We use high-speed cameras in various stereoscopic setups to measure the three dimensional wing and body movements (kinematics) of the animals flying in the wind tunnel.

In our lab we have two main camera setups that we use routinely:

One system is used for filming in visible light only and consists of two synchronized Photron Fastcam X 1280 cameras. These have a resolution of 1280x1024 pixels at a maximum of 500 frames per second, but can also be run at up to 4000 frames per second at reduced resolution. This setup can also be extended by adding a NAC HotShot 1280 to add a third camera if required.

A second system uses two Photron High-SpeedStar 3 cameras which can be used both for visible and infrared light. These cameras can record up to 1000 fps at the maximum resolution of 1024x1024 pixels, and up to 3000 fps at 512x512 pixels.

Wingbeat kinematics of a flying Pallas' long tonged bat, determined using the high-speed video camera system.