I have a project in mind for which I have some unique requirements. I’d like a low-res, narrow-field webcam, robust enough for all-weather outdoor use. I can’t find anything that meets the requirement in a search, but wonder if anyone has ideas for how to hack one? For instance, if it’s got like a five megapixel sensor, could I easily just look at the center of it, without having to process the whole image? I’ll probably be hitching it to a Raspberry Pi 2.
[Update a while later]
OK, it looks like a standard webcam hooked up to a Raspberry Pi 2, with this software, should give me sufficient power to do what I want.
Most modern security camera systems are based around the idea of only monitoring small parts of an image for movement before activating. I would imagine that open source security camera software might hold the answer, or at least get you started in the right direction?
Matlab has an image processing toolbox that allows you access to each individual pixel, you can select the n x m region in the center of the array.
Use a single phototransistor in a tube.
Not that narrow.
Why not just use a GoPro? I’m pretty sure there’s already drivers etc for the RasPi.
Expense. It’s overkill.
Have you considered using one of those cameras for home video surveillance security systems? They have a relatively narrow field of view, are waterproof, come with IR emitters for night vision, and some are wireless. They can be fairly inexpensive, too.