by even a small amount the readout will not be accurate
Prepared to be shot down on this one but as someone who plays with photography I know how trick it can be to get that perfect shot when your situation is less than perfect.
Andy
andy_k said: has anyone succesfully questioned the accuracy of these vans?
The following points mey be worth considering
1, the camera is mounted inside a vehicle which is not the most stable of environments - wind, other traffic, movement within the van itself will all cause the camera to move small distances.
2, if we are taking long distance shots with telephoto lenses the focal distance of the lens is going to be crucial - if the focal point is changed by even a small amount the readout will not be accurate
Prepared to be shot down on this one but as someone who plays with photography I know how trick it can be to get that perfect shot when your situation is less than perfect.
Andy
But is the photo just to prove the make and registration number? The speed reading being taken from laser or similar?
The probable solution is to drive on the arse of the guy in front, that way the camera won't get a shot of your number plate. Does nothing for safety though!
Gassing Station | Speed, Plod & the Law | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff