Basejumper.com - archive

Who is using what? who is happy with what?

I want high quality HD, and I want ease of use, ease of import and edit.

I know there is all this GO Pro/COntour business going on right now, that is great, but I am not convinced that the lenses and over quality is as good. I have had trouble with stable mounting of my countour.

I am thinking CX100, but have done some searches in and see reviews of them being difficult to make Mac compatible and difficult to use with imovie.

I am thinking along the lines of traditional video camera manufacturers, SONY , Panasonic, etc... and throw it on top of a new Cookie OZONE helmet. I have found that GO Pro/ countour is just not as crisp and clean as SOny HD and panasonic HD.

Whats small and rad and easy?

and what is the difference between 1080p and 1080i?

I use a mac laptop, and would also be open minded to suggestions for editing software beyond imovie. the new imovie kind of sucks compared to the old one if you ask me

Thanks for your two cents

jt

no one asked you anything.

Well, if they do ask, the answer has already been given.

JT. I don't know about ease of use with a Mac, I don't have one. I do have a CX100 with a Opteka .3 babydeath. The quality is exceptional. IT does not work well in low light if that matters to you but all other conditions, it's great.

I like the HD GoPro too but it's still only a GoPro. I'm getting one anyway so I can mount it to my motorcycle plus I don't have to worry about stuffing it into the river. While it's good, it's still not as nice as the cx100

You may actually want to look in the camera forum on dropzone. I do not have any other suggestions.

(Edit: I see you posted there already)

Good luck

CX 100 is without nightshot, not sure if you want it, if so get the cx 500 or 550.
Final cut pro is very good editing software for the mac.

The difference between 1080p and i is something about how the image is sent from the component to the TV. As far as putting it on a computer for editing, I wouldnt worry about it. I have a CX12 which I like a lot and have no trouble editing with the new imovie. Do you have the imovie 08 or 09? 08 sucks monkey balls, 09 is a lot better and easier to use. I got a gopro HD which is awesome for mounting everywhere else on my body and ive been able to get some cool shots from both belly and ankle wingsuiting, the video quality is good in bright light. Let me know if you want to see some examples. Ive played with other peoples contours and was also not impressed at all. Gopro image seems better.

I own 2 cx100's a cx7 and a go pro hd.

CX7 is good because it has night shot, but if it's totaly dark it sucks. Ambient lighting is good (city, full moon, etc). Good for wingsuit and slider down stuff, no good for freeflying.

Cx100 is good. Favorite camera and cheap. Some minor issues about setting up settings and stuff, but really nice for everything. Good right up until sunset.

Gopro HD is nice for special shots, trick mounts and all, but I wouldn't have one as my only camera. Little lower quality, and limited use.

Lenses I have several... The century baby death, the opteka one, the raynox 3030 and the sd cookie lens.

Get an HD lense. Difference between opteka and century isn't worth the difference in price in my opinion. When you scratch a 350$ lens it sucks worse then scratching a 100 lens.

Opteka and century good for belly mount and top mount. Raynox 30/30 not that wide at all for a .3, but much clearer... awesome flying close to stuff / people and multiways. Bigger lens though.

Just got the go pro hd, so far like it, but wouldn't only jump it. More of a fun foot / ankle mount.

Real easy to import all the footage to computers on PCs anyway. However since it is all digital and no tape backups, you could lose evrything if you don't back it up properly. I run a server at home with all my footage archived to multiple hard drives and occasionaly burn blueray backups. But storage is expanding fast and cheap.

Don't use a mac since I use sony vegas so no opinion on that.

Take it for what you will. I only shoot video for me and friends. Since you judges gave my bridge day video 3rd and hurt my feelings, I quit!

whoops, back to work.

_justin

1080p is progressive scan meaning the image makes its way from the top of the screen to the bottom during its refresh cycle,

1080i is interlaced where every other line gets refreshed with each other, kind of like even and odd lines getting grouped for the same refresh.

