Skwrl

Hey Mike, Nah, you see, there's our difference in philosophy... There are plenty of videos that try to show (some better than others) how "bad ass" the sport supposedly is. The problem is that most of those videos - and a lot of the people in them - take themselves way too fucking seriously for my tastes. Anything that basically shows the fun side of what we do (as opposed to the stuff that seems to show off the "we has balls bigger than yours") is awesome in my book. I mean, seriously, a 13 year old kid made a pair of wingsuits... And you guys were willing to jump them... I don't care if no mountain surfing was involved - that's pretty damn cool. (And since someone is going to call me out on it, yes, I've made pretentious videos too - my most recent one comes to mind - but I'm determined to make them more fun going forward. I also want them to show off the really amazing sublime feeling that we get when we fly... After all, rearrange "wingsuit skydiving" and you get "Divinity Swigs Gunk".) Skwrl Productions - Wingsuit Photography Northeast Bird School - Chief Logistics Guy and Video Dork

That video is pure, condensed awesome. Skwrl Productions - Wingsuit Photography Northeast Bird School - Chief Logistics Guy and Video Dork

Part of the reason that you're finding it confusing is that you're trying to buy one tool to do a ton of different jobs. That's not going to work well for you. You originally asked about a lightweight/snag resistant setup; but you also want to shoot tandems with it. The right tool for a "fuck around in the sky and get black-box recorder style footage of my messed up horny gorilla or four way RW zoo jump" is a very different tool than the "I want to film tandems and get paid to be skydiving video dude, filming whuffos and impressing them with my mad video skillz". I think what you should be focusing on is learning how to jump with a camera on. Preferably a small, lightweight one. But that doesn't have to be the camera you shoot tandems with later on. Since you're just learning camera, any of the low end small format cameras will be just about as good as any others in terms of quality (in other words, they all suck more or less the same). So then the question is form factor. I've jumped with Juan and I respect his opinion a lot. The Drift Stealth is a small camera and it's probably less likely (never say never) to prove a snag hazard than the GoPro (just look at the form factor and the silly arm/bracket that you have to use with the GoPro). Yes, there are safer ways to mount a GoPro and dumber ways to mount a Drift Stealth, but on average I think you'll be safer with that or with a ContourHD, for what that's worth. (The ContourHD has a similar form factor.) Mount your small format camera on top of your helmet and it's probably safer. When you get the hang of that - and getting good video will take longer than you think - then you can think about what you want to use for tandem. Then you can worry about OIS, EIS, whether the CX250 is worth it over the CX100, all that crap. But you will have already got the basics down. Whatever you mount, in addition to being smart about its location, be smart about having to get rid of it if things go bad. I have told the story of my camera helmet entanglement too many times on this forum to repeat, but in short, sometimes stuff doesn't break off when it should. And when it doesn't break off, there can be disastrous results. Make sure you are using a helmet with a cutaway, and think about how you are going to use a helmet cutaway as part of your EPs. In other words, part of your dealing with an emergency now has to be answering the question "is shit stuck to my helmet and I can't get it off?" If so, you'll need to cutaway your helmet before cutting away your main, to avoid breaking your neck. I used up one of my nine lives when I didn't do that and my guardian angel apparently broke the ratchet chin strap as I dangled from it. Don't rely on a similar thing happening to you. Be smart and be safe. Skwrl Productions - Wingsuit Photography Northeast Bird School - Chief Logistics Guy and Video Dork

Depends on what you're trying to shoot. I use a Century Optics .55x for small wingsuit flocks, and small RW groups (e.g., 3 to 10 ways). For larger flocks or for shooting tandems up close, I use something wider, the Opteka .3x ("baby death"). Personally, I find the .55x more versatile, but your results may vary. Skwrl Productions - Wingsuit Photography Northeast Bird School - Chief Logistics Guy and Video Dork

Interesting, but I think I disagree. I used a CX7 for a long time wingsuiting and had no issues with it as long as it was top mounted. I also shot tandems with it (again, fine so long as it was top mounted). I've since upgraded to a CX100 (and most recently to a CX550), but I think the dislike of OIS is a bit overstated by some in this forum. Skwrl Productions - Wingsuit Photography Northeast Bird School - Chief Logistics Guy and Video Dork

Hi Simon, I'd recommend the Canon T2i - it fits your requirements and is a great first SLR. - Jeff Skwrl Productions - Wingsuit Photography Northeast Bird School - Chief Logistics Guy and Video Dork

Does anyone make a box or a cage that would fit the CX550? (I bought myself a new toy and I am notoriously clumsy - the phrase 'Donohue trap' has entered wingsuiter lingo, describing when an inanimate object outsmarts a wingsuiter.) Skwrl Productions - Wingsuit Photography Northeast Bird School - Chief Logistics Guy and Video Dork

We had an incredible time at the Puerto Rico Boogie - sun, sand, bikinis and rum... What's not to like? Pictures can be found here: http://skwrl.smugmug.com/Skydiving/PR/15848420_ZFcad#1188369400_uzCZS Skwrl Productions - Wingsuit Photography Northeast Bird School - Chief Logistics Guy and Video Dork

