What do all the lenses do?

[iam 0]

I'm about to start jumping with a camera, mostly RW but hopefully I will get to do some tandems when my skill level is up a bit. One thing i'm not to sure about is what lense convertors to use. e.g what is the difference between a 0.43 and a 0.3. What distance is best with each lense? Basically i'm looking for a dummies guide to lenses for a sony DV

Thanks

"Don't ever knock on deaths door, just ring the bell and run away - it really pisses him off"

[garywainwright 0]

Basically you're talking about wide angle lenses. Wide angle lenses have a conversion factor of less than 1 (tele photo are greater than 1) and the lower the number the wider the lens so in your example the 0.3 should be wider than the 0.43.
I have found that for me a 0.5 is a good all rounder and typically lines up well with a 24mm still lens. Also good for RW as its not really wide so you can get very steep on the formation while still filling the frame.
Obviously the wider the lens the closer you have to be, thats just practice!
Have fun!!

http://www.garywainwright.co.uk

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[Deuce 1]

The .6 will be easier to get good video with. I started with a .5 and listened to a lot of people holler at me that I wasn't close enough. I wasn't.

The nice thing about a .5 is that you can "cheat-zoom" it a little to compensate for not being closer.

A .6 is really very good for tandems, the customer really likes to see a close-up of their face.

You can't consistently shoot quality tandem footage without a camera suit. Get big wings. You can always pull the wings in, but if you have a female tandem master with a 90 pound passenger there's just no way to slow down enough to stay up with them without some serious wingage. (unless you're a feather-butt yourself).

Good luck. I love shooting tandems, I'm an adrenaline vampire!

[SniperCJ 0]

Your video camera should have a 35mm conversion factor listed somewhere in the specs. I think my PC9, wide open, is about the same view as a 43mm lens on a 35mm camera.

Use that number and multiply it by the wide angle lens conversion factor to give you your new 35mm conversion factor. On the PC9 with my .6 lens, gives me the same view as about a 25mm lens on a 35mm camera (which is nicely close to the 24mm lens I use on my still camera).

That help?

JC

[PhreeZone 20]

>Get big wings

I disagree here. Get wings that are suited for your body size and shape. I have medium wings and they are really too large. I float up on people when I flip to a sit or my learning back style with them since they are too large. I used to wear a weight belt with them just to stay down with formations. Tandems? hell I used to pull it all in and throw a hard arch just to stay down with them. I used my freefly suit more then the wings while screwing around since I had more mobility snd less effort required to stay down. Get them sized right and its not an issue. Looking back... small wings are what I needed.

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

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[Deuce 1]

Well, I did make an exception for featherbutts

The camera flyers I work with use the bigger wings, except one very small, very light guy who uses the medium wings.

The wings not only allow me to stay floatey with light pairs, but let me dive down in a cannonball body position to right over a formation and WHAM I can stop right where I want to be. Without the wings I would have to get big sooner and slowly close to the top of the burble. The big wings also let me get directly over 4-10 ways. When I feel the turbulence I get really big and I don't crash the formation.

You can pull big wings in, but if they're too small and you end up low, it's over.

Phree I agree that they have to be sized right. It sounds like medium wings do for you what big wings do for me. I had the C wing on my Tony camera suit, and it wasn't big enough. I sent it back and had the D wing put on, and now it's fine.

Sorry to hijack this lens thread to camera suits, but the equipment issues are easier to address than the flying ones. If you can't get close, the difference between a .3 and a .6 is sucky vs. very sucky.

[murrays 0]

Deuce/Phree, anybody else..

Could you give an idea of your height/weight and wings used for those of us just getting into video?

It would be very helpful.

Thanks,

Murray

[Deuce 1]

I'm 6' 195, ( I'm no bodybuilder, but I have very low body fat, no gut) I have the Tony Camera suit with the D wing, mine is modified a little bit to come further toward my wrists. It looks quite a bit like Quades. Q has a write up on his on this website, and has posted pictures of it and the mods done on it on his website.

I think there's a camera suit thread. I know I begged for information and got great feedback prior to ordering mine. I think you'll have to get some mods done locally no matter what to get it just right. The hand/thumb straps for the swoop cords need to be made just right for you.

