lilchief

check their website this week. I was told an update would come during this week. "Once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been and there you long to return." - Da Vinci www.lilchief.no

I belive that we'll see some new rig designs in the next years that will adress the issue of smaller packvolume mains and reservse... ...can't wait! "Once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been and there you long to return." - Da Vinci www.lilchief.no

The seven sounds interresting. But how would this expo compete with PIA? Seems much nicer to have it at a DZ close to the the factories then in a casino. You may see, fell talk with the different mfg and maybe try it out there and then. It also seemd to attract more civilian brands then at the PIA. Plus...Florida has several nice DZ' with facilities close by and mostly good wather. Why not?

personal experience: Get Carbon! whatever brand..get carbon! Rawa, Gath and any other slim-fit-low-profile-super-light weight helmet is nice to wear, maybe cheap, but it won't help you at all when you mess up your landing. Gath is made for surfers to protect them from coral cuts. Here's some background info as to why I'm against anything other then carbon. http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=3635255;page=unread#unread http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=3648817;page=unread#unread The best thing is to get a CE certified skihelmet and tape the goggle attachment to prevent snagging. Sweet and Bollé are two european brands that have that certification. Maybe there are some US models out there who also have the same certification. There is also the possibility to fit dytters in a Sweet helmet. As mentioned in an previous post, don't rush into camera helmet at this point. focus on just having fun and jump and get on video. Because when you get the cam on your head, everybody wants to jump with you just to get on video, but you'll never se yourself on video again hehe =P When you get 200 jumps-ish you'll be more experienced to make a good and qulifeid decision. And with the GoPro HeroHD you may easyly attach it to a skihelemt without any screws. "Once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been and there you long to return." - Da Vinci www.lilchief.no

YES!

... and goggles. People still WEAR those?! yeah...and we've put our belly dwarts as pillows back home and put the reserve on the back. today's rigs are called piggybacks, with square reserves!! ..haven't you heared? ...*runningaway* "Once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been and there you long to return." - Da Vinci www.lilchief.no

where's the pic of the pie??? "Once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been and there you long to return." - Da Vinci www.lilchief.no

I use a 15mm prime, much better then 28. 28 on a 1.6x crop format DLSR will be equal to the center portion of what you see with your eyes. Very much like a 50mm on a fullframe body(Canon 1D, 5D, and Nikon D3, D700). Read this thread here: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=3225357#3225357 there you'll see some shots taken with a kitlens at 18mm. as for the lens, I higly recomend you to get something with a focal length between 10-22 for normal skydiving. 15mm preferably ;) as for settings..um.. My standard is: ISO: 100 apperatur: f7.1 shutter 500 or 640 fokusdistande 2m Full manual. But as phreezone mentioned, it's all about the conditions for what you may do, like and prefer. Whenever we jump through clouds, I choose Tv or Av-mode, with AF, bu may also choose manual focus, but thats risktaking. I found out that I had problems with my AF on my 40D and Sigma 15mm. I've kind of concluded with that it may be the lens, and will be upgrading(with the 4th time... =/ ) to a canon 15mm to get sharper glass. f22 is HIIIIIIIGH! "Once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been and there you long to return." - Da Vinci www.lilchief.no

maybe a dumb question, but isn't there a possibillity to redesign original parts in AUTO-Cad/SolidWorks or similar, and have it made in a CNC machine with good high quality steel? Or is it that how it's done, but it's very pricy? "Once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been and there you long to return." - Da Vinci www.lilchief.no

[reply I'll open a new threat on the mPOD in the rigging forum...

Well it depends on which prime we are talking about... . Yes, I knew I was stepping into a mindfield when saying that. I haven't checked small details like the MTF charts on many lenses, so my statement was made with a generalisation.

I've got to be honest...I'd rather buy a 8mm f3.5 and a 15mm f2.8 then the 8-16mm f3.5-5.6. But that's because: 1) I like to have my stuff working at low light conditions and 5.6 vs 2.8 is 2 full stops of light difference 2) The lens will be mostly used on either 8 og 16mm anyways 3) Prime's have better optical performance compares to zoom lenses ....buuuut..looking from a fun perspective and considering that the photard want one lens for all purposes, takes pictures only when there's a lot of light and got a camera with good ISO performance...why not "Once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been and there you long to return." - Da Vinci www.lilchief.no

It commonly known that going from a lightly loaded spectre to elliptical isn't a good idea. However, I'd recommend you to borrow a sabre2/safire2/pilot 170 and get the feel of it. If you find it edgy and that you just manage to handle it, stay there and don't progress any further yet. If you find it not that big of a difference, then try an elliptical. Again, see if you may borrow it at you local DZ. If yo're able to handle it and you want one, go for it. If you're not able to fly it safely and in pattern and land it without any problems, take one step back. There's no shame taking one step back..! As long as you stay in the sport and jump regularly and that you're open for new ideas and knowlegde, you'll sooner or later progress further and may downsize again. But when trying the out, pull at...6000f minimum to let you play with the canopy. Practice flare and get a feel on how the canopy is behaving with YOU under it. No one is learning a new canopy from 3 grand after a FF/FS/what-not jump. Best of all..gather a lot of info here @dz.com, and ask one of the instructors at your DZ that you trust(who is neither to radical or conservative). See what that person tells based on how you've been flying previously on your spectre. If someone approached me at my DZ with the same question, I'd say go for an elliptical and not to worry. BUT..that only applies if that person is doing a hop'n pop from full altitude or pulling high, above 6 grand. Remember that all the advice given here are based on theories and what's "commonly" seen at DZ's. The feedback we may give you here is not adequate, IMO, compared to someone who have seen you land your old parachute. Also, have a rigger help you out with the new canopy so you don't get ripped off. Good luck!

