CX7 - Shake while freeflying

[Fast 0]

The experience that I had with this camera over the weekend was that, for the most part, the video shook quite a bit when it was just bolted on the top of a helmet. We didn't have a proper box for it so made one up out of a lot of cardboard and gaffers tape, the camera wouldn't move at all on top of the helmet.

The vibration durring sitflying was still enough to cause some issues with the video quality. What are people doing to this camera to get it to work w/o freaking out.

We were playing the video side by side on a 70inch TV and the PC1000 that was mounted on the same helmet for the jumps (my helmet) was producing MUCH smoother video.

Thoughts?

~D
Where troubles melt like lemon drops Away above the chimney tops That's where you'll find me.
Swooping is taking one last poke at the bear before escaping it's cave - davelepka

[beowulf 1]

Did you have the image stabilization on or off? I don't have a CX7 so I don't know much about it. Does it have OIS or EIS?

[Fast 0]

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Did you have the image stabilization on or off? I don't have a CX7 so I don't know much about it. Does it have OIS or EIS?

Made jumps with it on and jumps with it off. It has OIS which is seeming to be why it's so damn hard to get it to look nice.

It works ok doing belly jumps, but sit flying it starts to not look good. Headdown isn't quite as bad as sitflying, but still doesn't look as nice as it does on the ground / belly flying.

~D
Where troubles melt like lemon drops Away above the chimney tops That's where you'll find me.
Swooping is taking one last poke at the bear before escaping it's cave - davelepka

[frost 1]

You probably read what i posted about my experience with CX7 in feet down position...

i am going to test out the CX7 in various flying positions next weekend. I will try it with IS ON and OFF, with box and no box. I will also try to not attach the camera to the mount/box and just pad the insides of the box and secure it well. I will also try to pad the mounting plate so that it may absorb the vibration...

It's a trial and error test, but what the hell? We'll see.

[base_nz 0]

With and without lens?

.....And you thought Kiwis couldn't fly!!!!

[davelepka 4]

Your head and camera helemt are in your burble when you fly in a sit or feet first. Belly flying is better, and head down offers the smoothest air for your camera.

The IS or model of camera my have an affect as well, but the upright freefly position is the toughest place to be smooth with a camera.

[parachutist 2]

My CX7 is top-mounted on a Vapor, and it's been working great for filming tandems, with exception of this scenario: We have a heavy tandem pair, we're at terminal, and I want to get a shot looking up at them. I'll sink lower than them, then go into mantis with head high, then lean head back. This is probably approaching sit-flying speeds, with camera in the burble of my body. At this point I get the bouncing image, which doesn't seem to stop completely until I'm under canopy.

I haven't found a cure yet, other than stay on level with heavy subjects.

[Trevor 0]

I have no problem with the CX7 flying belly or head-down, but when sitflying the video is as horrible as a Canon HV-10. I jump the camera in a nice, tight cookie box and the steadyshot turned off, but I suspect the steadyshot mechanism still has fragile, movable parts attached to the lens element that can't take the vibration. I don't know if it's the burble of sitflying or if it's because the mechanism is more vulnerable when the camera is right side up. When I have time, I'd like to do a jump with the camera mounted upside down and see what happens when sitting or head down. I'd like to just crazy glue the element in place since I can live without steadyshot, but I am worried I might wreck the ability to zoom or focus.

[Fast 0]

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Your head and camera helemt are in your burble when you fly in a sit or feet first. Belly flying is better, and head down offers the smoothest air for your camera.

The IS or model of camera my have an affect as well, but the upright freefly position is the toughest place to be smooth with a camera.

In the situation I posted above, I was jumping with both my PC1000 and a friends new CX7 on my camera helmet. The video from the PC1000 looked perfect, the CX7 was a mess. I since heard last night that the camera was returned to the store.

We need to just start writing letters to Sony in droves asking for a camera that is HD, uses only memory cards, is about the size of a PC1000/330/350 and has electronic stabilization.

~D
Where troubles melt like lemon drops Away above the chimney tops That's where you'll find me.
Swooping is taking one last poke at the bear before escaping it's cave - davelepka

[DSE 5]

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We need to just start writing letters to Sony in droves asking for a camera that is HD, uses only memory cards, is about the size of a PC1000/330/350 and has electronic stabilization.

Write all you want...but since the cams for the next two years are already spec'd and tooled or near tooled...it won't make any difference. If you could assure Sony (Or Panasonic, or Canon, or JVC) that they could expect 50K units in sales, and back that up with a trust fund in the event that sales didn't meet the proposed mark, then they'd more than likely build the camera you want. EIS isn't wanted by consumers for the most part, it softens the image too much. OIS is cheaper anyway, as there are no royalties to pay to a third party. Additionally, the OIS system is part of all the current lens systems.
Memory cards are easy-that's the future of all cams. Form factor? Consumers don't like the PC-style, as demonstrated in sales. Conversely, the palm style such as the HC3/5/7/9 have sold very, very well. They sold out of their allotments faster than expected, which is why we saw models turn so quickly. Same has happened with the CX7. it sold it's allotment faster than marketing expected.
New products to be announced soon, but don't expect much different.

[Jazzthieve 0]

I find this a bit odd, it's not like the CX7 is new to skydiving, it's been in use for over a year, even in freeflying. How come these faults are mentioned now?

