PharmerPhil

Couple of suggestions: First, check Resellerrattings for good info on 85photovideo, and other scammers. Secondly, you will likely find lots of info on this forum cautioning you to hold off on shooting video until you have more experience. A minimum of a couple hundred jumps before you even start flying with a camera. Don't take this lightly. This is good advice, and although it may be hard to hear, it comes from people with lots of experience and lots of scary lessons. Once you do decide to shoot video, tandems are not the place to start. You should totally master flying with a camera (several hundred jumps) before you even think of jumping with a tandem pair. Jumping with students is dangerous, puts others in danger, and should only occur after you have a lot of experience flying camera in the first place. It is not a place to "learn the ropes." Just my too sense...

Define "broadcast quality." I mean hell, networks often broadcast video from cell phones if that is the best they have of a given incident that they think is newsworthy. That being said, none of them would choose any DVD source if they had a better option such as original HD footage, film, digi-betacam, or some other high quality original source that they shot themselves.

Can you do the math for me? I haven't had my coffee yet...

And keep in mind that a "better lens" doesn't really help. What we put on video cameras are really lens adapters (as opposed to the dedicated lenses that are on SLRs). They don't replace the permanent lens that is on the video camera, they just add to it. And the weakest link theory dictates that you will never really improve the lens that is on the camera resolution- or clarity-wise.

Not even close IMHO. Lots of reasons why (and most of them already discussed here), but the two biggest reasons in my opinion are poor lenses and small imaging sensors.

One way.

I don't know of any linear editing boards at DZs that have component inputs. But regardless, if your DZ uses linear boards, the CX100 sounds like a poor choice. I work at just such a DZ, and for that reason haven't gotten one (although I would love the weight savings).

I think you posted the same photo twice...

I don't know this camera, but the problem with OIS in general is that it is never really off. That is, it may not be working, but the lens elements are still floating and hence subject to shake.

I'll jump in. "Beach and Ski" mode over exposes the overall image by a set amount. This can be handy when you have a person surrounded by a very bright source such as snow, sunlit sand and water, or a very bright sky. Without some sort of exposure compensation, the face would be too dark with normal exposure. I used to use this mode on older Sony cams. However most newer cameras have auto exposure compensation (AE comp) which allows you to dial in the right amount of over-exposure for the conditions. It is rare that I shoot a tandem without using at least a little bit of AE comp. Certainly in the summer at high noon, or when shooting under an overcast sky. I usually shoot looking partially up at the tandem student. When they are surrounded by a bright sky, using AE comp allows their skin to be exposed properly (the sky might get blown out, but the student is the primary subject, and short of shooting with lights, this is the only way to get the limited dynamic range of video cameras under control). Last Sunday I shot a darker skinned tandem student entirely underneath an overcast sky from exit to landing (and raining too). I had the AE cranked up to the max (four clicks) and wish I had another stop to go. I don't own a CX-12, but I can't imagine it doesn't have this feature.

Or one way to sell a hell of a lot fewer videos.

I would try the gasket material alone first. That is all most people have to do. Also, make sure the screw isn't too long for the hole in the camera (i.e., the screw doesn't bottom out in the camera hole). If it were you would never get it tight enough.

There was a poll and discussion on this subject here. We offer only one package with video and stills.

I am not familiar with the Samsung, but most video cameras (and most video camera tripods) have a locating pin just forward of the tripod screw to keep the camera from rotating. Unfortunately, many quick releases do not have this pin. Without one, make sure you use a piece of rubber or cork gasket between the camera and the QR plate (available at most hardware or auto parts stores), and tighten the hell out of the screw. If you went sans quick release, you could make your own locating pin by threading a 10-32 screw into the mounting surface just forward of the larger 1/4-20 mounting screw (see attached picture).

In my opinion, 1G RAM is about as minimal as it gets for anything, much less for editing HD video. Keep in mind that that RAM is also handling all your system tasks. Also, I believe some of the Mini's, and some of the basic MacBooks (not the Pros) use some sort of an Intel integrated video processor so that the video doesn't even have it's own RAM, but has to access/share the system RAM. I'm not 100 percent sure about this (and don't have time to research it), but it is worth looking in to. That would make the RAM issues even worse. Other questions I would ask. What is your HD source (i.e. HDV, AVCHD, etc.). Is your hard drive on a Firewire buss or USB?

Unfortunately, not selling the rights away with the contract is unusual. Try to hire yourself out as a independent contractor photographer doing product shots for ads. Or as a stringer for a newspaper. In almost all cases, the person hiring you owns the work they hired you to shoot, regardless of the fact that you use your own equipment. Sure it would be great to have your cake (the fee paid by the DZ), and eat it too (the ability to "own" that work after the fact). But that just isn't reality for most hired guns. As far as it not paying much, well yeah. That sucks. But that's the nature of the beast when you do something for a living that is fun, and that many others are capable of doing too (and most of whom are willing to do it for dirt cheap).

It certainly is.

I prefer the EIS when on. The problem with OIS is that, unlike EIS, it introduces high frequency shake because of the floating element(s), and thus you can't really turn the shake off. But if the EIS works, which I think it does, leave it on. YRMV.

I've shot both and haven't noticed a difference in the IS. Not to say it isn't there, but my first suspicion would be the mounting of the cameras. Both of mine were hard-mounted. i.e., no quick-release.

Doesn't sound right to me. Can't you just drill out the threads?

I believe that only affects the image stabilization.

It's like a dict-a-phone.

The remote?

Too true!

Unfortunately, the USPA allows people to coach at less than 200 jumps (maybe a different thread). But IMHO, either coaching or videoing can be very demanding, and combining the two jobs at this low a jump number is bordering on negligence. If you want to jump camera, wait a while and start by doing outside camera. Once you have that somewhat mastered, and once you have coaching mastered (believe me you don't yet), then you should consider combining the two. Starting to jump camera on a jump where your primary responsibility is the student, is just idiocy.