freekfly

Check Omniskore in about 30 minutes....I'm gonna post top 8 since Round 5 is complete and it is also an elimination round....... I'll post for Womens freestyle and freefly since those are the only with more than 8 competitors. I'm on it....oh...and for the US folks wonder....Loki is still in..... ___________________________ www.brianbuckland.com

The reason for the busts were that they said they couldn't see the grips......when I watched the video with the chief judge during the review.....those boys hit those points so fast.....and if both grips are not visible.....completely visible....then it's a bust.......for instance.....2 of the busts were going from a belly round and transitioning it to a double grip head down......so as they were rotating you could see both hands.....but once they got over.....one hand was block from view because the closer arm was in the way.......so while everyone watching knows they got it....according to the rules it was a bust......bummer..... I think they will be revising the rules a bit.....seeing that we seem to be constantly working out the different little issues like this.....on 1 side....it's a speed round....but on the other....every grip HAS to be presented to the camera.......cause as we all know....if it's not on video.....it never happened..... ___________________________ www.brianbuckland.com

Yup...2 of those busts were part of the "issues" from that round.....We questioned the judges on it and reviewed the scoring sheets and video and the points were not busted for the reasons that Anomaly originally thought. We still didn't agree with the call.....but at least it was for a legit reason.......either way.....lesson learned for almost all of the teams....unfortunately it hurt some more than others....... ___________________________ www.brianbuckland.com

Oh yeah....the chicken on a stick rocks.....so does the steak on a stick and the mini hotdogs on a stick....and each costs $1.50 REAL......translation.....$0.50 USD. Yeah....real expensive down here....... I guess the best way to sum it up down here is......that it sure doesn't suck! ___________________________ www.brianbuckland.com

Hey guys! First off...let me tell ya that Brazil is beautiful! So if you want to see for yourself please check out all of the pics that we're posting on Omniskore......please let me know if there are any corrections and GO USA!!!! -Brian ___________________________ www.brianbuckland.com

Here is the latest. ************************ Dear Friends ! Negotiations are in process between the CBPq and the IPC. The WPC AE 2004 has not been cancelled. CBPq is working on an alternative location: Boituva DZ. and it will be sending a Agreement to the FAI. The deadline given by FAI is Sep 3rd, 2004, at 09:00 o´clock. ************************* So all teams should know by tomorrow morning if they will be canceling their tickets or just changing them a little...... -brian US team manager (artistic events) 2004 ___________________________ www.brianbuckland.com

Yes, fun filled weekend indeed! Thanks for coming out! Here are a few more pics.... Enjoy! ___________________________ www.brianbuckland.com

Giddy up! Should be a fun filled weekend......See you all there ___________________________ www.brianbuckland.com

I've got Amica. Not sure if they are nationwide or not, but they have been pretty good so far. Also, it's a home owners policy.....well....actually.....it's kind of between a home owners and a renters since I own a condo. It's more like a renters since there is a master policy for the association of condos itself. Anywhoo, I've got the items scheduled on that. It's a pretty good deal. I believe that the policy is up to $30K in personal property, plus $20K for the dwelling (that's the odd part....the master policy will rebuild your condo from the "studs out" they call it. so the dwelling coverage is for stuff like flooring, sinks, counters, etc....), and the scheduled items aren't included in these totals.....they are additional payouts if a claim was to occur. The policy runs me around $340 or so per year. Not sure exact # but not a bad deal for piece of mind. Like if my rental car with rigs and camera gear was broken into, it would cover that loss. Just hope I never have to use it...... ___________________________ www.brianbuckland.com

Hey there, sorry a little slow in the response...jury duty yesterday Anywhoo, I just hung up with my insurance company. On my overall policy I have a $100 deductible and on scheduled items, there is NO deductible. And yes, that is the $11 per year for the $1800 in canon & accessories. Also, to your point....or someone's point above, while I jump all the time, I am still a weekend jumper and this is NOT my profession....i.e....I do not generate my income through using my skydiving gear, camera, etc....so for me, skydiving and freefall photography is just considered a hobby. Sure there is the occasional coach jump or published photo, but they are not paying the mortgage. So with that said.....I'm gonna stand by my statement that scheduling equipment on your home owners or renters insurance is a good way to go....and cheaper........for the weekend jumper anyways..... ___________________________ www.brianbuckland.com

Just my 2 cents.....why spend $200 on a warranty when you can spend a fraction and just have it scheduled....or itemized on your renters or home owners insurance? I just added my Digital Rebel and flash card, battery & sigma 15mm on there for a total of $1800 covered. It cost me a whopping $11 per year for this additional coverage. And guess what that covers.....EVERYTHING. I asked the question long ago....."So if I call up and say that I had this camera strapped to my head and jump out of a plane and someone smashes into me and it plummets to the ground, what are you going to say?" and their response was "Where should we send the check?" Unlike regular renters or home owners insurance that covers things when there is proof of theft or fire or the like, with a scheduled item, you give the insurance company the receipts up front and that's what is covered. So literally, ANYTHING could happen to the item insured and they cover it. As long as you don't intentionally smash it and ask for another one Check with your insurance company and I'm sure they will say the same thing. And if you don't have insurance........get it! Basic coverage is as low as a few hundred per year. Just ask the crew out at Elsinore....I know a few had coverage.....and I'm sure they are thankful..... ___________________________ www.brianbuckland.com

