DSE

HDD's rarely fail due to temperature shifts. They fail due to air pressure not allowing the heads to float over the discs. This is why iPods and other HDD devices carry no guarantee at all when used in non-pressurized situations over 3000 meters. Read the warranty on most any HDD device. LaPaz, Bolivia is well known for failed iPods. Some work, most don't. No one can say why. Bottom line is that you're taking a real risk going above 10K with any HDD device, and you won't have warranty coverage. LCD's are a different story, and I'll bow to Scott's significantly greater altitude experiences and stories. That said, a business friend used his iPod/iPhone at an Everest basecamp at 5200 meters, and had no problems at all. He says another person on the trip had an iPod classic that failed first day.... Hitachi has some high altitude-rated HDDs but they haven't found their way into cameras yet. IMO, just avoid HDD altogether when dealing with skydiving. One exception are the few cameras that park the HDD heads when a card is used for recording. Even then... BTW, ALL mpeg camcorders generate heat.

One trick that *could* be done (just did it here yesterday) is to put hard loops that can fit over your feet but not over the heel, and go out with that over the feet. As soon as you lift your feet/toes, it will immediately slide off and float on its own. However, there is still risk in that you'd want to be certain it can't go past your heels, and you couldn't deploy immediately after releasing. The first attempt with this system on the feet of an extremely experienced skydiver resulted in bad deployment position and brake fire. and the device didn't shake free the first time because the loops were too "grippy" and needed to have electrician's tape vs gaffers tape. IMO, it's just not worth the risk on the feet.

not the first time this refinery has had problems. Years ago, it was all by itself in the middle of nowhere, merely close to the 1-15 corridor and marginally close to SLC International. Businesses and now homes started popping up there a few years back. With the proximity, it's no surprise that buildings were affected. I'm surprised more buildings weren't affected. Big week for big explosions over Utah, with a meteor exploding and dropping meteorites in the west deserts of Utah just a couple days ago. Skydiver Patrick Wiggins was NASA's spokesperson about that event.

Absolutely. You've got to consider the angle at all times. using a grad isn't a "one size/fits all kind of thing. But... Attached is an image where I'm obviously not level, and chose the wrong lens for the distance I needed to fly to be clear of the other shot. The grad works just fine, and still adds a nice change in the sky. Even at a "wrong" angle. Because the grad still matches the angle of the camera. For me, I tend to pay attention to being level and composing the shot in most situations. I get fewer stills, but I usually get close to what I want.

Did the 71-way fit "the grid"? I've only seen one picture of it with the grid superimposed and it looks to me as if one person is outside their extended box. Anyone? According to the USPA-designated "Field Expert" on wingsuiting, the 71 way fit the USPA criteria in ppost 19 Unfortunately, members of the USPA BOD are just as confused about grid interpretation as you seem to be.

I'm not understanding why the banner would "collapse" a bit when you go to your belly? In theory, it becomes an even greater entanglement hazard on deployment. Not to mention that it will pitch you head low. Stick with the hand-held concepts mentioned above. Or, do something post-deployment.

IMO, Sports mode with a blue grad on the lens works best. Everyone is going to have a different opinion about what works best in full auto/set-and-forget modes. Each camera has a unique personality too, so the best answer is...Experiment, figure out what works best for you. I use Custom settings in my Canon cams, and often shoot through a blue grad.

The "expressed" reason for taking the 71 way to the USPA was to get it recognized as a record. What actually happened is entirely a different story. It seems works out perfectly either way. The 71 way is accepted as a formation, but then the rules changed midstream and "buffers" were added to the grid. So...had the 100 way not materialized (it didn't) then the 71 way stands. Except....the 68 way did materialize from the 100 way, so it stands. But had it not materialized, the 71 way would be the record. And...the 71 way is still the largest assembled formation in the world whether recognized by FAI, FAA, USPA, MickeyD's, or anyone else. Both formations are very cool, and examples of good flying, IMO.

Priceless photo, Ed.

