freefallcrab

Going back to the external DVD burner issue (slightly off topic maybe, sorry) but the Mac Help says I need to drag the VIDEO TS file into Toast when burning to an external DVD burner. I can't find a VIDEO TS file - am I missing something here? Use your wings Johnny....

Ah OK , now I get it - thanks for the info. I like the idea of running the tape to the end. Thanks guys. Use your wings Johnny....

Stratostar - I vaguely recall 2 ways of doing this but maybe you can help me out with a bit more detail. I guess you can 1) send the edited video back from the computer to the camera and re-record it on DV tape and then connect the DVD burner to the camera and record off there or 2) play back the edited video on the laptop through the camera to record on DVD (ie it passes through the camera and does not get re-recorded) on DV tape. What connections are we talking about here? Firewire from laptop to DV-in on the camera, DV-out from camera to DVD burner by Firewire (assuming the camera has both DV in and out). Use your wings Johnny....

thanks for the offer Lacie but I didnt make myself very clear. I already have an external burner (also a Lacie) but couclnt get it to burn DVDs (the Mac didnt recognise it). Use your wings Johnny....

passing the signal in "export" thru the cam to external DVD to burn in real time Stratostar - I dont think I tried this when I was trying to burn to my external burner. Are you saying you play the final edited video back on the Mac, connected to the camera, with the camera connected to the external burner? Use your wings Johnny....

I bought a Mac off e-bay because I was tired of trying to get to grips with Premiere on my other laptop. Invested in a RAM upgrade. Misunderstood Apple's marketing and bought one with a CD burner/DVD player rather than a DVD burner, bought an external DVD burner and never got it to burn so I now play the edited video back to a TV through an S-VHS lead and record onto a DVD burner that way (and there is obviously a drop in quality). Having said that the MAC and its sotware are really good for making skydiving movies. Use your wings Johnny....

That sent a shiver down my spine. A few years ago I had a canopy collision after filming a 4-way which resulted in me having 3 broken ribs and a punctured lung. I did not deploy immediately when the 4 way broke off (I always do now unless there is someone right under me) and one of the 4 way did a curved track and had an off heading opening which put him on a 180 with me. He was on a high performance canopy and it happened SO quickly. Glad the outcome of your incident was not worse. Use your wings Johnny....

Which page? Are we talking about a phot? Either way its beers for anything pre-second :-) Use your wings Johnny....

I had the same on my PC9. I sent it to Sony who replaced the board and charged me something like 200 pounds (and this was 4 years ago). Well, the DV-out socket stopped working again last season so I bought another camera on e-bay and I am now wondering what to do with the old one - everything else works fine but DV-out is pretty critical when you are doing a lot of 4-wya training and the the camera is top mounted on a FTP (fiddly to take the tape out). If you are lucky there will be a dude at your DZ who can work a soldering tool and maybe fix the problem with spares from an old camera but this seems to be a regular issue with the PC series so finding a serviceable board might be the hard part. Use your wings Johnny....

[Is the PC9 compatible for using a cam eye Yes it is. I have just snapped up a PC9 and a PC8 (very similar but without the memory stick) on e.bay (UK) as they are becoming increasingly hard to come by. My original PC lasted ages, did a lot of jumps but the DV out socket finally quit. I would highly recommend this camera if you are just starting out. A possible problem could be in the future when you buy your next camera the accesories like batteries, chargers, cages and connectors might not be compatible. Who knows, maybe we will all be on HD by then Use your wings Johnny....

Depends how you use it - check it has DV OUT if you want to down load to a PC etc. Not sure the early DCRs had this facility. Use your wings Johnny....

Hey GFY I also replied to your ad on the Weston website but in case you see this first: Whcih category will you compete in, where will you do your UK training and who are the team members? Use your wings Johnny....