1080p is the higher quality.

dont the newer models(cx150) have some backlit sensor that is supposedly a lot better in low light? Anyone messed around with these and think its worth the extra money at B+H(cx100=$400, CX110=$500, CX150=$550)

Im leaning towards the $150 for the low light performance but would rather spend the extra cash on a better wide angle. Also the CX150 is lighter and smaller so thats a sure plus.

hi JT

i loved that black and tan s-fly and gave it lots of good flight time after u parted with it. I think the cx-100 is the best choice out there. i would stay away from panasonic. If quality is at a premium i think the go pro and contour are not great choices. If you really dont want the cx-100, i think the sony hc-5 is the next best choice. it is a bit heavy and bigger than the cx-100, but will handle low light much better. I have a mac and used it with i movie just fine. Although i f@#%^@% hate imovie and think it sucks crusty taint. If u want to buy my hc-5, ill sell it. im not really using it that much and it could use a good home.

Dude Bro there are no issues hooking up the CX100 with Mac iMovie and Final Cut are super easy this is what I have rigged up good quality easy to edit no surprises

yes ted. I realize that.

Canon 5D Mark II shoots full HD. Cheap for what it is especially for you guys and not too bulky.

Agreed about imovie; but anyway it's time I moved on to final cut. Still using the old G4 for editing.

Jbag Depends on the output of the camera's compression.

For instance;
Gopro has the better codec of H 264 and is 1080p, but it is highly compressed.

The CX-100 is 1080i and records out to AVCHD. H264 is the better of the two, but the cx100 records out a lot less compressed.

JT, I would invest in Final Cut Express. I have not worked with Imovie other than converting my CX100 footage to the AIC codec, (Apple Intermediate Codec) Apples dont like working with the AVCHD codec. You may be able to find a cheaper copy on amazon. Apple's website retails it around $140ish.

I use both the Gopro HD and the CX100 on a Cookie Comp Ozone.

Here is a short video that uses three different cameras; CX-100, Gopro HD and a Canon 7D. http://www.vimeo.com/9501331

Any Questions PM me I edit every thing on a Mac

This in it self is entire different discussion. The new breed of Canon DSLR's, (550D, 7D, 5D MII) are amazing and are making a lot of noise in the film industry. Unfortunately they have a few flaws that make em a poor choice for pov, helmet cameras. The CMOS sensor isn't capable of taking on so much shake that a skydive or base jump produces. You start running into problems like, aliasing, jello. Not to mention if you take a slammer at terminal, it may hurt a bit. What I mentioned here is what I was told by DSLR guru's. I shoot with the 7D and would like to prove them wrong this June in Norway

True


I just assumed that if all the other D's were good enough, this one would be too. I certainly need to read up some more. Shot for the reply.

Am waiting on my tax return money to get a 5D and a legal copy of final cut studio. Don't think I will be able to afford the 7D unfortunately...

Good luck proving the guru's wrong in Norway.

Just an fyi...I also found the new iMovie to be kind of lame and downgraded. It is possible to go back to the old version for free through Apple's software archive.

I only jump in SD so can't chime in about HD camerass, sorry!

JT,
Sony makes the most reliable small camcorders for the kind of stuff that you do. Sony records in a not-very-Mac-friendly format (AVCHD). This means that any footage you want to work with will need to be converted. iMovie does this automatically but it takes time. My older Macbook Pro laptop converts CX100 HD footage at about a two-to-one rate (one minute of footage takes two minutes to convert).
As long as you're not a tandem factory this is no problem, just leave your laptop converting while you head up Bispen. The Panasonic, Canon, etc. small camcorders are untested at high speed so they may have some fatal flaw that we don't know about.
I would take up SinJin on his HC-5 offer. It's not as small as a CX100/150 but it takes beautiful footage in a compact size. It is tape-based which could be nice while you're on the road without computer access.
The 7D, 5D etc. are great for detail shots but pointless in the sky where you want a large depth-of-field.
Let me know if you have any other questions.

