Head wobble

[deaffreeflyer 0]

I just started jumping with my video camera. After a few jumps, I watched the footage and wasn't happy with it because the footage were wobbled and shaked a lot. I tried to keep my head still when I jumped but it was quite a fighting with winds against my camera. My bonehead optik's set-up was all good to go and was really tight on my head, even I couldn't move my jaws with chin-up on. My Sony PC101 was on steadyshot and set for 'Sport'. I used Kenko 0.5x wide angle lens. I tried everything I could think of but I couldn't keep my head still and steady. Is this normal for your head to wobble on first few jumps? Am I worried too much? Do I need a stronger neck to keep video steady and solid? Will my neck developed over time?

Thanks

[skyfly 0]

is your camera securely held in the dbox/L bracket/whatever you use to hold it ?

did you bold the camera down with the tripod screw? or just put it in the box and closed the lid? not having the screw might cause wobbling. (depending on the situation)

is your camera on manual focus (it should) or did you leave it on auto focus ?

just some questions to give the rest some more info to help you with.

Be Simple, Be Creative, Bee!
Sharon.

[deaffreeflyer 0]

Quote

is your camera securely held in the dbox/L bracket/whatever you use to hold it ?

C Bracket with padding.

Quote

did you bold the camera down with the tripod screw? or just put it in the box and closed the lid? not having the screw might cause wobbling.

Yep it's bold down with a camera screw.

Quote

is your camera on manual focus (it should) or did you leave it on auto focus?

Manual focus.

[flypunk 0]

might want to check if the lens is screwed tight into your camera, not the kenko lens but the standards lens into the body of the camera.

I've had mine come relativeley loose and then the shaking started.

...

[quade 4]

Head shake.

Even if you have a perfect camera helmet set up your video images can suffer from a bobbling & bouncing head in the wind.

Sony's implementation of "Steady Shot" can help quite a bit, but even that tool can only do so much.

Wider angle lenses and flying closer also helps, but again only so much.

Try flying with more or less tension in your shoulder, head and neck muscles. What -may- be happening is muscle tension may be transmitting body movements or in extreme cases actually causing the problem. Try keeping your jaw tight on the chin cup so that the helmet in locked in place, but relax other parts of your head, neck and shoulders.

I find that my smoothest stuff is usually when I'm relaxed.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[diablopilot 2]

Quote

Sony's implementation of "Steady Shot" can help quite a bit, but even that tool can only do so much.

"Steady Shot" can also be a contributing factor to "image shake" depending on the type of wide angle lens, and the amount of zoom the jumper may have been using with the lens.

----------------------------------------------
You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.

[ltdiver 3]

Quote

Quote

Sony's implementation of "Steady Shot" can help quite a bit, but even that tool can only do so much.

"Steady Shot" can also be a contributing factor to "image shake" depending on the type of wide angle lens, and the amount of zoom the jumper may have been using with the lens.

JP,

You want to follow up on This Thread?

ltdiver

Don't tell me the sky's the limit when there are footprints on the moon

[SkydiveMO 0]

A trick we found at my DZ for the Optik is to move the straps from the outside to the inside of the helmet. All you have to do is pull out the bolt, move the straps inside the helmet, and reattach them with the same bolts. By having the straps closer to your face they provide a little extra stability, the chin cup feels more secure, and surprisingly the whole set-up is more comfortable. I recently switched to the Optik myself and was having trouble with head movement; this change helped a lot but did not eliminate the problem. I’m still playing around with the set-up but believe it is a great helmet for freeflying and tandems but just catches too much air for shooting RW while keeping a rock steady shot.

[DaMan 0]

Quote

might want to check if the lens is screwed tight into your camera, not the kenko lens but the standards lens into the body of the camera.

I've had mine come relativeley loose and then the shaking started.

I'm having this exact problem with mine - any hints or documents on how to correctly tighten the lens?

Z-Flock 8
Discotec Rodriguez

Too bad weapons grade stupidity doesn't lead to sterility.

[BETO74 0]

I use diamond .3 and notice that if you zoom in 1/4 or more the video comes out shaky I only tried kenko .5 a couple times so I don't know if is the case I also use a PC 101 that's all I can think off is your zoom all the way out???

http://web.mac.com/ac057a/iWeb/AC057A/H0M3.html

[deaffreeflyer 0]

Many thanks for your thoughts, tips and help. Keep them coming!
Quade's comment made sense to me. It's all new to me and I think I was expecting a bit too much.
I hope in about 50 to 100 jumps time I'll be more relaxed, used to the wind against my video camera and my head being rock steady for cool shooting.

