dragon2

One of our jumpers sometimes jumps camera. He got a Nikon D100 but kept turning the dials by accident so they ended up every which way. One particular jump he shot at 1/4000 sec, which gave him very dark pics of the other headdowner as they were carving around each other, but one shot was publication-worthy as he got an excellent shot of said headdowner shot straight into the sun! After that, we set all the setting on his camera so that whatever the dial happened to be at, chances were the settings were at least sorta right ciel bleu, Saskia

Scam, duh Take a look in the scammers forum, plenty of mails exactly like yours. ciel bleu, Saskia

This topic is about Memory Sticks (MS cards), which is the Sony type card. But the answer to your question (which SD or CF card to buy) is the same as for these videocameras: the write speed of the card isn't very important as most cameras will not come close to maxing any recent model card out. The speed comes into play when you read off the card to your pc, if you buy a fast card you'll also need a fast cardreader to take advantage of the speed. In general a sandisk ultra2 type card should be plenty fast for a point and shoot, for most users and is the minimum I'd buy, personally, but you will likely also be very happy with a regular (not ultra/extreme) sandisk card. ciel bleu, Saskia

I have heard different views on this. Wish I knew for sure. I really liek the pulse but it the characteristics I like( fast openings and good flare) are going to deteriorate over time what's the point? anyon out there with 400 jumps on a pulse that can chime in? JohanW does have a couple hundred jumps on a silhouette, and that canopy is still flying around fine AFAIK. ciel bleu, Saskia

1) there's a whole camera forum on here, did you see? Also don't forget to read the FAQ there. 2) preparing for cameraflying means you make sure you're very good at the discipline you're wanting to film. Sounds like it is FS, so go out and do FS jumps, make sure you can put your body where you want it, when you want it, without thinking about it and while being very safe doing it. 3) a pilot is fine. Size doesn't matter, aside from the fact that smaller canopies take more skill to open on heading and problem-free. So a pilot 188 is fine. 4) no clue, I'm not a UK skydiver, but I'd not go out with a camera suit just yet, unless you had a whole lot of tunnel coaching you can use the FS practice much more right now. 5) go talk with your instructors about all this, and especially go find a good cameraflyer or 2at your DZ to take you under his/her wing, much better than asking around on an internet forum! ciel bleu, Saskia

Same HD camera you use for a pc. ciel bleu, Saskia

Much better; the storm isn't really that good at getting you back from a long spot, something like a pulse or pilot or stiletto will get you back much better! ciel bleu, Saskia

If you've got plenty of altitude to spare, you can fly yourself to a better spot (or rather, a better spot to cutaway so you have more chance of retrieving your stuff). Say you're on a CRW jump and on opening you broke a line, are you gonna cut it away at 7k if it flies and behaves pretty much normal otherwise? My last reserve ride was due to 2 broken lines, I knew I wasn't going to land it but I did fly my main canopy back to the DZ and cutaway at 2.5k, the main and freebag landed pretty close to where I was where otherwise due to the amount of low clouds eh haze I might have had big problems locating my stuff afterwards. Chopping at ~2.5k still left me plenty of altitude to get familiar with my reserve (this was one I hadn't jumped before, and the smallest yet) and I had just bought myself an excellent spot for a sinky small reserve as a bonus. Of course potentially losing gear is not a priority but in the rare case where you have a "tame" mal, got the altitude to spare, and have likely had reserves rides before so you're cool about the whole thing, you got the oppertunity to think about a better spot so why not. Priority #1 is getting a good canopy overhead and fly yourself to a safe landing, as you get more experience you can elect to land with your chopped gear or keep an eye out for it so you know where it is, make a decision about WHERE and WHEN you chop, stuff like that. No-one will critise you for "just" doing #1, but they will when you try to do more and screw it up ciel bleu, Saskia

