How to sight in a ringsight

[Lukske 0]

What is the best way to align a ringsight with a camera ? 

[stefka 0]

Search through the forums, there is an older discussion on that somewhere (like really old - using cables and TV with its centre marked by a piece of tape. It's still the same, only nowadays you can replace TV with a phone or tablet to get idea of where your camera and ringsight are aiming at).

[verdi 2]

2ways: either choose distance and sight it in for that distance ... thats the way most people (that i know) do it ... but that only works for 1 distance ...

what i do: measure the offset of ringsight vs camera lens. make 2 crosses with the same offset on a piece of paper. then sight in the ringsight so camera has its cross in the center when ringsight has it's own offset in center. 

that way it works for all distances and all lenses. the only thing you have to get uses to is that you have to aim with the same offset all the time.

[evh 22]

I choose a point on the horizon, far away. I zoom the camera as much in as it can. With the helmet on my head, I ask a friend to point the camera (and my head) to that that point. To judge this, a live view from the camera is needed, or a few seconds delay on the gopro app is also OK. With the app you could probably even do it on your own.

Then I adjust my sight for the same point on the horizon.

My sights are aligned for infinite distance; but since I know the distance between my lense and my eye (10 cm or  4"), I compensate by pointing the sight 10 cm below the point I want centered. So if I want someones eyes of in the center of the picture, I aim for their chin. This works for every distance.

And what also helps: with a new setup I often spend a few minutes shooting pictures around the house, trying to frame the pictures and later check how far off I was. You learn a lot that way. Just wait till you are home alone for it, 'cause you look rediculus doing this ;-)

[stratostar 5]

I like to have a photo up on the wall above a monitor that has a live view of my camera, and about the distance away/below (for tandems) and then you can sight in the image and line up the sight to match.  This process works much better than having someone else assist sighting in. 

[CTSkydiver 0]

You can use TVs or Phones hooked up to your cameras and adjust based on that live output, or attach a laser to your helmet and point the laser at the center of whatever shows up in your camera viewfinders and then later set your ring sight based on the laser, which is probably easier; or just trust a friend to keep moving your head around until they get bored of helping (that process can be tedious).

In a pinch, you can just find a mirror and do a fairly decent job of it on your own.  Stand comfortably far away from the mirror but close enough you still have a good view of your lenses.  Point your primary camera directly at your eyes, and adjust your ring-sight so that the frame of the sight circles your ring-sight eye and the target point (center dot or cross pattern) is centered either exactly between your eyes (or, perhaps. on the iris of your ring-sight eyeball).  If you set up the sight so that if you look in a mirror, the camera points at your eyes when the ring sight is centered on your eyes, it's the same as if you were filming someone else and the camera was centered on THEIR eyes.  For me, this method is quicker and easier than trying to look sideways at a monitor while attempting to adjust my sight while focused on something elsewhere.

Obviously, make sure the helmet is tight and secure when you adjust your sight, and if you've got the time, take the helmet off and put it back on (a few times), and make sure everything still seems the same.  Check your work by shooting some sample footage and review.  If something is off, figure out if it is because your ring-sight isn't properly adjusted or you failed to account for the cameras being on a different vertical plane from your eyes.  For example, if there are eight inches between the center of your lenses and your eyes; did you fly eight-inches lower and aim eight-inches below your target?  (See Verdi's and Evh's comments, above.)

Edited January 30, 2019 by CTSkydiver

[billvon 2,380]

On 1/18/2019 at 11:51 AM, Lukske said:

What is the best way to align a ringsight with a camera ? 

I got a laser pointer and mounted it in line with the camera, so that the dot is dead center when the camera is focused on something ~10 feet away.  Then before I get in the plane I turn on the laser and just make sure it is hitting the center of what I see in the ringsight.