Odd Still camera issue

[faulknerwn 38]

I shoot tandems with a Rebel XTI (stock 18-55 lens) out of Cessna 182's. I get great exit shots of all of our tandem masters except for one. For some reason - I never get any photos before the drogue is out for him and I can't figure out why.

Most of our tandem masters dive towards the tail as they leave, but this one does a more sideways exit. He's also heavier than most, so he tends to drop faster while the others ride the hill a bit more. The camera is on auto-focus, so all I can think of is that it has trouble focusing on him and not the others.

Its just odd - the video camera keeps him in frame the whole time - but no pictures get taken. I've tried leaving earlier, leaving later, not taking any pictures on the step and just trying to start snapping right after exit, but nothing works.

I also get really nice opening shots of everyone but him - but he seems to have a much more dramatic trap door effect than the others, and seems to zip by much faster than the other TMs.

I can't figure out if my camera just doesn't like him or what...

Any ideas?

[PhreeZone 20]

What mode are you shooting in? What AF mode are you using? Center point focusing or all points? Also what metering are you using?

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

[dragon2 2]

The stock 18-55 isn't really suited to shooting in autofocus it isn't quick enough so either shoot manual focus or use a better lens (like the canon 15mm 2.8 fisheye for instance).

ciel bleu,
Saskia

[faulknerwn 38]

Sports Mode. Probably whatever the standard autofocus mode is - I haven't changed it. And I haven't changed any metering settings so probably whatever the defaults are.


As for the second reply - I really want to avoid going fisheye- don't like the look - but I get extremely crisp/sharp photos with every TM but this one. I just can't figure out why. Its odd..

[DSE 5]

Does this TM wear different color clothing so that the camera might be having issues with contrast?
BTW, the 15mm canon isn't fisheye on an XTi. On a 5D, yes, but not an APSc camera.

[dragon2 2]

Sports mode? Why?

All tandem videographers at my DZ with Canon use the 15mm canon fisheye lens, all except one who still has the kit lens and he's looking for another lens now - he compared his pics with those with fixed lenses. If you think the kit lens pics are sharp, wait till you use a good quality lens you'll never look back.

Like DSE says the 15/16mm fisheye lenses aren't that fishy on a APSc camera. The major advantages of the fisheye lenses over the straight fixed lenses are size, weight and price, not many people want to jump a usd 2000 kilo of glass. And the slight curve that remains on the edges makes for a nice horizon/backdrop, all in all I much prefer that to the barrel distortion you get at 18mm with a kitlens

ciel bleu,
Saskia

[velocityphoto 0]

I prefer full manual settings .
I would say the lens is slow too tough.
Sigma 15 works great for tandems.

A friend will bail you out of jail , a REAL friend will be sitting next to you in the cell slapping your hand saying "DUDE THAT WAS AWSUM " ................

[PharmerPhil 0]

Quote

BTW, the 15mm canon isn't fisheye on an XTi.

I think the more correct explanation is that it isn't as much of a fisheye on the small sensor (APS-sized) Cameras. But it is still most definitely fisheye, and makes for annoying horizons if they are anywhere but centered.

Personally I think using fisheye all the time is like using too much reverb on every song. But I do have the Canon 15mm fisheye and like it for RW stuff where the horizon and straight lines aren't in view as often, and you don't usually have people's noses right up close to the lens. A nice lens if you can still find it is the Tokina 17mm aspherical (it was offered for either Canon or Nikon). It is a little larger and heavier than the 15mm, but not outrageously so.

[diablopilot 2]

For the reasons you listed I prefer my Sigma 14 (Aspherical) to my Sigma 15.

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

[PhreeZone 20]

I love my Sigma 14 also but it is a heavy chunk of glass to be hauling around all day on those 8-10 jump days.

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

[diablopilot 2]

Toughen up cupcake.

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

[docjohn 0]

I also suspect this is an auto focus issue.

BTW, I've been using the sports mode on my Rebel XTI. This past weekend I switched to all manual settings:

ISO 200
shutter 400
f stop: 10 (bright sunny day)

(which is pretty much what the sports mode was choosing for me anyway)

The results were very good so I also then went to auto focus and had excellent results. Its important on exit to keep to shutter release pressed down to allow time for focus.

Next weekend I'll try same settings with ISO 100.

my 0.02

Doc
http://www.manifestmaster.com/video

[PhreeZone 20]

If you dropdown to ISO 100 you are going to need to either slow the shutter down or open the appature to allow more light in to the sensor since it is less sensitive now. Keeping the same settings tends to blow out the highlights and the horizon/clouds are just a white glow.

