Flying the 7D

E

Eric Austin

New member
I use the 7D FOR Aerial Photography and it has been shooting awesome video. Some people are having rolling shutter issues due to the vibration of the platform, but my limited results so far have been great.

This week I shot some stuff for a new series on the History Channel. The show will debut on 4/22. It is called "Sliced"


 
The Heli is more expensive by far. $10,000 for an electric with mount, radios, downlinks etc. $40,000 and up for a gas turbine.
 
7D footage being broadcast? amazing :) Thought there were too many aliasing/moire issues for that to happen, or so i read in a thread somewhere..
 
Thanks guys!

Yes, the Helicopter is more expensive than the 7D by several times. However, MUCH cheaper to operate than real helicopter and much more flexible than a crane or jib set up.

A lot of fun too!!

This footage is all raw and has not been sent to motion or processed through a filter like smooth-cam. Since I am not really an editor, I just put a few of the clips together and posted.

I will post a pic of my set up later today.

Take Care,
Eric

PS. I can also tell you that almost every "real" AP business that I have seen to have actual work, is using the 5D, 7D, or trying to make it work on their platform. Awesome camera!! Thanks to Stephen Mick for pointing me the right way from the start!!!
 
PaPa said:
7D footage being broadcast? amazing :) Thought there were too many aliasing/moire issues for that to happen, or so i read in a thread somewhere..
Click to expand...

Have you seen TV lately? Striped suits all over causing a LSD trip for the viewers, they don't care as long as it will bring in money for them.
 
yeah, aliasing is not just a canon thing, it's an hd thing. i see old movies that were shot on film on my hdtv and it's moire heaven. that just happens when you try and fit a tight pattern onto a tight grid of pixels. a new pattern is formed.
 
Very cool, thanks for posting!

How are you controling focus and getting video back down from up there?
 
Here is a pic of the Heli that can carry the 7D. I only set focus to infinity for now, I have my hands full flying the helicopter, so unable to make changes to the camera in flight.

Typically, this is a 2 person job. 1 Pilot, 1 camera operator. The gimbal is controlled by the cam operator as far as pan and tilt while the pilot just flys. A 5.8 ghz video downlink allows the cam op to see exactly what they are shooting. Actually, this is quite the skill in its own right. For now though, I do everything myself.

DSC00031-2.jpg
[/URL]
 
Last edited:
That is coolest thing I've seen in a long time! I know how hard it is to operate a camera and pull focus, so I can't imagine flying that thing without help. What are plannning with it? Any upcoming projects in the works?
 
LOL!!

I set the camera and press record before I spool the main blades.

What do I have planned??

To make creative DP's aerial dreams a reality comes to mind. I prefer to focus on TV, Indie films, ect. But, will basically do anything within reason.

It is ready to be packed and traveled anywhere in the world for shooting. I am really hoping to go to Africa and shoot some stuff there. I have a feeling that I could get close up video of Elephants, Lions, Crocs, whatever that is truly unique.

Basically my goal is to do something I love and never "work" again :)

Anyway, if you are a DP or Producer and want to know more, just shoot me a PM. I am building a second helicopter that will be able to fly cameras up to 6-8 lbs such as the Sony EX1 or the Red One.

Take Care,

Eric
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top