DSE

GOOGLE can be your friend

The second one is particularly dark, but I don't know how the photo was processed. I don't know what I'm looking at.

my first instinct would be to suggest you calibrate your computer monitor. Different profiles may/should help match the computer monitor to what the camera is displaying. Do you have any Adobe products? If so, look in your Control Panel for Adobe Gamma. That's a starting point. Because we're so image-heavy here, we use GretagMacBeth products to calibrate.

First question: Is your monitor calibrated? If your monitor is gamma adjusted, it can really change what you think you're seeing. As far as white balance, you know how to change that? For the time being, I'd shoot AWB, but that's just me. Personally, I like to balance on a pastel green card to warm up the shot a bit.

Aaron, at your DZ, you've got some excellent video flyers, they'd be good to talk to as well as getting advice here. i got a lot of great advice from the guys at my DZ, as well as seeking out some of the "greats" such as Mike McGowan, Norm Kent, etc. These guys will share their experiences and advice with you as well, and it's not as expensive as you'd think. Getting the helmet is the hardest part to start with, IMO (in terms of gear). Helmets are expensive, so making that top mount/side mount decision can be tough. If you're free flying or mostly fun-flying, side mount is usually the best option, but if you're looking to shoot tandems or get moving towards commercial work, a top mount is worth considering. What about the aircraft you're jumping from? Top mounts are harder in a 182, but not so much so in most anything else. Are you going to eventually add stills? That should be a consideration in choosing a helmet. How are your belly skills? Have you been working on them for the past 100 jumps, or are you like many of us who started messing with everything early on, and have been working on everything but belly flight? How are your relative work skills? That's the *most* important skill, IMO, in getting ready to fly camera. Can you swoop/dive and dock every time? Get someone to loan you some camera wings, especially if you're a bigger guy. I love a comment I once heard Mike McGowan toss out there, "If you can't outfly Joe F@#$! Jennings, then you need wings." Many guys don't use them, and if you're freeflying, you won't be using them. But for RW and tandems, they're very helpful in controlling fall rate and giving you some serious range. This is a place to start, anyway. Read the sticky at the top of the forum for more resources.

I have a few Delco batts, they work fine (even the intelligent memory) but they don't fit in the Cookie box.

Yes, there is a slight upshift in quality. Is it worth ito spend the $$ for an upgrade? Not really. Yeah, better encoder/DSP, but enough difference that the average joe is gonna notice it? Only if they're comparing side by side. The HC7 is a very fine cam, as is the HC5. Now...ifyou've got an old HC3 (I do) then it's likely worth _considering_ but only if it's a "I kinda need a new camcorder, but I really want a new camcorder" situation, IMO.

you'll likely wish you had the 8 gig...there are many outlets for these, but be sure they're MSPD fast/compatible if you don't buy Sony brand. I just bought a few Sandisk, paid a little over 100.00 for them, via an eBay reseller.

In the television news segment, the cousin said she was told she could not bring her oxygen tank on the flight. I can't find that same statement in the print media, so either both of us that watched it inferred or dreamed it, or else the web articles are missing it (which doesn't make sense, as it's a salient and important point). However, the web stories do make it clear American Air has a policy against passengers bringing oxygen tanks on board. Flip side, here is another version of the same story that has a completely different take on it, and seems more reasonable, less sensationalized, and claims she'd been given a "clean bill of health" 2 weeks before the flight. If this one is right and the first story wrong...wow. Diametrics in action.

LOL, I hope you spilled something sticky on that waitress, you bitch! No. there is no memory Xfer from stick to tape. No different than previous camcorders. BUT!! I did get some info about future camcorders that I'll share in person. My turn for dinner. Leave your boyfriend home.

you have a valid point, to a point. There are *all* sorts of endocrinal issues that don't allow everyone in every culture to be thin, or anything but obese. Neither of us know if the woman's size was relevant to her need for oxygen. yes, I feel flying on an aircraft is a right. Airlines may not discriminate against anyone, generally speaking. Just like a bus, cab, or other paid transportation. Either way, we're far OT. My question still stands, who would be responsible? Maybe Lawrocket has a reasonable answer?

review updated with lowlight pix.

Firearms are required for protection of person and are a right. The airline probably is responsible, just not the FAA. If the fatty isn't allowed on the airplane they sue the airline, not the FAA. I've yet to see a debate anywhere in North America on the subject of mobility of human beings not being a basic right, yet there have been plenty of debates about whether firearms are/are not a basic right. Interesting discussion, particularly in light of the use of the word "fatty." Are fat people not entitled to the same rights as thin people? I think we all agree oxygen is a right. If this woman required medically-prescribed oxygen (and she did, according to the news reports), and the airline would not permit her to carry her medically-prescribed oxygen on board, isn't the airline then obligated to provide said oxygen? And if the airline says they do, aren't they legally obligated to be sure their oxygen bottles are charged? Moreover, does the airlines have a responsiblity to assure their first-aid equipment is functioning (such as the defib unit)?

