windinmyface

As an extension of what Miami said -- don't know about the Canons, but the Sonys have a lens cover switch instead of the conventional over-the-lens cover. Make sure the switch is right. ----- I am Dyslexia of Borg, futility is resistant, your ass will be laminated.

Sotra depends on what kind of helmet you have and whether you plan on top or side mounting it. I have the HC40 (same, basically). I think that camera works better side mounted since it's thin and tall. I have mine mounted on the left side of of my Sonic helmet in a Cookie Composites box. FYI - there is enough room inside the box for the LANC plug and a rear exit for the wire. If that box is a little too rich, the side mount platform from Skydance works well too. http://cookiecomposites.com/ http://www.skydanceheadgear.com/ ----- I am Dyslexia of Borg, futility is resistant, your ass will be laminated.

Good to know, thanks for the post. ----- I am Dyslexia of Borg, futility is resistant, your ass will be laminated.

Can you connect the camera by USB, and does the computer recognize it then? This might at least give some clues about wether a driver is present. How old is the PC120? Is it possible to upgrade the firmware? Just taking wild stabs here, but maybe old firmware will not work with XP and/or firewire? ----- I am Dyslexia of Borg, futility is resistant, your ass will be laminated.

A thoughtful post -- enjoyed reading it. You're lucky though that you're learning early what took me years to realize... the concept of balance. You'll actually enjoy skydiving more when your life is enhanced by it rather than revolving around it. Don't let your Mecca become your Armageddon. ----- I am Dyslexia of Borg, futility is resistant, your ass will be laminated.

Just wondering how many use the pop-up flash on their digital cameras. Does it have much effectiveness in good light? The pop-up seems a little fragile if whacked by something climbing around/out of the plane -- anybody worry about ripping it off or being a snag point? I'm thinking I wouldn't use a flash unless I was mounting an external unit. ----- I am Dyslexia of Borg, futility is resistant, your ass will be laminated.

Congrats on getting back in the air...and on the new camera. I don't think tactile feedback from shutter release is necessary...you'll get used to it. If you feel like you really gotta have it, you may want to try a bite or hand switch. But I really like my tongue switch. I like the small, unobtrusive feel of it. At first, I tended to click off a whole lot more shots than I intended because I was over-amping on it. I finally figured out to keep my tongue relaxed and then just press lightly but firmly for the shot. It doesn't take long to develop a feel for the right tongue pressure. ----- I am Dyslexia of Borg, futility is resistant, your ass will be laminated.

Thanks for the input. I'm taking to heart the suggestions for a good disk system. So far I've decided on. Dual Xeon 3.4G, 2G RAM, 80G system drive, 2 X 160G SATA, RAID0 AV drives. I'm still up in the air about a capture card. If I go with Premier Pro, I'll probably want the Matrox RTX100 Extreme. I'm also considering Pinnacle Liquid Edition. I understand Pinnacle has integrated DVD authoring and renders in background, while Premier (with the Matrox) can render real-time but then has to be DVD authored? Can anybody who's familiar with both of these NLE's comment? ----- I am Dyslexia of Borg, futility is resistant, your ass will be laminated.

Given that the problem can be intermittent, and that you can detect a grinding in the lens, it really sounds like that lens is sticking, and that the f3.5 exposure is a consequence of that. To establish if the focus is sticking, try using manual focus for a few jumps. ----- I am Dyslexia of Borg, futility is resistant, your ass will be laminated.

I notice you're using auto focus, any chance something is preventing the focus ring from turning? Are you using the flash? ----- I am Dyslexia of Borg, futility is resistant, your ass will be laminated.

Thanks for the correction ----- I am Dyslexia of Borg, futility is resistant, your ass will be laminated.

I have the Rebel XT. The Canon 18-55mm kit lens that came with that camera is pretty decent for all around use. You can get them on ebay for $100 or less. ----- I am Dyslexia of Borg, futility is resistant, your ass will be laminated.

I'm looking for some recommendations for a few of the hardware components. I'll be building a PC based system simply because I know PCs and I already have the software and some of the hardware. 1. Planning on dual P4 processors and 2GB memory - enough? 2. Good internal DVD burner? 3. Good video card to go with Premier Pro v1.5? 4. Any other general input is welcome. Thanks All! ----- I am Dyslexia of Borg, futility is resistant, your ass will be laminated.

I have the HC-40. From looking at the HC-42 specs, it looks like the docking station that comes with the 42 is the only real difference. Both still have all the same ports on the right side of the camera. ----- I am Dyslexia of Borg, futility is resistant, your ass will be laminated.