Not sure if it's too late in the game to reply.....but Boston is huge for Bio-Tech. Well....not in Boston, but all around Boston is more like it. Here are a few local resources that can help you out. Boston.com has some good stuff and a whole section devoted to bio-tech jobs in the area.....and lots of them. And yes.....the season here isn't as long as it is other places, but trust me....we make up for that Good luck! ___________________________ www.brianbuckland.com

I use a bite switch. Just make sure you get the one for a normal cannon rebel as I believe that the connection for the 10D is not what you need. The 300D actually has 2 ways to release the shutter. One is with the normal plug / bite switch and the other is with Canon's wireless remote. ___________________________ www.brianbuckland.com

I bought my 300D from B & H. They are a very big and a VERY reputable company. I've bought several cameras from them in the past and would recommend them over the next guy......even if it was $50 more or so.....worth the peace of mind. As for the Compact Flash card....I got the Sandisk Extreme and it works great! If I had to tell a friend where to buy a camera...it would be from B & H. Hope this helps.... ___________________________ www.brianbuckland.com

I hear you on the zoom.....I don't want it.....but doing lots of freeflying, I want to have a little wider lens. if I got a 15 mm it would translate to a 24 mm on this camera. Tough for those close up shots. But then again........it's also fixed..... I guess it's a toss up......at this point I just have to figure out which is more important.....having the close up ability or going with something that is fixed and you don't have to gaff up every time.... hmm.... ___________________________ www.brianbuckland.com

Got ya...... Ok here's what I got. Figure worst case you have 30 seconds to take as many pictures from exit to opening? I just set the camera to shutter priority 400 and manual focus. Held the release down for 30 seconds with a stop watch. I got 31 shots. I did it twice to be sure. So this would no doubt have the power that you need. And don't think that it's 1 shot a second. If you just hold it down for bursts....you'll get 2.5 shot a second with as the buffer is clearing...like on exit...it's empty. Hope that gives you enough info.... ___________________________ www.brianbuckland.com

Hmmm...haven't tried it yet....that's not how I usually take photos On the other hand...I do know that once you fill the buffer, it's going to depend on how fast your CF card is. I got the Sandisk Extreme card. It writes at 9MB / sec sustained native which means your camera doesn't need to support some one off write acceleration or anything. The camera shoots @ 2.5 frames / sec for the first 4 shots. The next set of 4 is a little slower. If you like, give me an amount of time and I'll grab the stop watch and go hold down the trigger and let ya know how many shots I can get off....... ___________________________ www.brianbuckland.com

I got the 300D about 2 weeks after it came out and love it. Very nice camera. Yes, same sensor as the 10d, but from what I understand it's mounted differently. Not sure on the specifics, but there is a difference. But at the same point, you get the same quality image as the 10D. The one very noticable thing is the buffer. I believe it's about half the size of the 10D. But to be honest....I just got a top of the line CF card.....very fast.......and haven't had ANY issues with it. With that said....I haven't used it for a ton of jumping since I live in New England and this just came out in the late fall. The other thing that I haven't done yet is get a good lens.....I actually just made another post on that subject. The Rebel is also much lighter than the 10D. Another thing that I did......not sure if you can do this with the 10d, but I updated the firmware about a month after I got it. Nice and easy. Once it starts warming up....I'll be sure to post several pics from that camera. Just check out the site below. But you're not going to see anything until April...... -Brian ___________________________ www.brianbuckland.com

Just curious if anyone out there has jumped the new Sigma 12 - 24 mm lens for digital SLR cameras? Everyone I know that's been jumping digital jumped on the band wagon early and they all have the Canon 10D with the Sigma 15mm. But that gives you about a 24mm since it's on a digital SLR. I held out and picked up the new Digital Rebel....Same chip....same quality image....just less features, lighter and cheaper.....If I go with the 12 - 24 that will give me about a 19mm in the end. I'm 95% sure I'm getting this lens......but figure I'll pick it up in another month or so to see if the price comes down since it's about $650. Any feedback? -Brian ___________________________ www.brianbuckland.com

I found a place that ships them out pretty quick. $3.95 for a Sony MiniDV 60 minutes. Price goes down with bulk order: http://www.tapeandmedia.com/mini_dv_premium.asp And I ONLY use Sony tapes in Sony camcorders....call me crazy.....or stupid...one or the other.... ___________________________ www.brianbuckland.com

I guess Ian can't type..... http://www.freekfly.com/video/andyhook.wmv But you can also get it from the other video link he posted. And for the record.....he did get up, but he was NOT a happy camper. Went to the hospital to get checked out after much convincing.......very lucky the DZ had just lengthened the pond and added that 10-14 inches of soft sand..... ___________________________ www.brianbuckland.com