cameramonkey

Sorry to all who I offended... I think its time to put away my keyboard for a while and just read... *sigh*

When did you become a moderator? When I need advice, I will seek it -- but not from you. After making almost 2000 posts, I am fully aware of how this forum operates. Thanks to the others for the link. well, apparently the edit with an apology for my shortness meant nothing, so I deleted the goddamned post. sorry to offend but I assumed since I bought this nifty moderator hat on ebay it gave me the right to be a moderator anywhere I pleased...I guess your "number of posts" hat outranks mine... I bow to you oh forum god. /sarcasm besides, I found the time to read the entire thread, and see where she was involved in the program, I just didnt see why you couldnt. Guess I am just in a grumpy mood lately with all the crap going on around here. Two wrongs don't make a right, however three lefts DO!

Generally speaking, the more powerful and flexible the solution, the more complex it becomes. If you get a simple editor, it wont have many cool features. Take microsoft movie maker 2 (free add on to windows xp) as an example. Its brain dead to use. but you cant really do anything but take clips you have selectively recorded to the PC, arrange them in the order you want, and add a half dozen cheesy transitions(but no standard smooth fade *grrr*). Yeah, its easy, but that really isnt editing. You cant do many cool effects, slo-mo, etc. I'd recommend getting a copy of what your fellow vidiots use, and learn from them. I started with the ulead media studio pro, then switched to premiere. it was challenging, but I just started playing and reading the manual when I had a question. Now, I work with other vidiots at my dz to teach them the basics. To give you an idea how easy it can be, I can have you producing professional looking tandem videos in about 2 hours of time together playing. It took me months to learn what I could teach you in that 2 hours. So it pays to work with others to learn instead of hitting the books. I by no means know everything about it, but I can do what I need efficiently, and it gets the job done. Yes, its complicated, but dont let that scare you. take it step by step. You only need to know a handful of things to get started and to make good movies. How to: >capture your video >get your other files (soundtracks, etc) into your project (import) >cut/trim/adjust clips (editing) >add and manage transitions >export to tape Thats it! and NEVER buy premiere (or any high priced editor)... it comes with all kinds of hardware bundled in. For instance you can buy Prem for $600, or get a hardware firewire or dv editor card that has it included for less (i.e. pinnacle dv500 dvd card for $490). If you are gonna lay down the $$, might as well get the best deal possible. Two wrongs don't make a right, however three lefts DO!

keep watching and following the threads on the IP5 cams... they are starting to list specific problems with the cams including (but not limited to) the controls on the right side of the cam where they are hard to reach, buttons too close together, and it not compatible with video editors due to the format. if you want a small cam, stick with a PC5. how much smaller do ya really need them? just my .02 Two wrongs don't make a right, however three lefts DO!

look into smartsound.com. they had some royalty free stuff there that wasnt too bad as I remember. At least not too bad for things like intros, and such. Its not free, but fairly inexpensive ($50/track unlimited use) a freind of a freind of a freind knows somebody that doesnt really give a flying f.... for tandem vids... just uses top 40 stuff anyway. not like anone really important is gonna see/hear the tape and get him in trouble. And besides, he's a skydiver, even if they sue, they cant really get anything Publicly distro'd tapes on the other hand... Two wrongs don't make a right, however three lefts DO!

what? is your back button or up arrow broken? why not scroll up (or actually read the entire freakin thread) to find out? Its not like its a chat room where ya cant scroll back to see what was said earlier. Generally speaking, its good ettiquette to read a thread in its entirety before posting, so you dont make a satement that doesnt fit, ask a question that has already be asked/answered, etc. sorry, I guess this whole thing has affected me more than I realized. didnt mean to be so short. Two wrongs don't make a right, however three lefts DO!

I had a similar problem with another 'net company selling crap batteries. I bought what I thought was a 2 hour battery, and it didnt even last an hour. Luckilly they refunded me with no questions asked. there is no such thing as a free lunch after all... Two wrongs don't make a right, however three lefts DO!

