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flyfastc

Use of Ringsights?

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Snag hazard issues have always been associated with Ringsights.

So here's my question.

Why use a Ringsight over a mark on your eyewear? Do you even need to use either? Where you look is where your camera will point and what you see is what you'll get in the frame or near enough?

As a jumper and ground photographer that is moving over to professional skydiving photography I'm curious to know.

Excuse my ignorance.

Cheers.

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the position of your Eyewear changes relative to the fit and angle of your helmet. It might not be much but it does change. So to be able to always have your target dead center in frame you need to install your aiming device and the camera on one solid plattform... You don't see sniper rifles with the scope attached to your helmet rather than the rifle itself, do you?
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People can move their eyes to look in different directions, the camera doesn't follow. So while you know you are looking at something, are you sure you are looking dead straight in front rather than slightly off centre? The ringsight will make sure for you.

And are you always going to be sure yo uhave the angle of your helmet on exactly the same every time. Sometimes it might be a few degrees further forward than others... Again the ringsight will make sure for you.
Sky Switches - Affordable stills camera tongue switches and conversion adaptors, supporting various brands of camera (Canon, Sony, Nikon, Panasonic).

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It depends on what you are doing. For me it is the right answer, but if you are doing close up footage with really wide angle cameras... it may not matter so much.

Outside video being anywhere from 5-10 feet (4 way) to 50-100 feet (big way) above the formation, you need to know exactly where you are pointing.

You may not realize how much you look with your eyes without moving your head.

Also, you can use a ring site for range finding. I know based on the cross pattern and my lens where my team needs to be in the circle for me to be at the ideal distance for framing. I can get instant feedback if that distance changes just by where the team lines up in the cross pattern. No need to guess where the filed of view is on a bigway etc.

But if I was just shooting tandems up really close...using wide glass... i'd consider not using one.

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That's interesting. I've never been able to use one. In freefall, my eyes don't even see it. They are focused at whatever I'm filming and unless I deliberately re-focus my eyes for up close I don't see it at all. The only time I would notice it was if I was standing on the ground deliberately trying to focus on it..

But I have never had a problem keeping my head centered on the subject. For some reason my head seems to follow my eyes..

It also seemed to make me dizzy - the double focusing was hard on me. I'm not sure whether its because I am near-sighted or what but it was bothersome..

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THIS is the key. Looking thru the ring sight and not focusing on it. My first ring sight was one of those four sided rainbow rings. I hated the feedback and busted out the plastic center. Being able to see straight thru made it perfect. I could look past but still see the outline. I used that system on many hundreds of freefly jumps following jumpers just keeping them in frame while interacting in the jump. Later I progressed to different tape configurations inside my goggles. After 1000+ tandem vids I was down to just one (1) thin tape high in the goggles ( with a small angle in the middle ). Keep the instructor's head just below the line and you are golden. No center line needed as you can't see it anyway. The centering just happens magically.
Life is short ... jump often.

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For shooting tandems with the typical GoPro or .3 wide lens, and a 15mm (actually 24mm on most DSLR), a ringsite isn't needed, IMO. I don't have one on either of my smaller camera helmets, only on my Flattop used for carrying bigger cameras and special uses.

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Man, I hate the idea of ring-sights and little dots on goggles!
I just cannot get my head around why they are necessary.
Yes, you can look with your eyes without moving your head, BUT you can also choose not to!
Just point your bloody head (and therefore your camera) at what you want to film. Its 100% that easy.
Sorry, but I look at people with these weird unnecessary solutions to a nonexistent problem and I just feel sorry for them!

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Jon26

Just point your bloody head (and therefore your camera) at what you want to film. Its 100% that easy.



No, it's not. I can guarantee you that if we put a long enough zoom lens on your helmet you would not be able to get a shot of your target without a sighting system. The effect of "missing" your target is indeed mitigated at the ultra wide angles most skydivers usually shoot at, but even then the misalignment still exists, which means you are not shooting where you are looking (it just might matter less to you at that zoom level).

So if you are shooting at a zoom level high enough that the misalignment becomes significant, or you put a lot of effort into framing and composing your shots, and you want to actually shoot want you intend to without throwing away a bunch of pixels on cropping later on, then using a sight system is a no-brainer.

Next time I see Norman Kent I will have to ask him why after all these years jumping he hasn't learned the simple trick of pointing his bloody head where he wants to shoot. :D
www.WingsuitPhotos.com

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Sorry, I should have clarified that I was talking about filming tandems with the usual wide lenses.
I can understand why people use them for narrower lenses.
Just that I see so many people using them unnecessarily.

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Jon26

Sorry, I should have clarified that I was talking about filming tandems with the usual wide lenses.
I can understand why people use them for narrower lenses.
Just that I see so many people using them unnecessarily.



Fair enough, agreed. :)
www.WingsuitPhotos.com

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Quote

Sorry, I should have clarified that I was talking about filming tandems with the usual wide lenses.
I can understand why people use them for narrower lenses.
Just that I see so many people using them unnecessarily.



Show us a good example of one of your videos then...

I have seen plenty of people not 'need' them, but often there are heads and hands chopped out of the footage... and yes on tandem videos especially on exit.

Helmets move and even the best of the best use ring sights always.

It also comes down to how well you fill the frame. If you have a wide angle lens but are unable to stay close to the tandem right throughout the exit, then you probably don't need one until you can!

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You should give front float a go... better face shots on exit and less separation.

A critique I will give that might improve the framing there, is to center their chest in the door rather than their head when you are that distance from them. There is a lot of door and not a lot of customer. This is something a ring sight really helps with.

I am closer usually (front float) and fill the face on the screen.

Not saying it is bad, but I am always trying to improve and that is what I would work on if I were you along with keeping more proximity on the exit... what video camera are you using (lens?).

I have attached a couple of screenshots to show what I mean about face shots, filling the frame and to show why I personally like to use a ring sight. I don't think I could frame this well without one... perhaps, but not for sure.

This is using a gopro4 on wide.

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coozer

You should give front float a go... better face shots on exit and less separation.



Can't do frontfloats on our planes, especially with the new engines (Supervan 900s). My shoulder really really doesn't like the climbout.

ciel bleu,
Saskia

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We have Blackhawk caravans too, I do front float on those as well. It does take effort but it is worth it.

Others get similar/better shots from rear float, I think that is harder to do as you really have to launch.

But just reiterating that the better you get, the more a ring sight comes in handy.

Nothing worse than a bad ass flyer that is all up in their face, but can't keep them in frame for shit...

See that all too often.

Also, there are people that do frame really well without them, but 'feeling sorry' for people that use them is a little condescending.

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