Laszloimage

I would get either the XT or the XTi. The 30D can't give you better picture quality but lot heavier! The 30D just a bit faster. If you want to carry that kind of weight on your head then get a 5D. Also for the price of the 30D body only you can buy an XT (also 8MP) with a nice lens (Canon or Sigma 15mm for example). I only recommend a Nikon DSLR if you have Nikon lenses already. But remember Canon leads in DSLR technologie... for example they use CMOS sensors vs. Nikon's CCD. Canon managed to have three different pro models with full frame (36x24mm)sensors. How about Nikon? Also if you want to use your camera for jumping the external shutter release is a bitch on any Nikon (even the ones with the outlet). While you can just plug a ready to go bite, blow, and etc. switch into your Canon whith out any extra wireing. -Laszlo- www.laszloimage.com

Thank you Doug. If it was in NYC I would deffinetly go... But I can't make to NV this time. -Laszlo-

Please check out my web site: www.laszloimage.com Please PM to me if you're interested about any of the images. -Laszlo-

Here at Z-hills I give a buck per picture to the DZ. So I charge $16 for an 8x10, I keep $15 for myself. Remember this is actually a very good advertisment for the operation. People watch the video a few tomes and that's it. The $15-20 picture most likely will be on the wall even years after the jump. I have lot's of feed back already since I've been doing this for a couple years now. Jumpers hang their pictures up at work (like banks, doctors waiting rooms, and etc.) where many people can see them. And as I said earlier, I also put the DZ's logo and web address into the picture's bottom corner. It works! Most DZ operators are realizing the potentional of free or cheap AD in the landig photos. -Laszlo-

Thanks for the compliment! No I don't print until they say I going to buy it. Belive it or not most of the cases it's enough to show them the photo on the cameras LCD screen. But lot of the customers want to see the picture on the computer display (I can do that too...) I attached my very primitive agreement, I still need to actually ask a lawyer to make it better... But it's still better than nothing. And as I type this respond I just got a call from Wallgreens where some old guy who bought a picture from me 2dys ago wanted to scan it and reprint it. Walgreens wouldn't do it without my written release since I put the DZ logo, my name, the DZ's web address, and my web address into the picture (check out the bottom left corner of the image). On an 8x10 print I make them smaller and semi transparent, so it won't ruin the photo.... ...he has to buy the extra prints from me. Also some smart asses come back to me like: "OK let's make it offical...Then how about the model release?" I just tell them read the DZ waiver you signed already! (make sure whereever DZ you operate at the waiver contains a model release section too). I hope I helped, good luck! -Laszlo-

Wicked! -Laszlo-

I take landing shots a lot. Tandems with no video are good customer, of course students, and swoopers. You can charge $15-20 per 8x10 print. They ask a lot "what if I just get the digital?" My answer is $100 and sign a license agreement (not joking). -Laszlo- www.laszloimage.com

I set up my domain and etc. at www.godaddy.com Right now I have 100GB disc space 1000GB band witdth/month for 5yrs for $300. If you want to maintain your own site you have no choice but you have to be a little bit of web designer. I know because I wasn't and now I kinnda stock with the limitations of MS Front Page. Dream Waver is lot better. Also I recommend Flash based photo libraries with a watermark on your images to make them "steal safe". Also Flash gives you a lot more professional look to your web site. I have to rebuild mine to....lot's of time though. -Laszlo- www.laszloimage.com

Right now there's no affordable format of medium (in the skydiving world) to hand out videos in HD. Also it's still a debate whater of HD DVD or Blue Ray (...of course most likely it will be BR). So I don't bother to deal with HD. If some one was asking me to shoot something for production and pay that kind of money then I would order my V1U right away. Unfortuntely tandem videos don't pay enough to keep up with the technology (which has'n even been decided yet). -Laszlo- www.laszloimage.com

Very nice! The MG_3701 is deffinetly a Parachutist center fold one.... -Laszlo-

Yes you right abuot the -/+ diffrences. Luckily there's not too many players out there anymore which can't play +R. The other thing in this practicular case we talking about the recorder decks (just like VCR's) not the burners in our computers. So the writing speed is always the same 1X...