[frost 1]

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In the situation I posted above, I was jumping with both my PC1000 and a friends new CX7 on my camera helmet. The video from the PC1000 looked perfect, the CX7 was a mess. I since heard last night that the camera was returned to the store.

Exactly the same set up here. I had the PC1000 on the side and CX7 on top of my Rawa. Same exact results. I doubt camera is broken, it's just how it is... HC3 had slight shaking in feet down too, but not as bad.

[beowulf 1]

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I find this a bit odd, it's not like the CX7 is new to skydiving, it's been in use for over a year, even in freeflying. How come these faults are mentioned now?

I don't think it is being used that much in skydiving. Most people are not jumping HD cameras yet and those that are jumping HD cameras most are probably using the HC5 like myself.

[DSE 5]

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I find this a bit odd, it's not like the CX7 is new to skydiving, it's been in use for over a year, even in freeflying. How come these faults are mentioned now?

I don't think it is being used that much in skydiving. Most people are not jumping HD cameras yet and those that are jumping HD cameras most are probably using the HC5 like myself.

Based on a lot of travel to various DZ's, I'd strongly dispute that opinion. It's used by a LOT of people in skydiving whether they're shooting HD or SD with it. Off hand, i can think of a couple dozen guys, and that's without putting too much into it.
Tonfly, Cookie, Bonehead wouldn't all be making boxes if it wasn't popular...

[beowulf 1]

Ok I guess I am wrong. Wouldn't be the first time.

Are any of them using it for freeflying?

[frost 1]

One of our tandem video guys uses a CX7 in a sit position but with wings... According to him, he doesnt see much shaking with it or it's not that bad. He suggested that it may be the wings, the slower speeds... I am thinking may be the wings change the burble over the camera somehow? I'll talk to him again this weekend show him my footage and take a look at his...

[DSE 5]

I've seen em' side mounted for free-flying, top mounted for wingsuits, side mounted for wingsuits, and top-mounted for tandems.
Bomb420 has done some freeflying with his, and I think Sara has used the CX for some test jumps with Arsenal. Dunno how those came out, but if you look at the Hypoxic ads, that's the camera she's wearing.

[beowulf 1]

Yeah that was the first thing I noticed when I saw the ad. I would be very interested to see some video from those jumps.

[Jazzthieve 0]

I would also be very interested in seeing some footage. I have had my CX7 for weeks now but just recently received my coockie blackbox so I'm now assembling my camera setup. Now I'm reading it has problems in freefly...

[Foster 0]

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I have no problem with the CX7 flying belly or head-down, but when sitflying the video is as horrible as a Canon HV-10. I jump the camera in a nice, tight cookie box and the steadyshot turned off, but I suspect the steadyshot mechanism still has fragile, movable parts attached to the lens element that can't take the vibration. I don't know if it's the burble of sitflying or if it's because the mechanism is more vulnerable when the camera is right side up. When I have time, I'd like to do a jump with the camera mounted upside down and see what happens when sitting or head down. I'd like to just crazy glue the element in place since I can live without steadyshot, but I am worried I might wreck the ability to zoom or focus.

If I could get some tech drawings of the OIS I would be willing to open the camera up and fix the sucker so it wont move. I wish I could speak with someone at Sony that could get me this info cause I love this camera but I'm about to sell it at this point.

[Fast 0]

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I've seen em' side mounted for free-flying, top mounted for wingsuits, side mounted for wingsuits, and top-mounted for tandems.
Bomb420 has done some freeflying with his, and I think Sara has used the CX for some test jumps with Arsenal. Dunno how those came out, but if you look at the Hypoxic ads, that's the camera she's wearing.

It would sure be nice for the rest of us to have some kind of answer on what exactly people are doing that allows these cameras to work sit flying. The quality of video that I was seeing from our tests this weekend was just NOT something that I would want to jump.

What the hell are we supposed to do as skydivers if everything is going to OIS. It clearly has significant issues for skydiving. Is it coming to the point where the only answer is that when we buy a brand new camera we have to superglue the OIS stuff? Who knows what that is gonna do to the operating system of the camera. (Throw errors?)

Can't they build an OIS system that actually holds the lens in place when it is shut off?

This whole situation is really frustrating for me. I want to be shooting HD and people keep asking me what camera to buy. I don't have a good answer for them. If watching shaky ass video from a CX7, etc is the way of the future, that makes me really depressed!

~D
Where troubles melt like lemon drops Away above the chimney tops That's where you'll find me.
Swooping is taking one last poke at the bear before escaping it's cave - davelepka

[DSE 5]

you can always have a camera shop glue the lens down.

[beowulf 1]

Would that affect the zoom?

[savuporo 0]

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Ok I guess I am wrong. Wouldn't be the first time.
Are any of them using it for freeflying?

I posted this in another thread already, but all my last weekend clips are with CX7, two freeflying
http://youtube.com/user/kaidokert
Yes, there is shaking in sitfly, none noticeable in tandem shot.
I can upload the original HQ files on demand.

[Foster 0]

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Ok I guess I am wrong. Wouldn't be the first time.
Are any of them using it for freeflying?

I posted this in another thread already, but all my last weekend clips are with CX7, two freeflying
http://youtube.com/user/kaidokert
Yes, there is shaking in sitfly, none noticeable in tandem shot.
I can upload the original HQ files on demand.

Either your helmet is loose or there is noticible shaking in that tandem video as well...