questions for the photographers and tech geeks

I have to disagree. As the price has came down the quality of the cameras has gone up far more. It is allowing a lot of people to be able to produce a quality product at a fraction of the cost. The 8mm film idea did not die or fad away. It was replaced by video and now that price is coming down to the point that I can afford the quality of equipment that the pros use. When digital cameras fist came out they were called a fad because the cost was high and the quality was low. 3 mp cameras where $2000 and no competition for film. Now a 18mp DLS is $800 at Costco and is far better then film. A 12mp point and shoot is under $200.

the gopro cameras are also allowing people with almost no training to just strap a little box to your body and film what ever you are doing. You can be a great skier and now have a great looking film of it. ten years ago it would have taken a pro and his crew using $10k's worth of gear to film a snow boarder making a run. Now its just a couple kids with a little box. Same goes for the editing programs, they are free on line.

This goes for the aerial filming as well. My brother has been flying RC copters since the 80's. It was expensive and very hard to learn. It was typically months just to learn to hover let alone fly around. With the new mult engine copters with gps, gyros and auto hover anyone can fly them. I fly one this summer using my PHONE. with in ten minutes I was flying around trees and people with complete control. This summer I hope to be able to film orcas from the air with my boat in the video from a height of 100 ft ( dont want those whales jumping up and eating my copter). Until now this was not do able. a real copter would cost thousands of dollars a hour and would scare the whales. I doubt they will ever hear a little electric quad-copter at a 100 feet. It just opens up whole world of possibilities.
 
also the new gopros allow you to view the action live on our phone so you can see where you are pointing the camera's. I dont know if that will work on a downrigger because of the water. We will see.
 
Sounds to me like you've already talked yourself into it, Tom... I just don't wanna be anywhere around when you are flying that 100 feet above the Orcas and there is a NOAA Enforcement boat nearby! 8) Do that once, and there will be MORE rules: it won't just be 200 yrds lateral, 400 yards in a forward or rear quadrant - they'll be making yet another rule for how many yards vertical!!

:wink:

As far as the quality of the video productions going down as more people can afford these... sure. But, not because of the quality of the camera output. You know the old saying, "If it was easy, anyone could do it"... as technology and price put more of these out there, you can be sure the percentage of crap shot with them will increase. That doesn't mean you will produce crap OR that other peoples' crap will somehow reduce the pleasure you get in using it.

If you see how you will use it and can afford it, go for it. It really doesn't matter what the rest of us think.

------------

When we were working in the Tetons, I'd see people strap one of those on a helmet then go paddle out on a rented kayak. Pretty scenery, but kinda underwhelming on an "adventure scale." This past summer, there was a young man on the whale watch boat using one of those... as he got off the boat, he said, "I just took 1,300 photos!" As you know, I did photography for a living... the thought of editing 1,300 photos is a bit daunting! On the flip side, "There oughtta be a good one in there, somewhere!" :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

Best wishes,
Jim
 
James my point about quality is that no matter what talent I have ( yet to be determined) there is was no way for me to pursue it when equipment was $10k+ and I was only making $20k and raising a kid. Now for 400 or less I can. You are right about a lot of crap but I think you are missing the fact that a lot more talented people will now have a chance to create when they could not before.

As for the whale Nazi's F em. If its legal now I will do it. Getting really tired of the nanny state mentality of this country. really tired- and thats all I will say about that.
 
Easy there, big fella... perhaps I didn't put enough smileys and winkies in my post? And since when did you start calling me James? Pretty sure I was encouraging you to get the camera... another hobby might take your mind off the "nanny state." :roll: :twisted: :mrgreen:

Your pal,
Jim
 
No anger at you at all. just the nannies. :wink: Yes a go pro is in my future. The real question, the original question is not to get one or not but whether to get a silver or black model. Its more then just pixel's. Its the newer video formats that are included with the black model that I don't understand fully. Some reviews call it added fluff only to be called short sighted by others. As a ex pro do you think that go pro is getting ahead of the technology or is it just useless fluff that I will never get to use?
 
starcrafttom":1fjw0t79 said:
No anger at you at all. just the nannies. :wink: Yes a go pro is in my future. The real question, the original question is not to get one or not but whether to get a silver or black model. Its more then just pixel's. Its the newer video formats that are included with the black model that I don't understand fully. Some reviews call it added fluff only to be called short sighted by others. As a ex pro do you think that go pro is getting ahead of the technology or is it just useless fluff that I will never get to use?
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Tom, ol' buddy, the last time I did any serious video, it was back in the 80s, and I had to heft the camera on my shoulder, with battery packs strapped around my waist. These days, if I need video of something, I just use my little point and shoot in the video mode. One man's useless fluff is another man's gotta have. Since I can't tell you which one to buy, I will give the same advice that you've given others about buying a boat: just BUY one! You may decide to trade up later, but every day without one is another day of a new hobby lost. :wink:

I'm watching the stock market tank again since the election, and just encouraging others to do their part to get the economy going again! :twisted:

Best wishes,
Jim
 
I hadn't watched a clip like that before but found it very enlightening. I'm betting that Tom and I both had the same thought when we saw the how the one crab almost didn't have the door swing shut behind him as he could reach the bait without getting fully inside the trap - e.g. "Gosh, that guy shouldn't have his bait bag so close to the door". I usually hang mine so it hangs down from the top of the trap but is not reachable by a crab crawling on the top.
 
after finding several of my bait bags pulled out side the trap thru the gaps in the trap i have started to use a bunge at both ends of the bag to keep it centered in the trap. works better and I end up with more keepers.
 
starcrafttom":24q43gxl said:
after finding several of my bait bags pulled out side the trap thru the gaps in the trap i have started to use a bunge at both ends of the bag to keep it centered in the trap. works better and I end up with more keepers.
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I had a friend who put his bait in a mayonnaise bottle and put some holes in the top. He said the harder it was for them to get at the bait the bigger his catch was. Do you think there's any truth to that?
 
I think that the second that they finish the bait or can pull it out of the trap, they will start to leave. some traps are harder to get out of then others but they can get out. Went crabbing today and got 3 males in a hour. May go out again this week.
 
rogerbum":1qdjo56n said:
starcrafttom":1qdjo56n said:
That is a great question. No one can tell me the range of the wifi underwater if any at all.
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Zero range under water. Water is highly absorbant at the frequencies used for wifi.
Click to expand...

Maybe we need to develop a VLF model like submarines use for communications... :roll: That shouldn't be too expensive. Would just take an antenna underwater about 1000' long and an antenna on your boat about 900' high. Think helium balloon. :lol:

I think we may be on to something here. :thup

Charlie
 
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