Iddi Biddi Vid Cameras

[martin ewen]

I am almost finished the preliminaries of installing a 'stilt-cam' into my tank helmet so that i can rove about Glastonberry recording the mayhem at an angle most people would be unfamiliar with.
Before i commit to 'stab in the dark' investment in hardware i thought I'd broach the subject here just on the off chance someone might have some good advice.
That is all

[Jim]

I'm currently lusting after this baby:

http://www.sonystyle.com/digitalimaging/F_MV.shtml

MSRP: $1200US but you can probably find it for around $1000.

This thing is SMALL. But in classic Sony fashion... they invented the media for it so you need to buy tapes from them. There's DV tapes for DV cameras and those are all cross-platform (you can put Fuji tapes in Sony Cameras, etc.) Now Sony's invented Micro 'MV' format which is about half the size of DV, but still holds an hour of Digital footage. Of course, you can still edit footage the same way you would with a DV camera... plug it into your iBook with firewire... but you can't use DV tapes. You gotta get the Sony 'MV' tapes for your raw footage.

Freakin cool, though.

Jim

[ 04-23-2002: Message edited by: Jim ]</p>

[Stretch]

HIGH! Martin!

I too have long sought a "stilt cam". From what I've learned, the head may not be the place to put the camera. Too much movement. The shoulder or chest may be better. I've a Sony pc 100, and thought to use it as a recording deck, with a seperate micro lense hidden in my costume. Haven't gotten around to it yet though. Keep vertical.

Walking tall, and stretching imaginations!

Bill "Stretch" Coleman

http://Stiltwalker.com/

web page

[Tom B]

I don't know exactly what brand, but I know that skydiving vedotographers mount a small camera to there helmets. The unit hooks on there waist, and the optics can be mounted about anywhere.
Good luck,
Tom B

[Steven Ragatz]

You know Martin, there are several palm top computers available with either built in cameras or configurations that easily accept peripheral cameras. You could strap the system to your back, have the camera mounted in your helmet, connect via wireless network, and viola! Instant stilt-web-cam! The first ever!

I think that Jim would probably be willing to pony up the site space so that everyone at performers.net can watch you work in real time! Think of the back stabbing back talk that could go on if everyone could do an instant replay of each and every moment of everyone else's shows. Hell, with a setup like that, maybe we could have someone monitor the cam and remotely warn you when you start to get too close to the fan...

Of course, we would hope that you would remember to turn the camera off between sets when you pee.

Steve

[Jim]

[quote]Originally posted by Steven Ragatz:
<strong>Think of the back stabbing back talk that could go on if everyone could do an instant replay of each and every moment of everyone else's shows.</strong><hr></blockquote>

Then we could enlist the "Joke Police" to monitor stolen material and intellectual property.

"Big Martin" is watching...

Jim

[Stephon]

Hey Martin-

A few months ago when I was doing a search on mini cameras, I got a hit to a webpage created by a guy who takes "upskirt" pictures of women. (I *swear* I happened on this site by accident. Really. Honest. Oh, go screw yourselves [img]tongue.gif[/img] ).

Anyway, what this guy did was buy a tiny video camera from Radio Shack or a security company or something and secure it in the laces of his boot. From that he ran a cable to a small handheld video camera (like the one Jim mentioned) that he kept in his pocket.

I imagine you could do something similar, with the security camera mounted on your head or upper body and the camera in a pouch on your costume.

I have no idea what the site address was, but you could probably find it with a search for "shoecam" or "bootcam"

[ 04-25-2002: Message edited by: Stephon ]</p>

[martin ewen]

See.. This site works, not only do I now have more tech info on the subject of my choice, I now also have a wider scope of applications to consider. I 'm now considering many things i had not thought of previously.
I could disguise myself as a large potted plant back-stage at motionfest camera whirring.
I could be some sort of objective authority, constantly hovering about as heads of state confer.
I could peek over walls of the girls toilets.
Thank you all very much, as soon as I get my computer back from the state police who raided my house 2 days ago and seized it convinced that my girlfriends 12 year old son was manifacturing bombs I'll get straight onto it.
(I'm not sure but I think it could have been Gods work)
God in this instance being a potbellyed mustashioed imbecillic state trouper who can't cope with woman who aren't scared of him.
(I'll give you the whole story in a few weeks when we've hung him out to dry)
thanks again fellow eccentics