camera security

[kurtmorrison 0]

Hey all, I'm new to dropzone.com. It looks great!

I've had one jump thus far in my carrerr (static line)

Some buddies and I are going to get our free-fall cards in a few weeks at the Skydive Ranch east of Calgary

I would like to jump with my still camera so I can take some pictures after my canopy has opened.

What is the best way to secure the camera to myself so I don't loose it? It's relatively small and could probably fit in the sleeve of a jump suite. Also, I could use the wrist strap. Is there a common practice or method used to ensure the camera stays attached the the jumper?

I'm sure the instructors could tell me how to do it. I'm so damn excited though, I can't stop thinking about it. I wanna know now.

Please email me ([email protected]) with any reccomendations or suggestions.

PS, the pics in the galleries are awe-inspiring! I love them all!

~exciting and safe drops to all~

fukkineh
~KM

~KM

"Over-thinking, over-analysing seperates the body from the mind" - Tool

[murrays 0]

With one jump your instructors might now want you jumping with a camera at all.......but what I used to do to carry a still camera for hand held shots is tie a pull-up cord to the strap, tie the pull-up cord to my chest strap and drop the camera inside my jumpsuit. After opening I would unzip my jumpsuit and pull the camera out, take some shots and put it back into my jumpsuit for landing.

--
Murray

"No tyranny is so irksome as petty tyranny: the officious demands of policemen, government clerks, and electromechanical gadgets." - Edward Abbey

[Deuce 1]

Kurt, the best thing for you to do is hire a video flyer, uh, LIKE ME!

Do not take a camera with you on your first jump. If your instructors knowingly allow this, I will fart in their general direction.

Hire a video flyer to do video and stills, and when you're open do the stuff you're supposed to do. Canopy control check, find the drop zone, and land in an open clear space. A first jumper fiddling with a camera is an unnacceptable risk.

[kurtmorrison 0]

Thanks a lot for the input guys. As Deuce mentioned, I don't even know if I would be permitted to do such a thing . I'm so damn excited though, I can't stop thinking about ways to get it done (it's a curse common to engineers)

~KM

"Over-thinking, over-analysing seperates the body from the mind" - Tool

[AndyMan 7]

I doubt they'll let you carry one while on student status.

Once you've got a few jumps under your skin, there probably wouldn't be too many objections to taking a disposable camera with you. Don't take anything expensive, you might lose it. Tuck it into your jumpsuit during freefall, and pull it out while under canopy.

Or, use it in freefall, just make sure to only do it for solos.

Here's a few shots I grabbed with a disposable camera at the WFFC. You'll recognize the first one as my profile pic!

http://www.bombshelter.ca/~andy/photos/wffc/helo1.jpg

http://www.bombshelter.ca/~andy/photos/wffc/helo2.jpg

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You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

[kurtmorrison 0]

Thanks for the ideas.

Those shots with the disposable camera didn't turn out half bad.

Eventually, once I have the skill and experience, I would like to take a few snaps with my Sony DSC P71. I realise the danger of taking an expensive camera and have thought of one solution that could allow me to take a few shots with my hands after the caopy is open.

Solution Tucking the camera up the sleeve and using the wrist strap seems odvious but I wouldn't want to rely on it alone.
I considered purchasing a bolt to fit the tripod mounting nut underneath the camera. I could then drill a small hole into the bolt, thread it with thin climbing-type rope, and lock-tite (non-permanent) the bolt in place, thus forming a secondary wrist strap. I would make sure the camera could dange freely from the manufacturer's strap before my make shift one became taunt. This is because I doubt the mounting nut on the camera is designed to be subjected to tensile loads. I would of course use clips to ensure the straps could not come off of my wrist.

Another Idea was to create some kind of mesh pouch to put the camera in and attaching the pouch to myself. There would have to be a small elastisized opening for the lense to protrude from. This way I could still operate all the functions on the camera (I would want to have everything set before exiting the plane), and wouldn't have to make any sort of attachments to the camera body. As mentioned, I wouldn't need to rely on the tripod mounting nut.

I'm sure a comination of all three systems (origional wrist strap, home-made wrist strap, mesh pouch) would be the safest, but for all the trouble, I may as well just use a disposable camera.

