Where have all of the wires gone?

[Holland Hacker]

I was at Monmouth Park over the weekend and noticed that the wire that used to hang above the finish line was no longer there. I had noticed the same thing a few weeks back at Belmont but didn't really think about it.

I got me to thinking how the "photo-finishes" are judged if there isn't a wire above the track. I always thought the camera was above the wire and track and not at track level.

Does anybody know how photo finishes are caputured?

[mes5107]

The photo finish camera takes a small slice of the track at the finish line. It takes many pictures of this section every second. After the camera is turned off, the stewards can bring up the photo finish on a computer screen. This photo is a compilation of all of those tiny slices that were taken. They can then "move" the finish line anywhere they want on this photo with the mouse to see who beat who in the race. The wire on the photo finish is computer generated.

[Echo Farm]

In order to avoid possible wrong decisions over the order in which racehorses, athletes, racing cars, etc. pass the finishing post when the result is very close, the finish of a race can be recorded by a special camera called a photo-finish camera. Until recently this has been a specially constructed or modified film camera, taking 70 mm or larger roll-film. Instead of a normal focal-plane shutter this camera has only a capping shutter, and in the focal plane a fixed vertical slit centred on the optic axis of the lens. The camera is set up so that the image of the finishing post falls on the slit, with a high viewpoint so that the competitors do not mask one another. To record the finish of the race the lens is uncapped and the film is set in motion at a speed matched to the movement of the image of the participants. This is calculated according to the formula v = f/D × V, where v is the required film movement speed, f the focal length of the lens used, D the average distance of the competitors from the camera, and V the average speed of the participants, all measurements being made in the same units.

more http://www.answers.com/topic/photo-finish-camera

I believe that the camera is mounted in a precice position directly across from the mirror.........but not sure

It's a tremendous wrong that most racetracks do not provide finish wires anymore. If only for the fact of making this sport legitimate.