Diamond .3 users....

[DaGimp 0]

i have been flying mine with my IP-5 and TRV-22 camera....doing RW filming, freeflying, Tandems, AFF. But i have found that when I set either camera on Infinity like most reccomend it tends to be a little blury....but on Auto-focus I get perfect shots.

Has anyone noticed this aswell??

"Professor of Pimpology"~~~Bolas

[Deuce 1]

Yeah. Gimp, the best video is produced when using the "sports" setting. It gives a much better slow-motion shot than the others. I suggest you use that setting and manually set the focus on the lens at the distance of your subject and gaff tape it. (If your model lets you)

Leaving the lens on autofocus will make it "hunt" a couple of times during the video, usually. It almost always happens when the slider comes at the camera on opening.

That's what I do.

[BETO74 0]

You can set the auto focus until you get a perfect picture, then press manual focus a secure the focus ring with tape.
Now you're sure is perfect focus, I have a PC 101 should not be much difference.

http://web.mac.com/ac057a/iWeb/AC057A/H0M3.html

[BETO74 0]

Sport setting uh, good tip, thanks

http://web.mac.com/ac057a/iWeb/AC057A/H0M3.html

[apoil 0]

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Sport setting uh, good tip, thanks

Sport setting doesn't work with autofocus though.

Autofocus is bery bad for skydiving video because the focus can get lost on things like clouds, or condensation on the lens.

Best is to autofocus on the ground. Pick something about as far away as it will be in freefall. Then switch to manual focus to lock it there. Tape on the focus ring will prevent it changing. Only then should you switch it over to the sports shutter setting.

[hoym 0]

I typically have not used the 'sports' setting.

How does this make for better slow-motion shots?
My guess is that it would be analogous to a higher shutter speed which would requiring a larger aperture resulting in a smaller depth of field.
Do you know how this setting will affect depth of field? (I'm just beginning to grasp these concepts with still photos and not sure how they apply to video.)

I sometimes set my video camera focus on 'infinity' to avoid the changing of the focus to a non-subject object during a skydive. With 'infinity' focus set on my video camera, I've had good luck keeping the primary subject in focus even at a very close distance. This has worked well for me. Does anyone else do this?

[Deuce 1]

Hoym, my instructions were specifically for the .3 Diamond. The multi-element lenses like my Kenko work on the infinity setting, but my .3 does not. The sports setting increases the frame rate, so slow motion appears smoother. It also freezes the prop motion, which looks much, much cooler than on auto.

Experiment with this and tell me if you think I'm wrong. Video your plane with the props turning, and switch from the auto to the sports setting. I like it way better.

As to the focus thing on the Diamonds, I don't know, but I don't forsee switching to anything else. Sports setting, manual, focus on the Coke machine 10 feet out, tape the focus ring. gogogo.

[hoym 0]

Deuce,

I'll bet that you are right. I just haven't tried it before. I'll try it as soon as I get a chance. It might not be until the spring though. Jump season has pretty much come to an end here in Iowa.

There is a small, small chance that I might get a day or two in Eloy at Christmas time but that is very tentative at the moment. Even if I do make it, I'm not sure if I'll haul my camera gear with me.

Later.
-mike.

[FrancoR 0]

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The sports setting increases the frame rate

How can it do that? PAL DV Video is 25 frames per second NTSC is 29,something frames/s . No way of changing that.

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It also freezes the prop motion, which looks much, much cooler than on auto.

IMHO it makes the shutter faster, that way it can catch the fast motion of the prop rather than having it blurr.

I think Hoym is right, faster shutter means less light, so the aperture needs to be opened further, that reduces depth of focus. What i am not sure is if this knowledge from Photograpy can be adapted to digital Video like i did.

If it does not cost anything you are the product.

[quade 3]

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The sports setting increases the frame rate, so slow motion appears smoother. It also freezes the prop motion, which looks much, much cooler than on auto.

On NTSC cameras used in the U.S., frame rate remains 29.97 frames per second whether in sports mode or any of the other modes (some extremely slow modes may show the same information for several frames, but the rate remains constant). In the sports mode the exposure (and as a consequence f-stop), on the other hand does change. In bright sunlight this may be as short as 1/2000th of a second.

While this does produce less motion blurring of the image in a freeze frame (frame grab) setting, some viewers may find this annoying at normal speed since this can produce a somewhat strobe-like effect on objects moving in the image (props for example).

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[Deuce 1]

Thanks Quade.

And I LIKE the strobe effect on the props. But that does explain why one person in 100 goes into convulsions when they watch one of my tandem/AFF videos!

[nacmacfeegle 0]

The same goes for PAL cams in Europe, Asia, and the rest of known civilisation. Except we have 25 frames per second.
The strobing can be slightly more pronounced due to the lower frame rate, hence people are more likely to go into convulsions when watching... Deuce....

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