What's worth it more, a remote helicopter or a constant aperture lens?

I

ironpony

Carbonite Member
I want to do shots of buildings from high up. There are two ways of doing it, I can think of that will look good, camera movement wise. I can get the constant aperture lens and zoom into a building while trucking and rotating the camera, from another building. Or I can get a long lens that is not constant aperture, to save money, and get the remote control helicopter instead. I just wonder what's worth it more to get professional looking shots, on a very low budget. Thanks.
 
On a very low budget you will not successfully create an RC helicopter shot but, depending on your area, you may be able to hire an aerial shooter to do it for you.
 
Most smooth RC choppers are very expensive and need one person to fly and one person on camera control. They also take a very long time to learn to manuvure smoothly. Buying a lens would likely fit your budget and time frame better.
 
You loose either way. You probably dont have the skills yet to pilot an RC chopper, not to mention its a very expensive investment to get a proper RC setup.
I'd hire a professional with an RC setup to make the shots for you.
I really cant imagine what kind of shots your looking for with your constant aperture lens idea.... so i cant really help there.
You need to give some examples or more details of you want to shoot, and what your shooting with currently.
 
Well I have the Canon T3i. I am wanting to do a script, that involves spying on people, and planning on shooting people, from highrise locations. So some of the shots I want, are shots of the building, seeing the sharpshooters, and spies. But I want the camera to move in the building shots. Most movies nowadays would be a helicopter, or sweeping crane shot, but since I'm on a microbudget, perhaps a costant aperture lens zoom movement type of move, would look good still. These shots are tough to think of ways to look good when I have no choppers or cranes for them.
 
I have an 18-55 lens right now but want more options. It is already parfocal, and stays in focus if you zoom in and out, if that's what you mean. But even if I set the aperture at 11 say, and then zoom in from 18-55, it will still be 11. But it gets darker, during the zoom, then goes back to 11. So the aperture is not costant, since it goes from 11, to darker, than back to 11, once the zoom is finished. So there is that issue mainly.
 
The aperture is constant. Refraction is not; as the lens barrel lengthens light that doesn't make it into the sensor is lost by refracting off the edges. Cine lenses may be better with this, but I don't know it as a fact. What I do know is that zooming in on your subjects on a building across the way is only fitting for comedy films. Not worth buying equipment for. You're better off figuring out how to shoot with what you have, since it doesn't sound like you're at the point of making serious film investments yet. Creativity is only seen in the face of limitations, so rather than throwing money at it try to creatively decide the shots that best tell your story with the resources available. Your film will look better for it and you'll have saved a bunch doing it.
 
I see, are you a peeping tom? a LURKER! Now I know why you went with the t3i with that 3-10x crop, Thats a good choice for getting in close. If I had a voyer fetish I would go with the same cam, throw a 70-210, hell, you would be able to see their nose hair from a bldg away. You better be careful, you might just zoom in on the opposite end of a 308. from a pissed off half naked freak. If I were you, I would take that zoom lens money and seek some therapy (that is if you have a voyer fetish), It will save you lots of humiliation and maybe even a jail sentence. I know they don't take well to peeping toms in the big house. Ever see those guys with a mirror on a stick looking down the center isle of the cells, well I'm guessing this will be you if you don't seek immediate help. Call the samiritans, i hear their good with peeping poppers. But it's cool, we don't pass judgement here on dvx, we just try to help:)
 
A microkopter is part of the kit I'm looking to assemble but there are issues with using them in Canada and might be where you're located. Privacy intrusion is one of those issues and there are significant potential liabilities. Also in Canada microkopters are difficult to use for other than recreational purposes. As soon as you charge a cent or utilise it for commercial purposes there's a need for licensing and the filing of flight plans. Commercial licensing is very burdensome and the flight plans very restrictive.

Although none of those restrictions apply for recreational use, using them in built up areas is inadvisable. Safety is an obvious concern and I understand insurance all but impossible to obtain. Other countries are more relaxed about their use and your profile doesn't indicate a location. I would counsel that you do your homework and seek legal advice.
 
Flight plans for a remote control helicopter, now thats funny. I suppose though, you might get ambitious and turbocharge it to where you can get it up there in the jet stream with the commercial boys. Wonder if you need flight plans to jump from a plane in Canada.
 
A lot of the problem is that there isn't much legal distinction between the helicopters you get at the mall kiosk, a Shadowhawk, or a Predator. So the blanket rules cover all of those as soon as you go commercial.
 
if you arent a reasonably experienced RC pilot, i wouldnt even entertain the copter idea. everything ive even seen and heard says thats both crazy expensive and requires hundreds of hours of practice to even be competent.
 
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