pilotdave

Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Content

    7,302

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Feedback

    0%

Posts posted by pilotdave

  3. Examples (with varying degrees of editing)...

    16mm:

    [inline 2016-06-04_skydive_cpi_0420-X2.jpg]

    [inline 2016-07-02_skydive_jumptown_0712-X2.jpg]

    [inline 2016-10-16_skydive_cpi_0039-X2.jpg]

    [inline 2016-08-13_skydive_cpi_0389-X2.jpg]

    [inline 2017-02-18_skydive_cpi_0468-X3.jpg]

    10-18:

    [inline 2016-09-17_skydive_cpi_0154-X2.jpg]

    [inline 2016-05-22_skydive_cpi_0462-X2.jpg]

    [inline 2016-05-28_skydive_cpi_0239-X2.jpg]

    Dave

  4. I haven't done exhaustive testing, but I find the Sony 16 2.8 to be a little sharper than the much more expensive, much heavier 10-18. I have both and they're both great lenses, but at least in the center, my 16 is noticeably (although slightly) sharper. I like having the 10-18 for occasional very wide shooting, but the 16 is my choice for just about everything. It's a little disappointing considering the price of the 10-18. I have an a5100 and an a6500.

    Dave

  5. The Ultimate switch works fine with the a5100/6000. I received a bad wire for my Sony and no response from the company, but I was able to track the problem to a bad terminal crimp. I cut the terminals off, stripped the wires, and since I didn't have new terminals I pried them open and crimped them with pliers and soldered them to the wires. Been working fine for a year now. I also bought a cheap wired remote, cut the wires, identified which wire does what, and gave it to a friend to add terminals properly to be prepared when my repair fails.

    The ultimate switch works great. It's really an off the shelf pressure switch that's available much cheaper, but you'd need to supply your own wires and tubing. I've been using the same ultimate switch for 6 years now with few issues. I've had a few issues with wires going bad or coming loose from the switch, but nothing like the failure rates I was getting with tongue switches.

    Dave

  6. dpreguy

    Is there a source for the old movie "The Skydivers" WITHOUT THE WISECRACKING JERKS making stupid comments?

    Black and white movie uh...60's or so



    https://skydivingmovies.org/videos/skydivers.

    If anyone is interested, here's the info for all videos that were on the old SkydivingMovies.com:

    https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/16jZw7ea9WwCwhHAr0xY0UTWZnBfWsunhl9RWD5JTFKU/edit?usp=sharing

    I can't guarantee I'll upload all of them to the new site, and some are in formats that youtube won't accept, but let me know if there are any specific requests.

    Dave

  9. Just look up hard drive docking stations. If you have an eSATA port, I'd recommend using that, but there are USB versions too. I used one until i bought a drobo recently (another great option). I think mine is a thermaltake brand docking station. Works great.

    Dave

  10. It's one thing to throw a camera on with 100 jumps and try to get some cool video and another thing to train for one purpose with proper guidance. I still don't recommend it. But someone repeating the same jump 10 times a day with mentorship may be ready sooner than someone jumping in a less structured environment.

    Currency is very important in my opinion. Someone making 100 jumps a year may not be ready for camera flying well past 200 jumps. 100 jumps within the past 12 months is the bare minimum for shooting tandem video according to UPT, regardless of jump numbers.

    Not sure I've heard your opinion on the subject.

    Dave

  11. Quote

    Get a LiquidSky jump suit and let Julio design it. You will have no regrets.
    I think spending $200 on a jumpsuit is a waste. It sound like you won't wear something cheap and not cute so why bother?
    Go ahead and spend the extra bucks and get something you are going to wear.
    As far as RW or FF you will have to determine that yourself however freeflying in an RW suit with booties won't work. Flying RW in a FF suit is just fine. If you really get into both you will want a specific suit anyway so at this point I would personally recommend a FF suit.



    Not saying I'm right and you're wrong... just different opinions. But...

    I believe the exact opposite of everything you wrote! :)
    Dave

  12. Quote

    They may be lead astray by your information and that is why I started this thread.



