bomb420

I know its a shock, but I got HYPOXIC on my license plate... I wonder what all the medical doctors...

IMHO, yes you are being silly. Now if you want to use it for other stuff than skydiving (sorority house pillow fight vids, drunken dropzone atticts, ...) go right ahead but with that mindset you might as well wait until the cx12 becomes obsolete before next season. I would use that money on tunnel time, but I'm an addict and realizing how much its helping out my flying.

Chuck Blue says he has no problem w/ the cx7 mounted on the side. Any guy that can hang with me all night in Reno is someone's opinion I trust.

So the CX7 top mounted towards a side: HD your fine, belly your mostly fine, solid sit head back fine, sit with your chin forward looking down (bad position) and it will shake like a mother. Of course all of this depends on how and where you have it mounted.

Synopsis, place the camera in a burble and it will look not so good. Keep it out and it will look pro....

Oh and stop lying to yourself, we all been there before, if you buy this camera you are going to want to mount it on your helmet. It's the way skydivers are.... Wait to next season, you'll get more out of it.

You can still playback with or without the debrief cable plugged in. Just double click the push button to toggle through the modes.

Yes, yes, I have to make a quick reference guide since lots of people do not realize that and the instructions is slightly overwhelming.

The HYPEYE D PRO allows you to switch modes (video, photo, vcr) by double clicking the push button. It also starts up the camera in video mode so that it could recall the zoom if that feature is used. The TG1 does not listen to these mode commands so the above features will not work correctly.

Sony runs the camera production once and once it's started its full steam until they sell out. So I doubt they will fix this or even think its a bug.

My thoughts are this: remove the D connector similar to that explained in the expansion kit instructions. Fish the D connector cable through a tight grommet/hole and reconnect to the HYPEYE D PRO that is mounted on the inside. When you are not using your camera, push the exess cable back into the helmet. I got pics from tonfly where they fished it through the center of the zhulls connector, but that may take a little more tinkering.

-Trunk

The HYPEYE D PRO does control this camera for standard operations. Sony decided to only implement a subset of their protocol on this camera and therefore the zoom control and switching modes does not function correctly.

Outside of the control, you must have the LCD facing outwards for the camera to turn on. This is a non-issue with a full case like cookie provides. I already know one team that is going to be using the TG1 as a backup camera during nationals.

I can't wait to get one of those new cookie boxes.

-Trunk

This is from the local Arizona Republic about Skydive Arizona's Swoop club.

-Trunk

Swoop Club

Sport hones fast-landing skydivers' skills on obstacle course
by Mary Beth Faller - Jul. 18, 2008 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic
When falling 13,000 feet from a plane is no longer exciting, there's always swooping.

Also called canopy piloting, swooping is a skydiving discipline that tests a jumper's accuracy skills. Seconds after jumping, the swooper opens his or her parachute, or canopy, then turns into a rotating dive, picking up speed.

Just feet from the ground, the swooper levels off, skimming along the Earth at 80 mph and entering a course to navigate various challenges. Once through the course, the competitor must stop inside a target.
The sport is difficult even for experienced skydivers. At a recent competition at Skydive Arizona in Eloy, no one in the Swoop Club landed perfectly in the target. But the challenge has a purpose.

"It's difficult and fun, but it also trains people to be more precise and handle obstacles," says Amy Chmelecki, who runs the club at Skydive Arizona and serves as a competition judge. "It works on mental sharpness."

The Swoop Club, first active a few years ago, recently resumed and held a competition June 22. Three more are scheduled through the year.

"The kind of competition we do is geared toward every canopy skill level, and the way the course is set up is to involve everyone, no matter what kind of parachute they use," says Chmelecki, a world-class skydiver who rarely competes in swooping.

"This is geared toward helping their skills and getting them to be safer and more proficient skydivers."

The swoop course at Skydive Arizona is 150 feet long, 35 feet wide and lined with 10-foot-tall markers (flexible poles sporting fabric fins). Swoopers must fly between the markers, kick two teed-up soccer balls and land in the 15-square-foot target painted on the grass.

The courses will be more difficult in the next competitions, with additional soccer balls, including two next to each other so that swoopers have to use both feet. Swoopers also will aim for a smaller triangular target.

No one knows just when the sport was invented, but it likely was about 15 years ago, according to most swooping Web sites, which are informally maintained by enthusiasts. There are several national and world swooping competitions, with some focusing on speed and others on distance. Freestyle competitions involve swooping over water.

