AndyMan

I disagree. I can't speak to all 3-chip camcorders, but I can speak to the VX2000. The chief difference with adding CCD's is that it improves color responsiveness. It does not add to the resolution (or number of pixels), or any other tangible benefit. With the VX2000, color response is absolutely beautiful when compared to my PC120. Sunsets come alive, pink jumpsuits stand out, and blue skies just look gorgeous. WIth the PC120, and every other one-chip camera I've seen - colors just look flat and washed out compared to a 3-chip. The difference is not lost when converting to DVD, and will even survive a conversion to a low-bandwidth download. If I had the money to burn, I would jump a Vx2100 in a heartbeat even without a broadcast contract. Hopefully some day I will have the money to burn.... _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

I can't think of any rigger who's opinion I would trust more than the manufacturer in a case like this, especially when it's actually two different manufacturers saying the same thing. This specific problem is caused by riggers in the field doing non-standard things. You've got a rigger in the field doing something non-standard. Something to think about. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

Is anoyone using a pair of 580EX's? How well does the wireless work? Can they be mounted side by side? Is one flash wired onto the hot-shoe, or do you use a transmitter like the ST-E2? Also.... anyone using the 580EX with a Digital Rebel? _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

In other news, Virginia moves one step closer to passing legislation honoring the "big eared bat". I swear, I can't make this stuff up. http://www.salon.com/news/wire/2005/02/10/va_bat/index.html __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

Salon is running a similar story, except no connection to prostitution. http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2005/02/10/gannon_affair/index.html _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

I see... Sounds cool. Confusing text.

My memory is failing me... I'm not sure how long the stock leader is. Each videographer has a different style. In addition to the editing, I also shot tandem video myself. Here's how I break it down.... Others may do it differently. I start with a ground interview which lasts about a minute, a few transition shots of walking up to the airplane, about a minute of airplane antics and another brief interview. The exit and freefall takes about a minute. The landing, then another short interview with a few "wooHoo's"! If I were to guess, I'd say that probably makes it about 4-5 minutes of footage for the jump, which is what needs to be edited. I like them short so they're not boring. Others are free to disagree. We've never had a complaint that they're "too short". Now that I think about it, my estimates in the previous post would have been short. Total editing time is the length of the video (since it's done in realtime) + 2 minutes for finalizing. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

I went Tongue, because my wife said I needed exercise. (kidding). Bite would be a close second. I don't like 'blow' because I don't think it would have good shot control. I don't like hand because it requires wires through the jumpsuit. Wireless hand could be dropped, or would require a teather - which raises other issues. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

That's crappy news. Mike's a good guy, but he should be smarter. He should get a lawyer to help. Best of luck, but unless he's willing to get profesional help, I don't hold out much hope. A courtroom with high stakes is not the place for an amateur. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

Never, unless the rigger does it on his own without my request, during the reserve repack. I inspect my own often. I do a throrough inspection annually, including hanging. I inspect different aspects of it each time I pack. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

Interesting. An exerpt of the text reads: "The new lens closing mechanism requires the jumper to squeeze the lens together to allow the closing pin to be released from it's locking position at the forehead area in order not to make a push-in button on the chin susceptible to knock and unwanted lens openings during the most intense skydives" I'm confused. Does this mean a closing pin is used to keep the lens closed? Or keep the lens open? Does this mean the lens can't easily be opened or closed under canopy? If I'm reading this correcly, once the closing pin has been released, you would need to remove the helmet to "reset" the closing pin - making opening or closing of the lens a one-shot deal. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