Of course, the more fps, the better. But I think that, whether you're getting 3 or 5 fps, it's more important to capture a longer segment of the action -- and so burst rate is really key. And that 5D is pretty impressive there! Going from 8 to 12 MP is more like a 50% gain in resolution if you go strictly by numbers. But if you look at the attached FOV comparison, you can see in real terms what it means. The downside though, is that this full frame sensor will demand a high quality lens since you are no longer capturing just the "sweet spot". Yeah, by the time you put a good lens on that thing, you'll be into it for around $4k or better. Myself, the reason I shoot stills is to come away with the most spectacular images possible. If I got the bones, I'll ante up. I like Nikon too -- that's all I shot when I was doing film. Nikon has historically made some of the finest optics, still does. But Canon, historically an electronics company, got the jump on digital photography, and pretty much leads that market. I'm not brand loyal, just go with what does the best job for me. ----- I am Dyslexia of Borg, futility is resistant, your ass will be laminated.

...except that the extra 2fps will cost you a total of $5k! ----- I am Dyslexia of Borg, futility is resistant, your ass will be laminated.

Nice post, thanks for taking the time. I always thought a non-linear production would just be too time consuming. I'm beginning to believe that with some time investment on the learning curve and some good prep work, I could use this type of methodology and get better results as efficiently as my current linear process. ----- I am Dyslexia of Borg, futility is resistant, your ass will be laminated.

I have to disagree. Carbon fiber's forte is it's strength to weight ratio. It's not impervious to environmental influences and structural damage. It's sensitive to UV, and if you ever compromise the outer layer with a nick or a gouge, it will begin to de-laminate. Fiberglass is far less sensitive and easily repaired -- try fixing a composite that has begun to de-laminate. I'm not saying that a Bonehead will come apart on you, I'm sure they're quality stuff. But you can't summarily say that they're superior to everything else. ----- I am Dyslexia of Borg, futility is resistant, your ass will be laminated.

Have you jumped a Sonic? If you have a solid basis for comparison, let's hear it. The Sonic has more mounting surface than the Optic Illusion at the same price and equal mounting surface as the Flat Top at almost half the price. The Sonic is solid and light weight. In addition to the digital SLR and video, I have room for a flash unit and battery and a second vertical mount still camera. I haven't tried a Bonehead, but the Sonic has been comfortable and capable for me and seems a good value. ----- I am Dyslexia of Borg, futility is resistant, your ass will be laminated.

I'm using the Sonic and like it a lot. I have it fitted with a Rebel XT with the heavier Sigma 15mm lens on a Stroboframe mount, and a Sony HC40 in a Cookie box. The whole thing weighs about 6.5 lbs. Pretty light for a full sized platform. Let me know if you have any more questions. ----- I am Dyslexia of Borg, futility is resistant, your ass will be laminated.

Thanks for the suggestions. The card doesn't work in another camera or in a card reader. The camera works fine with another card. The card just will not be recognized by any device I have tried so far. ----- I am Dyslexia of Borg, futility is resistant, your ass will be laminated.

My Rebel XT displays "Err CF" when I turn it on. Attempting to reformat the card through the camera menu displays "Err 99". Err 99 appears to be a cach-all error message when the problem is unknown. Canon says to re-install the battery, but no luck with that. I've also tried to reformat the card with he Canon software while the card is in the camera, and with the Rescue software that came with the card. In both cases, the software cannot detect the card. The cards is a Lexar 80x 1GB with WA. I suspect that the problem was caused by the battery going dead while the camera was still turned on. It looks like the card is hosed with no way to recover. Anyone have any ideas on how to rescue this thing? ----- I am Dyslexia of Borg, futility is resistant, your ass will be laminated.

Thanks for the input, and for the PMs as well. More suggestions are always welcome. I've tried letting the customer bring their own music, except it seems their music taste can be worse then mine . It's just that the music they like may not fit the skydive, and I hate seeing a good video ruined by a poor music choice. I think I'd rather let them pick something they like from a selection that's been "pre-approved" for skydiving ----- I am Dyslexia of Borg, futility is resistant, your ass will be laminated.

So, I'm thinking that my music collection is ...ummm, a little dated. And I'm getting tired of putting the same 'ol stuff on video after video. How about some suggestions for some good tunes? ----- I am Dyslexia of Borg, futility is resistant, your ass will be laminated.