A national competition, Swoop Week, will be held in August at a Denver skydiving park featuring a 370-foot-long manmade swoop pond.

Swoopers jump from about 4,500 feet above the ground (rather than 13,000 feet for skydivers) and freefall just five to 10 seconds before pulling their canopies. Canopies evolved as the sport caught on, with the chutes now a rigid, rectangular shape, which is much faster and easier to manipulate. High-performance canopies can cost $3,000.

At the June event, most of the Swoop Club jumpers wore only shorts, T-shirts and sneakers. Jumpsuits are stiflingly hot and create drag, which swoopers dislike.

Shortly after jumping, there's a loud "whoosh" as the swooper turns into the course. The contestant pulls the canopy handles to speed up, slow down or turn. Swoopers use their bodies as well, swiveling hips or raising legs.

Divers jump into the wind, which helps to control the landing. But on this windless day, the still air makes landings more difficult. Nearly everyone goes too fast to stop cleanly inside the target. Most lurch a few steps beyond the box. Some skid on their butts, short of the target, and a few land with enough force to tumble in the grass, bringing laughter from their competitors.

"You're going 80 miles an hour, and you've got about 4 1/2 seconds to stop," says Steve Robertson, 63, of Avondale. "There's a lot of things happening really quickly."

Jumpers often fixate on the first set of markers or soccer ball, and they must train themselves to look at the entire course while falling, Chmelecki says.

Jumpers score two points for hitting a ball and four for landing in the target. Points are deducted should they miss a ball, hit a marker or swoop outside the course, and fail to land in the target. The winners this day - Dusty Smith and Steve Curtis, both instructors at the facility - tied at six points each, tallied through three rounds.

Chmelecki says no one has been injured while swooping at Skydive Arizona. Swooping Web sites report that broken ankles and legs are the most common injuries (and happen often enough to have earned the nickname "femuring"). Swoopers are subject to the same potentially fatal dangers as any skydiver, especially midair collisions.

The best swoopers have done at least 1,000 jumps, Chmelecki says, but even those with as few as 30 jumps can try swooping. The minimum requirement for swooping is a Class A skydiving license.

Paul Hardin, 34, of Gilbert, explains the appeal for him of swooping: "I liked Superman when I was little. This is the closest thing to actual human flying you can get."

On his second jump, Hardin hops a bit short of the target. He pulls his canopy off and heads toward the hangar to repack.

"I lived again."

Here's a few from the past 3 weeks... Way too much talent on these jumps, just the camera guy blows

Check out the not photoshopped, look at the ringsight, kinda trippy huh?

I know the PC120 series used to have a condensation warning. I'm unsure if the HC3 still has those. On the 120, if it noticed condesation, the HYPEYE would flash yellow. Does not add much to the conversation, just addressing the HYPEYE not showing a warning. Wonder if some of the HI guys can chime in, they deal with crazy humidity all the time.

-Trunk

Means you need a device like the HYPEYE D PRO with the A/V Remote (half moon/ D connection) to control the camera.
(Sorry could not resist)

Disclaimer: I profit from the sales of the HYPEYE D PRO

April Gering
Mike Coffee
Jonny
Trunk
Omar
Sara C (German Sara)
Me (Chemi)
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Benji
Ilea

Here is a link to a better copy of the video I've looked it over and the two places to note are when I am looking down on the subjects. In the first video, it drives the stabilizer crazy, on the second its a ton better.

I'm trying to find the video I took with the camera mounted in the center of the helmet, it was not all that bad. Also, I have seen most of Willy Boeykens footage from the AZ Challange where he was using the CX6. I do not notice flutter in any of his videos except for one belly to sit (with wings) transistion. You can notice how much shake my setup has when I am sitflying (Optik with a custom plate and cx7 and XTI mounted on top). This shake added with a burble I believe makes the flutter.

I can post the instructions shortly but please do not sue me if you make your camera a brick. Seriously!

Here are the issues with this mod thus far:
• It will always have error code e62:20. This means the camera has a stabilization failure.
• I’ve also noticed some freaky things when trying to take still pictures with this mod, think it tries to use the stabilization to focus or take multiple scans. Who knows.
• The camera will take a little bit longer to start up.
• There is something funky when your screen has half dark and half light data in it. Presetting the exposure will fix this. I can post this if you guys are curious. I think this only occurs before the camera decides to set the Error code.

