guscabana

Hi all, my gallery is up: http://www.guscabana.com/Galerias/200way/index.html Enjoy, Gustavo

exactly, I think the Century 0.55 is perfect for jumping the new Sony cameras, their wider angle make them much more useful than before...

I been following the trend of using dslr's for serious video work, and there's a cameraman who I think was the first to shoot an skydiving record with only 2 photo cams. Was during the brazilian record 82 way, last april in AZ and the photographer is Rick Neves, an artist and a great guy. He mounts one on top and one on the front, uses manual mode and has a demo: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4tIuMH8UzM Dual cams making cinematography affordable, like Bruno says: now is only the talent what's matter...like in his "Fun Jumper" video, also with the Mark 2, and an HC5 for the aerial parts: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLcN7nsWwwU Or the Babylon guys shooting the freefall scenes of a big action motion picture: "Largo Winch 2", with... what else?: a mark 2 (and also a 7d), and instead of using one camera flyer with a huge 35 mm cam they just use 3 with dslr's... Another great example is a freediving/base video which blows my mind, shoot with the 5d in only 4 dives: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQITWbAaDx0 Some time ago I saw "El secreto de sus ojos" an argentinian movie winner of an Oscar ("The Secret in Their Eyes" Best Foreign Language Film of the Year 2010), very nice, and in the "making of" I found out they used Red cams...which allow them to run and jump handholding the camera, and spend a full day doing the crucial scene dozens of times, and just let the camera operators shoot it the way they please and feel, like a documentary... no film to waste and with instant review, a dream just a few years ago... I think what is nice is the possibility to use all the lenses we have for stills, to give us different and very high quality views, instead of the wideangle adaptors we allways use...

I didn't see any sample video, and the camera is not yet available. It has: 1920 x 1080 (24p): 24 fps (23.976 fps) 1280 x 720 (30p): 30 fps (29.97 fps) 1280 x 720 (25p): 25 fps 1280 x 720 (24p): 24 fps (23.976 fps) But what is really new is they autofocus in video mode! I think thats a first, isn't it? and you can choose between: Face-priority AF Wide-area AF Normal-area AF Subject-tracking AF Lets see if they fixed the jelly effect and the exposure adjustment. If they put this specs in their lowest cameras, what the middle and top ones will bring... exciting!

Finally Nikon came with a good, small and cheap dslr, ready to jump. Nikon D3100: -14,2 megapixels. -3 frames/sec in raw & jpeg fine. -3200 ISO. -HD Video 1920 x 1080 (24p) .mov -Shutter release connector! Remote cord: MC-DC2. -Hdmi out. -3 inch screen. -Body only 16 oz. (455g). -With a 18-55mm (27-82 equiv) vibration reduction lens for $700. Thats it, put a Nikkor 10.5 or 16 mm and you're set! http://nikonusa.com/Find-Your-Nikon/Product/Digital-SLR/25472/D3100.html#tab-ProductDetail.ProductTabs.TechSpecs

I test my CX150 with several lenses around the dz and find out something interesting: Almost all lenses vignettes on this camera. I tried Opteka and Century 0.3 (with the hood on, without is fine), a Royal 0.3 (30mm without step ring), an Opteka 0,43. The Raynox O.3 is fine. The really good news is now the Century 0.55 is perfect, is much wider than before (with the CX100). Almost as wide as the 16mm in my Nikon (no full frame), is like a 19mm (in a 35mm camera). I think is a perfect combination of size and quality. I know the Raynox 0.3 is good but the size is ridiculous with this camera. Im afraid we gonna start to see vignetting again on videos...(unless everybody remember they can use the zoom button ) For hand cam use is gonna be a problem, no small fish eye lens available...anyway F..k the hand cams!!! Gustavo

Over the years I learned to use only original batteries, a friend almost got his house on fire because of one cheap battery from ebay... I would get the new model from the CX150: NP-FV50 almost the same size than the NP-FH50 in the CX100, but more power: 1030 mAh vs 900 http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/671673-REG/Sony_NPFV50_NP_FV50_InfoLITHIUM_V_Series.html http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/479441-REG/Sony_NPFH50_NP_FH50_H_Series_Info_Lithium.html#specifications

forget about it... and get the CX150/155

I have both. CX150 for air, CX500 for underwater. Why use a bigger, heavier and more expensive camera for freefall? the quality on both are great.

like an infectious disease...

Scary future, isn't it?... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLcN7nsWwwU

I bought my first slr in 1982 when I start study photography. A Canon AE1 with a 50 mm f1.8 lens, a popular and affordable set up of that era, but I can't stop admiring my teacher lovely Nikon F3. In 1991 I start skydiving photography with a Canon P&S, modified with the shutter cables sticking out, which gives me some good results. When I was ready to invest, finally I got a Nikon N2000, a real workhorse I jumped for 13 years! with a Nikkor 28mm f2.8, a jewel of lens, with which I took almost all my pics until I start with digital in 2002, with a D100, the first affordable Nikon dslr (2000u$s!!!). Soon I found out the need to shoot in raw and this camera has an small buffer. Then, I don't have another option but to buy the brick: the D1x for the FS WR in 2004. Then got the D70, D2x, D40x, D80, D300 & D90. The beginnings in digital with Nikon were hard, resolution wasn't there, and people switching to Canon in band. That's was good in part because I got very good deals in used lenses :-) With the D80 I start to be happy (and finally left my medium format in the ground). I still have some envy of Canon resolution, but I like better the Nikon colors, the ergonomics and feel of the bodies, and the 10.5 & the 16 mm are excellent fisheye lenses, and very good reasons to use Nikon. Is funny: when Nikon finally surpassed Canon in sensitivity with the D3 (some pros switch back just for this camera), and in resolution with the D3x (24 mpxs), Canon kicked Nikon's ass again with the new thing of HD video in a photo camera... amazing times! Gustavo Pd. by the way: Nikonista is in spanish, Nikonian is in english

