DSE

Nice comparison, Phil. Even in these shots, the loss of resolution is apparent in the various lenses, but this gives folks a nice means of comparing.

I don't at all have a problem with my hair catching the hinge.

Bravia I or II?

Just to be clear, I'm not advocating Samsung brand, just the Samsung OEM display component. Samsung makes a great display, but there are many companies that get their display component from Samsung as OEM. The agreement between Pioneer, Samsung, Viewsonic, and Sony really has brought the quality up and price down for these displays.

I can't really answer your question. I can't imagine buying a display that I haven't seen. Specs say a lot about the technical aspects of an image, but say nothing about the quality of an image. Aesthetics are more emotional than they are technical. In other words, some kinds of artifacts in an image will drive me bats, while others either don't see them, or they aren't bothered by them. And vice versa. It appears to be a good display "on paper." But motion blur is such a subjective quality...you'll have to decide for yourself. Wish I could help more.

HDMI does NOT mean 1080p nor does it mean FullHD. What it does mean is High Definition Multimedia Interface. It can Xmit 1080i, 1080p, 720p, 576i/p, 480i/p. There are also varying levels/versions of HDMI, and if you have a TV that can manage HDMI 1.3, you'll be most happy, and you get .x.v. color as well, which is a deeper color standard, but not to be confused with Deep Color. You're right that many of the cheap sets buy OEM from the bigger names, but overall, if it doesn't have a samsung display module, I personally wouldn't touch it. Sony, Pioneer, Vizio, Panasonic, Viewsonic....all source Samsung for the panel itself. Processing, features, software, power might be their own, but most good panels are made by Samsung. Bigway, if you're not rushing, check out http://www.thefullhd.com We'll be posting a few dozen articles up there soon. VASST.com has lots of articles on buying HD now, but it's more professionally oriented. The Full HD is aimed at consumers, but it doesn't launch officially for another 30 days.

I roll mine into a "tielle" and hang it over the bone. This page has a drawing of a big one, I don't have enough hair to make it that big.

Ditto. It's a place on my list for 08.' I don't know many of their guys, but Brian and Lance are both great instructors and good people.

From the Classifieds> Norman Kent will be sharing his 32 years of knowledge and experience in photography and video in the form of a workshop for all experience levels. PRICE: $450 (4 days). DATES: Two separate workshops. July 26th-29th and July 30th-August 2nd LOCATION: Skydive Chicago, during the Summerfest Boogie DISCOUNT: Register for both workshops for $800 (Same person only) Make sure you register early as there is limited space available and it is on a first come first served basis. http://normankent.com/nkp/services/workshops/

Absolutely, it is! It's a good thing. And it's being stressed as much as budgets allow for. But...the local radio station in Pine Ridge for example, no longer broadcasts exclusively in Lakota, it's now about half/half or less...kids just aren't retaining it. It's not on MTV, VH1, etc. But it *is* being taught, it is a priority. But without daily use, and there are fewer and fewer people speaking it, so much becomes lost forever. Even today, translators struggle with parts of Densmore's recordings, and they're barely 100 years old.

I'm still waiting on an SR12 to test I did test the disable function, and when you're recording to MSDP, it does disconnect the HDD system. I was able to hear it shut down in the room I was in with the camcorder back in December. I don't know if you can Xfer bidirectionally, but I believe you can, based on experiences with another camera system we're testing now, that uses similar software features. But without an actual cam to test... The answer is that "I don't know."

Beowulf, When shooting 30p vs 60i, you're cramming the same amount of information into half the amount of resolved space (frames). Therefore, it's very easy to introduce judder. When Sony first introduced 24p to video more than a decade ago, it was easy, because film makers were the only shooters using the format. When 24p and 30p became common in small format camcorders, quality of video took a serious hit not because of the feature, but because amateur and pro-sumers didn't know how to properly deal with the cadence. Low framerate progressive requires a slow hand, steady eye, and understanding of shutterspeed/framerate relationships. It's not plug n' play. For skydiving, unless you're shooting at fairly high shutterspeeds (1/250 or higher), 30p could be a nightmare, and may trigger photosensitive epileptics. 60p doesn't have this concern. Stanford did a test a couple years ago with then-Thomson, now-Grass Valley, and it was determined that 30p can be very problematic for fast-action content if not properly managed. It's why many sports are broadcast at 720p60. It can give people headaches if not properly managed, due to strobing.