I spent some time editing last year. The process was that a camera flyer would drop into the editing booth, drop off a tape, and give me the students name. The camera flyer would spend less than a minute doing this. Then he'd go pack, and rince/repeat for the next student on the next load. The camera flyer is tied up for less than a minute. The camera flyers gear is never tied up. I, as the editor, would take the tape and drop it into an old PC9 with the lens ripped off, which I'd use for playback. I'd hit 'record' on the DVD recorder, hit 'play' on the PC9, and 'play' on the CD player, and create a new chapter on the DVD. The stock 'leader' had already been burned to the DVD. I'd use the editing board to mix the music and audio track, and a few standard special effects - like a grabbing a snap-shot of the exit and fades.. The entire editing process would be done in real time, taking no longer than the playback of the jump - about 3 minutes each plus another 2 minutes to finalize. With one editor, one editing board working full time we could easily keep up with our Otter doing 4 tandems every 20 minutes. On days when we were flying two Otters, we'd pull a second editing station and do 8 DVDs every 20 minutes. Using a linear editing system, we'd do a full edit in 5 minutes, including finalizing. We'd never tie up the cameraman or camera gear for more than a minute, and allow the tandem operation to turn tandems as quickly as they could. I can not possibly imagine doing anything similar using a PC based non-linear system. No matter how efficiently you create your macro's, it will always take longer since you've taken two steps that I do at the same time, and do them one after another. You've got a significantly larger hardware investment that takes longer to produce the same product. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

Well, duh. The problem is that the causes of malfunctions are usually far more complex than the models we use when we discuss them. There are occaisions where the situation I described can happen accidentally, and you may not even realise it. Details of how I accomplished it in my specific case can be found here . Clearly it was my fault, and I will not make the same mistake twice. That said, it certainly was not an obvious error, and I have no doubt that others have, and will make the same mistake without realising it. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

I'm a big fan of Nikon, too. For years I proudly carried a Nikkormat FTN, I finally broke down and "upgraded" to a Nikon FM10. I was so happy that all my lenses fit! My wife proudly uses a Nikon N6006 body (when she's not shooting her Leica), which I snubbed because it was audacious enough to be auto-focus. When I started expressing interest in jumping camera, she offered her N6006, but I didn't like the idea of being forced to use a mechanical shutter release. Ultimately, I bit the bullet and jumped onto the Canon wagon, I really didn't think the affordable Nikon bodies were suitable for jumping. I think ChasingBlueSky would be smart to stick with Canon for economic reasons - he's already got a Digital Rebel, and being split on two different platforms sucks. From there, he needs to decide which of the Canon bodies is appropriate, and the answer to that question only depends on his needs. Bo, if you're looking for a very innexpensive SLR's, I have a very old "original" Canon Rebel I'd give you for a beer, just be aware it's not usable for jumping because it won't take a remote shutter release. It does take any Canon EF lens, which pretty much means any lens except the one that came with your Digital Rebel. I also have my old Nikon FM10, which is a very basic mechanical SLR, but obviously isn't Canon. The Nikon is in near mint condition, the Canon is in good shape. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

No.... This to me looks like only a partial "step-through", but the name is innapropriate, since it probably happened during packing, AFTER the canopy was put in the bag. I've done something similar to myself once. To reproduce, pack as normal. Do a 4-line continuity check. Flake, s-fold, put in bag. With the canopy in the bag, take one line, pass it around the pilot-chute and bag. In effect, that one line will now be fully wrapped around the other lines. It would be the same as a line-over that cleared to the wrong side, or a one-sided stepthrough. What I've described will create a situation that's different than what's posted, though. It is definately possible to pack a step-through after doing a continuity check. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

I do. Child abuse is child abuse. A 13 year old is still a 13 year old, and an adult that has sex with one is one sick fucker. Stop trying to justify the actions of a child abuser. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

This is troubling news. I strongly recomend Mike gets an attorney to come along. Are there any jumper attorney's in the area willing to help? _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

It does seem like you're spending a lot of time here.... So why keep using the tourist visa? Are you considering moving here fulltime? Why not start a permanent resident application? The US has a plethora of different visas which may work better for you, but you need to get good advice on which to pick. I don't know any experts online, but I can recomend a good attorney if you like. PM me if interested. It is by far simpler to be honest with US immigration and find a visa that suits your needs, than to try to fit yourself into a visa that doesn't really apply. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