I normally just buy them at Sam's club and whatever brand is on sale. I really haven't found any difference between brands. As I read tha other postings I can recommend the same thing as others. If you want to go fancy you can search the net and find companies where you can order custom printed blank DVD's. Or you can just buy inkjet printables. Here at Z-hills we just put a good old stamp onto these white inkjet printable discs and put them into those Skydive City sleeves (the DZ supplies them). One thing you DON'T want to do, DO NOT put any sticky lables onto any DVD disc! They will cause a problem! -Laszlo-

Clint, Any of those discs will play back OK most likely. The major concern is in our business is the speed... I've been making DVD's for tandems since early 2003 and I made a lot ever since (so as my colleges). The reason why we use +R format is because the disc can be finalized lot fasrer. The fastest -R format took 10 minutes! Meanwhile the +R's take only 1-3 minutes. The finalization of the disc also gets lot faster if you have more data written onto it, so we always select the best quality recording mode. Personally I started to use +RW (RW stands for re-writeable) format so I don't even have to finalize, but the disc cost me 20c more ( worth it to me...) We always ask the customers to watch their DVD before they leave. If thaey call back because the DVD doesn't play at home normally we recommend to try it on adiffernt player which normally solves the problem. (problems like these are very rare) -Laszlo-

I've been using this "ILO" I bought for $130 at Walmart 2yrs ago . Unfurtunately it broke (like all of the does..) and the newer $98 version of it sucks. That one was the best among all! ...but it's not available anymore. The best advice I can give is keep buying different models at Walmart and test them. That's the way to find out which model works the best for your needs. If you don't like them you can return them within 90 days. ...and of course keep the right one. Now I'm using the $89 "SV2000" also from Walmart, and I started to write on to +RW discs. They cost a bit more but you don't have to finalize them. When I put a blank +RW disc into this recorder it takes about 2 minutes to prepare it (it happens automaticlly), but I always do that before I go up to make the actual jump, so that time doesn't matter. When I finish recording onto a +RW disc this "SV2000" crap lets me eject whithin a minute (that's when I change the film in my still camera). I've been using +RW since November and so far nobody complained. I would try this type of disk on your SONY recorder. If your recorder asking such a thing like "make the disc edit compantible with other recorders?" don't waste your time, just skip it (this way at least they won't be able to erase they tandem video at home). -Laszlo-

Yes it is made up big time... The dude had two canopies out because he didn't check his reserve pin before exit. The main deploymen shock popped the reserve too. His body position on the landig shot inspired me to create something funny (I guess it is...) -Laszlo-

Lonnie, I used my 5D with the Sigma 15mm f2.8 fish eye lens and my Canon 580EX flash. Settings: 1/200sec shutter, F5, WB for flash, ISO200, AF in the One Shot mode, 1/4 flash power at 14mm zoom. The picture settings inthe camera's menu were +1 saturation, +1sharpness, and +1 contrast. -Laszlo-

Matt, You don't have to cheat at all. Go to the menu in your camera and find picture setting. There you can set up a preffered saturation, color tone, sharpness, and etc. Even if you shoot in JPEG it will work. If you shoot in RAW the picture will be taken with those setting as well, except you can change or adjust them lot easier. That's very rare when a photo comes out of my camera like the one I just posted and I don't have to touch it. -Laszlo-

...here's my favorite

Always makes me wonder what causes a bag-lock on a tandem? On the Sigma or systems with a similar d-bags (just like sport rigs) you really have to work on it to pack a baglock!!! Just don't pack them, it super easy to prevent them. -Laszlo-

No manipulation, no corecection what so ever, just as it is out off the camera...(normally I do adjust contrast, WB, sharpness, etc.) Full manual settings (including the flash), except AF. The reserve side instructor Bob Clark is making his 6000th jump. That's why I took my better (lot heavier) equipment for an AFF video. -Laszlo- www.laszloimage.com

After my posting I took a closer look and figured that the "trail" must have been photo shopped since only certain areas of the body have the motion effect.

Canon! Canon has lot better features than Nikon (talking about DSLR's). Better ISO range, better sensor (CMOS), easier to rig for skydiving (externeal shutter release), and etc... I only recommend Nikon if you already have lenses and other accesorries for it from the film camera world. -Laszlo-

Man, That B.A.S.E. shot is awesome. It looks like a 2nd curtain sync. but therse's too much day light. How did you do that trail? -Laszlo-

I agree. If it's the "Bad Sigma" version, that will ad only a few ponds. But please chek my previous post, when I had a really hard pull the problem which is shown in the picture was only one out of the long list of problems (bad pack job, heavy student etc...) ...and they all added up top of the other. The result was an extremly hard pull. But of course it was not the problem with the Sigma system, it was a problem of slappy unproper pack job. -Laszlo-

I've never been able to find a proper bite/tounge switch (the actual switch) at Radioshack. I made a lot of research online to find a good switch. And of course all the conpanies are naming sometimes the exact same product differently. So makes it harder the search. And then you got some result....but no picture or tech. specs. of the product. And it's same with the heat shrink and every other part of the "remote". I guess it's lot easier for those who actually work for some kind of electronic business. The only things I could get from Radishack were 2.5mm streo plugs and sodering stuff. -Laszlo-