Still and Video Camera Suggestions

[weffiejayne 0]

I'm thinking about updating my camera setup. I haven't worked in the sport now for a few years. My PC105 doesn't work like it used to and my Cannon Rebel is 35mm. I don't need the top of the line latest and greatest. I'm not looking to publish anything, but I don't think I can get away with handing tandem students a roll of film anymore.

[keithbar 1]

i just upgraded my old pc 101 set-up . I didn't need high def. so i went with a sony sx 45 and got one of laszlo's modified v705 kodak easyshare camera's the set up is much lighter and on the plus side the sx fit in the old pc style box after i padded out the bottom portion of it with foam

i have on occasion been accused of pulling low . My response. Naw I wasn't low I'm just such a big guy I look closer than I really am .

[davelepka 4]

Go with the Sony CX camera of your choice. It's a tapeless high-def deal, and has become the new standard and replaced the PC line. The CX 100 can be found on ebay for $250ish used, and 'I think' is the only one with a memory card access slot on the side. The others have the slot on the bottom and generally require removal of the camera to get the memory card out. I switched to this camera after year of PC camera use, and I am loving not having to take my camera off after every jump.

Of course, check in with the DZ if they do the editing for you, and see what they want, or can accomodate, before buying.

For stills, the Rebel is still the 'old' standard, but now it's the digital Rebel. There are many versions like the Rebel X, Xsi, etc, but any of them will work. The kit Cannon offers comes with an 18-55 zoom lens that actually turns out to be a great lens for skydiving. Very light weight, and wide enough to match a video camera with a wide anlge lens attached.

Keep in mind that 'low end' digital cameras like the Rebel line are not 'full frame' sensors, and what thay means is that the sensor only records the image off the center of the sensor, and cuts off the edges. The practical result is a narrower field of view. So if you have a 28mm or 24mm lens left over from your film camera days, it's going to give a narrower effective field of view on the digital camera. That's why the kit lens goes down to 18mm, to compensate for the difference.

Another word on the zoom, it's very leightweight as it's mostly plastic. That's a plus, not a minus. I was a fixed lens guy for years shooting film, with 24mm and 28mm lenses, but the zoom has proven quite handy. For example, with unlmited pictures available, I take more pics in the plane now. I can use the flash, and zoom in from the back of the Caravan, and get good tight shots of the tandem sitting up in the front of the plane. Beyond that, the quality of thelens is very high. Not as good as the Cannon fixed 15mm lens, but that lens costs more than a new Digital Rebel with the kit lens. I haven't shopped around in years, but my guess is that the newest version of the Rebel with the lens is probably less than $600.

Overall, consult the other camera guys at the DZ where you intend to work. If the DZ edits for you, they may have some preferences as to what gear you jump, and if you have to edit your own, they will have tips on what cameras and editing gear go best together. That end has also changed with different file formats and editing programs (it's all on computers) so getting the right stuff will make a big difference in the end.