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

[dragon2 2]

Why use all manual? Shooting at 1/400 sec at iso 100 usually gives me f8-f12 which is great, i have auto-iso turned on and set to max iso 400 for in the plane and for grey overcast days, so the camera can handle everything from bright-sun-on-white-clouds to shooting below (or even in ) grey dark clouds, without me having to change a setting,where it would be impossible to manually get good lighting if you have both conditions in the same jump. If you only ever jump on sunny clear days this is much less of a problem of course as long as you remember to change setting for sunset jumps

ciel bleu,
Saskia

[tonyhathaway 0]

both issues you mentioned sounds like its focusing, then shooting the image. the problen CAN be from the time it focuses until the time it shoots, the subject is in a different spot. I've run into this with swoopers coming directly at me. something to think about.......

My O.C.D. has me chasing a dream my A.D.D. won't let me catch.

[pilotdave 0]

Something definitely sounds wrong. Don't just discount it as being a cheap lens problem... The kit lens might not be the best, but it works fine and autofocus should work too. You shouldn't need to go buy a new lens to be able to take exit pictures...

Dave

[faulknerwn 38]

It might be something like this. On advice from someone here, I switched to TV mode today, ISO 200 and shutter speed 400. I did 5 tandem jumps today. All had great shots during the middle of the skydive. I got exit shots on 3 of the 5 I did today, and on 3 of the 5 openings I did today. On the ones I'm not getting shots - its just not taking any pictures - I'm not getting any random blue sky ones or anything.

On at least one of the exits I was probably a bit farther away than the others, so maybe it did lose focus somehow. The video stayed in frame the whole time though. Its odd.

[tonyhathaway 0]

well, if you start goin up in iso, you'll be able to get a greater depth of field. maybe this is why 3 of 5 were good instead of 1 of 5. go to 800 iso and i bet a dollar they are ALL in focus. then that will determine if that is your problem. then you can adjust from there. (or just QUIT using auto focus with a wide angle lens!!!!!!!)

My O.C.D. has me chasing a dream my A.D.D. won't let me catch.

[faulknerwn 38]

Its not that it isn't in focus - its not taking pictures at all (like the autofocus can't focus in time.)

I thought about switching to manual - but there are so many varying distances in the skydive that many would be out of focus would they not?

I thought you would use 200 iso in bright daylight and 400/800 iso in dimmer conditions. Is that wrong?

[linestretch 0]

Quote

I thought you would use 200 iso in bright daylight and 400/800 iso in dimmer conditions. Is that wrong?

your right. Also, the higher you go in ISO, the quality of the image drops off w/ noise. The lower the ISO, the better the quality...but the trade off is lower shutter speed, or wider aperature or both.

my pics & stuff!

[Squeak 17]

Quote

both issues you mentioned sounds like its focusing, then shooting the image. the problen CAN be from the time it focuses until the time it shoots, the subject is in a different spot. I've run into this with swoopers coming directly at me. something to think about.......

This is where setting your focus to manual and setting it at "hyperfocal" distance comes into it's own

You are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky)
My Life ROCKS!
How's yours doing?

[tonyhathaway 0]

yeah, i only mentioned going up in iso to show the pattern of cangnig just the one variable at at time to show what it does. i only use 80 iso, and manual. there are RARE times when i need to change iso, and when an automatic setting comes into play. (longer lens with autofocus for one)

My O.C.D. has me chasing a dream my A.D.D. won't let me catch.

[iamsam 0]

I was told by a photographer friend of mine who tests kit for Canon (so maybe only applies to Canon) that there's no change in quality once you get to 200 ISO and lower, so if you're shooting at 80 or 100 ISO specifically to eradicate digital noise you might as well use 200 ISO and gain an f stop, if you want it.

but what do I know

[tonyhathaway 0]

um, thanks.

My O.C.D. has me chasing a dream my A.D.D. won't let me catch.

[GeorgeKat 0]

I think your problem is auto-focus.

Many of the responses here would explain why the camera is having problems focusing on the subject. I sometimes have the same thing happen under side lit conditions shooting a tandems approach to land (20D, Canon 15mm, TV:500), particularly if there’s dust on the lens. The subject is small in the frame, there’s a lot of sky and the dust casts a shadow across the image.

You have two options IMO:

1) Use manual focus and find the best focus point. Get someone to explain depth of field to you or (more practical) copy someone else’s settings if you can find someone with the same setup. You always want to capture between infinity and as close as you can get to the lens with the available light, then make sure you don’t get too close.

2) Use "One Shot" focus mode. This mode sets the focus point to the first shot you take in a burst so the lens only has to focus once instead of every shot. You may have other problems with this setting. For example if your first shot in a burst is from 6 inches away from the subject all your exit shots will be out of focus. You need to make sure this doesn’t happen by creating enough distance in the door or waiting a fraction before you take the first shot. The other problem with this setting is that the exposure is also set by the first shot in this focus mode. You need to move the exposure setting from the default ‘evaluative metering’ to ‘center weighted metering' and that solves this problem.

Most people I know use Manual focus. I spent a lot of time trying to find a single set-up that works for a whole tandem or AFF shoot where every shot is in focus and properly exposed. Number 2 does it for the focus, Custom Function 16: “Safety Shift in Av or Tv” does it for exposure. I get great results 99% of the time.