skyfreek 1 #1 December 31, 2007 just wondering if there are any dz`s out there that have made the staff camera flyers switch from 35mm film to digital for the tandem/aff vids. what kind of bitching from staff, praises from customers, etc.... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
slotperfect 7 #2 December 31, 2007 All of the camera flyers at Raeford Parachute Center School shoot digital stills.Arrive Safely John Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BlueSBDeath 2 #3 December 31, 2007 What He said BIG Head Monkey!!! Miss you all!!!! BSBD...........Its all about Respect, USPA#-7062, FB-2197, Outlaw 499 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhreeZone 15 #4 December 31, 2007 We made the switch 100% last year after the last 35mm person left in 2006. Most DZ's in the area have in fact switched to all digital. Those staff that bitched and wouldn't switch didn't get the work, it was about that simple. Customers love not having to pay the development cost and the ability to email them directly in my experience. Biggest bitch seemed to be "What I have works why should I spend $XXX on new camera's, the customer won't see a difference". Once I started jumping digital it was a mixed shop and the majory of the new stills jumpers got digital so it phased itself in on its own fairly smoothly. The biggest hold outs just didn't want to spend the money since nothing was "wrong" with the camera they had. I wouldn't do anything but digital now.Yesterday is history And tomorrow is a mystery Parachutemanuals.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
diablopilot 2 #5 January 1, 2008 I have a serious bone to pick with that. It;s the newer camera flyers who have sold both the experienced flyers and themselves short. For 10 to 15 years camera flyers have been paid the same and rather than demand an increase for adding a piece of equipment that is 5 to 8 times more expensive at no cost to the DZ, they have just jumped in with both feet. I own digital still cameras. I have for more than 6 years. The day I put them on my helmet to shoot a standard tandem video is the day I get paid more for a standard tandem video.---------------------------------------------- You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skydance1954 0 #6 January 1, 2008 Our DZ just opened this year and was digital from the get go. No digital, no workee. Potential staff seemed to be fine with it. I didn't hear any complaints. Most had digital already, but a couple had to upgrade, and are happy they did. It's always nice to get a new toy. Mike Ashley D-18460 Canadian A-666 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DSE 3 #7 January 1, 2008 Our DZ is all-digital as well. No dig, no still jumps. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
howardwhite 5 #8 January 1, 2008 Same at mine, plus you get a DVD by default and have to ask for a tape. What a change from a couple of years ago, where everyone got a tape and a DVD cost extra. HW Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhreeZone 15 #9 January 1, 2008 We advertise video and DVD but I can't tell you the last time I had someone ask for VHS. I have 2 VHS cassettes sitting in my locker collecting dust just in case but I don't think I'll ever use them outside of for some really old time up jumpers that want something for themselves and even most of them want DVD's any more. I do see HD video becoming more mainstream in another 4-5 years and more people asking for it then.Yesterday is history And tomorrow is a mystery Parachutemanuals.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pilotdave 0 #10 January 1, 2008 We went all digital last year (2007). Only one person was using a film camera anyway. My gripe was with the requirement for on-site printing as part of the video/stills package. What a pain in the butt... Dave Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skydance1954 0 #11 January 1, 2008 On site printing as part of the plan? How'd that work? I can see how it would appear attractive in theory, but the time required would be prohibitive, especially if you're printing more than one shot per customer. Not to mention the significan expense of all that ink.Mike Ashley D-18460 Canadian A-666 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BlueSBDeath 2 #12 January 1, 2008 JP, at Raeford it was a $5 per jump increase with Digital Stills. Congrats on the PAC Solo too Arvel BSBD...........Its all about Respect, USPA#-7062, FB-2197, Outlaw 499 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
docdialtone 0 #13 January 1, 2008 San Marcos offers a digtal upgrade for an extra $20 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
diablopilot 2 #14 January 1, 2008 It's something.Big Kudos to Raeford for recognizing the expense a professional camera flyer encounters. ---------------------------------------------- You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
