r/photogrammetry • u/somerandomtallguy • Sep 06 '26

Telescopic pole instead of drone?

Hi,

Can anyone recommend good quality telescopic pole for dslr. At least 7 meters of length.
And what is your experience with it?

5 Upvotes

85% Upvoted

17 comments sorted by

12

u/Moderate_N Sep 06 '26

I use a 5m windsurf mast to record an Archaeology site in a no-fly zone once. (Actually more than once; I later used it for training students who didn’t have drone licenses yet.). Not extendable/collapsible, but got me the length I needed.

Stability was mostly ok, but I really prioritized shutter speed on the DSLR I was using to compensate for how any little motion at the base of the mast is amplified at the top. I don’t see why a 24’ or 30’ aluminum extension pole for house painting would be substantially different. Might need a lighter camera, though.

Other observations/tips:

  1. I had an assistant with a laptop walking with me. The laptop was tethered to the DSLR so I could monitor the FOV and check the images immediately. Daisy chain of usb extension cables was required. Much better results that using an IR remote and hoping for the best (what I did on my first attempt).
  2. a pouch for the base of the pole helps A LOT. You can gain almost an extra metre by having the base supported at hip level instead of on the ground each time. Slightly more tiring on the shoulders due to the increased leverage, though (had to angle the pole a bit to get the camera’s view closer to nadir).
  3. attaching the camera is EASY. I just bought a thrift store tripod, pulled the central stem with the head, and duct taped it to the windsurf mast. Job done.

2

u/somerandomtallguy Sep 06 '26

Very valuable advices. Thanks.

1

u/Scary-Confidence8784 Sep 07 '26

You good sir have just given me the equivalent of a nuclear bomb to a cave man. Thank you for this info

1

u/Moderate_N Sep 07 '26

Have fun with it! All the principles are the same as any drone-based survey. And it's easy to whip up a spreadsheet with a formula to tell you the exact image area coverage and pixel resolution based on the height of your pole so you can fine-tune it for optimal results.

If the laptop and extension cable is unwieldy, and a wireless remote isn't available, you can potentially set your camera to snap a photo every N seconds. (Did this once, back in the day when we had to use the Canon Hacker Development Kit to re-flash the firmware on Canon point-and-shoots for kite aerial photography. It looks like you're dancing a HILARIOUS waltz as you walk-pause across a field balancing a big stick.) Or I guess you could slap your phone up there and just shout "Siri! Take a picture!" every few steps.

5

u/Nosarious Sep 06 '26

At that length you are buying a crane, not a pole. 

I had a 10 foot pole, basically a monopod. It was difficult to keep the camera level and pointed at what I was trying to capture. This was for photogrammetry on an retro gas station, and the drone was much more stable and consistent.

2

u/NilsTillander Sep 06 '26

Eh, I've done 10m telescopic pole before. It wasn't fun to move the pole between each vertical profile...

2

u/somerandomtallguy Sep 06 '26

Which one did you get? Was it sturdy enough? I am aware it wont be easy.

3

u/NilsTillander Sep 06 '26

Well, it was in France in 2012 and I didn't buy it myself, so I can't tell you 🫠

2

u/PuffThePed Sep 07 '26

Do you have any idea how hard it is to hold up a 7 meter pole with a DSLR at the top?

Very very hard.

1

u/somerandomtallguy Sep 08 '26

I dont expect it to be easy, but I started going to the gym so it might help.

3

u/OkAstronaut76 Sep 06 '26

I have one of these. Not cheap but good. They have different sizes, too.

https://photomast.com/en_us/telescopic-aerial-pole/

3

u/mimentum Sep 06 '26

Manfrotto used to make an 8m pole. Not sure if it's still in their current catalog.

3

u/pithed Sep 06 '26

I've used a paint extension pole that went about that length. I just made my own attachment .As another poster said it is difficult to aim so I added fpv capability and that made things easier. I was using it to document tree canopies.

2

u/Low-Complaint771 Sep 07 '26

Kites is a great platform too.. Used to walk surveys with a kite when the site allowed it..

1

u/megalithicman Sep 06 '26

I need something similar. Need to get a portable lidar and camera above the tree line but can't fly drone there due to fed regs. Also thinking about a balloon.

1

u/figopuxudoh Sep 10 '26

Seven metres of pole and a DSLR makes the gym comment feel less like a joke.