Beginners FAQ needs help... Here's my contribution:

[Mr17Hz 1]

As a beginner, I feel that the Sticky FAQ thread in this section is a little weak. It has some good information, but only a small percentage of what I was looking for as a beginner. I have compiled some questions together that I think would be good to add to it. I've found the answers to some of them in the forums. I've added some suggested answers that I’ve come up with, feel free to correct me. There are also a few questions that I had a hard time finding good answers to. It would be very helpful if someone could take the time to answer these, but then also have a moderator cut and paste parts of the post into the current FAQ, or add a new FAQ...

Camera Questions:
Q: For video cameras, what is the difference between higher priced wide angle lenses that target the skydiving market, and lower priced lenses that are more generally available?

A: Skydiving specific lenses are often only a single lens, rather than multiple. This means the lens will not stick out away from the camera as much as some others, which is less of a snag risk. Some have said that these types of lenses provide a higher quality picture as well. The downside to them is that you can only zoom in about half way, so for doing tandem videos, the ground or 'just landed' close up shot does not work well. For the sky, they are safer and look nicer.

Q: What is a full list of skydiving industry manufactures that offer camera helmets, box enclosures, lenses, etc.

A: Some that come to mind are Bonehead Composites, Cookie Composites, and WayCool. Lets try to make a full list with web links to main pages.

Q: What are important features of a skydiving Video Camera?

A: It should have threads required to attach a wide angle converter lens, and it should have the ability to attach an external switch and status light. The LANC port used on most high end models is the preferred interface, as the CamEyeII provides a very cheap intelligent controller with status lights.

Q: What is a list of commonly used Video Cameras in skydiving?

A: Sony models: PC105, PC350, PC1000?

Q: What are important features of a skydiving digital still video camera?

A: ?

Q: What is a list of commonly used Digital still cameras in skydiving?

A: The Cannon Digital Rebel XT?

Q: What are important features of a skydiving film still camera ?

A: ?

Q: What is a list of commonly used film still cameras in skydiving?

A: ?

Clothing Questions:

Q: What are the benefits of using a camera suit with wings, from the perspective of belly fliers, free fliers and tandems?

A: ?

Q: What are the benefits of using booties while camera flying from the perspective of belly fliers, free fliers, and tandems?

A: ?

Other Questions:

Q: What Type of eye sights are used in skydiving, and when might I decide to use them?

A: ?

Thanks for everyone’s help. I’m particularly interested in details about how a camera suit with wings helps camera flying… I’ve always wondered, if it gives such good control, why don’t non-camera people use them?

If I get good replies to this, I will take the time to include the answers into the document and repost it for a second thread of suggestions before it's submitted to a moderator to be posted as a sticky...

-Matt

Matt Christenson

[email protected]
http://www.RealDropzone.com - A new breed of dropzone manifest software.

[ltdiver 3]

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skydiving digital still video camera...

Perhaps this one is not a 'video' camera, but just a still camera?

First let me congratulate you for doing some homework and wanting to reach out and help yourself and others. We all remember what it was like when -we- were new and had thousands of questions.

Good luck with compiling your list of Q and A's. I bet if you did a simple search on alot of these questions detailed current answers would pop up for a good night's read.

For instance....just recently, in another thread, I answered the question of what makes a good skydiving video camera? HERE.
ltdiver

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

[quade 3]

The "challenge" to making a FAQ a useful FAQ is making it so that it doesn't need to be constantly revised.

Listing or recommending specific cameras is something I've consciously avoided since they tend to change more rapidly than just about anything.

Universal truths about camera flying are hard to come by.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[jeiber 0]

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Universal truths about camera flying are hard to come by.

Q: Should I set my camera on autofocus, or manual focus?

A: Manual focus. Focus on the ground for roughly the distance you'll be shooting. A tandem rubber band works well for securing the focus ring of 35mm lens barrels.

Shhh... you hear that sound? That's the sound of nobody caring!

[PhreeZone 15]

Auto works better in some situations. This is one of those things that is not a universal truth

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

[jeiber 0]

Just out of curiosity, what situations? In skydiving, I haven't run into that situation yet. Care to save me some painful learning?

Shhh... you hear that sound? That's the sound of nobody caring!