I'll try SkydiveMo's trick to see if it'll make a difference.

Check my video out and see what you think. This footage i took was on my 2nd jump with a video camera and the video wasn't zoomed in:-

http://www.deaffreeflyer.btinternet.co.uk/head-shake.WMV - 1.9mb

Many thanks.

[jmfreefly 0]

Depending on your setup, you could get a lot of buffeting.. what box are you using?

I also dislike the use of Sport, as it changes the nature of the video somewhat. That may be a compounding factor, but..

I bet it is just the way you are flying/videoing. Just the fact that you are turning your head to look at your altimeter is a dead giveaway that you are 'flying with a camera attached to your head' and not 'flying the camera'.

To really get that 'tuned out' of your flying, you have to imagine that your head has a glass of water on it, and that no matter what the rest of your body is doing, that glass of water (and your head) stays put.

j

[skynole 0]

Quote

I also dislike the use of Sport, as it changes the nature of the video somewhat.

Don't mean to hijack, but would you mind expanding on this comment. I almost exclusively use Sport and get great results. Have you had bad results using Sport as oppossed to other settings?

[Billy 0]

Looks like head movement to me, as opposed to camera shake/vibration. I'm curious if you are using any kind of a site ring to know where your camera is pointing. I have a simple reinforcement label, like you get at an office supply to reinforce 3 ring binder papers, inside my goggles, cheap and effective for knowing what your filming. I think with Wade's suggestion of relaxing, using the glass of water analogy also, and more jumps,, it'll get better!! Just don't get too focused on filming!!
Good luck bro!
Billy

Natural Born FlyerZ.com

[jmfreefly 0]

Not saying you can't get good results in sport mode, but it definitely changes the nature of the video. In some cases, it has some cool 'effects'. As in the 'stop motion' effect on prop blades.

I personally find the mode distracting at times. If I wanted to mimic that effect, I could (in most cases I think) do that post-process (on an NLE).

In effect, that mode trys for a faster 'shutter speed' for better 'stop motion'. (quotes used to relate still photo terms to video). I could understand using that mode if you were tracking something fast moving, but in freefall, we don't move that fast relative to one another (generally).

Truthfully, I am unclear how it does it, but for everything, there is a downside. Back when I was using that mode, I seem to remember some strangeness when I was doing slo-mo, and it seemed to be more grainy. Those may be entirely subjective comments.

j

[diablopilot 2]

Quote

Those may be entirely subjective comments.

I'd agree with them. Don't like the results from "sports" mode myself.

----------------------------------------------
You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.

[skynole 0]

You have good points as I do know what you are saying about slo-mo. Also, I'm only speaking in terms of freefall as I rarely use it for ground footage. Personally, I feel that lighting is optimal in sport mode for freefall footage (in most cases...). I've experimented using most modes in freefall and I just like the results I get from Sport mode the best. I feel the pro's outweigh the con's...but like you said, it's totally subjective.

What mode do you predominantly use?

[jmfreefly 0]

I pretty much use Auto, or sometimes when I worry about backlighting (all white cloud backdrop, that is very bright), I sometimes use the beach and ski mode. But I am almost always trying to fly with the student/tandem taking up most of the frame, so it isn't much of an issue in that case.

I use slo-mo enough in my student videos that I wouldn't want to use the sport mode. I have used it for some other footage/goofyness.

j

[Newbie 0]

i see what you mean Stu, but considering it was only your second jump with a camera i'd say that's not bad at all!

"Skydiving is a door"
Happythoughts

[cloud_monkey 0]

Most people who start flying a camera suffer from excess camera shake or head wobble in the beginning - Mechanical problems aside it's usually because you're concentrating too hard on keeping your subject dead center in the sight picture - I didn't see if you're using a ring sight or not - just keep in mind that it's not a rifle your sighting in - the wide angle lens, even a .5, affords you a lot of leeway when it comes to keeping your subject centered. One tip is to keep both eyes open - staring through your sight with one eye and trying to keep your subject dead in the middle will give you shake every time - too many corrective movements - I have to agree with Quade on this one - Just relax, and truth be told, try to forget the camera is even on your head and you'll see improvement pretty quickly - it just takes a little while to get used to flying with that stuff on your melon.

Good luck,
z

[f1freak 0]

AHHHHHHHH.....
One of the down sides of jumping a lighter camera setup....
For me personaly i REALLY had to work on bracing my neck on my shoulders or tilting my head to it's full extension.
NOW..... I dont know if that is helping now, but it really helped in the transition between a big ass 8mm and my digi....

HAVE FUN...
...JUST DONT DIE