I still think an air baffel or enclosure of some sort will help too.

-Trunk

The shake you see afterwards is not from the camera, its literally shake from me. I will try to send the full res. Its a different type of flutter.

-Trunk

Some Before and After Footage. Mind you I have a little shake in my helmet/neck in sitfly.

-Trunk

I know it does not have a wide angle lens adapter, but has anyone jumped this camera yet? The price has gone down. I may just order one and ad-hoc attach a wide angle or fly it straight. Love to hear some feedback.

-Trunk

Trevor,

I actually already glued it but have not had a chance to fly it all week. I am going to give it a shot tomorrow and will let everyone know.

As far as why I said the complicated bit; Getting to the lens assembly and then taking it apart is a challange. There are roughly 15 assemblies, 50+ screws, a flash cell which no matter how careful you are always sneaks up and zaps you, 10 FPC or someother mini connector, then a clean room assembled lens assembly. The lens assembly is optically aligned and tuned in the factory. I went through the back way to get to the stabilization unit and probably tweaked the whole calibration. Once there, the stabiliation unit should probably be laser centered before glueing. I used calibers, but probably off a little. (I did accidently glue the nightshot assembly first, duh )

I've been taking apart/fixing cameras for about 4 years now and had to rebuild the camera 5 times before it worked properly again (of course, I was modifying it, but still...). I did not have the instructions, but I think it will still be tricky and not for the common joe. (sorry joe)

Glad you like the HYPEYE D PRO!

-Trunk

SONY CX12

Looks like its got a manual adjustment for the focus/WhiteBalance/exposure on the side. Only time will tell how it holds up to sitflying since its got what appears like their optical stabilization. 10Mpixel stills. Hopefully you can take more than three while recording.

-Trunk

Finally got the RED video to load... Stunning footage, That scarlett is going to be interesting for our industry. We saw some bleeding on our footage that it appears you guys did not see.

None-the-less, awesome work!

-Trunk

I know Greg was using a neck brace, I can not tell from the pictures if Craig was using one.

Greg has a long history of jumping heavy cameras. If you guys have never seen his Arri footage, its pretty neat. You can see how he tends to deploy with big format cameras. Probably not a recommended style for newbies Arri Flex 235

-Trunk

Cool,

Kinda like this? That was a smart idea to fish that huge pack into the jumpsuit.

Greg Gasson, Omar Alleghan, Chris, oh and then me.

-Trunk

DSE, let me borrow it... I'm enjoying taking cameras apart lately to do research I can measure the current used by the hd... I'm assuming it spining would draw more... hmm there is an idea, just measure the current with it on and off. Should be a good amount less when the hd is not being used.

Hey whole CX7 and only one screw left... not too bad

-Trunk

It would be interesting to see what the reverse pressure then its designed for will do to that housing. Perhaps try it on a hop n pop first. Hey if it works there, then it may be a viable function for bonehead, cookie, etc to start making.

-Mark

toe pick.....

Sorry to hear about loosing your CX7... That blows. I thought I "lost" my CX7 a few times this weekend while I took it apart.

I do not think the rubber would help out that much but did notice how much more my camera helmet was vibrating in a sit with my chinforward vs. back and solid like its supposed to be. (still go back to old methods sometimes ) The rubber may help out when its in a solid position though.

Myself and DSE really think getting the air flow clean around the camera would be the easiest solution but its just a theory until someone proves it. Think flying on your head pretty much proves it.

-Trunk

Here is a picture of the optical stabilization unit in Sony's latest cameras. As you can see, the image is always going through the two lenses. The theory is severe negative air pressure is causing these lenses to become unstable and shake. The two presented solutions are 1) glue these down and unhook the stabilization circuit. 2) Reduce the burble by making the air flow around the camera more laminar (flow smoothly).

#1 is fairly complicated and prone to ruining your camcorder.

#2 May be a simple solution for those mechanical/aerospace engineers out there. This can also be why some people do not see this as much as others.

edit: This is also why taping it just does not work...

BTW: I did not see it bad until I mounted the camera to the side of my new plate bracket. Now its pretty severe. At first I had it mounted in the center on my still camera mount when I did not have a plate on my optik.

Thoughts? Comments...

-Trunk