Only the ones that fall apart easily. (Daedalus never gets any credit...) Skwrl Productions - Wingsuit Photography Northeast Bird School - Chief Logistics Guy and Video Dork

"Never buy a suit that you haven't jumped ... " QFT. Skwrl Productions - Wingsuit Photography Northeast Bird School - Chief Logistics Guy and Video Dork

I've flown both, and I like both of them. I'm assuming you're already an exprienced wingsuiter and this isn't your first suit. If that's not correct, my suggestion will change. You're taller than I am but about the same weight. I think you'll find that the R-bird gives you enough power and ease of flight as you'll need for flocking, but if you really want the ability to do max flight from time to time (like, at breakoff) you'll want the S. It is a little more challenging suit to fly at pull time than the R (but nowhere as hard as the X), but if you're comfortable with your deployment technique you should be fine. For what it's worth, I often prefer my S-bird to the X-bird because it's got almost the range of the X and it isn't as much fabric to deal with at pull time. I haven't yet jumped the X2 or the other new models (e.g., the new version of the Apache). I'm not a Tonysuit rep so I no idea how you could get a loaner. I'm sure someone could come up with an idea, though... Good luck and let us know what you decide to do. Skwrl Productions - Wingsuit Photography Northeast Bird School - Chief Logistics Guy and Video Dork

I call middle piece! Skwrl Productions - Wingsuit Photography Northeast Bird School - Chief Logistics Guy and Video Dork

You mean a wingsuit rudder? Skwrl Productions - Wingsuit Photography Northeast Bird School - Chief Logistics Guy and Video Dork

The full video from the event can be found here: http://vimeo.com/19552772 Thanks to everyone who made it a great event. Skwrl Productions - Wingsuit Photography Northeast Bird School - Chief Logistics Guy and Video Dork

Great work, as always, Matt. Way to make us look good. Andreea's old suit is pretty damn photogenic. Skwrl Productions - Wingsuit Photography Northeast Bird School - Chief Logistics Guy and Video Dork

Nice work. Skwrl Productions - Wingsuit Photography Northeast Bird School - Chief Logistics Guy and Video Dork

Actually, while I do have a Contour, it's not mounted to my helmet. The laser is to allow me to quickly sync my ring sight with my cameras while on the plane. In other words, the laser points to where the cameras point; if my ring sight gets jostled or moved, I can easily adjust it to where it should be. Skwrls with freakin' lasers on their head... Skwrl Productions - Wingsuit Photography Northeast Bird School - Chief Logistics Guy and Video Dork

Shhhh!!!! That's why I have a laser sight on my new camera helmet... Skwrl Productions - Wingsuit Photography Northeast Bird School - Chief Logistics Guy and Video Dork

It was a lot of fun and great to see a bunch of people that I haven't seen in a while (and to meet some new folks as well). We bashed together a video for the bar Saturday night. That video is available on WWN, that's a teaser of the video to come - we didn't get the formation really together until Sunday. Stay tuned for that and for Scotty's pics! Skwrl Productions - Wingsuit Photography Northeast Bird School - Chief Logistics Guy and Video Dork

http://www.cypres.cc/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=164&Itemid=116&lang=en Skwrl Productions - Wingsuit Photography Northeast Bird School - Chief Logistics Guy and Video Dork

http://www.youtube.com/t/dmca_policy Skwrl Productions - Wingsuit Photography Northeast Bird School - Chief Logistics Guy and Video Dork

Yes, but it takes a good pilot in the right suit for him or her. For a related concept, check out the XRW projects here: http://vimeo.com/11880206 (no, not the first time a link up had ever been done, but definitely the prettiest). Later efforts (including a three/six way) can be found here: http://vimeo.com/15776958 It's pretty neat stuff. Skwrl Productions - Wingsuit Photography Northeast Bird School - Chief Logistics Guy and Video Dork

[facepalm] You accused me of calling you an idiot, a monkey and other things. I said I hadn't - and if you read the posts, you see that - but then shared my opinion of you so you could contrast it with the things you claimed I said. Then you said that THAT opinion was the mean words that made you sad. The mind reels... Seriously: I. Give. Up. I'll honor my side of our bet, and I'll hope you do, too. But I'm done talking to the wall. Skwrl Productions - Wingsuit Photography Northeast Bird School - Chief Logistics Guy and Video Dork

Nope. And I didn't call you those things either. Let's try it this way - quote where I called you somethlng rude. Skwrl Productions - Wingsuit Photography Northeast Bird School - Chief Logistics Guy and Video Dork

Excuse me? I didn't call you an idiot. In fact, I repeatedly encouraged your enthusiasm, but I also wanted to encourage you to learn more about this history of wingsuiting so far (to learn from others' mistakes) and a little physics (to learn what's possible, so you could work within those parameters). If I have an opinion of you, it's that you are rude, self-righteous, baselessly arrogant and closed mlnded - unwiling to learn and insisting you know better than everyone else. But shit, I teach law school, so that's a phenotype I have to deal with every day, and I'm used to it. It doesn't phase me in the least - you'll note that I was actually willing to help you. Skwrl Productions - Wingsuit Photography Northeast Bird School - Chief Logistics Guy and Video Dork