Sony LANC remote??

[beezyshaw 0]

I bought a HC42 the other day, have yet to jump with it, but I saw an interesting accessory in the store, so I bought it without doing any homework first. It is a wired remote on a 5 ft. cable that plugs into the LANC terminal. It powers the camcorder, zooms, operates the record and also the still photo shutter. It even has lights to let you know you're recording. It has a clamp that I suppose is designed to clip to a tripod arm, but I plan to put it on my finger for jumping. It measures about 1" X 1.5".

Does anybody jump with this gadget? Any known issues? Pros, cons, precautions, or any other comments welcome.

Also, as the HC42 will shoot (low-res) photos on memory card while recording video to DV tape, I figure "what the hell" and I'll at least click a few stills just for the heck of it. Anybody else have experience doing this?

The last helmet-mounted video I shot was with my trusty VX-700 years ago, then I went to hand-cam for several years. The one thing I must say is these things have sure gotten light in the last 10 years!

Edit: I also bought the Sony .6 lens; at $35 I couldn't pass it up. I've always used wider lenses (and much more expensive) in the past, but as long as you back away a little bit farther from the subject does this lens work OK? Or is it a piece of crap (which wouldn't surprise me at the price)?

[Dokeman 0]

actually the sony .6 is a little wider than most .5 lenses. Probably more like a .43 or something like that. I know a few poeple that use them with good results.

[BMFin 0]

Doesnt it depend on the camera you are using ?

I know someone who shoots sony 0.6 with sony HC22 (not sure about the cam model though) and it is not wide at all ...


EDIT: it seems a nice lens though...

[sdctlc 0]

Beezy,

I have a HC40 with the Sony .6 lens and have had great luck. I will see if I can get a frame grab from a tandem with me docked to show the field. Have had great luck with it.. Hard to pass on a $35 wide angle, its almost worth it to try compared to the costs of many other options out there. I did and as I noted above, I have had great luck with it

Scott

"He who Hesitates Shall Inherit the Earth!"

[jdhill 0]

I used that remote with a Sony still camera for a little while... 1st, I don't think cliping it to your finger is the way to go... try a tube stow or rubber band, the clip will just hurt after a while and likely get in the way... 2nd, the thing is bulky and if you have it in the wrong place you are likely to zoom in while climbing out, or even if freefall... 3rd, are you sure it will take pictures while recording? Most cameras I've seen will snap a shot, and then stop recording, although I have not looked at any of the newer cameras, so I'm not sure what they can do now. 4th, what's the point? You can do the same thing on the ground after the fact. Why mess with it in freefall? 5th, if you do decide to use it, I would suggest modifying the cable to allow for a break away... you do not want the cable snagging on something and breaking off the plug in the LANC port.

J

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing. - Edmund Burke

[mattabram 0]

Why not just use a cameye2?It's safer and more practical.It doesn't zoom or take stills,but why would you need to use the zoom in freefall,and like jd says,why not just take video grabs on the ground ?

God gave men 2 brains,but only enough blood to fill one at a time....I can live with that.

[beezyshaw 0]

I used that remote with a Sony still camera for a little while... 1st, I don't think cliping it to your finger is the way to go... try a tube stow or rubber band, the clip will just hurt after a while and likely get in the way...

Actually I figured a better way to hold the remote, I have it mounted on a piece of dowell instead of clipping it to my finger. I will be able to let go of it completely to use my left hand, so it's not going to be a problem for jumping.

2nd, the thing is bulky and if you have it in the wrong place you are likely to zoom in while climbing out, or even if freefall...

Not concerned about hitting the zoom, but if it happens then I'll re-think things. I also thought about figuring out a way to "fix" the zoom switch to say in W position. I don't really think of it as bulky, it measures 1" x 1.5"

3rd, are you sure it will take pictures while recording? Most cameras I've seen will snap a shot, and then stop recording, although I have not looked at any of the newer cameras, so I'm not sure what they can do now.

Yes, the HC42 will take stills on memory stick while recording video on tape without interruption.

4th, what's the point? You can do the same thing on the ground after the fact. Why mess with it in freefall?

The reason to use the still shot capability is the quality will be much better than grabbing frames from digital video. The still shots will be 640x480 when taken while shooting video.

