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liloz

Sony HDR-AS 100V

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I am looking forward to jumping with my own camera one day and looking for some thoughts help ideas. I own a Sony HDR-AS 100V and I purchased it for scuba diving and not skydiving. It seems it will take some great skydiving video as well. Wondering if anyone out there is jumping with this camera. If you are what type of mounts to you have and what are you thoughts about those mounts. If you have any videos would really like to see those as well. If you have any photos of your mounts that would be greatly appreciated as well. Happy to read any information you have about safe camera flying. Thanks, Jim

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liloz

I am looking forward to jumping with my own camera one day and looking for some thoughts help ideas. I own a Sony HDR-AS 100V and I purchased it for scuba diving and not skydiving. It seems it will take some great skydiving video as well. Wondering if anyone out there is jumping with this camera. If you are what type of mounts to you have and what are you thoughts about those mounts. If you have any videos would really like to see those as well. If you have any photos of your mounts that would be greatly appreciated as well. Happy to read any information you have about safe camera flying. Thanks, Jim



That's not the best choice of camera for a first camera due to lack of snag-free mounts.

Have a discussion about cameras and snagpoints with your local S&TA. You may want to get a gopro instead, as there are less dangerous mounting options available for it.

In addition, don't get footage horny. People that wait for a particular numbered skydive to arrive to use a camera tend to forget all about the skydiving and concentrate on the camera on that skydive. And then they have a cutaway because their riser entangles the damn thing, a two out because they lose altitude awareness or something equally as stupid (both of these happened to my friends).

When I started using a camera it was my video logbook and nothing more for the first ~100 skydives. I turned it on at 10k and off when I landed. Kept my brain on the things that matter and not on "is it blinking?".

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lyosha

***I am looking forward to jumping with my own camera one day and looking for some thoughts help ideas. I own a Sony HDR-AS 100V and I purchased it for scuba diving and not skydiving. It seems it will take some great skydiving video as well. Wondering if anyone out there is jumping with this camera. If you are what type of mounts to you have and what are you thoughts about those mounts. If you have any videos would really like to see those as well. If you have any photos of your mounts that would be greatly appreciated as well. Happy to read any information you have about safe camera flying. Thanks, Jim



That's not the best choice of camera for a first camera due to lack of snag-free mounts.

Have a discussion about cameras and snagpoints with your local S&TA. You may want to get a gopro instead, as there are less dangerous mounting options available for it.

In addition, don't get footage horny. People that wait for a particular numbered skydive to arrive to use a camera tend to forget all about the skydiving and concentrate on the camera on that skydive. And then they have a cutaway because their riser entangles the damn thing, a two out because they lose altitude awareness or something equally as stupid (both of these happened to my friends).

When I started using a camera it was my video logbook and nothing more for the first ~100 skydives. I turned it on at 10k and off when I landed. Kept my brain on the things that matter and not on "is it blinking?".

The AS100V is no less and no more snag-likely nor snag resistant than a GoPro, regardless of mount type. Both have low-profile mounts, and both have snag-probable mounts.
Out of the box, the AS100 is significantly less likely to snag (although that's not how I'd use it). As a right-side mount, it's far less snag-likely than a GoPro top center of a helmet.

The AS100V is fine as a first-camera (or a full-time use camera) in skydiving.

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Can you please link me a good mount for a sony hdr100v? I don't remember coming across any.

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...As a right-side mount...



You mean the style of mount that was the reason for the fatality in Poland discussed in Norman Kent's video? The problem with side mounts is that they are usually permanent (you screw the thing on), and are actually pretty easy to snag, especially in the event of a cutaway (again - see fatality in Norman Kent video). RSL-side is arguably more dangerous than non-RSL side.

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lyosha

Can you please link me a good mount for a sony hdr100v? I don't remember coming across any.

Quote

...As a right-side mount...



You mean the style of mount that was the reason for the fatality in Poland discussed in Norman Kent's video? The problem with side mounts is that they are usually permanent (you screw the thing on), and are actually pretty easy to snag, especially in the event of a cutaway (again - see fatality in Norman Kent video). RSL-side is arguably more dangerous than non-RSL side.



An entirely different camera is an entirely different mount. Comparing all left side mounts to one that was fatal is as foolish as suggesting that every top mount is dangerous (there have been fatalities there, too). Although there are no right-side fatalities, there are people that are successfully jumping right side mounts too.

