East Coast Backcountry Video

DD Powder

DD Powder

New member
No better way to waste time until the snow falls again than to throw together a ski movie. This one has some short clips and photos of East Coast back/slackcountry taken over the last 2 seasons in New Hampshire, Vermont, and Newfoundland.

Just doing my part to try and add a little bit more stoke for the upcoming season.

Enjoy

On a side note, I’m thinking about upgrading from a digital camera to a digital camcorder/bullet cam setup this year. I’m not looking to spend a fortune, just something that gets the job done and can hold up to not so great conditions. Anyone have some advice or suggestions?

Thanks in advance.
 
DD Powder":26tof3xp said:
No better way to waste time until the snow falls again than to throw together a ski movie. This one has some short clips and photos of East Coast back/slackcountry taken over the last 2 seasons in New Hampshire, Vermont, and Newfoundland.

Just doing my part to try and add a little bit more stoke for the upcoming season.
Click to expand...

Good job! Nice shots of Big Jay and the Presis in there. For convenience I'll embed it:

<object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/KW0nNjvtHXo&rel=1"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/KW0nNjvtHXo&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object>

DD Powder":26tof3xp said:
On a side note, I’m thinking about upgrading from a digital camera to a digital camcorder/bullet cam setup this year. I’m not looking to spend a fortune, just something that gets the job done and can hold up to not so great conditions. Anyone have some advice or suggestions?
Click to expand...

Yeah, Viosport: http://www.viosport.com/ Their POV.1 is incredibly expensive but first-rate. On the other hand, their lipstick analog cams that plug into camcorders (http://www.vio-pov.com/store/customer/setxid.php?xid=60d8544f7ada2603b16e8b19527c303b&login=&mem=&ct=an) are far more reasonable for their quality.

I tried an Oregon Scientific all-in-one helmet cam last Sunday and can't recommend it. It couldn't handle the on-snow overexposure at all and has too narrow a field of view to be practical for skiing.
 
Nice video. That and the dream I had of killing Green Beret followed by tree skiing down to the Jet in blower knee deep is not helping things.

Regarding the camcorder, here are some things to keep in mind: quality of video rules over zoom. Camcorder companies are going crazy with zoom just like digital camera companies are going stupid with megapixels. Digital zoom is completely useless. Optical zoom is practically useless beyond 14x or so without a tripod. Optical zoom over 10x is not good for action shots. With a really steady arm, you might be able to get a long distance zoom out on a far away peak but rarely is it stable enough for video. So image quality trumps zoom always as most camcorders have a base of around 10x which is generally all you will need without a tripod. I would also consider reputable models and companies that have products that work well outdoors and in high moisture conditions. My junky entry level Panasonic from a few years back is always crapping out on me in the field which led to me leaving it home more often than not. Finally, you need to consider miniDV, DVD, or hard drive and what type of connection you need to your computer (and which ports are needed) for transfer. Firewire is nice if you have the port. Personally, after having used miniDV, I am leaning on a hard drive styled camcorder for my next A/V purchase. But they are more expensive. From what I understand, tech is improving quite fast in the camcorder world, so I am holding out another year or two before upgrading.
 
Thanks for the advice. Yeah that POV.1 is a bit more than what I was looking for. I’m thinking about a camcorder with a hard drive and just throwing it in my pack with a lipstick cam plugged in to be more versatile. I guess small, light and durable are the keys. I don’t know if they make them but some kind of soft plastic weatherproof case would be nice, I’m sure I could rig something though.

joegm":3sfslc9a said:
whats the music in that clip...????
Click to expand...

It’s Trains by Porcupine Tree.
 
DD Powder":22ugrjxi said:
Thanks for the advice. Yeah that POV.1 is a bit more than what I was looking for. I’m thinking about a camcorder with a hard drive and just throwing it in my pack with a lipstick cam plugged in to be more versatile. I guess small, light and durable are the keys. I don’t know if they make them but some kind of soft plastic weatherproof case would be nice, I’m sure I could rig something though.
Click to expand...

Look at those Viosport analog lipstick cams ($179-279) to plug into the camcorder. They're precisely what you're looking for.

Let's face it, though...one big PITA is having quick 'n ready access to the camera. Nobody wants to sit around on a powder day while you take off your backpack, dig out the camcorder, and set up the shot. We do a lot of still photo/film shooting for FTO and needed a convenient, effective front carry system. The problem is that few are available that accommodate the stability and unrestricted mobility needed by skiers and riders. This fall, however, we found it via another product we tested from Syncpack (http://www.thesyncpack.com/). Although not designed as a camera pack, it may be easily augmented with appropriate padding, and the articulating lightweight aluminum frame is precisely what the doctor ordered for skiing and allows the pack to be mounted or removed in less than 5 seconds. I used it last Sunday and truly didn't even remember it was there...until I needed quick access to the camera to bag a shot. It also effectively satisfies its purpose at weight distribution, countering the rearward balance pull of a gear-laden backpack.

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These are just a couple of items that we've been testing last spring and this fall for our annual holiday gear gift guide, scheduled for publication at FTO in early November.

And for a soft clear plastic weatherproof case, look at Aquapac (http://www.aquapac.net/). I use one to carry camera gear while kayaking.
 
That’s the most hi tech fanny pack I’ve ever seen. :shock:

Your right though, I am usually to excited to get even my camera out on good days. I have a feeling this may be the start to another expensive shopping spree related to my snow addiction.
 
As admin said and Patrick knows from skiing with me, I insist on the camera being easily hand accessible or I probably won't use it much while skiing.

Since I'm not a serious photographer that means compact, fitting in a jacket or pants pocket. The Inca Trail/ski Chile trip did induce me to upgrade this year. My new Canon 850 has wide angle (what I missed most in my first digital camera), an image stabilizer and is half the size of my 2002 vintage S30.

If you're more serious you need a front load pack for access. Craig Morris in Fernie had a front pack way back in 1997 when he was first posting digital ski pics online.
 
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