Anyone else with a contourHD for handcam?

[Liemberg 0]

Is there anyone else doing handcam with the VholdR contourHD? It seems to suit the needs with simple 'ease of use' , weight (136 gram, including 3hr battery), rotatable lens with a 135dgr wide angle, sturdy construction and laser pointing. So far our results are encouraging - I can playback right away (with the TV on the HDMI-out port of my laptop) and though you take more time to render the end product you gain time with capturing (swap the microSD, few clicks with the mouse and you yourself can keep on jumping, working, filming)

I really do like the feature that you can rotate the lense 90 dgrs, This gives much better fotage under canopy, IMO.

Opinions?

"Whoever in discussion adduces authority uses not intellect but memory." - Leonardo da Vinci
A thousand words...

[parachutist 1]

Quote

Is there anyone else doing handcam with the VholdR contourHD? It seems to suit the needs with simple 'ease of use' , weight (136 gram, including 3hr battery), rotatable lens with a 135dgr wide angle, sturdy construction and laser pointing. So far our results are encouraging - I can playback right away (with the TV on the HDMI-out port of my laptop) and though you take more time to render the end product you gain time with capturing (swap the microSD, few clicks with the mouse and you yourself can keep on jumping, working, filming)

I really do like the feature that you can rotate the lense 90 dgrs, This gives much better fotage under canopy, IMO.

Opinions?

Can you show us some footage you've shot and a picture of your glove setup? At my DZ we've got several TIs using HD Heros for handcams, but no contours.

[Liemberg 0]

My 'glove' is made from all sorts of scrap material: an old 'Visio' strap, an old altimeter strap, bungee cord, cypres loop material etcetera. Looks like shit, works like a charm.

Didn't get around to uploading video's of tandems. However, since my kid has well over 250 jumps nowadays, and he was jumping up and down, wagging his tail and packing my parachutes (
Results are on vimeo:
http://www.vimeo.com/stevenliemberg

"Whoever in discussion adduces authority uses not intellect but memory." - Leonardo da Vinci
A thousand words...

[DSE 3]

do all the videos from your Contour have the ghosting? Doesn't appear to be inserted interlacing, but it's consistent through out.

[Liemberg 0]

Ghosting? Had to google that one to see what you mean.
We are still experimenting with the settings but for some reason the ghosting effect seems to be more pronounced on the uploaded footage on vimeo than on the DVD the customer gets. We have been shooting most of the footage in 720p 30 fps, due to 'limited computing resources'. What also doesn't help is that the gadget doesn't have built in stabilizing, is very light and small and situated on the back of the hand. (Steering lines tend to vibrate when you pull them...) I do remember (being a 'well seasoned' skydiver) jumping with a VHS-C recorder in a custom made bag that was attached to my chest-strap while a cable ran through my camera suit to the camera on top of the helmet.

That was a thick cable...

Granted, the Sony PC1000 gives better footage - but it was ruining my shoulder...

I'll point out this discussion to Steven. He's the video-nerd of the family so he might have a better answer.

"Whoever in discussion adduces authority uses not intellect but memory." - Leonardo da Vinci
A thousand words...

[DSE 3]

the 30p is part of the clue.
not enough information. Additionally, I'm wagering he's converting 30p to 25p or 50i, given that you're outside the US/Canada/Japan.
30p does not become 25p/50i very well at all.
The HD will show more ghosting than SD (DVD) delivery because it shows the image as it's recorded. View the dVD on a big display, pause arbitrarily, and you'll prolly see it. If it doesn't bug you or your customers, have at it.

[Hellis 0]

Thats strange, i have never seen that much ghosting in any of my videos.
I have one video uploaded on vimeo
http://www.vimeo.com/11804238
Its 1080P @ 30 fps.
Just as we exit you can see litle ghosting if you pause the video at the correct moment. (could that be because of the low light)
But once in freefall and when im around the star i cant see any ghosting

[DSE 3]

Without having a Contour to rip into and play with, I don't know much about them. Did two jumps with one and really didn't like it at all, the oversaturation and compression artifacts turned me off.

I don't know what the ghosting is, but I see it on yours, too. It might be an artifact from how they're shifting pixels around. I wish I knew.

[Jonntis 0]

Isnt the ghosting more obvious on the handcam mount simply because its shaking a whole lot more?

[DSE 3]

There shouldn't be any ghosting. Not from a progressive scan camera.
Now that I've seen it on multiple videos, I no longer suspect the NLE/editing side as the culprit. it might be that the camera is using interlaced imagers and combining the fields as a post process when it converts the analog signal and compresses it. It might also be Psf, progressive segmented frames.
I'll try to find someone around here that has one. they're not terribly popular in this part of the world.

[Hellis 0]

I took a still picture from the video when outside the plane and where there is the most movement.
My screwd up exit.
And looking at it there is no ghosting, but while inside the plane there is.

Im just guessing here and i belive you know if im right or wrong.
But when you shoot still cameras in low light they use more power to get the image (if you got it set to auto iso).
Is there a similar setting on videocameras, when they "cant see" they work harder to get the picture and that leads to a worse picture?