gulaz 1 #1 October 8, 2003 At my DZ we are looking to replace our 35mm wing camera with a digital one. We currently take 4 pictures at 4fps. With the newer technology, we can finally get digital cameras with quick enough continuous shooting. Does anyone know what digital cameras are currently being used for this application? We are looking for something that will give us high resolution bursts (at least 4fps, and a burst of 4 minumum), and is still fairly affordable. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
quade 3 #2 October 8, 2003 What focal length lens are you currently using for the 35mm camera?quade - The World's Most Boring Skydiver Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
newshooter12 0 #3 October 8, 2003 I don't want to jump the gun on what Q will say, but two canon cameras have been getting some pretty good results from what i've been reading... canoneos300d & canoneos10d matt Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
quade 3 #4 October 8, 2003 For me the issue is that if he doesn't need interchangable lenses or one all that wide, then he could probably get away with a bit less expensive of a camera. Although at this point the 300D is about as inexpensive as they come all things considered.quade - The World's Most Boring Skydiver Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
newshooter12 0 #5 October 8, 2003 good point, but hey if they've already got lenses for one brand or another that may be a deciding factor as well. matt Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gulaz 1 #6 October 8, 2003 Havent really taken a good look at it, the camera is all covered up and pretty old... I believe its a 50mm lens on there now (just guessing). We dont need to stick to anything existing, we are putting all new still/video cameras in/on the plane, and are open to new ideas. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
quade 3 #7 October 8, 2003 Hmmm, with a 50mm lens you -could- go with something more consumer and less professional. The key sticking point and something you'll probably have to compromise on is the frame rate for the burst. Even the Canon 10D only has a burst rate of 3 fps and the 300D is even slower with about 2.5 fps. I think all things considered I'd go down to the local Good Guys or whereever and lay my hands on one of the Canon 300Ds anyway just to set a benchmark, then maybe touch some of the Nikons like the 5700. If you went with the Nikon, you'd also need the Harbortronics Digisnap do-hickies to adapt and trigger it. Still, that would offer some interesting options.quade - The World's Most Boring Skydiver Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jimmytavino 16 #8 October 8, 2003 Who fires it? What kind of plane? What kind of mount? Where on the wing? What is the impact of cold temperatures??????? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites gulaz 1 #9 October 8, 2003 Cool, thanks. We will take a looksee and decide if any of those will work for us... not sure if the frame rate is quick enough though, maybe we can find one and try it out. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites gulaz 1 #10 October 8, 2003 Quote Who fires it? What kind of plane? What kind of mount? Where on the wing? What is the impact of cold temperatures??????? The shutter connected to a remote jack on the camera, and we set the camera on continuous mode. The pilot takes the pictures (there is a button right beside the radio one). Its a 182, with a mount at the end of the strut, so when a student does a hanging exit, you get pictures of them falling away from the plane in their arch (or lack of arch...). Cold temperatures... the cameras get fairly cold during flight, but we wont have them on the plane during the winter, so it shouldnt be too big of an issue. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites quade 3 #11 October 8, 2003 Quote What is the impact of cold temperatures??????? Jimmy -- Most digital cameras can operate to at least 32°F or 0°C and, in fact, most digital cameras actually have a slightly better signal to noise ratio at lower temps! The Canon D60 (and I think we can safely assume the 10D and 300D as well) is speced at 0°C to 40°C. Unless the cameras are subjected to moisture, (IMC aka clouds, rain, heavy industrial hase) it shouldn't be a problem.quade - The World's Most Boring Skydiver Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites hoym 0 #12 October 8, 2003 Another option to consider might be the Canon EOS 1D (not the 1Ds). http://www.usa.canon.com/EOS-1D/features_perf.html 8 frames per second for a burst of 21 frames. It is bigger and heavier than you would want to mount on a helmet but given the application that you are considering, it might be an option worth considering. From their specs page... "High-Speed Image Storage With a generous buffer memory, the EOS-1D can fire up to 21 consecutive frames (at up to 8 fps) in its full-resolution, best-quality JPEG mode. That's at four million pixels per image." