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Best Full Face Helmet

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Hi Guys,

I just wanted your opinions on the best all round full face camera helmet.

The Flat Top Pro is real nice but prohibitively expensive. I also noticed that the Vapor is not in production anymore.

Then there was Blade camera helmets and their website doesn't work.

What do you recommend for a full face camera helmet?

Links and info much appreciated.

Thanks!
www.motavi.com

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Unfortunately If you want one of the best all round full faced camera helmets for video and stills, The bone head flat top pro is the best in my opinion. The new flattop narrow isn't that great just because the top is so narrow that it limits the configuration possibilities for the top. It also has no replaceable top mount. So if you mess up drilling holes in the top then you are compromising the integrity of the helmet, making it weaker.
Good luck with your search
"Dropzone.com, where uneducated people measuring penises, has become an art form"

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As what Greg said. Flat Top Pro is the way to go in the full face department.

If you find something else that equals it, let us all know. I went on a search of my own last month and ended up buying the BatRak to replace my daBomb. It's not a full face (and I really wanted one) but the Flat Top Pro was just too big of a helmet for my small noggin.

ltdiver

Don't tell me the sky's the limit when there are footprints on the moon

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Consider a Flat Top Pro an open faced helmet, no shield. Sure the chin cup is designed differently than, say a, Optik or Batrac, but the protection is the same.

It would seem that if you were talking about a Z1 or an A3 you would call them full faced helmets. Why change the standard for camera helmets.

With that in mind, you may have or have not seen the new O2's made by Skysystems. They are an Oxygn A3 with a side mount molded onto the side, and are about as 'gucci' as it gets for full faced fun, becuase the visor flips up, same as an Oxygn A3. You would have to mount something on the helmet for stills though. But good for AFF I's.

I would consider the O2 the best full faced camera helmet because of the flip up visor. I would put the sidewinder in second place becuase of this lacking accessory.

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Consider a Flat Top Pro an open faced helmet, no shield. Sure the chin cup is designed differently than, say a, Optik or Batrac, but the protection is the same.



I wouldn't really think the protection is the same. Having the chin cup clipped on does not provide as much protection as one that is built into the helmet. It does provide some protection, but not as much as a fullface (like the flat top).

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It would seem that if you were talking about a Z1 or an A3 you would call them full faced helmets. Why change the standard for camera helmets.



If you take the face shield out of a Z1 or A3 it's still a full face isn't it? ;)
Miami

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Yea, I'm nitpicking. But I think it's valid.

Even though the amount of skin being cover is the same the protection is not. Taking a kick across the chin in freefall with a chin cup that is not an integral part of the helmet will do a lot more damage than taking one with a chin cup that is part of the helmet. Sure the flat tops don't have a face shield, but face shields are made for blocking wind, and thats about it.

Bottom line is that the flat tops are full face helmets, which is the point I was trying to make.
Miami

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I also noticed that the Vapor is not in production anymore.



Never was. Only 2 were ever made. The last full face camera platform SkySystems ever made was the PiriRaptor. Nice helmet.

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What do you recommend for a full face camera helmet?


The FTP is one of the nicest all around camera helmets you'll find. Sure they are expensinve, but they are worth all the R&D, and custom fiting Chris and the Bonehead team have put into them.
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You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.

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Consider a Flat Top Pro an open faced helmet, no shield. Sure the chin cup is designed differently than, say a, Optik or Batrac, but the protection is the same.



The point of the full face style of camera helmet is not so much protection, as stability. Most chincups are attached at two points allowing them to act like a hinge. Fine for lighterweight helmets, but can be a problem as multiple cameras are added. (Right, Deuce?) Arrow Dynamics offers a hockey helmet style chincup that attaches at 4 points, but some think it to be weaker.

Full face is alot different than chincup.

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With that in mind, you may have or have not seen the new O2's made by Skysystems. They are an Oxygn A3 with a side mount molded onto the side, and are about as 'gucci' as it gets for full faced fun, becuase the visor flips up, same as an Oxygn A3.



They are known as the Sidewinder line of helmets. Ether the Sidewinder (based on a factory diver) or the Sidewinder O2 (based on the Oxygn) are avaliable from SkySystems, exclusivly through Square One.

The are nice for shooting inside video, or for AFF jumpmasters. They are not particularly stable when something is mounted on top, and a custom bracket would have to be designed to do so. Another fall back is they are somewhat camera/size specific, and the moulded box canot be swaped out for another "D-box". Very nice if you just want to put a full face RW helmet on and forget that there is a camera along for the ride.