My 0.02 English Pounds worth... I agree with all that has been said already and there is a LOT on this subject on DZ.com. Me, I got a Firefly one piece camera suit, excellent quality and highly recommended. I dont have booties (dont really think they are necessary for 4-way but maybe for tandems if you go down that route) and I got the biggest wings available. They have saved me on exit more than once and also deep in the burble when smaller wings would have caused embarrassment. Pros and cons for the type of ext - going early can produce nice exit shots for the debrief (training only, NOT competition!) but risky - I have seen too many 'fooled ya' exit counts and going too early (can take valuable seconds to recover). Trailing exit - less risky and is independent of the team's count, but you can NJ in a competition if the video is looking across the grips while the team is on the hill. I try and go with them as the centre point of the 4-way leaves the aircraft - more risk of collision but just takes practice. Anticipation and reaction are important IMHO - exits can go steep, shallow or funnel and you have to be prepared for that. Some exit formations are more prone to it than others. I quite like the idea of keeping note of your exits like the previous poster suggested. I had not done that until now but regretted it last year in AAA competition when a particular exit was causing me problems. I will keep notes next season. Good luck and enjoy! Oh, that thing about your shadow on the team - my immediate reaction is "sh*t' when part of my brain (the 1% that is still functioning at this point) thinks of still photography when your shadow is BAD) and then I think 'COOL' and watch it dane over the team as they turn tricks... sorry points. Use your wings Johnny....

Thanks for that. I have heard of someone buying a US model at a bargain price without checking the PAL/NTSC thing. Use your wings Johnny....

I think the PC8E is the euro version and so presumably PAL - I will check with the vendor. Check this out - a PC9 has just gone for over 1300 GBP!!! Something dodgy there I think. 9s have been selling recently for around the 300 pound mark and I think even that is a bit steep for a discontinued camera. Why would someone pay over a grand Use your wings Johnny....

One of the jumpers at Weston in the UK cant see his has his house on Google earth because a jet is flying overhead. The resolution is good enough that you can clearly read the Air Canada logo on the upper fuselage. Use your wings Johnny....

There is a PC8 for sale on e-bay UK. Can anyone confirm that the only significant between an 8 and a 9 is the memory stick? Use your wings Johnny....

The really great thing about digital is that you can take a LOT of pictures and critique them yourself on the spot. If your neck will take it you can strap the stills camera on every jump and take as many images as the memory card will hold, look at them later and decide what looks good and what doesnt. You can experiment with all the settings and see what works in various light conditions, backgrounds etc. There is loads of stuff on here on settings for the 300D and similar cameras. I found that I quickly get bored with RW shots. You finally get a shot of a 4 way in a nice shape, with all the grips taken, and look at it and think 'yep, just another photo of a 4-way'. I wish I could be more creative but I think it is hard to take a pic of a formation that makes you say Wow! I need to practise more! Use your wings Johnny....

Thanks. I dont see many PC6s on e-bay UK but 101 and 105s come up pretty frequently so if I cant get another PC9 I will probably go for one of those models. Use your wings Johnny....

I have a Sony PC9 and the Firewire out port is fried. Again. This happened a couple of years ago and cost 200GBP to fix. Can any of you PC5/7 owners tell me if the other PC series cameras are similar to the PC9 - they pop up on e-bay from time to time and it woud be useful to have a spare camera. Do these cameras have LANC (for cam-eye) and are they the same size as the PC9 (so it would fit my roll cage). I think all these cameras use the same battery but I stand to be corrected. Use your wings Johnny....

I am at the DZ, it is 8 in the morning and the bar is full of tandems signing in with their families and friends generally getting in the way. I can just feel them all looking over my shoulder while I cruise Dropzone.com. I have just bought a blow switch (having bitten through my last bite switch) and this thread caught my eye. What is an Adiut switch, I wonder - lets Google it. I could almost hear the alarm bells ringing and see the club house lights flashing as google came up with DO YOU MEAN ADULT SWITCH. Hmmmmm. Seriously though can someone post a link to the company's website please. Use your wings Johnny....

Thanks bob, very helpful. Use your wings Johnny....

Bob - thanks for the advice. I had already found them and I really like their memory advisor tool which allows you to identify exactly which chip you need for your model of computer. Prices compare favourably with other vendors too. My G4 has 4 slots - 2 spare and 2 x 256MB chips. I understand that this model will take up to 2GB RAM. Are there any consideration when filling these spare sslots - do I add 2 more 256Kb to make a total of 1GB, or rip the old ones out and put 2 new 1 Gb chips in.? Use your wings Johnny....

That much I DO know I am trying to do this with a short 5 minute tandem vid - not going anywhere near my team training jumps compilation of 50-something minutes Use your wings Johnny....

No I dont have DW - I will ask the other Mac using camera guys at the DZ tomorrow. I took delivery of a shiny new LaCie d2 Lightscribe today. Annoyingly the Mac system profile says 'disc burning - not supported' I have trashed 10 DVD discs now (-R, -RW and a +R) burning various unrecogniseable files through Toast. Nothing plays through the DVD player attached to my TV. Use your wings Johnny....