Kite Aerial Photography - DPChallenge Forums

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

08/26/2011 12:04:35 AM · #26

Originally posted by geinafets:

Originally posted by leaf:

Originally posted by geinafets:
Well, I guess we know who's ribboning in the Free Study this month!

Can you tell us more about how you do this? It looks really cool. Where did you get the kite? how do you strap on your 5D? How strong does the wind have to be to lift the whole thing?

I was using a flow form 30 kite and used a KAP rig purchased from brooxes.com. The wind doesn't have to be too strong, just steady. I had lots of problems today in what I thought was a good wind. It just wouldn't lift the camera. The other days were no problem at all... perhaps 10-30km/hr has been my usual wind speed.

That website totally made me cringe! They use velcro to hold the cameras in place!? I fear for those poor cameras!
Nothing like pictures to scare me out of trying this : )

My camera isn't Velcroed on. It is fastened with a screw in the tripod hole.. It has about as much chance of falling off the rig as off a tripod. The biggest fear is a broken line or the kite falling.

Art Roflmao

Canon EOS-6D Mark II

08/26/2011 02:29:42 AM · #27

Originally posted by leaf:

Still, one wonders if you might have a loose screw... :P

Spork99

Canon EOS M6 Mk II

Canon EF-M 22mm STM Lens

08/26/2011 08:57:14 AM · #28

Originally posted by DrAchoo:

Very interesting stuff. I've thought about doing something like this. My parents are avid paragliders and they have small kite wings that would easily be able to lift 5-10 pounds of equipment. And I've never lost any equipment before so it should go just fine, right? :P

Do you have to clone out the strings or is the camera oriented in a certain direction to avoid them? I'd love to see a shot of the rig.

You dunked one camera in the water, you might as well drop one from the sky...

ralph

Nikon Z9

08/26/2011 09:59:38 AM · #29

leaf - that is awesome .. great pics!
but i'd be to afraid for the camera

I started to do KAP project about 5 years ago - 9ft wide kite is in the garage..
though with used DSLR prices dropping i might buy one to sacrifice

tres cool

Cory

Canon EOS-1D Mark IV

Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM

08/27/2011 03:12:10 AM · #30

Originally posted by ralph:

You'd be amazed at the abuse these pieces of shit will take. ;)

geinafets

Canon EOS-50D

Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM

08/27/2011 08:59:01 AM · #31

Originally posted by leaf:

Originally posted by geinafets:

Originally posted by leaf:

Originally posted by geinafets:
Well, I guess we know who's ribboning in the Free Study this month!

Can you tell us more about how you do this? It looks really cool. Where did you get the kite? how do you strap on your 5D? How strong does the wind have to be to lift the whole thing?

I was using a flow form 30 kite and used a KAP rig purchased from brooxes.com. The wind doesn't have to be too strong, just steady. I had lots of problems today in what I thought was a good wind. It just wouldn't lift the camera. The other days were no problem at all... perhaps 10-30km/hr has been my usual wind speed.

That website totally made me cringe! They use velcro to hold the cameras in place!? I fear for those poor cameras!
Nothing like pictures to scare me out of trying this : )

My camera isn't Velcroed on. It is fastened with a screw in the tripod hole.. It has about as much chance of falling off the rig as off a tripod. The biggest fear is a broken line or the kite falling.

Yours may not be velcroed on, but some of the other ones on the site were : ) Regardless of how you're fastening your camera, your photos are still really great, so definitely keep doing what you're doing. One last serious question--does your camera insurance cover this? I guess it wouldn't matter if the camera crashed if the insurance would cover it anyway.

08/27/2011 09:51:53 AM · #32

I think maybe my insurance covers it. I'm paying a boat load for insurance and it is supposed to cover 'anything'... When I first bought the insurance i asked about dropping it in water or on the ground and they said it would be covered. Unless they felt that putting it in the kite was purposely wrecking it or something, I think I'm covered. There is a deductible of $1000 so a fall would still cost a lot though.

08/27/2011 10:03:04 AM · #33

Originally posted by ralph:

leaf - that is awesome .. great pics!
but i'd be to afraid for the camera

I do get a little concerned when it starts floating quickly towards the ground but the kite does seem really stable.

I feel it helps that I earn a living from photography and if I loose the camera due to a fall, I can rationalize it as the cost of doing business. If I lost my hobby toy that I had to save another 5 years for, it would be a different story. I also feel that I have the camera to make use of it, not to store it on the shelf in a soft cloth. Lastly I have 2 cameras, so I'll still have one to shoot with if I wreck the other.

ralph

Nikon Z9

08/27/2011 03:24:13 PM · #34

Originally posted by leaf:

Originally posted by ralph:
leaf - that is awesome .. great pics!
but i'd be to afraid for the camera

I do get a little concerned when it starts floating quickly towards the ground but the kite does seem really stable.

I feel it helps that I earn a living from photography and if I loose the camera due to a fall, I can rationalize it as the cost of doing business. If I lost my hobby toy that I had to save another 5 years for, it would be a different story. I also feel that I have the camera to make use of it, not to store it on the shelf in a soft cloth. Lastly I have 2 cameras, so I'll still have one to shoot with if I wreck the other.

oh - i don't baby mine but KAP'ing would be kindof sudden death ...