LukeH

i didn't mean barometric altitude. a standard GPS (without barometric alti.) can show elevation as well at Lat & Lon. perhaps your model or the software you are using with it doesn't support exporting Elevation data.

any reason the KML file is missing the elevation data?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uf4k8BUa_hg&search=top%20gear

try this one http://www.jet-man.com/

the required Glide Ratio would depend on how high above the ground you are prepared to open i think it's about 2:1 if you open around 150m but i could be talking shite.

I also own a RebelXT. I use it on the ground more than in the air. I've played with the 20D, and for use on the ground it's MUCH nicer, nicer to hold, nicer controls. However the picture quality is about the same. I haven't played with the 30D, but it looks like a nice update to the 20D. I choose the XT because of it's smaller size, weight and cost. It's not bad on the ground just not as nice as the others, but it's a trade off i'm happy with for now. I think a lot of the benefits of the 20D/30D are lost in the air. People will jump in and yell about the faster frame rate and larger buffer, but i'm not into firing off as many shots as possible in the hope that I get something decent. The 20D/30D have a Magnesium body, the XT is some sort of plastic. The 20D/30Ds shutter has a longer life, so they are a more durable camera too. Would I take the upgrade? ... if it was free ... i'd probably go for a 30D and deal with the extra weight, but if you are not really into Photography in general you don't need the extra weight and size in freefall. Here is a comparison between XT and 20D http://www.bobatkins.com/photography/digital/eos_digital_rebel_xt_vs_20d.html Edited to add, you will need to modify your remote switch to work with the 20/30D. You can buy a cheapo remote from Ebay, cut the cable off it and splice it onto your existing switch.

--Bump--

A dot on the goggles works reasonably well when using wide angle lenses and flying close to the subject. Misalignment of a few degrees in this type of use generally isn't noticed. However if you put a longer lens, say 50mm (which is 80mm when you take a 1.6 crop factor into account) you have to fly much further away and therefore be much more precise with your aiming. The required accuracy would be quite difficult to achieve with a dot on the goggles, you would be better off with a Newton Cross or Concentric Ring sight.

it look ok here, perhaps your web-browser is shrinking the image to fit it on screen without scrolling? if you hover over the image you may get an option to switch it back to normal size.

If you mean this one: Sigma Super Wide Angle 14mm f/2.8 EX Aspherical I met a guy jumping one in Spain and he is getting nice results. It is expensive heavy glass!

None taken. I've been experimenting with various setting on my 350D. For bright conditions the following seems to work fairly well: ISO 100 Tv 1/500th Full frame metering Manual Focus You can also try Av f9 but if it gets dark you'll get a slow shutter speed

Yes I have jumped stills (my profile is for BASE), what I actually said was "The extra weight over the Fixed 15mm is insignificant" According to the specs is .04lbs that is about 20 grams. If that is significant for you then the Canon 15mm is .08lbs lighter again. At ISO 400, you are likely to get noticeable noise. ISO 100-200 is sufficient for normal daylight conditions. You should be getting a higher shutter speed and smaller aperture than you are getting, something is wrong with those figures (are you using sports mode?). A shutter speed of 1/320 - 1/500 is plenty fast enough to stop motion in normal skydiving, especially when you are sitting in front of a tandem. Increasing the aperture is going to decrease your depth of field, reducing the likelihood of the subject being in focus if you are using manual focus. Anyone can quote an experts option to support their view. If you are happy with the views you have already gotten then why ask here?(Rhetorical question) I still say the Canon lens is worth the extra few bucks. You don’t have to look far to find that the support from Sigma is not very good. I'm not saying you choice isn't the best for you, just giving some feedback on some of your comments, sounds like you had decided on the Sigma 15mm before you first posted and were looking for reassurances. I’m sure you’ll be happy with whatever lens you buy.

Which wide angle lens(es) do you use for freefall photography with a Canon DSLR, and which camera do you use it with? If you are lucky enough to have a full frame Canon DSLR please state so in your post. What disiplines do you use them with? Any Pros or Cons for the lens?