I'm not sure where you're getting that information, but it's not accurate. The median age for people speaking Lakota is 65 and rising. In 1993, it was 15%. Now it's less than 11%. http://www.lakhota.org/html/loss.html True, schools are now creating immersion programs, particularly Lakota and Dine (Navaho), but they're coming late. Even among the Dine', the language has suffered greater than 30% loss in a single generation. Montezuma Creek, Monument Valley, Round Rock, Rock Point, and other elementary level schools have periods in the day of Dine'-only speech, as does Rocky Boy in Montana, Pine Ridge, Lower Brule', Sisseton Point, and other school in Lakota/Dakota areas, but these are revival programs. Most kids just aren't interested. Kinda like how you probably took Spanish in 6th grade, if you're not needing to use it every day, you probably only have a few words of the language. It's not the same as being fluent. At the end of the day, only Lakota/Dakota/Nakota and Dine will survive for much longer, simply because of numbers. Hopi and some of the Pueblo languages will continue in small, but very stable numbers, due to the way young children are raised in the Kiva, but it's such a small percentage, it's not worth mentioning on the whole. At one time, there were more than 2600 identified languages and dialects in North America. Today, there are fewer than 500, and of those 500, fewer than 70 are spoken with regularity according to NCAI. "Trying to keep a language alive" is admirable, but there is a significant difference between preserving a language and having it be prolifici within the culture. As an example, my mother doesn't speak English, all of my siblings speak both, and virtually none of my nieces and nephews speak anything but English. it's an extremely common scenario.

OK. whatever you say... You're probably aware Sony *invented* progressive recording, right?

I never had any camera with 30p because thats totally new from canon in HD Kind of obvious from your above statement. Do more research. as you're missing a _lot_ of information. All of the camcorders I listed do 30p. And all but the A1 and Z1 do 24p. Some of them even do 25p. But if you don't know how to shoot P, and you're buying a buzz word, you're going to be in trouble. If your work is for a paying client, then you're in deep trouble.

Sadly enough, few indigenous kids are learning their languages. Some rez' have language-based studies, but they're rare. But I can think of a few words that it's always hilarious to hear folks try to pronounce.

From a Marketing Director at Canon USA (Consumer video camera division) "Douglas, I'll look into your query, however this sounds like bad information. Our production lines are not unique for various models; packaging and bundles are where you'll find differences in product distribution" Sony doesn't change the physical product itself either, but then again, the above quote is from someone in videocameras, not digital imaging. Like Dave. I'd be hard-pressed to accept that Canon has two 40D camera models.

I just ordered a NeoXs, partially because I'd seen one at PIA last year. One thing I liked was the layout and programming. I also have an Optima, and so will be comparing them. One thing I noticed, is it is substantially different from previous products both in design and style. I'll post a review once I receive it.

SR12, V1U, Z7, A1 all do 30p. For skydiving, 30p is useless. And the Vixia at half rez for 30p, is equally useless for skydiving. On the ground, it's a great camcorder. How much experience do you have with 30p?

That's me at the moment, doing exactly that. Maybe the WSI rating needs to have a segment teaching how to track a package, how to stay calm while waiting, etc. It's probably worse for you guys on the dark side of the planet.

Sony has 1080p30 as well, so what? Using it in skydiving for any but the very best flyers (which clearly doesn't include you, nor me) Significantly moreso with 24p. As far as image quality, that's so subjective that it's not really discussable. Seems you're pretty stuck on the Canon, so buy it. Just don't plan on using it for anything skydiving-related. Curious how many hours you have behind a Vixia? Or the CX7, HC5, or HC9? http://www.spottedeagle.com/Skydive/CES_cameras.html When you start to skydive and wear a camera, you'll understand more about th burble the helmet and your body creates. Acceleration isn't the issue.

Thx, I found it on the Birdman site after someone sent a PM. If I had my order sheet handy, I'd probably find it there, too. I frequently get Customs billings for photo gear, yet they always put the shipper or description on them. This came with nothing on the billing. Anyway, thx for the answer, I should have looked on the Birdman website first.

it didn't initially ship with HD support, but the updates are free. Get em' here... It *does* offer HD support, but it's painful. You'll do better shooting HD and downconverting in-camera to SD if you want a decent editing experience. Sony Vegas Movie Studio is significantly faster, has more features by far, than PP1.5. Canopus Edius, Newtek SpeedEdit, and even Ulead Video Studio have significantly faster, better, more stable tools than Premiere Pro 1.5. You really need CS2 or 3 to get the most out of HDV. Adobe does not yet support AVCHD, and based on recent conversations, it may be a while til they do.

Anyone else receive a Customs/handling billing after receiving their wingsuit from Birdman? I got a bill today from UPS international, in the amount of 60.00 for Customs Clearance? Never rec'd anything like this before on a skydiving-related article.

We have two "Caveat Emptor," do I hear three? I'd forgotten that software may (and often is) be different as well. FWIW, Sony AU and Sony UK package my company's software with Sony Vegas, but the US and Canada don't. Just a difference in the perks you get...but they are different.