The Coolpix 4500 has a hinge in the middle of its body which allows you to mount it on tripod facing forward, then twist the body so the lens faces up at the canopy. The Nikon fisheye lens screws on easily. I don't know about newer options, my 10-year old system is still working well.
I have used the Hobo micro-station with Hobo PAR sensors and associated mounting equipment and software. All worked as advertised. Presumably the gear is not as good as the more expensive Campbell Scientific / LiCor gear, but you can manage greater replication with lower-priced equipment. I did not encounter any reviewer resistance to use of this gear in forestry-oriented journals. Good luck --Seth W. Bigelow -----Original Message----- From: Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Elizabeth Wandrag Sent: Wednesday, November 06, 2013 7:49 PM To: [email protected] Subject: [ECOLOG-L] Equipment recommendations for hemispherical photography and recording light intensity We are looking into ordering equipment to take hemispherical photographs of tropical forest canopy gap closure. Looking at recently published papers, the Nikon Coolpix 4500 seems to be the most-commonly used camera. But, this camera came out back in 2002 and is not nearly as advanced as current cameras. Is there a reason this relatively old camera is ideal for hemispherical photography? Or do you have suggestions for more recent, advanced equipment? Also, has anyone used HOBO data loggers to record light intensity and have any comments on how good they are for this?
