PC 109 or HC 42?

[dixieskydiver 0]

OK so I've pretty much narrowed down the choice for my *beer* camera. My local Best Buy has the PC109 still and it's on sale till the end of July for $515.00. The HC-42 is also on sale for $560ish. I know that the PC series is beloved by many skydivers for it's durability and because every other mother ***ker has one to swap parts with. I have read in this forum that these two cameras are roughly the same so other than parts availability in the future is there any reason I shouldn't go down to BB and snag that 109 right now? (besides the fact that I live at the most popular beach in the carolina's and GA and it's the 4th of July weekend with the most attrocious traffic imaginable)

Dixie
HISPA #56 Facil Rodriguez
"Scientific research has shown that 60% of the time, it works every time."

[riggerrob 643]

Last year I had to chose between PC109 and HC40.
They share the same 1 mega pixel CCD, but the PC109 if slightly smaller.
The HC40 cost $300 less and I could barely afford that, so I bought the HC40 and made more than 200 jumps with it. ... sold 4 of the 5 videos I took yesterday.
If I had a few hundred more dollars I would have bought the PC109.

[dixieskydiver 0]

Awesome, thanks for the reply. I think I'll spring for the 109 because I did pretty well bartending yesterday. I'll run down to Best Buy tomorrow and pick that bad boy up on my day off.

Dixie
HISPA #56 Facil Rodriguez
"Scientific research has shown that 60% of the time, it works every time."

[SkymonkeyONE 4]

I really like my PC 109, bro.

[dixieskydiver 0]

Leaving in t-minus 5 minutes for Best Buy

Dixie
HISPA #56 Facil Rodriguez
"Scientific research has shown that 60% of the time, it works every time."

[dixieskydiver 0]

Idiot. Needed power. Finding helmet now.

Dixie
HISPA #56 Facil Rodriguez
"Scientific research has shown that 60% of the time, it works every time."

[Peej 0]

Dude i've had my 109 for a couple months now and i love that thing. May i suggest a Bonehead Optik as a choice of helmet. IMO they rock out. Mine sits so sweetly on my melon plus looks great.

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[SkymonkeyONE 4]

Edit that to say "Optik Illusion" and I am with you 100%, PJ. While I do not use a top mount camera, I much prefer the hinged, double-ratchetting chin cup on my Illusion.

[Peej 0]

I really like the cutaway system in the Illusion. The "poke both your fingers in these clips" method on the plain Optik worries me a bit.

Come to think of it, is there a way to retro-fit one?

I remember seeing a thread somewhere a while back, i think Phreezone had come up with something...

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[dunesurfer 0]

Quote

Last year I had to chose between PC109 and HC40.
They share the same 1 mega pixel CCD, but the PC109 if slightly smaller.
The HC40 cost $300 less and I could barely afford that, so I bought the HC40 and made more than 200 jumps with it. ... sold 4 of the 5 videos I took yesterday.
If I had a few hundred more dollars I would have bought the PC109.

Rob
Have you used a wide angle lens on your HC?
Does it screw over the original lens?
I have my eye on one of these but want to be sure I can add lenses.

[riggerrob 643]

Quote

Quote

Last year I had to chose between PC109 and HC40.
They share the same 1 mega pixel CCD, but the PC109 if slightly smaller.
The HC40 cost $300 less and I could barely afford that, so I bought the HC40 and made more than 200 jumps with it. ... sold 4 of the 5 videos I took yesterday.
If I had a few hundred more dollars I would have bought the PC109.

Rob
Have you used a wide angle lens on your HC?
Does it screw over the original lens?
I have my eye on one of these but want to be sure I can add lenses.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

I have used 0.3 and 0.2 wide angle lenses on my HC40. The trick is finding wide angle lenses with 25mm threads, or adapter/stepper rings with 25mm threads.
I got my lenses from Max Cohn at
www.royal-lens.com.
Similar lenses are available from Way Cool and Cookie Composites.

[DanglesOZQld 0]

I think Sony improved the 109 a bit over the 108.

Myself and a lot of the guys I work with bought 108's (About 10 of them) and FIVE had problems serious enough to send them back for warranty repair.

To top this off Sony then made out that we "rough handled" the cameras (skydiving etc) so therefore the attrition rate was not the camera's fault!!!?

I really hope they (Sony) lift their game.

I had a Panasonic (my first digital) for two years doing exactly the same sort of things that the new 108 has failed to do after 3-4 months. Our fault or the way the camera is made?

Also who remembers how good the EARLIER pc range was in comparison to the now "lets make a new model after 4 months" bs???

Ps- Sent my 108 in for "urgent" repair to the warranty repair place suggested to me by the shop I bought the camera at on June the 27th and still (July 12th!!) have not got it back.

The warranty is not worth crap if you have to borrow a friend's camera in the meantime or go without it and lose more than the camera's cost price from not being able to do video!

BSBD! -Mark.

"A Scar is just a Tattoo with a story!!!"

[dixieskydiver 0]

Just got my rig together. I'm sure there are many mods to come but for now I am just happy. Thats a RAWA with a Sony PC109 with a Diamond .5x lens. Yes, yes I owe BEER.

Dixie
HISPA #56 Facil Rodriguez
"Scientific research has shown that 60% of the time, it works every time."

[ltdiver 3]

Not very excited in that picture, are you?

Have fun. Be safe.

ltdiver

Don't tell me the sky's the limit when there are footprints on the moon