thatmaoriboy 0 #1 August 5, 2007 Hi, I am a Parachute Jump Instructor "PJI" in the Royal New Zealand Airforce and we have finally upgraded our camera helmets from the first Sidewinders to the Bonehead Flat Top Narrow. For us this is also a good time to upgrade our cameras well. What is the best HDV camera on the market for skydiving?? Being the military, price isn't really an issue. We just want the best. I have noticed alot of negative points about the HC7. Chairs... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jimmytavino 16 #2 August 5, 2007 the best HDV camera on the market, is any one which is bought with the hard EARNED money of the vidiot who has saved,, ( for probably a loooong time ) to afford that item... and not ANY camera that's paid for with Military tax dolllars ( ours, yours, theirs, or anyones)... so since price really 'isn't an issue'.... Why not, just be like most military expenditures.... and buy a whole bunch of cameras and try them ALL out..then keep the best... toss the rest , but at least let us poor civilians know what you find out....... signed a tax paying fool.... whose beliefs and values seem to be represented,,,by No One,,, in the military , defense dept. , or Govt. for that matter.... rant over.... carry on... jmy Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
USPA 0 #3 August 5, 2007 If money is no issue, try to get an hold of a Sony XDCam EX... :DThe trouble with skydiving; If you stink at it and continue to jump, you'll die. If you're good at it and continue to jump, you'll see a lot of friends die... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
thatmaoriboy 0 #4 August 5, 2007 umm chairs? obviously some serious issues between you and your own tax / defense departments? You may have misunderstood the meaning of money is no option... We have instructors in our unit which is the only one of its kind in our country. Our previous systems have been in use for @ 8 years now and are ragged from being handed around everyone. The boss has had to haggle and "save" with our budget just to get approval. I don't know about your defense budget, but ours is definitely not a bottomless pit! We just want to the best cameras we can as there replacements may come long after we have left. Also, most of us do sport jumping and have our own kit, (not allowed to used work gear), that we have saved with our hard-earned cash... but cheers again for the input Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
thatmaoriboy 0 #5 August 5, 2007 QuoteIf money is no issue, try to get an hold of a Sony XDCam EX... :D cheers for that, what are your thoughts on the Sony HC5 & HC7? In NZ the HC7 is more exspensive but looking around the forums every one seems to prefer the HC5? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
USPA 0 #6 August 5, 2007 Personally haven't used either. I'm trying to let my next cam be a solid state one. One of our vidiots like's his A1, but mind the HDV querks that go with the GOP format. Another had a HC-7 but had all the problems with shaking reported widly here. He now uses an HC-3.The trouble with skydiving; If you stink at it and continue to jump, you'll die. If you're good at it and continue to jump, you'll see a lot of friends die... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
thatmaoriboy 0 #7 August 5, 2007 yeah i have heard about the HC7 shaking. That was the one we were originally looking at. Over here it is $2,500 NZD and the HC5 is only $1,999. $1 NZ = @ $0.85 US. we were warned off hard drive ones as they apparently switch off. We use them to film students for debriefing and the occasional tandem. No hard core freeflying done at work (except in our dreams!!) cheers for the info Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
USPA 0 #8 August 5, 2007 mind you, solid state doesn't mean hard drive. Do a search on Panasonic SD-1/3/5/7 and Sony CX-6/7. Biggest problem at the moment... No lanc...The trouble with skydiving; If you stink at it and continue to jump, you'll die. If you're good at it and continue to jump, you'll see a lot of friends die... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jimmytavino 16 #9 August 5, 2007 well sure ,,, get the best you can find,, that should be the goal of anyone looking for such equipment....my earlier post was based on a perception of "anything goes" when it comes to 'military purchases".. a rather...narrow viewpoint, I will admit...I guess though,, that i fully understand the term "price isn't really an issue"... but I do believe that you have to justify your expenditures... anyway.. i'm having good luck with a Sony HC3 top mount..... so far so good,,,, not sure if it's still available as it has been "discontinued" around here... mini dv , lanc port, accepts lenses, decent still feature ( using memory stick ) good luck skydive safely jmy A 3914 d12122 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
thatmaoriboy 0 #10 August 6, 2007 cheers for that mate, yeah i can see your point, i have worked with other defense forces around the world and have seen first hand some very deep and loose pockets in regards to procuring new equipment. for us there are so many hoops we have to jump through we have to make sure we get the most 'bang for our buck' as once our long process has started, changing our minds is out of the question. We definitely have to justify our spending. We have just over 3000 people in our Airforce! chairs T Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DSE 3 #11 August 6, 2007 having one of all of the cams out there, my pitch would be for the HC5 if you want tape. The CX7 has 3 issues that most are not ready to contend with. ~No LANC (but you can work alternatives for camera indicator, IMO) ~Serious horsepower required for editing, and few NLE systems currently are AVCHD-ready right now, but by the end of year, all NLE's are AVCHD ready/supported. ~Short recording time. 12 mins of highest quality (required, IMO, for skydiving) on an 8 gig card DuoPro card. If I were purchasing in 2 months, I'd probably recommend the CX7 if the LANC issue is one you're ready/willing to contend with. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