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites AndyMan 7 #13 October 8, 2003 I forget what camera my dz is using on their otter-strut mounted camera. I'll find out this weekend. The results have been spectacular... see http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/gallery/imageFolio.cgi?direct=Personal_Galleries/AndyMan/On_The_Step The initial system had a local electronics guru design a circuit board where the camera would fire every two seconds while the green light was on. They've since replaced this with a new system where it'll fire as quickly as possible while somebody is in the door - they've put motion sensors at the side of the door. Really quite cool. _Am__ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites bmcd308 0 #14 October 8, 2003 While I am a Canon user myself and by no means a Canon basher, in this application I would prefer a Nikon. They have a much better reputation for reliability in harsh conditions. This camera is going to get very cold and get the crap vibrated out of it. I would be surprised if any of the current generation of digital cameras out there was up to the task. ---------------------------------- www.jumpelvis.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites gulaz 1 #15 October 8, 2003 I had been looking through their website, and had thought of that. I need to phone some camera stores around here, to get an idea of prices, so I can compare. I cant find any information on the recovery time though, after it takes a burst... any ideas? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites gulaz 1 #16 October 8, 2003 We have been getting pretty good results from the current camera, but its tough trying to keep track of roll numbers, and who ordered pictures, and then mailing them the right ones... Here is an example of what the pictures look like, to give you an idea of what we need.... This is a bad scan (my scanner is being repaired right now... another story) but the pictures do come out quite clear. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites hoym 0 #17 October 8, 2003 I don't know about recovery time but the continuous shooting mode is configurable for low-speed (3fps). At a burst of 21 frames this will last for 7 seconds. (Maybe you can use this time limit to motivate your students to get off the strut From the Canon site: Drive modes: Single-frame, low-speed continuous, high-speed continuous Continuous shooting speed Low-speed continuous: 3 fps High-speed continuous: 8 fps Max. burst during continuous shooting 21 shots in Large/Fine, Large/Normal, Small/Fine modes Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites skydivejersey 0 #18 October 9, 2003 How is the camera mounted to the strut? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites gulaz 1 #19 October 9, 2003 QuoteHow is the camera mounted to the strut? There is a bolt-on bracket, that has the still and video cameras attached to it (with regular tripod screw things I think) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Fast 0 #20 October 10, 2003 I have always been a strong supporter of Nikons. My friend has a Canon D60 though, and they do make good cameras, but... If you have to have 4fps, the D1H Nikon can do 5 fps with max burst of 40 pictures. The down side is that they are really expensive. I follow digital photorgaphy a bit, and honestly anything that is decent at this point, and getting frame rates like that is going to be expensive. The prices are getting better and better, but 4fps is a lot for a digital camera. There are some cameras that are on the lower priced consumer end that can do mpeg mode but the quality gets pretty bad. Anything that you want reliable picture quality from is going to be more towards the profesional end. The other thing is, shopping around once you find what you want. Quite often enough camera shops will be the most expensive place to buy a camera. I have a used N80, that is awesome, and my friends D60 is used as well. We both paid well under retail.~D Where troubles melt like lemon drops Away above the chimney tops That's where you'll find me. Swooping is taking one last poke at the bear before escaping it's cave - davelepka Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Join the conversation You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account. Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible. Reply to this topic... × Pasted as rich text. Paste as plain text instead Only 75 emoji are allowed. × Your link has been automatically embedded. Display as a link instead × Your previous content has been restored. Clear editor × You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL. Insert image from URL × Desktop Tablet Phone Submit Reply 0
gulaz 1 #9 October 8, 2003 Cool, thanks. We will take a looksee and decide if any of those will work for us... not sure if the frame rate is quick enough though, maybe we can find one and try it out. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gulaz 1 #10 October 8, 2003 Quote Who fires it? What kind of plane? What kind of mount? Where on the wing? What is the impact of cold temperatures??????? The shutter connected to a remote jack on the camera, and we set the camera on continuous mode. The pilot takes the pictures (there is a button right beside the radio one). Its a 182, with a mount at the end of the strut, so when a student does a hanging exit, you get pictures of them falling away from the plane in their arch (or lack of arch...). Cold temperatures... the cameras get fairly cold during flight, but we wont have them on the plane during the winter, so it shouldnt be too big of an issue. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