And then there's the video of the chin mount capturing a bridle...and a wrist mount tangled during a tandem cutaway, and then there is the footmount where it was reasonably proven that the footmount contributed to a fatality in a significant way, and...and...and...

It's short sighted and wrongful to suggest that a left side mount is more likely to cause an incident than a top, chin, wrist, foot, middle, or right side mount. The incident in Poland, the camera was roughly thrice the size of the Sony AS100V.

The brand or type of camera bears zero relevance to snag hazard. ANY camera can be a snag hazard. Any camera can be snag-reduced. No camera can be considered fool-proof; there will always be the fool that figures out how to hurt themselves one way or another.

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An entirely different camera is an entirely different mount.



Some placements are inherently more dangerous than others. The danger of some can be mitigated, while with others there's nothing you can do.

http://www.watchthybridle.com/2014/08/gopro-anti-snag-mounts/

It is not wrong at all to examine where the least hazardous location for camera placement would be... :S

The particular camera in question can only be mounted in a finite number of ways, none of which I would want my friends doing.

P.S. I'm not a fan of teletubbying, and try to convince my friends to not do it. But you're a grown ass man and you can make your own decisions.

Blue skies!

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While the AS100 is a great camera, you have to admit that its stock QR mount and accessories seriously suck for jumping.

But they can be mounted with a similar profile to the Gopro Roller mount if you throw the QR mounts away and just screw into the 1/4'' mount. You can either use a flat helmet or spend a couple minutes with some moldable plastic (like Instamorph) making a flat base to go under the AS100. I set mine up last season for dual AS100s and once they were screwed down with the plastic around it there was no way a line could get caught underneath an edge. The actual camera sticking out the top could catch something, but it would release once the angle cleared unlike a stock AS100 or Gopro mount that will get wrapped around and trapped.

Main downside is then it's screwed in and takes a minute to remove, but in practice that's not a problem since it has Wifi. Also works great with bigger cameras.

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photognat

While the AS100 is a great camera, you have to admit that its stock QR mount and accessories seriously suck for jumping.

But they can be mounted with a similar profile to the Gopro Roller mount if you throw the QR mounts away and just screw into the 1/4'' mount. You can either use a flat helmet or spend a couple minutes with some moldable plastic (like Instamorph) making a flat base to go under the AS100. I set mine up last season for dual AS100s and once they were screwed down with the plastic around it there was no way a line could get caught underneath an edge. The actual camera sticking out the top could catch something, but it would release once the angle cleared unlike a stock AS100 or Gopro mount that will get wrapped around and trapped.

Main downside is then it's screwed in and takes a minute to remove, but in practice that's not a problem since it has Wifi. Also works great with bigger cameras.



Actually, the side mount with the camera upside down and the angle changed to invert is far better than a topmount. I don't think it sucks at all; it's virtually identical to the Contour in profile and placement, only smaller. And easy to get out of the side/clip mount while seeing the LCD display, hearing the record indication, and accessing the buttons.

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I have it like that on my sky helmet and it works ok, but in terms of potentially snagging a bridle the top mount is still better IMO. Due to the FOV it can't be mounted totally flush with the side of the helmet without showing part of your helmet or eye/nose, or at least I haven't figured out a way to do it.

So the front of the camera will be poking out from the helmet an inch or two and can still snag a bridle. Same as most Contour side mounts I've seen. It's better than a stock Gopro mount but it's not perfect.

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photognat

I have it like that on my sky helmet and it works ok, but in terms of potentially snagging a bridle the top mount is still better IMO. Due to the FOV it can't be mounted totally flush with the side of the helmet without showing part of your helmet or eye/nose, or at least I haven't figured out a way to do it.

So the front of the camera will be poking out from the helmet an inch or two and can still snag a bridle. Same as most Contour side mounts I've seen. It's better than a stock Gopro mount but it's not perfect.



I jump the AS100v side mounted on the right side.
I only jump wingsuits, so that might put the risers behind my helmet on deployment more than a freefall jump.
ive never had an issue, but that doesn't mean its not going to happen.

I used this last wingsuit season in Europe, and I plan on using it again this year.

most cameras have snag points somewhere, try and minimalize any gaps and sharp corners.
if bolting on the mount is scaring you, try it with nylon screws and test how hard it is to break away
Flock University FWC / ZFlock
B.A.S.E. 1580
Aussie BASE 121

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Just a note:

This is this guy's first camera experience with skydiving. Talking about optimizing video quality and shot quality is, in my opinion, not the best way to help him be safe.

