Camera Shake Issue

[Cashmanimal 0]

Hey everybody,

I have been having a lot of trouble with camera shake on my videos. I am using an HC-30, top mounted on my FTP. When just viewing the footage, it is hardly noticeable, if at all. But as soon as I put it in slow-mo, it becomes really pronounced.

I went through all the obvious fixes: tightening everything, making sure there is enough padding in the d-box, and making sure the helmet liner fits snugly. At one point I even put so much additional padding in the helmet I was in pain under canopy.

I think I have narrowed it down to the cutaway hinge. It is pretty loose when it is open, and it can be jiggled a wee bit when it is on and locked on my head. But I can't find a safe/logical way to solve the issue.

So basically I am pretty sure my camera shake is being caused by entire-helmet-shake. The shaking is so minor is doesn't show up in stills, just when I slow down video. Anybody had this/fixed this?

Entire setup=
FTP, top-mount HC-30 in Bonhead D-box, front-mount Rebel XT (have been jumping with screw-on wide-angle), bonehead cutaway hinge, plenty of padding in d-box/helmet.

Any suggestions would be great. Thanks in advance...
-Alex

It's all fun and until someone loses an eye... then it's just a game to find the eye

[VideoFly 0]

Many times video flyers get camera shake because they shake. You might need to loosen your neck so that the camera remains stationary on your subject while your body moves with the subject and absorbs the shaking caused by wind, body movement, and maneuvering. Also, if you are shooting stills with a bite switch and a helmet with an integral chin cup, you might be causing your helmet to jump up and down with each bite. Smaller smooth bites, a tongue switch, or a blow switch might help that issue. Furthermore, your helmet should be tight all around to minimize shake between your head and helmet. Usually, slow motion minimizes the appearance of shake seen in regular motion, so I’m not sure about that. Also, check other angle widths for your lens. That may help too.

[Cantoral 1]

Normally slow motion makes less notable the shake on the video, This sounds to me more a software problem.
What software are you using?


Blue Skies

[Cashmanimal 0]

Quote

Many times video flyers get camera shake because they shake. You might need to loosen your neck so that the camera remains stationary on your subject while your body moves with the subject and absorbs the shaking caused by wind, body movement, and maneuvering. Also, if you are shooting stills with a bite switch and a helmet with an integral chin cup, you might be causing your helmet to jump up and down with each bite. Smaller smooth bites, a tongue switch, or a blow switch might help that issue. Furthermore, your helmet should be tight all around to minimize shake between your head and helmet. Usually, slow motion minimizes the appearance of shake seen in regular motion, so I’m not sure about that. Also, check other angle widths for your lens. That may help too.

The bite switch issue is something I had never even thought of, and that sounds like a very probable source of the problem. But it really seems to go on throughout the skydive, even at times I know I was not taking stills. But you definitely brought to my attention that with too much padding in certain areas, the bite switch could be doing some video damage. Hm...

Also, the loosening of my neck is a good point to make as well. I am still fresh into jumping a full setup with the bite switch, and I think I do tend to tense up as soon as I "lock in" to a good position. (watching some of my footage I notice that when I go from a "locked" position and move around, I have a bit of a relaxing 'slump' as I begin to move...)

It's all fun and until someone loses an eye... then it's just a game to find the eye

[Cashmanimal 0]

Quote

Normally slow motion makes less notable the shake on the video, This sounds to me more a software problem.
What software are you using?


Blue Skies

At home I am back to using iMovie HD (got busted using a pirated version of Final Cut.... D'oh) until I can afford Final Cut for real.

I am fully aware of what a flaming piece of crap iMove HD is when doing more intricate things like slow motion or complicated transitions, but I also felt that it is really noticeable on the equipment at our DZ. And since I split the video pay to have somebody else edit it, I can't lie by telling you I know what equipment it is. I hand my tape to my buddy, he disappears and comes back 10 minutes later with a DVD. I will look into it and find out what equipment/software he is using, then get back to you on that one.

Thanks for your input here guys, I really appreciate it.

It's all fun and until someone loses an eye... then it's just a game to find the eye

[bomb420 1]

Do you happen to wear wings? Are they perhaps too big for you?

HYPOXIC

[Cashmanimal 0]

No, I stopped trying to wear wings because I was having more luck without them then with them. I will get back around to them later, til then I am using a camera/freefly suit...

It's all fun and until someone loses an eye... then it's just a game to find the eye

[dragon2 0]

Quote

Do you happen to wear wings? Are they perhaps too big for you?

I don't see how wings can be too big..?

ciel bleu,
Saskia

[dragon2 0]

I'd turn off the image stabiliser.

ciel bleu,
Saskia

[diablopilot 2]

Turn off image stabilization if it's still on.

----------------------------------------------
You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.

[Laszloimage 0]

If that shakey jerky issue happens on the slow motion which was created on a computer the problem is most likely coming from the software settings. I'm 99% sure when you render your slow motion your field order setting is incorrect. There shold be three options Field order A, Field order B,
or Frame based. I would recommend to check on it.
The HC30 outputs field order A interlaced video.
When you render your project make sure your settings are Field order A, NTSC at 29.97 fps frame rate. It should be set on any editig soft ware.
...DSE will probably tell you lot more though
-Laszlo-

[DSE 3]

If the field orders are reversed, it will indeed appear more shakey than it is.
DV is lower field first in NTSC, upper field first in PAL.
HDV is always upper field first.
Progressive has no fields.
If you feel you're inducing more shake by slow motion, here are a couple tricks....
)Run a deinterlacer before slow motion on those clips
)Double the clip, offset by half a frame (some NLE's don't allow for this) and slow both clips down equally. Then set the top frame to a transparency of 50% and reverse the field order. This creates field blending, which often smooths things out.
)Use a good third party slow motion tool like Twixtor or similar. There are many of them.

[bomb420 1]

I used to have a shaking problem caused by too big wings and well really not arching good enough. Ended up flying the wings as the CG and not my body. It was really caused being a Freeflier trying to learn to belly fly with wings... yeah I was mess'd up It was not until I think Ash White mentioned to me the too big wings idea that I realized what I was doing. In the end I think too much uneven drag becomes hard to control and may cause shake especially when looking down.

Just an idea, from experience...

HYPOXIC