Clarkey

dragon2 is right - i use a 2KC helmet and the focus ring is inside the box with just the waycool lens sticking outside, so I've never had to worry about knocking the focus! it's in autofocus mode that the focus ring is inactive...

If you follow Snafuhere's method, once you have hit the 'fix focus' button, you can then select any of the auto settings modes (Beach/Ski, Landscape etc) as normal. You won't need to secure the manual focus ring as it is inactive in fix focus mode, just tape over the night shot switch as mentioned!

Depending how much I'm taking, I usually just take cash with me to the US. Pre-order through www.travelex.co.uk and you pick it up at the airport you're flying out from. You will lock in the exchange rate at the time of the purchase, and they're usually very competitive. £1 = $1.8037 at the moment with no commission. I think you need to pre-order at least 2 days ahead, and it's a lot better rate than buying from the banks or the counters at the airport.

You can remove the chunky swivel point fairly easily by removing the 2 screws on the back of it (from the inside of the tape loading door). That was enough to make mine fit in my 2K helmet comfortably, and it's not too difficult to put back on if I need it for normal stuff. I believe you can get to the screws at the other end of the strap, but you will need a small screwdriver with a flexible shaft - it is a bitch though so I've left that end connected on mine as the strap fits quite snug in the helmet without the swivel point.

I jump a 300D with the 18-55mm kit lens. Haven't used it on paid-for tandems, but it works well enough for mates doing tandems, fun jumps and from above a 4-way at a filming distance... An 18mm on the 300D translates to the equivalent of a 28.8mm on non-digital (1.6 multiplication factor between digital & non-digital) so essentially the wide end of your lens would be roughly the same as what people are getting from the 18-55 on the digi... A lot of people doing professional work on tandems are using a 15mm fisheye with the 300D, which translates to about 24mm on the 300V so you wouldn't be far off and it would probably be fine for learning on, but I'd imagine you'd probably want to go a touch wider when you've got the experience to get in super close for that 'money-shot'!

Hi Rob - Don't cut the strap off yet as Steve at 2K will most likely be able to help... On my 330 he managed to remove the bulky swivel point without damaging anything, so at least it's all still intact in case I need to do any normal stuff with it. If you still need to get your reserve re-packed, Hinton is only a 15-20 mins drive from 2K

Seeing as the 75-300 is £120 on it's own, the £220 bundle is definitely a good deal... Park Cameras seem to be really good on the digital bundles, but not so many deals available on the non-digital side. I did have a quick search for 300V on the Jessops' site before I replied to you the first time and couldn't find a deal that comes close to the one you mention, unless it's a store-only promo or price match. Happy shopping!

Hi Bigway - Park Cameras (usually very good for comparing prices in the UK) have the body for £139.99 http://www.parkcameras.com/cameras/slrcameras/canon.htm What make are the lenses in the package you're looking at? It does look like you're getting a good deal... Cheers - Clarkey

Some useful info here: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=1268512

Side Mount: PC330. I like the 350 as well, but in general I am happy to take the slightly heavier 330 so that the firewire & A/V connections are on-board (rather than via the docking station) Top Mount: HC1000... 3 Chip Quality!

Also check out: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=1192350

Pictures...!

Here's a view of the same system used on 2K's Azimuth which is similar in size to the Flat Top Pro.

Just to back up what mr2mk1g is saying, it's a 2-ring system (see photo), and I have had similar success during our wonderful British weather hold fun!! Also, the cutaway handle is not as obtrusive as it looks from the photo as it sits just under your chin pretty much out of the way. It's a very comfortable and versatile helmet.

Sebastian has fantastic views... but for something that only happens a couple of times a year, check out Kenya: Kenya Boogie Jump run over the reef in a Twin Otter, followed by a beach landing on every jump - then drop your rig off with a packer and go for a dip in the Indian Ocean while you wait for your next load! You can also do your AFF there...

Can't comment on the Rawa, but I jump with 2k's Carbon Fibre FF2 with a PC330. The 330 is one of the larger PC models and it fits in there fine. The location of the metal mount and the position of the mount-screw is tailored for the camera type. Also, different arrangements of foam padding and spacers are used inside the housing to get a tight but comfortable fit for the specific camera. I'm lucky as I live about 10 miles from 2k, but it should be a relatively easy job to adjust for a slightly different sized camera yourself. If the L-Bracket was completely wrong for the new camera, at least you could order a new one separately.

I purchased my PC-330 from AJ Electronics - very competitive prices on a good range of kit. They also have a store in Edgware Road, London or you can order by 'phone, but it's cheaper online. AJ Electronics

These are 4 pretty good sites for shops based in the UK that I cross-check most prices against. I only have experience of dealing with the first 2 listed below (both good): £349.99 - Park Cameras £299.00 - Bristol Cameras £314.99 - Foto Sense £314.99 - College Cameras Let me know if you find cheaper! Or just get a mate to bring you one back from the U.S if you know anyone going over anytime soon!