We "experts" tend not to answer lawyers in an online forum ciel bleu, Saskia

Who are you and why do you want to know? ciel bleu, Saskia

Comparable in what way? The sabre 2 and the fusion are the most high performance canopies of that list (eh, my list?), the 7cell spectre and triathlon are totally different canopies, and the rest are 9 cells that fall in the middle of these, performance-wise. Opening-wise, some of these generally open harder than others. Flare-wise, each of these needs a different "touch". Basically, you try to demo as much models as you can to determine which of these canopies you like and don't like, and which size you want your canopy to be. No-one can say a sabre2 150 will be perfect for anyone else, it's like saying a mazda 323 is perfect for you just after getting your driver's license when you may like a nissan sunny much better once you get behind the wheel. Or something like that It's personal, anyway. If you want to buy new BTW, you can add the pulse to the list, very nice canopy, a little less HP than a sabre2, more of a pilot/safire class canopy. If you want specifics on each canopy, do a search and most definately read the gear section: it has descriptions of most if not all of the above canopies and lots of reviews. ciel bleu, Saskia

ciel bleu, Saskia

Yeah they're int he same class. I've jumped both, liked both, the pulse when overloaded I didn't like as much (at 1.5 wl or so I had trouble shutting it down in 0 wind, it flared MUCH better when loaded a bit lower), the pilot loads up better, so im my opinion is a better choice for experienced jumpers wanting a smaller intermediate type camera fly/wingsuit canopy. For a low wingloading, both are great canopies, and the choice comes down between personal taste and availability - plenty of 2nd hand pilots around. Pack volume might be a point of consideration as well: you could buy a pulse now that'll fit in your rig comfy, then later downsize to a smaller pilot and have about the same packvolume

Jumping a consumer type Canon is easier than a pro-sumer Canon or any of the Nikons, because of the remote plug. The cheaper Canons have a simple stereo plug, which most switches come with, standard. If you want to jump anything else (any Nikon, or the pro-sumer type canons), chances are you'll have to buy a specific remote and do some soldering yourself (or get the remotes from say Laszlo ). Basically, for a new cameraflyer if you're not already 'set' into a brand, the choice between canon or nikon is a matter of personal taste, with the lightweight canons being the easiest option. The D5000 sounds like a nice (lichtweight!) jumpable camera, if you buy say a Nikon 10.5mm or 16mm for jumping you won't need AF anyway. The lens you use is generally more important than the body you use anyway. Also if you're interested in other types of photography take a look at what the necessary lenses will cost you, there may be a big difference between the 2 brands depending. Nikon has an awesome wireless flash system for instance, while the canon is more compatible with older and off-brand lenses. Once you'll buy some good lenses and a good flash you're more or less stuck in the brand, so better be sure ciel bleu, Saskia

Kewl, that's a first in the low end DSLRs for Nikon, hope they'll continue doing that

Then the rig might work for you, provided it fits you right, you actually like the sabre 1 (which is known for brisk-to-hard openings but otherwise is a decent first canopy), the rig is safe and in decent condition and you actually want a 170 (and are allowed one by your instructors of course) all of which you'll know by the time you're downsizing. You may want to invest in a AAD though, and may HAVE to depending on where in the world you live (you haven't said yet). Or you may find you don't even like jumping at which point all this is moot ciel bleu, Saskia

For AFF? Generally you have the ability to release the pilotchute from the left side too, something you'd never want on a sports rig. Plus student rigs often have main lift web adjusters, snap buckles, and they always have RSL and AAD (for freefall student rigs anyway). Some are convertible rigs (freefall/staticline), and/or have a ripcord/springloaded pilotchute, again not features you'd want on your own rig. ciel bleu, Saskia