stratostar 5 #15 January 1, 2008 It's is surprising to see how many "clowns" are jumping happy as a pig in shit to give away their digital stills for free or for 5 bucks extra. And your right they are now driving down the price once paid for good stills all the while the cost of equipment is rising. Ok all you flying SD video cameras, there no good from today forward in the industry.....YOU must have HD to fly here and we only pay 40 bucks for both video and stills, you edit and bring all your own tools too as well as pack, well you can hire a packer @ 6 bucks and a editor for another 5, oh and can you burn that last jump and make a 2 minute call, we're waiting on you!you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DSE 3 #16 January 1, 2008 QuoteSan Marcos offers a digtal upgrade for an extra $20 If I understand you correctly; ~San Marcos charges $XX.00 for 35mm roll of 24 or 36 pix. ~if the student prefers digital images, San Marcos charges $XX.00 for the pix, plus 20.00 for digital? What is your $XX.00 charge before the digital add-on? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pilotdave 0 #17 January 1, 2008 Quote On site printing as part of the plan? How'd that work? I can see how it would appear attractive in theory, but the time required would be prohibitive, especially if you're printing more than one shot per customer. Not to mention the significan expense of all that ink. Well, I don't do a lot of tandem videos so I'm never running around trying to print on back to back loads or anything. But yeah, it worked about as well as could be expected. The DZ does not provide any equipment, and it was a bit of a fight even to get space to set up the printers we were required to have. A group of 4 of us ended up buying 3 printers (but one didn't work properly so we used 2). And there were 2 other printers that other people used. It's a bit of a pain, but not the end of the world. Always out of one color of ink. The guys shooting the most videos were running off to the store in the middle of the day a lot of times. There were a couple times when I was waiting forever to print only to realize the guy using the printer had forgotten to hit the print button so nothing was happening. Prints from the Rebel XTi took quite a bit longer than prints from the XT because of the larger files. It's cool to offer prints to customers.... they buy almost all of the prints that they see. But as a required service, well, it's a pain. Just one more thing to make the video guys run around like chickens with their heads cut off. For us, the expense wasn't really a big deal... we get paid well per jump (and nobody is trying to make a living off of this). Dave Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Brains 2 #18 January 1, 2008 QuoteQuoteSan Marcos offers a digtal upgrade for an extra $20 If I understand you correctly; ~San Marcos charges $XX.00 for 35mm roll of 24 or 36 pix. ~if the student prefers digital images, San Marcos charges $XX.00 for the pix, plus 20.00 for digital? What is your $XX.00 charge before the digital add-on? Video/stills package is $89 and that includes a dvd and roll of film. If you want to upgrade that to digital, it is $109. And from what i remember the extra went to the vidiot for using their digitals and burning cd's of the pics. Never look down on someone, unless they are going down on you. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhreeZone 15 #19 January 1, 2008 Do most of the video guys have 2 camera's or was the upsale rate high enough that having just 1 35mm still floating around was enough for the demand?Yesterday is history And tomorrow is a mystery Parachutemanuals.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skydance1954 0 #20 January 2, 2008 Hm - Interesting, but to be honest, i don't see the point. If digital stills are provided on CD, then the customer has the option to print whatever they want either at home or professionally, so it just seems to me to be an uneccessary service. Added work for the vidiots and extra expense to the customer for no added value. I'd like to hear the DZO's reasoning behind this.Mike Ashley D-18460 Canadian A-666 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pilotdave 0 #21 January 2, 2008 I argued against it. We have no DZO... we're a club. Our video guys are independent contractors, not staff members. So the board decided to leave all decisions to "them" (as if we have a union of camera flyers) but require that everybody provide the same services at the same prices. The guys that were already selling prints were making a killing off of them. Made little sense to require them as part of the package (two 8.5x11 prints, btw). So the decision was up to camera flyers, not a DZO. Only reason I could figure out was that it disqualified our most active camera flyer, who was shooting film. Doesn't take a DZO to make for a fucked up dropone! Dave Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Brains 2 #22 January 2, 2008 Most of them already had two, the one's who didn't got a digital pretty quick after seeing how many they were missing out on. The manifest girls do a pretty good job upselling the tandems and there are several books and collage's in manifest touting the advantages of digital also. I don't fly any cameras at all anymore but when i did even i got an upgrade for digital stills on an aff jump Never look down on someone, unless they are going down on you. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