Guy: As someone not currently trying to rival Norman Kent you should get a cheap GoPro and one of these mounts: https://www.chutingstar.com/skydive/grellfab-gopro-g3-front-mount

DSE forgets that he jumps with a retardedly expensive (even for skydiving) helmet with a dedicated cutaway, meanwhile cutting away your helmet was probably not a consideration in your [first time camera jumper with ~200 jumps] helmet selection logic when you got it 150 jumps ago. He probably wouldn't jump a camera without a cutaway, and neither should you. Especially as a first experience. I can tell you lots of fuckup stories from first camera jumps if you don't believe me.

Stay safe. Worry about "getting good footage" later.

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Well first want to thank everyone for their opinions on the question posted. I did not think it would cause so much controversy and I apologize for that. I think those of you that sent photos.
I want to be PERFECTLY clear. I am not worried about jumping with my camera anytime soon. I was just curious if anyone was jumping this camera and what they thought of the video that it takes. The scuba diving video is second to NONE including go pro in my opinion. I have side mount that came with my helmet and I modified it to hold the Sony. But again I have NO plans of trying to jump this early. I am not really counting down to the day I hit 200 so I can jump it. In fact I am a big fan of jumping with a person that has a camera that is focused on me. I have learned so much from watching videos of me. I do want to jump my camera one day but not a huge hurry for that day to come. My #1 goal has been and always will be to go home to come back and jump tomorrow.
I want to thank everyone again for the comments. I received a private message as well on this post. The one comment that stood out the most from this message was I am probably two years away from making 200 jumps. (I hope not :+) In the next two years the cameras and the safety of jumping these cameras will change a dozen more times. The more I think about it makes me realize how true this probably is. I will NOT jump a camera if I am going to worry that it may not allow me to come back tomorrow to jump. I have way to much to live for to have a camera change that.
Blue Skies all!

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DSE forgets that he jumps with a retardedly expensive (even for skydiving) helmet with a dedicated cutaway, meanwhile cutting away your helmet was probably not a consideration in your [first time camera jumper with ~200 jumps] helmet selection logic when you got it 150 jumps ago. He probably wouldn't jump a camera without a cutaway, and neither should you.



It's a mistaken assumption to think I've forgotten anything.
Plain and simple, I feel a camera on top of the head is a mistake no matter what (for a new jumper0.
Small side mounts such as the AS100 or Contour are preferable, if mounted properly.
"Back in the day," the concept of putting a camera on top was more relegated to stills than to video, and putting a still camera on top was something that only more experienced jumpers did.

I've not jumped without a cutaway system; even "back in the day." The DZO I started jumping with insisted on camera helmets having some sort of cutaway system. My first helmet was a modified, second hand system. My second helmet was a BH Optik, which also had a cutaway system. Neither are "stupidly expensive" and both were quite effective.
Every skydiver whose been around can share "stupid camera stories," or stupid "[insert skydiving activity here] stories.

We'll just have to agree to disagree that a blocky camera on top is superior to a slimmount sidemount.

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So just over a year ago I started this thread. I am leaving on a 2 month trip across the country to visit some military friends meet some new Veterans and to of course skydive at as many DZ's as possible.
I have been skydiving my ass off and I have learned so much. I just read all of the comments posted on this issue again today. I worked with two different S&TA's at my DZ as well as every camera flyer that came through the drop zone to get their opinion. I knew I wanted to fly a camera on my trip as I will probably never get a chance to jump these places again. I jumped my camera last week at the DZ I have been calling home for almost 200 jumps. I wanted to make sure I had as many local jumps as possible before getting on the road.
I went with a side mount on my right side. I modified a countour cookie mount. I purchased a helmet that has a cutaway system. I did as much research as possible to make me flying a camera as safe as I possibly can. I full understand that NO mount/camera is snag free. I feel I have made this set up as snag free as possible. I do not like the top mounts at all and the side mount just works really well with my camera.
I have made only six jumps with the camera (weather sucks) with the camera. What I really like is I honestly forget that I have the camera on. I know most people turn camera off after opening. I have been walking back to the hanger and remember that I have it. I hope that I can maintain that. I don't ever (at this time) want to fly the camera. My #1 goal has been and always will be being able to jump tomorrow.
I had a lot of help not only from everyone is this thread but everyone at my drop zone Skydive Wissota. I showed my mount to people for the past few months. I have taken their suggestions and changed the mount several times based on their thoughts and ideas. I really appreciate all the thoughts from them as well as everyone that responded in the thread. Just wanted to post an update. THANKS

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