Any thoughts or ideas? Anyone know a good place to get strong fine mesh material?

thanks

~KM

"Over-thinking, over-analysing seperates the body from the mind" - Tool

[jbrasher 0]

The problem with using the wrist strap is it can interfere with your operating you parachute.

n any situation were a jumper is jumping with 'extra' equipment (something not related the safe flying/landing) of their parachute it would be detachable. i.e, helmet mounted cameras, smoke devices, flags, etc.

The past fatality records are full of entanglement situations.

Bottom line ask your instructor and/or an experienced jumper at your DZ.

Red, White and Blue Skies,

John T. Brasher D-5166

[AndyMan 7]

You're thinking too much.... ;)

Despite that, I would add one more requirement to your setup - you must, MUST - be able to jetison it easily. You've simply got to be able to throw away the camera when things get ugly.

We accomplish this by installing complex cuttaway systems on our helmets. Every one of us is willing to drop at least $3000 in hardware the minute something goes wonky. Are you the same with your Sony?

The system that you're propsing, even without a cuttaway system, is a complex one. You've added a major level of complexity to your gear, and your emergency procedures. You should not take these changes so lightly.

You've already added enough complexity that I doubt very much your DZ would let you jump it until you have quite a few jumps.

Adding a camera system to your skydiving setup is a major event, which changes a lot of things. It's not something you should approach lightly.

One reason I have no objections to the disposable cameras, is that they don't have straps on them, so they can't get snagged. All you've got to do is hold on to it, and if something goes wrong you'll probably instinctively drop it anyways. If you want to shoot digital, just think about the same criteria. No straps, no snags, and cheap enough that you'll be willing to drop it without a second guess. A quick search on Amazon.com showed a crappy Polaroid digital cam for $19.95. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00004RFB8/qid=1046236322/sr=1-13/ref=sr_1_13/103-7819394-8772611?v=glance&s=photo

_Am

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You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

[kurtmorrison 0]

Thank you to jbrasher and AndyMan for raising valid points.

Even though my next five jumps will be static line, you've given me enough reason to scrap the whole idea (save possibly, the un-attatched cheep disposable) for a later, more experienced jump.

Yes AndyMan, I often make things much more complicated than neccessary. For some reason, its not always that obdvious to me.
jbrasher mentioned fatality rates. Forgive my ignorance, but does anyone know of a site with skydiving related injury and fatality rates? It would be great if I could compare these statistics to other, more common fatality rates to calm the nerves of others.

Thanks again everyone.

~KM

"Over-thinking, over-analysing seperates the body from the mind" - Tool

[indyz 1]

The most current database is here.

[Craig 0]

Don't let the fatality rates for various activities fool you. Example that I hear alot..."more people die on the roads every year than skydivers jumping form planes". Well yeah, there are more people driving than skydiving. Same goes with alot of other sports, there is simply more people doing them which explains why more people die doing them. Remember that you will also be flying in an aircraft, which also adds a certain amount of risk. Sorry, getting a bit off topic here. I am sure whatever you want to photograph will still be there when you gain enough expierence to be able to safely take that camera up

[jimmytavino 16]

With less than a "hand full" of jumps,, you should be concentrating on flying your canopy .... Not taking pictures.... What we do under canopy at 1,500 feet can have a big effect on where we land,,, especially if it is a windy day.....You do not need to be fumbling with taking a camera out of your jumpsuit,,,,at this stage......Your hands should really be on your toggles, at all times while you are under canopy...(especially with only ONE jump) and your eyes should be scanning OUTwards......... looking for others, checking your progress towards your landing area,, and assessing wind speed and direction..... Pulling a camera out of your sleeve and then dealing with looking through a viewfinder, can complicate things...Ever hear of Tunnel Vision...?
Stay enthusiastic,,, but for the present,, work on your
jumping skills,,, and when you have say 100 jumps or more,,,, ONLY then should you Check with your Instructors,,, to see if it is sensible to introduce a camera into the mix........
be patient...impulsiveness, and unnecessary additions to your skydives are not advisable at this time...... sorry...just my $ .02 ........ jmy
skydive softly skydive often skydive with friends