Wonder if those are legit street prices, or if they are the "greymarket" boxes that the east coast dealers are always advertising. (for those not in the know, greymarket are cameras boxed for distribution overseas, sometimes PAL, and have no warranty in the USA) I also learned a valuable lesson in dealing with electronics dealers over the 'net. 1> always check thier record with the BBB (if I had looked first, I never would have called the place I did) 2> ask LOTS of questions (prices are usually ultra low for a reason) 3> double check the prices in your local photo shops... chances are the price after shipping isnt low enough to take the risk of getting "taken" by one of those lowballing east coast (NYC) distributors. Here's my story... I found a GREAT deal (hundreds less) on my pc5. then after I asked alot of questions, found it was greymarket PAL. "ooooh you want the NTSC version?" they said. that was several hundred more. they simply neglected to advertise which format that price was for. When questioned, they said they didnt have to list what format it was... lots of american customers buy the pal cameras (so they say... bet they werent happy when they got it home). anyway, after the hassle and the shipping, I saved a whopping $40. defanitely NOT worth the trouble. Now I always spend a little more and buy local. The local guys tend to take care of you I have found. At least they do here in the midwest. just my .02 Two wrongs don't make a right, however three lefts DO!

just to make sure I was clear, the VX is defanitely not the cam for your average vidiot. Its big and bulky in comparison to the trv line, and frankly we as casual users dont need that quality (or weight on our heads). Go for a PC5, PC101, TRV, etc. Really doesnt matter what you use as long as its Sony. Talk to your buddies, see what they like, and go for it based on that. (if they have a panasonic that works great, might be for you, etc). Two wrongs don't make a right, however three lefts DO!

One reason Sony is so popular, is that the majority of them are tolerant of the skydiving environment. JVC and possibly panasonic are the opposite... some dont mind 130mph wind, jostling, etc, but alot perform very poorly. Others, just arent as durable. I really want a sony vx2000. yeah, its a bit big, but the output is AMAZING. I hear the TRV950 is just as good (and smaller), but doesnt do well in freefall :( Two wrongs don't make a right, however three lefts DO!

I am looking to spend around $150-175 for this solution. if you are willing to part with your cam for that, then yes I can use it.

nice try, but if its working, you cant get THAT good of a deal. the key is that if its dead, its worth no more than $150-200. Good luck finding a working digital cam for that. BB tends to sell them or only a hundred or two off as floor models, missing parts, etc. I'd end up paying at least 2 or 3 times what I can get a broken one for.

No hurry... I've still got 3 months before I need to put it into production. Damn winter... its gonna be a high temp of 12 today *grumble* anyway, as long as it will sit indefinitely in vtr mode, and display the audio and video out the analog port that is coming in thru firewire, it will work for me.

Pinnacle is known for releasing crap software. I bought a lovely product called Pinnacle Express 1.0. It was a piece of software designed to take your edited video direct from the cam, detect the scenes and add the index points, build a dvd menu, and then encode/burn it automatically to the type of VCD/SVCD/DVD you chose. Literally 6 months and 11 revisions later they still had a program that was somewhat buggy, would lock constantly, consistently make coasters out of blanks due to write errors, etc. I only managed to make 3 vcds out of the dozens upon dozens of tries. It was so crappy, the user support forums actually had workarounds that involved rendering the video to vcd/svcd specs in your original editing software, then using NERO to burn them to disks, completely bypassing the software altogether (until they patched it to get it working reliably). Its pretty bad when the general user consensus is to scrap the software and cobble together a solution entirely from 3rd party software. Then, they finally fix all the problems(presumably). Did they give us the fix? no... they decided to release it under the name Pinnacle EXPRESSIONS... and charge those of us that paid $100 to essentially beta test this crap software $20 to upgrade. BULLSH!!!!! on a related note I am currently looking for work in the IT/support industry, and actually passed on a job posting from them because I couldnt in good conscience work for a company that would treat its customers so badly. Hell, its a good thing that I didnt know that the Help desk was located a mere 10 miles from my house!! I was so frustrated some days during my trials with the software I might have made a road trip involving duct tape, a crappy software box and an AK47. ;) Two wrongs don't make a right, however three lefts DO!