    I think I've made my point enough times, but here's one more. What's the risk? Is someone going to be hurt in any way by listening to the USPA recommendation (or DSE's personal recommendation)?

    Don't you think American jumpers with 500 jumps should know they're only half way to qualifying for a tandem rating in NZ? Isn't that good information to have?

    My recommendation of 200 jumps, which is based on what I've seen (you're not the only one entitled to an opinion), applies even in countries that allow people to jump with cameras at 50 jumps. I'd still tell them they should wait until they have at least 200. In the US I'd tell someone looking to get a coach rating with 100 jumps that they should make another 100 before goign for tha rating. Rules and recommendations don't have to match. Just because something is allowed doesn't make it a good idea.

    Do you think 50 jumps is enough for a Canadian jumper that makes under 10 jumps a month? Location has nothing to do with it.

    In the very special case of a "commercial skydiver" making 1000+ jumps a year in a highly controlled environment with close supervision and good mentoring, I have no problem with someone jumping a camera earlier than I'd normally recommend. On the other hand, a hot shot jumper that barely stays current but believes he has enough natural skill to jump a camera at 100 jumps, no way.

    Dave

  13. Quote

    for 600/700$ you could have both a FF and an RW suit :)



    That's what I'd suggest! A $700 jumpsuit right now is a joke. A base model bev RW suit is in the $200 range. I got a custom freak n suit freefly suit for $160 or something a few years ago. I'd add booties to the RW suit and a nice big clown nose to go with the freefly suit and you're still under $700.

    Dave

  14. Quote

    When I called upt they just referred me to their sizing chart which assumes all canopies pack the same size.



    Nope, their sizing chart lists examples of canopies that will fit in each size container. If they only list 7-cell 190s in that size and 9-cell 190s in the next size up, chances are they aren't going to fit. It's likely you can cram a bigger than recommended canopy in any container, but its not, well, recommended. Or fun.

    Dave

  15. Quote

    please read the rules and regulations of your intended location when determining what should and should not be done. Your local dropzone may have thier own guidelines also so the best place to get your infomation is there.



    But for goodness sakes don't pay any attention to recommendations from other places because they don't apply at all! Right?

    Can you tell me what part of the USPA SIM's recommendations regarding camera jumping that you don't agree with? I mean specifically, not just the 200 jumps part.

    Local rules aren't always the best sources of information. Skydivers have a tendency to only learn from what they see with their own eyes. After a Vigil misfire at my DZ, they became extremely unpopular. At least one jumper actually switched to a cypres just for the peace of mind. Reading about it on the internet doesn't have quite the same effect.

    Seatbelts on jump planes is a lesson learned many times in the US. It's rare to find a DZ in the US that's lenient about seatbelt usage. But cross the border and the lesson didn't transfer. Too far from the source?

    Aside from the fact that you guys fall in the wrong direction, the physics of skydiving is the same everywhere. You don't have to follow rules that don't apply to your location, but don't you think it's important to know they exist? Like "have fun, but just realize what you're doing wouldn't be allowed in ____." I think we'll start seeing more of that when it comes to canopy types and sizes, since the US has no rules on that either.

    Dave

  16. I met the guy that leads the organization searching for her. My impression is that every now and then some major new discovery comes out along with a request for more funding. Seems to have kept him employed for a long time. But so far all his theories have been proven wrong. A while back he held a press conference where he announced he had solved the mystery and found solid evidence. Every bit of it was proven wrong later on.

    I used to volunteer at a museum that was restoring the same type of plane as her's. I took some measurements for him to use to scale photographs.

    Dave

  18. Quote

    There is your problem.



    Agreed. We wouldn't need blanket rules if we could make good decisions without them. We've proven otherwise, over and over and over.

