cj1150gs

Hi, I haven't calculated (because I don't know how to) the stress on the neck joints of any of the FTP configurations (front / top mount) . I just tried to represent (to the best of my intuition) the dislocation of the Center of Mass and the overall weight increase. It seems that I considered only the explosive deployments and not the problem of "regular" openings, in which most of the forces apply when you're already in a vertical position and the decceleration exerts a force aligned with your spine and not perpendicular to it. Anyway, if you consider the first case, (caused by line dump, improper slowing down, lousy packing) one thing is sure, the lesser the weight, the lesser the damage. And, yes, a side mount on a small helmet will keep the overall center of mass in a less damaging position than an FTP (this in the jumpers longitudinal plane... acctually there's a dislocation to the side that could induce torsional stress on the neck - but my experience , and yours, shows that this in not the problem with explosive openings - the problem is hyper-extension). I remember seeing a pic here in dropzone.com of a guy who acctually broke the jawpiece of an integral helmet with his chestbone. As a conclusion, I think we must avoid THE SLAMMER at all cost. Change those loose/old rubber bands, pack properly, choose a slow opening canopy, allow extra altitude for slowing down and assume a good balanced position before dumping that PC! Oh, and please remember i am just an aspiring freefall photographer and by no means a biomechanical engineer

Nice!!! Bigger? Carlos Martins Portugal www.cj.smugmug.com

Thanks, (acctually it was that thread and somehow diverging opinions on front/top mount that had me thinking about this.) Carlos Martins Portugal www.cj.smugmug.com

Typical Talking Monkey: 240 gr Runing center of mass dislocation... check drawing attached

Nice project! Thanks for sharing. Carlos Martins Portugal www.cj.smugmug.com

Thanks all! This is great input!! I once got slammed big time - opened in a rush after a great track away. I was wearing only video on a side mount on a Vertigo-X, but got pulled so hard I thought I had no slider at all!! Chin hit sternum pretty hard, I compressed the front ribs and distended the back ones. Took me 4 weeks to jump again. That's why I was basing all my reasoning around the first instants of deployment when the snatch force will pull you to the vertical position. I was not considering the last part of deployment, and that's what seems to worry most of you... I guess Brains summed it up well - if you got a slammer with 2.5 extra kg on your head, you're done anyway. That's a good reason to try to keep the weight as low as possible. But in a "regular" opening all on top makes sense... I'll have to discipline myself to pack properly and allow extra altitude for slowing down. I don't want to change canopy now, but I'll consider the softer alternatives when time comes. Thanks again for all your comments! Carlos Martins Portugal www.cj.smugmug.com

Hi, I am in the proccess of setting up my new FTP (2.nd hand, acctually

Sorry, I figured it would be just drilled cylindrical pins . The cone solution is nice! I have an old belly mount reserve at the basement, I've played with that pin through cone release system and it's nice... I think I'm gona dig it out and see if it fits for helmet cutaway purposes. Again, congratulations! You've got a very nice set up there! Carlos Martins Portugal www.cj.smugmug.com

It looks really professional! Congratulations. From what I've seen discussed here regarding helmets, your cutaway system may fail to operate when submited to a considerable tension. Have you tested it under load? Carlos Martins Portugal www.cj.smugmug.com

Great article! Thanks for taking the time to write for us! Carlos Martins Portugal www.cj.smugmug.com

A year or so ago, I've compiled size and weight of Canon's SLR lineup. It was somethinh like the attachment. Carlos Martins Portugal www.cj.smugmug.com

A few times, using a well positioned Cameye have I been able to bump the camera into REC while hanging to the strut of a Porter or while hanging on the camera step...

Just for clarification I am attaching pics of mono jack, stereo jack and Canon 80N three-pin plug. Canon 300D, 350D: stereo 2.5 jack Canon 10D, 20D, 30D: 80N plug Carlos Martins Portugal www.cj.smugmug.com

Thank you all for your kind input. I'll get the helmet next weekend and I'll start playing with the existing liner. After seeing how it goes I'll order a new liner and cutaway system. I'll post some pics of the helmet next week! Blue Skies, Carlos Martins Portugal www.cj.smugmug.com

Hi all, My background: at around 200 jumps I started to fly an N-Vertigo-X with PC-106 and 300D. Meanwhile I stopped taking stills as I felt I was not flying better nor photographing better. So I got a Rawa and been flying it with the video on the side. I feel the time has come to reassemble a stills setup. Although the Rawa has a little top platform I find it kind of small for the 20D I bought meanwhile. Skydive photography is a real passion for me, so, a bigger, definitive platform would be nice. But the price of diesel makes this the wrong time for big investments. So I found a nicely priced used FTP (at least I think it is an FTP!). It has no cutaway system and the locking latch is a metallic ski boot one, so I guess it is some years old. (Sadly I have no pics of it). I tried this FTP and couldn't make it fit confortably. My head is small, but my face is long (no jokes, please

OK, got it. Thanks for the explanation.If you chase tandems under canopy that would be a great sound track also! I would imagine that wind noise would make the freefall audio uninteligible... even considering the directivity of the clip-on mic. Good to know that it works! Carlos Martins Portugal www.cj.smugmug.com

Hi Iwan, Sorry to be drifting away from the flash subject... but would like to understand your mic setup. Isn't that a bodypack? to whom are you transmitting the mic signal? Or are you receiving? In that case, who? Inquiring minds want to know...

Hi, Is that a wireless mic in the back? Are you using it for intercom? Carlos Martins Portugal www.cj.smugmug.com

you sure??? My Conceptus came with a stereo plug but it is definitely single stage... Carlos Martins Portugal www.cj.smugmug.com

they mean shutter speed

I haven't used in the air much (I don't fly close enough

http://www.air-action.de/AA-shop1.html Carlos Martins Portugal www.cj.smugmug.com

Hi, First I'm no expert... but you can use the File, "Save for Web" feature. Then, close to the "Settings" combo box there's an _icon for the "Optimize" menu where you can choose "Optimize to File Size", choose 120K and PS will do its best to fit that size. I'm referring to Photoshop 7.0 on Windows but it should be similar. Carlos Martins Portugal www.cj.smugmug.com

Hi, Check this thread http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=1943380. Carlos Martins Portugal www.cj.smugmug.com

Hi Fast, I once tried to decide the Sigma 15 vs Canon 15. I asked for opinion here http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=1828104;search_string=sigma%20vs%20canon;#1828104 Not much feddback then, but the one that was, pointed Canon. Bruno Brokken finds the Canon sharper. I then decided to buy the Canon, which I did. A friend then ejected it through the skies along a 20D before I could jump it Carlos Martins Portugal www.cj.smugmug.com