[Cajones 0]

I definitely have to agree with Phree, here. I've jumped with huge wings to fly with the 90mph tandems, but I almost exclusively fly video with my freefly suit. I've found that my super-baggy multi-layered suit (I'm 6'3", 230lb) gives me great range, as wings would, and also gives me more flexibility.

With my suit, I can get much finer speed control by body position no matter my orientation. With big wings, I'd get assymetric inflations, and just much more work flying in anything but belly-down/head-up. Flying with my slow freefly suit also translates well to all of my other flying. My tandem exits are more intuitive, student, and fun jumps all translate directly, instead of being different forms of flying.

Where wings are highly appropriate, for me, is flying in the burble of RW. Wings can give you that bottom end and smooth out rough air. For RW, it's all belly down, with little/no need to fly in multiple positions.

This' just what works best for me. What you adapt to and find most comfortable may be a bit different. If I could go back and do about 500 wing-suit jumps with my freefly suit, I'd be a better flyer today. You may look back in a few years and say just the opposite.

The laws of physics are strictly enforced.

[Deuce 1]

It's a real interesting discussion.

We have a real good freeflyer on the DZ who just couldn't video to the standard of the concession owner without a wingsuit. The way we do edits requires two close-up "money shots" of the customer's face.

A typical tandem video for us is the exit, close-up, pop-up shot of the pair and the drogue from above, back down to another close up money shot, and then a tight shot of the opening sequence, rollover and toss. The pop-up and drop down wouldn't be possible without wings, for me, and for the super-good freeflyer I'm talking about. Even Kurt Issel, freeflyer extraordinaire, wears wings when shooting tandems (Kurt's featured in this month's Parachutist).

I see what you're saying about camera suit flying being kind of two dimesional when you do it on your belly, but I also fly mine in a sit and stand. Assimetrical inflation is a huge pain !

I wonder how I'll feel about it in 500 jumps too, now that you mention it. But for now, I'll video the way the boss wants, cause I get paid for it, and it's by far the best job I've ever had!

[Cajones 0]

You'll hear no arguements here, on those notes. Keeping the boss happy is first priority. I also understand about the local video script. Wings can give a pretty cool pop-up. When I jumped with wings, I'd pop up as I orbited, starting below and in front, collapsing my wings as I passed above and behind, to drop in front and below where I started. I also got pretty good at a zero-loss barrel roll. It was much more work than with my freefly suit, but fun to do with wings.

The laws of physics are strictly enforced.

[Deuce 1]

Quote

I also got pretty good at a zero-loss barrel roll.

I'm in awe of that move. Clay Bonevito, the concession owner can do that 2 feet from the passenger's face, keeping them perfectly framed throughout the roll. The roll takes a fraction of a second. Awesome, and great freakin video.

[iam 0]

Thanks for all the info....i never even gave wings a second thought. I didn't realise they were so crucial.

Thanks again

Ian

"Don't ever knock on deaths door, just ring the bell and run away - it really pisses him off"

[garywainwright 0]

Back to lenses then!!!
Not all lenses are equal, i have a 0.6 that is wider than my 0.5 - its a case of try as many as you can and see what works for you!

http://www.garywainwright.co.uk

Instagram gary_wainwright_uk

[mark135 0]

I'm in awe of that move. Clay Bonevito, the concession owner can do that 2 feet from the passenger's face, keeping them perfectly framed throughout the roll. The roll takes a fraction of a second. Awesome, and great freakin video. ***

I used to do that on exit form a 182. I would go off hanging from door, the barrel roll counter rotating the tandems roll. Always kept them in frame and would get the shot of plane in background. However while this move will impress your freinds at the dz it does nothing for the customer. they have no idea whats going on in the video or how you got that shot. I have found my best exit shot to be simply underneath and on my back. It provides great vid of the tandem with the plane in background "leaving us"

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"It seemed like a good idea at the time"

[Deuce 1]

I agree that the customer doesn't know how much body flight skill the roll takes. But I do. It's impressive.

I agree that the best shot from most consumer's perspective is the shot from below with the aircraft in the background. Using the "Sports" setting on the shutter makes the props look real cool, too. That plus you get a better slo-mo.