5th, if you do decide to use it, I would suggest modifying the cable to allow for a break away... you do not want the cable snagging on something and breaking off the plug in the LANC port.

I'm going to jump the camera top-mounted, so I'm really not concerned about the thing being hit like I might be with a side-mounted setup. From the camera the cable is gaffer taped nicely down my helmet then into my jumpsuit; seems pretty tidy to me.
Edit: I also think I'll get a camera condom, which should also help keep the LANC cable from getting banged around.

[Dokeman 0]

a 640x480 pictures is still going to be a pretty crappy picture. Not much better than a fram grab IMO. I certainly wouldn't consider them sellable. Just for comparason, my digital rebel's resolution is 3072x2048. I would take a couple of practice stills on the ground and get them developed just to make sure you are going the get the desired results.

[beezyshaw 0]

I realize that 640x480 is low res for sure, but when I looked at the stills they were about 400 to 600 k file size jpegs. By comparison, when I used to grab frames from another Sony digital camcorder I had, the jpegs would be like 50 to 60 k files. So using that as a reference, I think it's safe to say they'll be at least way better quality than a video frame would give. I've seen decent 3x5 and4x6 prints from that size file, and on computer they look fine. So poster or 8x10 prints, no, but I wouldn't say (yet anyway) that they absolutely will not be sellable. I guess time will tell. I plan to go make a couple of fun jumps and test the camera this weekend, I'll report back then. Hell, my little trigger gadget might find itself on ebay after trying it out

[Dokeman 0]

good luck, post your pics here when ya get done.

[The111 0]

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I realize that 640x480 is low res for sure, but when I looked at the stills they were about 400 to 600 k file size jpegs. By comparison, when I used to grab frames from another Sony digital camcorder I had, the jpegs would be like 50 to 60 k files. So using that as a reference, I think it's safe to say they'll be at least way better quality than a video frame would give. I've seen decent 3x5 and4x6 prints from that size file, and on computer they look fine. So poster or 8x10 prints, no, but I wouldn't say (yet anyway) that they absolutely will not be sellable. I guess time will tell. I plan to go make a couple of fun jumps and test the camera this weekend, I'll report back then. Hell, my little trigger gadget might find itself on ebay after trying it out

I'm not disagreeing with you (I have not seen your stills, and my HC90 does shoot decent 3MP stills), but filesize has NOTHING to do with quality. I can make a very good looking file 1MB and a very bad looking file 4MB. It has to do with compression more than anything else.

Pixel count is definitely a good start, and 640x480 is not even half a megapixel. Going to 4" x 6" prints from 640x480 is ~100 dpi (which is PUSHING it). So what you said is pretty accurate, anything under 8x10 might be doable (though I reserve 100 dpi for poster size prints... might look poor on such a small picture), but keep in mind the still pictures from these aren't great quality, regardless of resolution. The 3MP pics from my HC90 don't look nearly as good as shots from a 3MP pocket camera.

Whether it's sellable or not, is up to the customer I guess.

www.WingsuitPhotos.com

[beezyshaw 0]

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Whether it's sellable or not, is up to the customer I guess

That's certainly true; but I won't try to push poor quality off on someone if this doesn't turn out to be something I feel ok with. If the stills from this camera turn out poorly, I'll pass on the video/stills slots. Then again, if I show the stills to a tandem customer and they can't leave without them, what makes them happy is what makes me happy.

[scottswoops 0]

The only con I might be able to think of, is on the topic of safety. I would hesitate on straping anything to your fingers. I've seen fingers ripped off and had close calls myself due to jewelry getting caught on the aircraft. Beware my friend!

"Try not! Do, or do not.... there is no try."
--Yoda

[beezyshaw 0]

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The only con I might be able to think of, is on the topic of safety. I would hesitate on straping anything to your fingers. I've seen fingers ripped off...

I appreciate that word of caution. I actually have come up with something to mount the remote to that is simple, crude, but seems to work for now. I just clamped the remote to a 6 inch piece of wooden dowel, then the dowel goes in my jumpsuit cuff and the velcro holds it pretty snug. I just hold the dowel in my hand in such a way that my thumb can operate the shutter. I can simply let go to use my hand if I need to, and after opening I just open my cuff and drop the whole thing down inside my sleeve for canopy flight. So far seems to work and I don't see any real issues.