quade 3 #11 October 8, 2003 Quote What is the impact of cold temperatures??????? Jimmy -- Most digital cameras can operate to at least 32°F or 0°C and, in fact, most digital cameras actually have a slightly better signal to noise ratio at lower temps! The Canon D60 (and I think we can safely assume the 10D and 300D as well) is speced at 0°C to 40°C. Unless the cameras are subjected to moisture, (IMC aka clouds, rain, heavy industrial hase) it shouldn't be a problem.quade - The World's Most Boring Skydiver Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hoym 0 #12 October 8, 2003 Another option to consider might be the Canon EOS 1D (not the 1Ds). http://www.usa.canon.com/EOS-1D/features_perf.html 8 frames per second for a burst of 21 frames. It is bigger and heavier than you would want to mount on a helmet but given the application that you are considering, it might be an option worth considering. From their specs page... "High-Speed Image Storage With a generous buffer memory, the EOS-1D can fire up to 21 consecutive frames (at up to 8 fps) in its full-resolution, best-quality JPEG mode. That's at four million pixels per image." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AndyMan 7 #13 October 8, 2003 I forget what camera my dz is using on their otter-strut mounted camera. I'll find out this weekend. The results have been spectacular... see http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/gallery/imageFolio.cgi?direct=Personal_Galleries/AndyMan/On_The_Step The initial system had a local electronics guru design a circuit board where the camera would fire every two seconds while the green light was on. They've since replaced this with a new system where it'll fire as quickly as possible while somebody is in the door - they've put motion sensors at the side of the door. Really quite cool. _Am__ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bmcd308 0 #14 October 8, 2003 While I am a Canon user myself and by no means a Canon basher, in this application I would prefer a Nikon. They have a much better reputation for reliability in harsh conditions. This camera is going to get very cold and get the crap vibrated out of it. I would be surprised if any of the current generation of digital cameras out there was up to the task. ---------------------------------- www.jumpelvis.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gulaz 1 #15 October 8, 2003 I had been looking through their website, and had thought of that. I need to phone some camera stores around here, to get an idea of prices, so I can compare. I cant find any information on the recovery time though, after it takes a burst... any ideas? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gulaz 1 #16 October 8, 2003 We have been getting pretty good results from the current camera, but its tough trying to keep track of roll numbers, and who ordered pictures, and then mailing them the right ones... Here is an example of what the pictures look like, to give you an idea of what we need.... This is a bad scan (my scanner is being repaired right now... another story) but the pictures do come out quite clear. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hoym 0 #17 October 8, 2003 I don't know about recovery time but the continuous shooting mode is configurable for low-speed (3fps). At a burst of 21 frames this will last for 7 seconds. (Maybe you can use this time limit to motivate your students to get off the strut From the Canon site: Drive modes: Single-frame, low-speed continuous, high-speed continuous Continuous shooting speed Low-speed continuous: 3 fps High-speed continuous: 8 fps Max. burst during continuous shooting 21 shots in Large/Fine, Large/Normal, Small/Fine modes Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skydivejersey 0 #18 October 9, 2003 How is the camera mounted to the strut? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gulaz 1 #19 October 9, 2003 QuoteHow is the camera mounted to the strut? There is a bolt-on bracket, that has the still and video cameras attached to it (with regular tripod screw things I think) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fast 0 #20 October 10, 2003 I have always been a strong supporter of Nikons. My friend has a Canon D60 though, and they do make good cameras, but... If you have to have 4fps, the D1H Nikon can do 5 fps with max burst of 40 pictures. The down side is that they are really expensive. I follow digital photorgaphy a bit, and honestly anything that is decent at this point, and getting frame rates like that is going to be expensive. The prices are getting better and better, but 4fps is a lot for a digital camera. There are some cameras that are on the lower priced consumer end that can do mpeg mode but the quality gets pretty bad. Anything that you want reliable picture quality from is going to be more towards the profesional end. The other thing is, shopping around once you find what you want. Quite often enough camera shops will be the most expensive place to buy a camera. I have a used N80, that is awesome, and my friends D60 is used as well. We both paid well under retail.~D Where troubles melt like lemon drops Away above the chimney tops That's where you'll find me. Swooping is taking one last poke at the bear before escaping it's cave - davelepka Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