There are a number of factors that should be considered: 1) Is fisheye ok or not? 2) Is fixed focal length ok or do you need zoom? 3) Weight 4) Cost I think max aperture is a bit of a red herring, as you are unlikely to want a very large aperture for general freefall photos. You will usually be aiming for f8-f10. It is actually quite hard to get a larger aperture than f3.5 on a bright day without using neutral density filters - even with a shutter speed of 1/4000th. Here is a list of the most commonly used wide angle lenses on Digital SLRs for skydiving, their weight and their cost from B&H (imports can be cheaper) this list excludes the kit lens: ---Fixed-Fisheye Sigma Fisheye 15mm f/2.8 .81lbs $499 Canon Fisheye EF 15mm f/2.8 .73lbs $579.95 (Before $35 Rebate) Zenitar 16/2.8 fisheye .6lbs $120-$150 (not available from B&H) ---Fixed-Aspherical Sigma Super Wide Angle 14mm f/2.8 EX 1.44lbs $899 ---Zoom Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM .85lbs $689.95 Sigma Zoom Super Wide Angle 10-20mm f/4-5.6 1.03lbs $499 I would recommend the Canon 15 over the Sigma 15, I doubt you can tell if the quality is the same by looking at the lenses. I use the Canon EF-S 10-22 and really like it. I've used it at 12, 14, 17 & 22 and really like being able to change between them. The extra weight over the Fixed 15mm is insignificant, the smaller max aperture is not important for freefall. Your deciding factor should be is the extra cost ($75 - $155 if you use the rebate) worth it for flexible focal length and no fisheye? For me it was but I also use the lens on the ground and when I bought I got Triple rebates

hey kris i'm sure your better style and form will set us apart here are some pictures i took on the warm up to the PF weekend...

yeah, cool shot. not only are we all flying right out the door but the lower 4 are already in their asigned slots! thanks to james for organising and to everyone who was there for some cool jumps.

The weather was great today, and one of the Porter pilots likes to play David is leaving for a couple of days, but i'll be here.

i guess i didn't explain it very well. here is a quote from the V1 Manual. Perhaps you can find a female to read it for you and tell you what it says -From Appendix C: Using the leg pouch deployment system "Velcro Considerations: The hook Velcro that runs the length of the pilot chute pouch on the wingsuit will most likely run up behind the back pad on the container. After deployment this will rub against the back pad of the container and eventually cause damage to the back pad. To alleviate this problem, get a piece of Velcro to mate the section that will come in contact with your back pad."

Not sure which suit you are using, but PF supply a piece of loop velcro for you to cover any hook velcro that may be behind your rig after the shrivel sleeve has detached from the pouch. It's mentioned in the V1 manual http://www.phoenix-fly.com/articles%20stvari/V1_usermanual_1.1.pdf . Perhaps you could use the same method for a different suit, I'm guessing the pouches are similar.

Hey Faber, I have a 350D and a Sony PC101 with a .45 Way Cool lense. As you probably know the numbers don't mean very much, the same number from different lens manufacturers gives a different result. E.g. many people say that a Sony .6 is similar to a Waycool .45 That aside i think that 10mm will be way too wide to match up with your video lens, I'd guess around 20mm would be close. I use the Canon EF-S 10-22mm Zoom. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=351542&is=USA&addedTroughType=search Quite a few people use it for skydiving with good results. Sigma make a similar lense 10-20mm that's a bit cheaper. A friend of mine has the Sigma but I haven't heard how it's working for him yet. The Zoom lens is a bit longer (physically) than say a fixed Sigma 15mm but only 15g heavier and not much more expensive. I really like mine, it doesn't distort the image like the Fisheye lenses either. C-ya

what a deal! now if they would only offer 20% of their overpriced hardware i'd almost be tempted to buy a Mac!

a few people are using small Panasonic 3CCD cameras for skydiving and BASE (not sure which models). they seem to hold up to the task and the picture quality is great. as for getting a box for it, i doubt there are any made specifically for that model. you could try topmounting it with a stroboframe or something similar. check what size the filter thread is, and the usualy wide-angle lenses with that size thread will probably fit. it doesn't HAVE to be sony! although sony would probably be my first choice.... now that you already have the Panasonic don't be put off by the "only sony" brigade....

Do a search and you'll find plenty of info on suggested settings. But for a start use Tv mode with a shutter speed of around 1/500. You could also try Manual Focus set close to infinity (test the focus on the ground first).

that is what i was wondering because $95 dollars seems a bit pricey. there is an application available for PowerShot Cameras, the Author is supposed to be releasing an EOS version "Early 2006" http://www.granitebaysoftware.com/Default.aspx i haven't found anything else yet, but i'm working my way through SourceForde at the moment.

are you talking about DSLR Remote Pro? http://www.breezesys.com/DSLRRemotePro/index.htm or something different?