DVX in Helicopter

[Ben Drickey]

What do I need to know for shooting out of a helicopter? Thinking of getting a gyro for stability. Door will be off, what harness should I expect to have or need? Any info would be great.

[Lars.Erik]

What kind of shots are you doing? Slow and nice or fast and gritty? What kind of helicopter are you using? If it's a small one, it might not be able to carry the weight of the gyro. Check this out first!

 

Personally I'm not convinced about using gyro in the side doors. I've used this a few times and been very unhappy with the results. I still think a nose mounted gyro is much better. But these are also usually much more expensive. (there's a reason for it) I never operated the gyro. Always had a gyro operator with me.

 

And it's also a lot more difficult to fly a helicopter sideways than it is to fly it straight forward. In the last year I've ditched the side door gyro, and flown with a 2/3" camera with me hanging out. (handheld) In this way the pilot can fly more straight forward, since you are leaning out the side door. I always use a lens like a HJ22, a HJ11 will be too wide, you have to zoom in to get rid of the legs and side of the helicopter. Making it a lot more difficult to be steady. With a HJ22 you can operate more easily.

 

Sorry if I'm not giving you advice on how to shoot with a gyro out the door. Just wanted to let you know that I've saved money on the side door gyro and spent it on a better and bigger camera. And I still hadn't used all the money I would have compared to a side door gyro. And the results of the handheld are amazing. I've had people ask me if the shots were gyro. The trick is to have a really good sitting position and squeeze the camera between your legs. And always feel how the helicopter is behaving. In this way I've found that the images get greatly improved.

 

Maybe someone else has a better experience with a side door gyro? I'd like to know what they did to make it work.

 

LE