Hi Grant! It's been a while since I spoke to you last, but I'm still having great fun & getting decent results with my Red & Blue Eye lenses!! I've recently started jumping with a Rebel, and at present I'm just using the basic kit lens, but have been doing quite a bit of research on fixed lenses and it seems that value-for-money wise a lot of guys are getting good use out of the Sigma 15mm Fish-Eye on Digi Canons... because of the 1.6 conversion factor for digital, the Fish Eye distortion is not that prevalent because not all the lens is being used by the digital sensor (if I understand it correctly), so what you're left with is a good solid wide angle frame without much distortion at all. Check out this thread I'm sure you'll get more experience-related answers when the U.S guys start waking up, but just thought I'd pass on what I've picked up on!! Cheers - Nick

Better to feel stupid here rather than on final approach on that 150! Seriously though, if you've been jumping 270's so far, you'd be wise to try and jump on a couple of canopies with sizes in between the 270 and what you end up buying. I won't make any recommendations on size as I'm not an instructor and I haven't seen your canopy handling - but if say you end up buying a 190 or 170 (that both you and your instructor are confident in your abilities on), it would make the transition a little less intimidating if you could put at least a few jumps on something in the 220 - 240 range.

Hi Brodes, Not sure if your profile is up to date, but it says you've been jumping a 270 sq ft canopy at a wing loading of 0.65. This would suggest you have an exit weight of 175 pounds which would put you on a 1.17 W/L on a 150 sq ft canopy, not a 0.85 W/L (I think when you calculated the new W/L you did sq ft divided by weight when you should calculate it the other way round). A 1.17 W/L with your current experience would almost definitely be more aggressive than you should be considering at this stage. You will find some really useful information here on the PD website on Wing Loadings and some common misconceptions about lighter jumpers (Follow link below). PD Website Clarkey.

In full size, the 330 captures at 2016 x 1512. EricTheRed mentioned earlier that you can't take photo's whilst filming - you can, but they are taken at the smaller size (640 x 480) and you need to be in a 'standard' mode. You can't do this if you are filming in Widescreen, Progressive, Smooth Interval or when mixing footage with what is on the card already (overlap/mix). The stills really are pretty good, but I haven't really compared it to any photo's from a 3Mp stills camera though as I use a Digi Rebel, but if you PM me your email, I can send you a couple of samples taken on the 330 at Fine/Large.

No worries! Just remember that on the 350 you won't be able to swap footage via firewire on that ride back to the airport (unless you carry the docking station with you!)

Hi Terry, I use a 330 and can only say good things about it so far - I use Waycool's lenses with it and get great quality from this combination. Just a quick mention on the 350 which you said you were also considering - as far as I know the guts of these 2 camera's are essentially the same, but all of the input/output connections on the 350 have been moved off the camera onto a docking station to make the camera smaller... which may be just perfect for what you're looking for (i.e. quality of a 330 in a smaller size) - but it could be a real PITA if you wanted to download/upload footage between jumps. On the 330, the Firewire & USB is on the front, so it's real easy to transfer footage to a laptop/camera whilst hooked up to the helmet. If you're filming for fun you'll most likely be doing this often! As mentioned in a previous post, the 330's A/V port is on the right (and is the 10-pin s-VHS style) so if you have a left-mounted helmet, downloading to VHS between jumps can become tiresome. If you were determined to leave your camera in the helmet tho', you could panel-mount some standard A/V yellow/red/white sockets on your helmet and leave the PITA 10-pin plug connected! If as you say the most important thing is size/weight, you might want to consider the new HC series by Sony also, but you'll probably get a very good price on the 330 right now as I don't believe Sony list it on the web any longer. Cheers - Clarkey

Some extra info on easyJet who I have flown with to Barcelona for Empuria... their extra sports allowance is 10kg on top of the usual 20kg (with no extra charge, subject to available space) - I've never had a problem claiming this free extra allowance at either end (I usually check in my rig in a trolley bag that I use for my rig and lead which comes to about 10kg in total) - but the latest news from easyJet is even better: Quote: "easyJet today announces another pioneering development by introducing Europe's most generous hand baggage allowance. It will be better than that offered by any other airline in Europe - even the Club Class allowances of the dinosaur national airlines! From Monday 12 July 2004 easyJet is removing the weight restriction on hand baggage for all passengers. The only stipulation is that you must be able to lift your bag safely into the overhead lockers yourself without assistance (or giving yourself a hernia!), so the weight must be within reason. In order to comply with safety regulations of the UK Civil Aviation Authority, and to reflect the limited space in the overhead storage bins, there will be a size limit, which means that your bag must not be bigger than 55x40x20 cm - but this is 40% bigger than the current allowance! Our fantastic new hand baggage rules will give passengers the freedom to carry more than they can on the Club Class of traditional airlines - but without the extortionate fares! This new allowance will be particularly attractive to easyJet's many business passengers who already fly with Europe's number one low-cost airline, benefiting from conveniently located city airports (not airstrips miles away), 30 minute check-in times, high-frequency routes, great punctuality, and some of Europe's lowest fares!" Taken from: http://easyjet.co.uk/EN/news/20040705_01.html