I need to do real time conversions... the dazzle products are designed to take any input and put it into the hard drive, then output the video back to a cam, vcr, etc in any format. I need to go from firewire, convert it on the fly to composite and input that into my vcr as it records. Basically, I am going to move to a laptop (possibly a mac) for my editing, and want to be able to dump out the firewire directly to a VHS vcr. Using my cam isnt an option, because if I have somebody editing for me, I cant jump because the cam is busy acting as a DA converter. So far the two options I found are a low end DA converter for $500, or a high end vcr with firewire for $1000 plus. I am sure I can find a semi-useable camcorder for $150 or so.

Interesting. I didnt think the rebel 2000 had a fill flash option? Auto flash yes, but not fill. I could be wrong... "I'm never wrong. I thought I was wrong once, but I was mistaken" Two wrongs don't make a right, however three lefts DO!

Ok, here's the deal. I need a firewire to composite video converter. My sony PC5 does it great. HOWEVER, I dont usually have the time to leave it in place in order to do what I want to do. I need a dedicated solution. So I am looking to buy (cheaply) a digital video camera, that still powers up and works, but the tape mechanism is dead, the battery mount broke off due to riser strike, etc. As long as it will power up and stay up under ac power, I'll be satisfied. Since I am not using tapes, it can be either digital 8 or mini DV. Looking to buy for no more than a couple hundred bucks. Anyone know of one out there? I figured somebody either has one, or knows someone who has one sitting on a shelf somewhere that doesnt want to pay to get it fixed, but doesnt think they can sell it broken. Thanks! Two wrongs don't make a right, however three lefts DO!

As you were reading that, did anyone else here have mental images of the film shot back in the 70's of the Jonestown compound in Guiana? Maybe Captain Koolaid can put a bid in on that job too... Two wrongs don't make a right, however three lefts DO!

"Never fart in a trenchcoat" That is one that I coined several years ago, and is still being batted around the local (whuffo) forums. Unfortunately, that little gem is one I actually learned the hard way... Dont beleive me? try it sometime. uugh.

oops... just read what I wrote. I sent that off this AM before my first cup of coffee... I meant to say I use a uni-directional, not an omni. Two wrongs don't make a right, however three lefts DO!

I went side-mount originally to make it easier for the low clearance of cessna 182 doors. I would prefer the top mount (less riser slap, able to use larger batteries) but dont want to stick it out there without serious protection. I have a tendency to not keep my head down enough on climbout. Out of curiosity, what team do you fly for? I was up at nats too with team Airtight. I am sure you beat us, but hell, we just went to have fun. We were just happy we didnt place last. Two wrongs don't make a right, however three lefts DO!

could have the same problem. From what I understand, panasonic (and some JVC) cameras in general arent as forgiving of the stresses of freefall. Not saying it WONT work, just more likely not to as opposed to the sonys. I am sure with a price tag that heavy, it shouldnt be a problem getting a demo unit for a weekend from your local camera dealer. Mine has offered several times to let me take a vx2000 out for a spin, knowing I wont be able to put it down (of course they have been trying to sell the same one since it came out, so that could also be a reason) Two wrongs don't make a right, however three lefts DO!

personally, for skydiving videos (tandems 95%) I want an omni, because as you know, the acoustics in a hangar are AWFUL at best. It always seems you can hear your periphery better than what is right in front of you. I use a omni just to cut out some of the background noise. Very seldom do I ever shoot video and want what is going on around me (other than what I am focusing on). If I need that, then I just use my built in. Invariably, what is behind me is always closer/louder than what I am filming. Two wrongs don't make a right, however three lefts DO!

actually, because of how S/L is taught, the act of climbout becomes a reflex (muscle memory). Many students I teach say climbing out wasnt the hard part, LETTING GO was. And quite a few (myself included) let the training and subsequent instinct take over to the point that they dont consciously remember climbing out. Two wrongs don't make a right, however three lefts DO!

ya, i guess that does kinda make sense. but your so small, and light wiegth, with you wings, isn't that enough?? i don't know, i guess it would be easier to fly with less out of the burble. later as low as I am on the formation, I would need a wing bigger than a birdman to stay up. I have on more than one occation gotten sucked thru the formation when they unexpectedly slid under me. Two wrongs don't make a right, however three lefts DO!