I keep hearing good things about the Casio cams. At that speed, resolution almost becomes secondary. And it's sustainable, which is pretty impressive. 60p is the fastest we can shoot in-house; if I could find anything that is remotely close to the resolution of 1080, I'd take it on the spot. Otherwise, it's renting Phantom, or using half-assed tricks that work surprisingly well.

No video on the setup/import, etc, just the vids for Vegas, FCP, Premiere, etc. The Vegas discs cover all the import/capture you'd want to know...but nothing about machine setup. Basically, get your system set up so nothing is running in the background. Antivirus in particular can be a big headache, in most cases. Keep the system mean and clean. Get a tech to help you get it going if you're not a computer maven. In some cases, I'll simply wipe the machine of everything installed and then reinstall windows only for best results.

if you don't mind half and quarter resolutions, it's pretty good, yes. Smooth slow is nice. But limited to 3,6, and 12 seconds, with a nasty hit on resolution. This feature is marginally improved on the CX100, but it's been around since the HC3 and earlier. If it were remotely trigger-capable...it would be very useful. More useful would be the ability to record standard speeds and then trigger SSM when you want it. The buffer system would never allow this to happen. If you want great slomo in camera, use something shooting 60p

We all use slow motion from time to time, and unless you've got AE with a plug like Twixtor, it's difficult to make really good slow motion. However, there are some techniques that can be applied for better slomo, and I've created a FASST tip to show you how. Better SloMo This technique works in most editing software. You just need to be able to shift media by half a frame. Not all tools allow this.

Getting an internal BD vs external, IMO, just isn't worth the cost. Externals are getting cheaper/faster, and internals aren't. you won't be burning a lot of BD discs for a while anyway, if ever. And, BD content can be burned to a standard DVD 5. I'm a big fan of HD on DVD, but none of my laptops have BD built in either. My desktops do. As far as the machines you spec'd, either will be fine. It truly is more about the configuration of the machine moreso than the CPU, although the fastest CPU, more RAM, and as many external ports (USB, Firewire, SATA) is valuable. Keeping it cool is also very valuable. With a fast proc, consider a cooling mat.

Agreed. I was responding to Sandy's question for still cameras and acquisition speed. Yes, for Xfer from camera/raw media to HDD, faster cards make a difference. When USB3 hits, it'll be a bygone thought...

can't tell from the image, does it have enough room for a 100/400 lens? If so, that's a GREAT deal.

It's not gonna matter for something like a G10. Virtually any card you find on the shelf will be fine for stills. Even in the case of *most* of the various flash mem cards will be fine for the highly compressed video of AVCHD and MPEG2SD.

After a little bit of time with it, it's pretty much what I expected. A full review forth coming. In low light, the suck factor is pretty high. We could see nasty artifacting and macroblocking in 720p60 mode, just inside the aircraft until the sunlight hit the fabric. Noise galore, too. but... The outside footage is well done, grades are sufficiently squished, whites are whte while blacks are not super black. For the dollar, nice job.

I never actually met Gary, just knew of him in passing. It was an honor to be at his send off, and to hear your very fine presentation of his life, and watching the films late into the night made me really wish I'd been in this sport "back in the day" and had the opportunity to have learned from and met Gary. It was inspiring as you read from his log book (and yours). Additionally, the stories of Gary, the number of people that were there, and the well-done event...made it clear that this was not only a man who had contributed greatly to the sport, but was also a great man. Thank you so very much for allowing me to be a small part of the memorial.

Very cool. Nice story, too

Using iMovie 08?

great stuff as always, Matt. Thanks for the happy conversations this week, and for the positive attitude you always have.

http://media.theage.com.au/sport/sports-hq/wingsuit-skydivers-break-record-864707.html More media grabs.

Or a pre intel chip MAC, the motorola G4-G5 perhaps. great point, forgot that not everyone is on an intel machine. No non-intel machine will support AVCHD.

There are hundreds/thousands of Mac users successfully using CX100 as a source. Perhaps you're using an old version of iMovie, FCE, or FCP?