I would take your position into consideration if it were more like "National Parks don't allow wheelchairs" vs firearms. Firearms aren't required for medical purposes, and aren't required for mobility. Mobility is a basic human right. It's why we require wheelchair ramps, elevators, etc, it's why we require audible crossing signals in metropolitan areas, etc. I don't know if she was handicapped or not, but at the least in our airport, people are allowed to move through the airport with their oxygen, they merely can't take it on board. when my child required medical transport, the airline charged me extra for the oxygen used in flight. In other words, they provide it. If in this case they agreed to provide it (which it seems they would be doing in the absence of allowance of a personal bottle of oxygen), then I'd think they'd make sure the bottles had oxygen in them. I honestly don't know....I'd sure like to know. It seems reasonable that they'd be responsible in the absence of allowance. I could be wrong, but I do believe an airline would have a challenge discriminating against anyone who wanted to fly. Afterall, they have said they legally can't discriminate against overly large people who have doublewide derriers...

The woman is from Haiti, and now lives/lived in Brooklyn. So, she's a Haitian woman who was returning to her home in Brooklyn. The doctor on the news this morning unequivocably said "the on-board oxygen bottle was empty." He didn't qualify whether or not this contributed to her death. There was a woman that appeared to be one of the two nurses onboard, who said the defib unit failed as well, but she may have been an average pax vs being a medical professional. Looking for the news story in video form now. I'm still curious...because it seems that if the airline or FAA says you can't bring oxygen when it's required for medical reasons, then they're obligated to take on the responsiblity of providing medical oxygen. It's easy to say "She didn't have to board the flight" but the fact is, particularly if she's island bound, she is entitled to be able to move around the world just as we are. She may have been old, she may have been unhealthy, but on first appearance, it also seems that the FAA or American Air bear some culpability, as they denied her the right to carry on her own oxygen.

I don't know the answer to either question, sorta hoping someone here does. If medical oxygen is required for life, and the FAA regs won't allow for passengers to carry their own, in my mind, it suggests that the FAA then takes on that liability, or the airline does. Obviously they had medical oxygen on the flight, but the bottles were both empty. Suggests someone is carrying it for some reason, doesn't it? Who requires (if anyone) the airline to carry medical oxygen?

nope. Not a one. www.resellerratings.com, you can see for yourself. These sorts of resellers are dangerous, IMO. Either you're getting only a camera, paying extra for powersupply, batteries, manual, etc or you're getting nothing and left holding a bag.

Somewhat surprised no one has commented on this story Woman from Brookly Dies In Flight Passengers aboard Flight 896 became agitated over the situation, and the flight attendant, apparently after phone consultation with the cockpit, tried to administer oxygen from a portable tank and mask, but the tank was empty. Oliver said two doctors and two nurses were aboard and tried to administer oxygen from a second tank, which also was empty. Two failed oxygen bottles and a failed defib device. FAA won't allow passengers to carry their own oxygen on board. Recipe for disaster? Who is liable? FAA? American Airlines?

If you can find an HC9 from a real dealer, not a greymarket dealer for sub 900.00, I'd jump on it. Fast.

I have a Cookie box that I put this in to test size, and have a custom Terry Schumacher box that it will eventually live in, once it's delivered.

Coincidental you'd bring this up...audio was tested this morning when we had more people in the studio to work with. Audio is identical on this camcorder as in previous models, no detected changes. I'd wondered if the DSP was doing anything to the audio, since it obviously is affecting the video, but it doesn't. In other words, it's pretty good. Nice that it's got a mic input though. Also doing the low-light test this morning, so you'll want to refresh that review later today if it doesn't have candle images in it. when you view it.

here is a draft of a speed review for a magazine, about the Sony HC9 camcorder Hope it helps anyone looking at new camcorders.

The dvmc-da2 was a very good converter. One of the few that passes CC streams, too. They were pretty spendy, around 500.00 IIRC. But yeah, it would work just fine for taking in analog and outputting DV.

There are *so* many ways to Xfer film...and all of them boil down to a camera shooting a screen or scanner plate. I've transfered a few dozen 8, 16mm films by simply putting up a screen that is locked down well, feeding the projector outputs into a direct box. Direct box (about 20.00 at any music store) then feeds camera. Camera is on heavy-weighted, locked down tripod, and record the screen. HD is a better option, of course. Cheep, effective, and at least 90% of the quality you'll achieve through a high end Xfer house costing big $$, and if it's old 8mm, it'll probably be 100% of what you can expect from a good Xfer post house.

Canopus makes a great converter, ADS made one, but now discontinued. There are several cheapies such as those from Pinnacle, but some of them use challenging or weak codecs. How many tapes is a "pile?" I've got several convergent design boxes (very high end) and could potentially help you out, but Mars isn't on my list of places to send gear. Otherwise, if quality is important, and you find yourself needing a TBC, I'd recommend the Canopus.