I would NOT put this in the catagory of "full face camera helmet" as it is limited in it's use (Example: I'd not freefly in it, because I find it's non-camera counterpart, the Oxygn non-freefly friendly). It however does what it does pretty well.
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You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.

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They are known as the Sidewinder line of helmets. Ether the Sidewinder (based on a factory diver) or the Sidewinder O2 (based on the Oxygn) are avaliable from SkySystems, exclusivly through Square One.
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I have a Sidewinder O2 that i sent back to Skysystems last year to have a new liner replaced in it , They told me that they stopped producing it because it was "so camera specific" ,
Like Diablo pilot said it is a great helmet for coach jumps and i carry it along on most of my RW jumps , Most of the time i don't even know it is there , I have a Vortex which is much more stable and is a full faced camera helmet that can be used with or without the shield , I took mine off and use an eye site ,
[url] http://www.dropzone.com/gear/Detailed/121.html

I use my Sidewinder O2 for freeflying and have never had a problem with it. It is a great camera helmet for someone just getting started.

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The Vapor does indeed appear to still be in production. My home DZ sells them:



I don't want to be argumentative, but SkySystems never released any production models of the Vapor. There were two pre-preoduction models built, and then for some reason they called the project off.

As a major dealer for SkySystems I usually have my information directly from the company.
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You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.

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Thats cool. I'm not arguing either, just pointing to a current web page purporting to sell them (the link above).

At a guess their page is simply real out of date. I'll ask em about it at the weekend an see if they are able to source them and if so how in the hell they can.

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Without a doubt, the Flatop Pro is the best. Yes, it is very expensive, but well worth it. When I started this, I had a ProTech with a plate on top and a PVC ring site. Worked sorta OK, but I didn't know that at the time. There were vibration issues, and eventually, sighting and fitting issues as the helmet lining wore out. When it came time to upgrade, I spent the whole summer saving money for the helmet, a cross-hairs ringsight, and a digital camera.

I was blown away at how much improved the videos were, almost immediately. Yes, the digital format vs the 8mm format was a dramatic change, but the absolute rock-solid base that the camera now had, along with the comfort, and versatility were all first class.

The advertizing says it will be the last camera helmet you'll ever buy. And they are right. As you grow into more complex video work, you'll change cameras, add more cameras (video and stills together), and possibly add things like flash units. The flattop can handle all of this and more.

So you can save a couple hundred now with a less expensive helmet that has more restricted use, and then duplicate the expense down the road for more functionality. Or, save the money now, purchase the Flattop, and never have to worry about it again.

Decide on what kind of camera flying you intend to do, then choose the best tool for the job. If you're freeflying, then the flattop is not the tool. If you're doing professional grade videos with multiple cameras, then yes, the flattop is what you want.

I've had my flattop now for 5 years, and it's just as good today as it was when I first got it. I can change cameras every year, and it does not matter. I can carry two video cameras and a still camera without a problem. I could probably even carry a 35 or 70MM movie camera if I wanted to, but there is no way my neck could take it.

If you're flying video now, keep what you have and save the money. You'll be glad you did.
Mike Ashley
D-18460
Canadian A-666

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I've been leaning towards to Rawa helmets lately...

They've got a nice flat top on top and all I really want to do is freefly and film, as well as film students so that's why I like the option of having a still camera on top.

2 cameras is enough for me :)
www.motavi.com

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Fair enough. And yes, two cameras is more than enough. But there have been a few rare occaisions when I wish I had a second video on board.

It REALLY sucks when you think you've got the shot of the year, only to find out:
The camera turned off 10 seconds out the door
That "little bump" you felt turned the camera 30 degrees to the right
You neglected to take off the lens cap :$:$:$
The Cam-eye shorts out or does "something" to turn the camera off
You left your battery on the ground :$:$:$:$:$
The auto focus is set on the dirt on the wide angle lens, instead of the formation
You turned the camera Off on exit, instead of on.

Of course, even with a second camera, all of the above could happen to both. And wouldn't that be a bitch?

Start out with just the one camera, then add the second when you're flying comfortable with it. Enjoy.
Mike Ashley
D-18460
Canadian A-666

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man i hope your a troll. surely your not seriously thinking about putting a camera on someone with 9 jumps. tunnel time aside
i have on occasion been accused of pulling low . My response. Naw I wasn't low I'm just such a big guy I look closer than I really am .


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