[PhreeZone 15]

Sure. Quick on off the top of my head - Canopy shots. If you leave it on manual when you are dialed in to a target 5 feet out your focus will be completely wrong if you fly up behind a canopy and start taking pictures now at 40-50 feet away.

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

[Zoter 0]

yeah but on the way down you are screwed filming .....
if/and every time you look 'past' your target for whatever reason.....you get that awful blur >>to focus on the footage....that dont look good at all...

I say better to set your 'distance' and be aware of it.....some things may be slightly out of focus if your proximity is off....but not much and in my opinion its much better than that horrible blur that sony cams do during AutoFocus

[Icon134 0]

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yeah but on the way down you are screwed filming .....

Not if the canopy ride is the ultimate goal of the dive.

e.g. CRW, a HAHO, etc... I know of at least one individual on here that mounted a 100mm for shooting face shots of jumpers under canopy.

there are enough reasons to sometimes not set it at infinity... even though generally speaking you can probably keep the camera on manual.

Scott

Livin' on the Edge... sleeping with my rigger's wife...

[Zoter 0]

Quote

Not if the canopy ride is the ultimate goal of the dive.

Even if you do CRW ...Canopy stuff.....look away for a second with Autofocus on.....you will get blurring as it searches for the focus point ( its even worse with clouds on the far horizon)
Even for this application...I say....know your expected distance to target to shoot and keep close to it....

Changing from manual to autofocus in mid air is .......'difficult'.......( well with the helmet still on your head anyways.... )

[PhreeZone 15]

It only refocuses if you actually hold the switch in halfway when you look away

Look at the gallery on my site. The ones that are out of focus were shot in manual and the rest was shot in Autofocus, including freefall.

Here are some examples: http://www.phreezone.com/gallery/albums/june4/060405_img_9094.jpg
http://www.phreezone.com/gallery/albums/oct1/100105_IMG_1175.jpg
And from the same Tandem jump: http://www.phreezone.com/gallery/albums/oct1/100105_IMG_1208.jpg

Hell, on high hop and pops I'll readjust the zoom to get a shot that is more what I want, its not that hard.

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

[freefalle 0]

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Just out of curiosity, what situations? In skydiving, I haven't run into that situation yet. Care to save me some painful learning?

Are we talking about Video or stills? If were discussing stills:

Jeff, you have seen more than a few of my shots, I have rarely used manual focus. I like the fact that I don't have to worry about how far away or how close to my subject I get. I "probably" miss a shot or two because the lens has to grab a focus but I think, for the most part I am able to get shots that would come out blury if I was on manual focus. Just my .02 for what its worth

[Zoter 0]

My bad.....:(
Thought he was talking about 'Cam' corders....not stills.....
Phreezone is right on a 'Stills' cam.....autofocus wont 'refocus' until you hit the switch

[Icon134 0]

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My bad.....:(
Thought he was talking about 'Cam' corders....not stills.....
Phreezone is right on a 'Stills' cam.....autofocus wont 'refocus' until you hit the switch

Good point... I have my video camera set at "Manual" far focus... and everything was still in focus on the balloon jumps i did this weekend... I'll post a link to the video once I get i edited...

Scott

Livin' on the Edge... sleeping with my rigger's wife...

[jeiber 0]

Quote

Sure. Quick on off the top of my head - Canopy shots. If you leave it on manual when you are dialed in to a target 5 feet out your focus will be completely wrong if you fly up behind a canopy and start taking pictures now at 40-50 feet away.

Hmmm, it shouldn't be too drastically off. I shoot film using a 28mm Nikon lens at F11.

I verified the DOF scale on the lens barrel with the following calculator, and things from infinity down to ~5 feet should be in focus, as long as the focal point is 10' away.

http://www.nikonians.org/html/resources/guides/dof/hyperfocal2.html

I'll put the lens on my D70 and take some test shots this weekend. I'm looking through some pictures I took a few months ago, and the skydiver, as well as the plane in the background are in focus. Even as distance from the plane increases, it remains in focus. With wide angle 'skydiving lenses', the differences in hyperfocal distance should be pretty minimal.

J

Shhh... you hear that sound? That's the sound of nobody caring!