    But still, are your DZSOs consistent? If someone is told they can't jump a camera or a small canopy or a wingsuit or whatever at one dropzone, can they just go to the competition that never says no? That's always been the problem when it comes to leaving decisions up to one person. A blanket rule is much easier to manage. And either way, I'd still support a rule against jumping cameras before 200 jumps. I think its more important than ever as cameras get smaller, cheaper, and in the eyes of many newbies, safer.

    Hard to believe there was a day when they had to regulate pull altitudes, now that so many people prefer to pull at 3,500 feet or higher.

    Dave

  19. The US is far less restrictive. There are NO RULES for jump numbers. But RECOMMENDATIONS apply to everybody, everywhere in the world. I'd hope that NZ jumpers with 100 jumps are well aware that the USPA and many, many jumpers all over the world believe 200 jumps is a recommended minimum number of jumps before considering adding a camera. Rule or not, it's important information. You are welcome to disagree with that recommendation, but it's no less valid in kenya as it is in kentucky.

    That thread is not USPA doctrine anyway. It's dropzone.com doctrine. I recommend writing a rebuttal to it if you believe it is wrong.

    Dave

  20. Quote

    One does not need to film 4 way to use a camera.



    That was kind of my point... anyone is allowed to shoot video of anything, no matter the quality. Coaches should be held to a higher standard, like paid video flyers.

    Unfortunately in the US, S&TAs have very little power. If someone jumps a camera at 20 jumps, an S&TA doesn't really have the authority to stop them, unless the DZ chooses to give them that power.

    Recently we're seeing more and more that people can't follow recommendations on their own... canopy size, cameras, etc. Everyone thinks they're better than average, so the recommendations don't really apply to them. I see no benefit to people with under 200 jumps jumping cameras, but we're seeing more and more of them doing it. They rarely take their own skill, currency, or judgment into account. Most that I've seen personally have not read the USPA's recommendations in the first place. That's why I'd support a rule against it. I hope my DZ adopts such a rule in 2011 since I don't think USPA will.

    Dave

  21. I started to reply that coaching takes more mental and physical skill than camera flying, but I started thinking about when I was doing 4-way video for an intermediate team (meaning they move around the sky a whole lot). I flew my butt off, and used every ounce of focus I had to keep them in frame exactly where I wanted. Not that I always succeeded. And keeping my hands out of the frame, not turning my head to look at my altimeter, finding the best light, etc.

    But coaching requires you to be able to fly as needed to observe the student, remember what they did, and figure out what to debrief, without thinking about your own flying. In my opinion, you should be able strap a camera to your head and deal with those distractions before you should be jumping with students. You can be an amateur video guy, but as long as you're getting paid as a coach, you're a pro. There's no excuse for crappy coaching, but crappy video is just fine.

    Dave

  23. "Elliptical" doesn't really mean much. Don't buy anything without speaking about it with someone you trust, like an instructor. Show them the exact ad you're looking at. There are a lot of scams and completely crappy gear for sale out there, and you might not recognize it yet.

    Edit: I got my license at the same DZ... lots of great instructors there to talk to!

    Dave

  24. Quote

    When do you think it is appropriate to be a coach?

    Do you think it take more or less skill an judgment to be coaching people or filming them?



    Hate to change the subject, but 200 jumps sounds about right to me, based on my experience. Though I had more like 700 when I got my coach rating. I'd completely support upping the coach rating requirements... I think 100 is ridiculously low, and I think it's insane to let someone jump with a student that you wouldn't let jump solo with a camera. I think USPA has it wrong... bigtime. The difference is that a coach course exists. Theoretically, nobody that doesn't have the skills should get the rating. But I haven't seen anyone fail yet.

    Dave

  25. Quote

    thanks for the tips, I ordered a canon T2i with standard lens and an EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III



    That'll work great. The 70-300 IS (the $500-something one, not the $1600 one) is a little bit nicer, but I bet she'll be happy with the 75-300. Hopefully you also got the 18-55 that sometimes comes with the T2i? The 75-300 is fine for taking pictures of landings, but won't do much good indoors at birthday parties or whatever. If not, a decent wider zoom lens can be next year's birthday present. :)
    Dave