Here is a vid I made using the CX100, GoPoo HD and 5D:
http://www.vimeo.com/8539030

and one made with just the HC-5:
http://www.vimeo.com/6702399

Don't know about the cameras. All the little HD POV cams are basically the same it seems. Pretty crappy. I haven't played with one in freefall yet but I agree that the new DSLR's with HD video are amazing, but that's probably not what your looking for.

As for editing. Throw away iMovie. Get Final Cut Express if your on a Mac and want something cheap and easy. Otherwise get Final Cut Pro. It's not as hard to learn as you would think (for the basics) but the options are limitless once you get more proficient with it. Express will do more than iMovie and be just as simple. Express is around $400 and the Pro version is probably around $1300. (i think... it's been a while)

Nah prices have dropped, Final Cut Express 4 is $130 or lower and Final Cut Suite 3 (seven different programs included) is around $830.

Hey guys

Thanks a ton for this information. I am now torn between the new panasonic sd700 and the CX100, you can snag a Sony cx100 for $339 refurbished on SOny's site, that is a pretty legit affordable option. The Panasonic is $1100, but I like the idea of that Leica lens, and 60 p/ 60 frames per second will make it worthy for snagging still photos from video I hear.

Anyone familiar with this fancy new panasonic? last years?

sinjin, thanks for the offer on the HC5 that is what I have now, I would like to go slightly less bulky, but the HC5 is a great one, and cheap these days too.

Thanks for all the help again and when I am struggling around with my new camera and software and editting nightmares, I will refer back, maybe even hit you guys up again

jt

As I'm also interested in a new HD CamCorder I looked them up and gathered that the extremely popular CX100/105 is obsolete and is now replaced by the CX150/155 which appears to be superior in all regards including picture quality, low light performance, size, weight, memory, card type, etc, yet I'm hardly seeing it considered in this thread. Have I misunderstood something here?

if you got the extra money get the cx100's replacement, the cx500.

it can shoot 3 minutes at 120fps, for that ultrasmooth slowmotion .

you want that. i promise.

3 minutes in Slow mo... Damn thats awesome, I can only do 3 seconds in slow mo on my cx100.

Its got amazing HD footage though and its ultra light, I love it

It's 3 seconds, not three minutes

The CX500 has OIS, which will give you shakey footage at high speeds

whats the smallest size peli case you can fit a cx100 into?

just bought one at walmart... i hate that place

yeah no shit, i stand corrected.

bummer.

dude cx 150 is the tits. smaller than 100 really easy to get footage onto pc (dunno bout mac dint use it but who knows maybe its ok) really good quality footage! booyakasha

Similarities and differences between 1080i and 1080p
http://camcordervideoshare.com/how-to/similarities-and-differences-between-1080i-and-1080p/

Excepting imovie,there are Final Cut Studio,Final Cut Expression,Adobe Premiere Pro ect.
Mac users have big problems with all the video formats,Pavtube HD Video Converter was recommended to me by a local woman who specializes in Mac computers as I was having problems downloading from my new video camera to my software program. The conversion speed and quality are very good. It was so easy to use.I can say it was very easy to figure out right away and I really appreciate that.You can try it.
[url=Mac users have big problems with all the video formats,Pavtube HD Video Converter was recommended to me by a local woman who specializes in Mac computers as I was having problems downloading from my new video camera to my software program. The conversion speed and quality are very good. It was so easy to use.I can say it was very easy to figure out right away and I really appreciate that.You can try it.

If you still haven't made up your mind, there is this one coming out in July - the example vids look good, but hard to tell without seeing them on the big screen.......

http://www.driftinnovation.com/hd170-action-camera.php

gopro HD all the way!

Dude, aren't you sponsored by K2 these days ?? Is cost really a concern. Make up some excuse and charge to an expense account or something.