That is exactly the process we use here at Raeford. Same thing at Chicagoland. If you want to be in any way efficient when editing, you simply must have a standard leader ready to go - Chicagolands is even already burned to the disk. Then edit the tandem itself on a good linear board. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

Unless you need a fast motor drive, or an uber auto-focus mechanism, I'd go cheap. In fact, I did go cheap. Last summer I picked up a Canon Rebel G II for under $100. I picked it up for tandem work, knowing the DZ would likely go digital this year. It's got everything I need, including a slow but steady motor drive, 5 point auto-focus, and a short-range pop-up flash. It shares lenses with the Digital Rebel. Unlike more expensive cameras with lots of toys (like a fast motor drive), this one will make you think about the shots you want to take. To explain where I'm coming from, this is the 4th SLR I've ever bough, and the first to have anything more complex then an electric light meter. I've typically been a manual purist. It's the user, not the camera that gets good shots. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

This is a very odd collection of cars to consider! Craichead and I bought an Element last year.... And we love it. It may look kinda funny, but it suits our needs perfectly. 1) It's got tons of storage space for hauling cargo - which we do a lot of. When we pack up all our camping gear, then add all of our skydiving gear, we've still got lots of room for passengers. 2) The "Suicide" side doors, and tailgate make loading that cargo very easy. 3) The vinyl floor makes cleanup quick and easy. We often end up tracking in mud, which just wipes off with a wet sponge. The upholstry also cleans easily, and repels spills. 4) Great gas millage for an "SUV". 25MPG on the highway make it affordable to do a lot of highway driving. 5) 4WD has been very handy several times. It's fantastic in snow and deep mud. 6) Very affordable. The "high end" model comes in under $20,000 - so if you don't want to spend too much money, it's really ideal. ANd finally.... 7) A truely kickin stereo... complete with 7 speakers and a built-in sub woofer comes stock. 'Nuff said. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

It's not really a case of stolen goods as much as it is a case of copyright violation. There's a bunch of reasons why in many cases it's perfectly legal to copy 'stuff'. Often these reasons are characterized as "fair use", but there's other reasons, too. Libraries have photo copiers because it's almost always perfectly legal to actually make the copy. The problem comes up when you try to USE that copy. Use it by either selling it, or putting it up on your webpage, claiming its your own, or distributing it to the public - All these actions will put you in violation of the copyright. SkyRide isn't protected by having bought the images from a third party. If Brent didn't license those images, then SkyRide bought a CD full of unlicensed images, which is essentially worthless. For example, I can quite easily point my web browser to the website of the Library of Congress and legally download and save thousands of images. I can even burn those images onto a CD for my own private purposes without violating copyright. The CD I just created has little value because I don't have any rights to do anything with the contents. Even if I sell the CD, I've just sold a worthless CD. The buying has no rights to use the contents. It's not legally about "theft". It is about "copyright infringement", which is a whole different ballgame - but the rules are quite straightforward. Absolutely Brent has the rights to his images, and SkyRide doesn't. It's obvious Brent has been in contact with an attorney. Brent, I hope that attorney didn't scare you off. You'd be smart to protect yourself by following through on this, even if it does mean paying out a large bit of change in attorney fees... _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

Would you be upset if me and Craichead came along? We'd try not to be too 'luvvy-duvvy'.... _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

Personally, I don't see why it would be any quicker than a much cheaper DVD recorder. Anyone? What am I missing? _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

I do the diet soda thing. For me, it's not about the calories. If I'm having a big mac and a large fries, it's CLEARLY not about the calories. Once I made the switch to diet drinks, I can't go back. I simply dislike the over sugared taste of sweetened soda. It just tastes bad. Make fun of me if you like, but when at a fast food restaurant (which is rare), I will eat whatever tastes good. For me, that means a diet soda. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.