I would like to shoot DV from the wing of my plane (mounted solidly). What is the best bang for the buck in cameras as far as the quality of shot (I would like to get some nice wide angles with sweeping views as I fly over mountain passes and such) and the quality of the image stabilization (without the use of fancy mounts). I would prefer something under $1200 and I wouldn't be averse to buying used.

Just to clarify- I would like to make a nice presentation video with some great aerial shots but also will be using the camera for general purpose action shots (shooting the plane landing, etc).

Or how about this... in a table comparing the proposed cameras to these two (subjective scale of 1 - 10 with 10 being the best).

Camera Picture Quality Image Stabilization Quality
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XL1
DVX100




Thanks folks!

Joa

Image stabilisation in both the XL family and DVX family is the Optical type (that is the best type of built-in image stab.) however this may not suit your purpose. O.I.S. in these cameras is tuned to certain frequencies to dampen hand-held movement, not airframe vibrations. A gyro-stabilised camera mount is probably best for aircraft work, but at your budget this is probably a rental item rather than a purchase item. What type of airplane is it?

I assume you know that you are required to get FAA approval before you mount anything on the exterior of an aircraft. Almost makes a commercial mount a necessity. Or even to renting an aircraft with an already approved mount.

The plane is an experimental, Rans S-7, so is fine for mounting whatever I decide to be airworthy.

The vibration isn't really too bad, a regular ole video camera does fairly well. I was just wanting something a few steps above this.

Joa

I don't know how you'd mount this on the wing of a plane, but here's what the pros use:

http://www.ken-lab.com/stabilizers.html

A big freakin' gyro.

Dan
www.DVcameraRigs.com

Ok, checked out this gyro. Pretty sweet setup. I liked their demo video. Pretty spendy but not crazy out of line for their smaller ones. Wonder if these can be picked up used fairly easily?

So, which is better, putting the money into a small gyro like one of these or buying a higher end camera that has built in optical image stabilization?

Also, could folks recommend a list of cameras that have the built in optical image stabilization? I only know of the couple that I mentioned.

Thanks so much!

BTW Dan Selakovich, checked out your site. You should offer plans for a gyro :)

Joa

I'd suggest renting various cameras to see if the internal stabilization will work for you. I suspect a camera on a plane wing is going to have quite a lot of trouble keeping things steady.

I'll add plans for a gyro once I get that degree in electrical engineering. ;=)

Dan
www.DVcameraRigs.com