thats the thing, I only need to switch the output to pal or ntsc depending where I need to download the video for debrief (analog to a dvd recorder). I don't have a Xacti, just know a friend who do that, maybe he don't even know about the 25/30 fps stuff...

Hi Gary, interesting find... anyone willing to try this? would be nice to be able to switch systems when crossing the pond... At the end the AVCHD format is the same? the difference is just the analog output? I know with the Xacti and some pro Sony cams you can choose record in pal or ntsc... Thxs, Gustavo

There's not right or wrong. He just made the easiest choice...

Hey Nikonista, great find of the angled nikon plug, first ever! thanks! no need to epoxi anymore... The ultimate switch comes with the standard straight connector like all ones selling in ebay, better use the canon version with the 2,5 mm plug and the N90AD angled adapter...you can leave the adapter taped to the camera, the socket is not very good, mine broke in 2 days... Enjoy your d5000, and when you can, get a 16 or 10,5 and you'll be in heaven! Gustavo

yeep, thats the one, made around 2004 for the Minolta Z10/20 P&S cams, very hard to find now...

I tried center metering, it helps. Normally I just fly more on level and closer, almost filling the frame with the tandem at the start of the sequence. I think the limitations of this camera makes you think more about exposure

I solder two cables to the switch inside the remote, it has 3 connections, 2 goes together, check the pics. Cut a little piece in the plastic to get the cables out, and then connect to whatever switch you will use. I put an energizer battery and still never change it, lots of jumps...I even forget to turn off the remote sometimes... The last 2 pics are of the complete set up, with the HA2 lens adaptor, the screen protector and the angled USB Mini B Extension. Good luck and enjoy this little marvel! Gustavo

Yes, I always use an old Konica/Minolta semi fisheye lens, single element, weights only 30 grms. Ricoh sells one, but is not as wide, is bigger and heavier: 110 grms

A faster card will flush the buffer in the camera quicker and will take less time to download the pics to the computer. Cards has different classes: 4,6,10, or x133, or x60 speed, etc. The fastest I found is the SanDisk Extreme Class 10, 30 mb/sec version. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/580124-REG/SanDisk_SDSDX3_004G_A31_4GB_Extreme_SDHC_Memory.html And some (old) tests: http://www.robgalbraith.com/bins/camera_multi_page.asp?cid=6007-9597

Holaaaa, I been using a GX200 for some time know, with good results (just for tandems...). The settings I use: -manual focus. -program mode. -continuous shooting. -pic quality F4000 (12 mpxs). -exposure metering multi. -iso 100. -camera shake/distortion correction/noise reduction: all off. -iso auto high: 200. -the fastest sd card available. -a nice small wide angle adaptor which gives the equivalent of a 12 mm lens, veeery wide. -screen off to save power. -a mini usb cable extension fixed on the camera, then I don't need to unplug it after every jump saving the jack for a premature demise... -an extra battery always on the charger, to replace it as soon the indicator didn't show full, around 5 jumps. Is my first P&S and i think is pretty fast, it keeps shooting 1.5 pics a second until the card is full, BUT, and this is my only complain: it makes the exposure of the first frame in the burst (as normal), and didn't change it until you pause shooting (and then take almost 2 seconds to start shooting again). Thats mean you expose the exit towards the plane, and afterward the sky is way overexpose... Is kind of workable if you look outside for the first frame and then look to the plane... At the end came down to this: a 12mm wide still camera weighting less than 300 grams, that I can jump all day almost don't knowing is there... For the good stuff I have my nice, lovely & heavier Nikons... Gustavo

they say the new sensor increase sensitivity 2 times... for sure is much better in low light. And also say is 10x more steady...

A little more than a year after the CX105/100 made our lives better, Sony do it again with this little gem... -Smaller! -Lighter! 70 grams/2 ozs or 21% less. -New type of sensor, ExmorR , brighter and bigger: 4,5 instead of 3,6mms (1/4-1/5"). http://www.dpreview.com/news/0908/09080601sonycmos.asp -Wider lens: 37 mm focal lenght instead of 42 (in 35mm terms). -Better display, just 10% more resolution, but with a glossy finish looks great. -16 gigs of memory instead of 8. -Can use SD cards, finally don't need to buy thats stupid & expensive memorysticks... -Higher bit rates in HD-FX mode, but then you can't burn standard dvds. -More power in the supplied battery. Unfortunably a new V type (NP-FV50), backward compatible but not the other way around, older batteries useless, great for the environment . -Easy Back Up: you can connect a portable hard drive (with its own power) in Fat format, and download and manage your clips without a computer, nice to exchange jumps! Easy times for cameraflyers... Gustavo

EmpuriaFlock 3rd Edition: April 11-17. In the beautifull Empuriabrava, Spain. www.skydiveempuriabrava.com