Nice!

Like this? =) I had to search youtube to see where it was and how the effect would be But the picture got a lot better! =) Phreezone: if you look 2" to the left and down from her left knee there's some lensflare..or that's what I would describe as lens flare. edit: Sigma 15mm f2.8 with f11(and 1/640+ISO 400) "Once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been and there you long to return." - Da Vinci www.lilchief.no

any1 knows how to fix lensflare in PS or lightroom? "Once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been and there you long to return." - Da Vinci www.lilchief.no

oocustom paint job. Nice..got he $$ for it? I had my Sidewinder repainted and I started off with a very fine sandpaper. It removed old paint, decals and got a nice surface that the new paint would attach to. Then I had a friend of mine getting me some carpaint cheap, which is nice. But then I need a thinner, primer and what not...AND a guy to do it for me. It ended up getting pretty expensive, but nice. Worth it..nee sort of =P Moral..fine sandpaper does the job! =) Post a pic when it's done! "Once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been and there you long to return." - Da Vinci www.lilchief.no

I've searched and searched for a post that mentioned some person calling from the Persian Gulf(Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar or Dubai) to a US dealer a couple of years ago. The person was going to set up a DZ and wanted 40 to order 40 rental rig...all with VX canopies. Out of pure curiosity, what was the end of that tale? Did he order anything at all? I hope the dealer that told the story could post it here, or PM me.

We have 10 techno 240 for our studentgear with several reserverides...no one ever had issues. Stay with it to save money for jumping

I was visiting two photo stores where I live to find macrolenses for a photo fraternity at my college. We found that the Tamron 60mm f2.0 and 90mm f2.8 were very good choices. That's when purchasing macro on budget. The Sigma 150mm f2.8 is also well renowed from what I've understood. browse through a couple of photography forums, get a feel and then go and try them out. If you're close to NY city, stop by BH. Even though they try to sell you everything, they have great customer service and everything..and you get to try it out in the store.

Try smoking it. I guarantee you that the smell will disapear "Once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been and there you long to return." - Da Vinci www.lilchief.no

..good for skydiving http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ModelInfoAct&fcategoryid=139&modelid=19943 "Once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been and there you long to return." - Da Vinci www.lilchief.no

my 2 cents: A tandem passanger can't tell the difference and a XT(350D?) is plenty. However, I'd recomennd to upgrade to a XS(400D?) or XSi mainly for the sensorcleaning and a littlebit better imagequality. As mentioned, get a better lens, it has 3 times more to do with quality then the camerabody(or more precisly the image sensor). Canon or Sigma 15mm f2.8 would be my recommendation since I've seen the use of the Canon and I own a Sigma my self. Tamron and others might work well, but I haven't tried them yet. CX100 is also a very good option since the 110 or 150 only have small advantages, and I consider them not to be necessary. I'm upgrading my setup for the summer as well, since a PC350 and a Canon 40D is very heavy, and I fractured my neck last summer. My new set up will be a 400D or 450D (since I'm in Europe) with my Sigma 15mm f2.8, and a CX100. Both with double batteries and double memorycards. Both lightweight and the deliver the goods. And they'll stay on the helmet at all times, except from some shots where I'll bring my 7D or a 5D MkII(planning on buying one for groundwork). But that's just when there's something special. Once again, tandempassangers won't tell the difference between a 400D and a 7D, but they might see the difference between an EF-S lens and USM equipped lens. Hardly anyone prints larger then typical photoprint from the normal photostore. I had one customer asking for RAW, an that's only because I learned that he was a photgrapher and I had time to transer the files afterwards. Also, consider used. if you search long enough, you'll allways get one of the really good deals. I might upgrade to a Canon f2.8 USM since I find it perform better then the Sigma, but that's because I'll be using it for ground photo as well. "Once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been and there you long to return." - Da Vinci www.lilchief.no

I'll chip in my 2 cents and experience: I started last year with a 350D and it performed well. And like you, I also wanted to upgrade due to ground photo. So I sold my 350 this summer and got a 40D. I managed to do 10 jumps in a day with the 40D and a PC350, but after jumping my neck was exhausted. I had an accident last July, where I broke my neck and I'm therefore even more concerned about adding weight on my head. Even though the doc's and physio's says I'm fine. But before my accident I was thinking of getting a entry level DSLR to use for TV. Honestly..the customers can't tell if you're using a 350D or a 7D. But If you tell them, then they will demand the best without paying for it, and they will moan for getting the cheap camera. But if a customer is a photographer and I've got time, I'll ask if he wants the pictures in RAW or JPEG so he may play with them. I might even use my 7D or a 5D MkII, but only if there's time. I'll change my setup for this summer to a CX105(or CX350/CX550) and a 400D/450D. But if there's a jump where I'll only jump to get a great shot, I'll set up my 7D or 5D MkII. But that's only for that specific jump, and not my ordinary TV jumping. There I'll use light weight 400/450D and a CX105 or equivalent My recommendation for you: If you're getting into tandem video staff, keep the 350 until it breaks, then get a 400/450D and buy a different body for ground photo. If not, get a 40D or 50D. If it's only for 2-3 jumps a day, I wouldn't worry about it. "Once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been and there you long to return." - Da Vinci www.lilchief.no