That'll depend on lots of things. First, AFF rigs are special, as already mentioned. Then, when off AFF, you'll be wanting to downsize a bit probably, most people end up with a first rig with a 1.0-1.1 wingload (you didn't mention your weight, a 170 main/reserve combo might be suitable for someone weighing about 150 lbs, and only after properly downsizing), and the model (which you do also not mention) must be suitable as well plus generally you'll try to jump a few makes and models to determine which you like best (7cell vs 9cell, hard openings or soft, how it steers and flares, so in general if you like it a lot or not), also plenty of places will require you to have a AAD and/or RSL (you don't mention where you're at). All in all, the rig you bought may not be suitable for you at all, may not be what you want, and worst case may not even be safe (how heavy are you? does the rig fit you right? how old is it? did you get it checked out by a rigger yet?). Why the heck did you buy a rig before even jumping?!?!? Let me guess, "you got a good deal on Ebay" ciel bleu, Saskia

I very much doubt the D5000 has a wired remote option. That's pretty basic: if you want to buy a good lens for skydiving, that would generally be a fixed lens (the sigma 15mm 2.8 and the nikon 16mm 2.8 are excellent jumping lenses), most fixed lenses do not have a built-in AF motor, so no AF when used with say a D5000. ciel bleu, Saskia

The nikon D5000 isn't going to work for skydiving as it doesn't have a remote option (you can check stuff like that out on sites like dpreview.com). The best nikons for skydiving are D70S/D80/D90/D200/D300/D700. Most of the other consumer and pro-sumer Nikons can be adapted to work wireless but that is a pain in the %^&* and not something I'd consider doing anymore, not after the D70S came out (which is still a good choice for a budget-minded skydiver). If you want a midrange to pro-sumer range DSLR for skydiving, both Canon and Nikon have suitable models. If however you want a cheap, lightweight DSLR for skydiving, Canon's your only sensible choice. I haven't kept up with the latest Canon consumer models but if it has a wired remote option (that's a MUST) and preferable has it's own motor in the body and no image stabilisation, it'll probably work fine for skydiving. ciel bleu, Saskia

Some manufacturers will send you a main canopy to put in your own rig so you can demo jump it, some shops will rent you a rig or just a main so you can try different models, and some jumpers will let you try their gear, maybe. ciel bleu, Saskia

140 something, on a real test. ciel bleu, Saskia

Like I said, I'm no swooper, so all my landings were straight in, occasionally with double fronts but usually not. Flares great, better than anything else I've jumped. ciel bleu, Saskia

In general, it's unlikely you'll get a better deal than Eric's, especially the merit will save you a lot of money and you can sell it for the same or use it as a car cover when you're done with it (my prefered option is the last one LOL). Don't know about the argus, but the rig price will include assembly, yearly check and stuff with Eric, you'd have to pay assembly separate if you buy it somewhere else, and the age of an argus isn't that important anyway, not like a cypres. A year is nothing... Anyway, like I said, Eric's a good choice for newbie gear ciel bleu, Saskia

Well, 'ya lady', hmm kind of, but anyway I do have a vengeance 135 whaddayawanna know? I liked mine, did a couple hundred jumps on mine, however after a cutaway this year (click, about halfway through the vid, although you can't see the canopy it was only half open with a lineover or 2) I switched back to intermediate type canopies, less hassle and much safer esp. with wingsuiting. However I do miss the lift and the range the vengeace has! Espacially as we have a few TMs who like to pull at 4k (as in the vid) and also like to sit by the pilot, hence me having to pull fast after TM and me landing out sometimes. The vengeance did have the best change of bringing me back, my current fusion doesn't come close. I'm not a swooper but the vengeance likes to dive. If you want to carve a landing, better not do it on toggles as it will BANK () better use your weight. If you want to film people under canopy, the vengeance has a lot of range I could stay with 190-100 sizecanopies no problem. I know there's a lot of difference between one vengeance and the next, some open like a dream (mine did, except for 2 jumps - one hard and one half open like in the vid), some open in a diving turn pretty much always. So jump it before you buy, would be my advice. Oh yeah, I liked the airlocks most of the time but I never quite got the hang of quickly deflating the canopy in high winds myself. Packing, don't do anything crazy like rolling the nose, just a stright pro-pack and I had mostly very good on heading openings. ciel bleu, Saskia