GoPro Hero2 for tandem stills??? is this being done at DZs?

[rehmwa 2]

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All while still saving your neck and protecting your longevity in the sport and future health.

are you still doing vids with a VHS? if not, get thee to a gym - new stuff doesn't have to weigh that much nowadays to use that old argument

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Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants

[rehmwa 2]

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The point is that if you're being paid to jump, you should make the best 'reasonable' choice possible.

I think you'll see a big difference in arguments between the 'professionals', and just people trying to get free jumps

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Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants

[davelepka 4]

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I think you'll see a big difference in arguments between the 'professionals', and just people trying to get free jumps

Full disclosure - I do video for the free jumps, and the jumps the video work pays for. There was a time in my life when it was my sole source of income, and a time when it was a neccesary supplement to my income, but these days I do it for the jumps and to pay for the other jumps I make.

With that being the case, there still remains no reason not to do the job properly. Like it or not, people are paying you for a professional service, and you need to provide a professional product.

There was a time, not all that long ago, when the price and weight of camera was mugh higher, and the price and weight of cameras that could produce high-quality footage was even higher.

A CX video camera, or a Rebel kit both cost about as much as you could make over one weekend of shooting video. Both are also available for less on the used market, where you could pay for both cameras with one busy weekend at the DZ.

The quality of the lens and mic on the CX is far ahead of what you get with a GoPro, and on top of that you get to select your focal length to suit. How about being able to zoom in or out when shooting the parts of the video aside from freefall? The customer is paying for the whole thing, not just the freefall.

Ditto for the Rebel. The lens, the size and quality of the pics, the number of pics and the adjustability of the camera all far outweigh the GoPro. I don't even take a ton of pics in freefall, but I take the ones I want and in the case that something 'good' is happening, I can reel off as many as I need. How about zoom and flash for shooting in the plane on the way up? How about ISO or shutter speed adjustment for late day jumps, or when a high overcast rolls in?

GoPros are great for point and shoot work. For hand-cam, they're perfect because they're for idiots, and a TI uses enough of their brain doing a tandem that all they're left with is an idiot level of thought to apply to the hand-cam. For fun jumpers shooting POV, or free video for their pals, also a great option that produces good looking footage, but that's not what we're talking about.

This is about a jumper being paid good money to be a dedicated camera guy documenting someone's first (and possibly only) jump. If you want to be an idiot, than shoot the idiot level equipment, and understand that by choosing that standard, you're making the statement that cheap and easy is good enough for you.

One final point, with regards to what pics people print, I would suggest that far more pics get printed, framed, and hung up than people think. Personally, I can't remember the last time I printed a skydiving photo, or even took a disc or memory card home with me. Maybe once a year I get a pic I really like, and I make it the wallpaper on my computer for a a while, but that's about it. The reason is that I jump all the time, and take 1000's of pics every season, it's just not 'special' to me.

Tandem students, on the other hand, are in a different situation. Their jump might represent a significant event in their life, one they are proud of and want to remember and display for all to see. I don't think it would unusual to find that a good number of tandems end up printing and displaying their photos the same way we would all display pics of getting to the top of a mountain, or some other significant achievement. To a non-jumper, making a tandem is on par with those type of things, even if it seems simple and common-place to us. It's their money, and their jump, and it's not up to us to choose how important it is, or is not, to the customer.

[rehmwa 2]

Really nicely stated, Dave.

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Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants

[hallux 0]

valid point. Im a still photo geek so I weight up my head with that and try to keep the video small. Especially with it all top mounted. Agree about audio and 180 lens though.

[davelepka 4]

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Im a still photo geek so I weight up my head with that and try to keep the video small

Just for reference, the GoPro Hero2 with batt weighs in at 6 oz, and a CX100 with batt comes in at 11oz, so not a huge difference. I'm 99% sure I used to have a video camera battery that weighed more than either one of those.

[cube 0]

oh well, the lens i use(raynox) doubles the weight of my CX150..

[hallux 0]

yea not trying to knit pick but the CX with a good lens is easily 3 times the weight of gopro. (anywhere from half a pound to a pound more depending on lens). Also Mounting position makes a big difference to. when they are both on top of your helmet it does make a difference. Also with a 10.5 still lens the camera is mounted far forward this means the video will have to be as well. Makes a very front heavy helmet. Im not against the CX but i simply think the Gopro is adequate for what they pay. That 100 dollar video is good value,even with a gopro. They pay a spot on the airplane, a cut to the DZ, and Paying someone for their time, skills, camera equipment, skydiving equipment wear and tear. A pack job and a edited finished product on some type of disc or drive. It takes all that to have photos and stills captured in a extreme environment. 100 bucks?...not a bad deal.
Go pro video isnt that bad. They use them on most every reality show on TV and the general viewer doesnt know the difference in the footage.

My origianl point though is if you are substituting a camera with a GoPro then I would substitute the video and keep shooting DSLR for stills.

[DSE 5]

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They use them on most every reality show on TV and the general viewer doesnt know the difference in the footage.

Actually, they do. This came up during an NAB panel about consumer complaints. It's also why no network will accept more than 10% of the program time being sourced from small-format cameras.

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My origianl point though is if you are substituting a camera with a GoPro then I would substitute the video and keep shooting DSLR for stills.

Agreed entirely. GoPro and similar are not terrible for video (just that pesky audio and lens thing) at all.

[Dokeman 0]

another end of the spectrum.. Take the show wipeout for example.. I personally don't think the show would be near as entertaining WITHOUT the use of gopros.

[DSE 5]

no doubt, content is king. Always. This is why shit cameras can be used for almost any situation, and people will accept an inferior product, because in many instances, it's the only choice.

I find it amusing that some simply aim for the bottom/bare minimum.

[Dokeman 0]

In what way is a gopro "shit" or "bottom of the barrel"??

They deserve a little more credit that that.

[DSE 5]

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In what way is a gopro "shit" or "bottom of the barrel"??

They deserve a little more credit that that.

On the subject of outside camera and tandems, we'll just have to agree to disagree.

True...there are worse cameras available in this topic, but not much.