Camera Glasses for Newer Skydivers.

I find it very rare that anything useful can be gleaned from videos shot by flyers that are not specifically focusing on the video aspect of their flying. Videos shot from POV by jumpers who are treating their camera as if it wasn't there, rarely show anything useful. I've pretty much given up wearing a camera when I'm not purposefully focusing on it as an aspect of my jump. This doesn't necessarily have to be "outside" video. It can be POV, but even then, it requires me being aware of the camera and the fact that I am, at lest in part, flying in order to get a specific shot or perspective of the jump.
I can't imagine that others have much better results. (maybe those 360 degree cameras can be a little better in this regard--except I can't get used to their videos at all, as they do not show a perspective that seems real to me in any fashion...but then: I can't get used to videos in portrait format either and there is an entire generation that seems to have no problem with that! )
 

While their perspective does take some getting used to, 360 cameras are great for showing your body position during track/deployment, not to mention for wingsuiting, but positioning one for best footage usually makes it stand out not really flush with your helmet. They can cause a very good snag point both with your own and someone else's gear, and you can easily hit them on the aircraft or on someone else during an exit. Not something I would recommend for newer jumpers.   

On 6/14/2021 at 8:02 PM, Cocowheats said:

So a topic came up amongst some new jumpers that I didn't have a good answer for. One person mentioned getting some semi-cheap glasses with a camera in the temple to record their jumps up till they were at the USPA recommendation of 200+ jumps to mount a helmet camera of good quality.

They were wondering since the glasses would not necessarily affect the helmets safety rating, like a mount can/will, and eliminates the USPA's worry about a snag or turbulence issue, that it may be permitted. This is obviously in part the decision of the DZ to allow or not...

But it's an interesting thought because these jumpers are allowed to wear sunglasses under a helmet as A & B license holders. From what I saw, these camera glasses are slightly bulky glasses with mediocre camera quality. Just enough to see how the jump went.

Obviously awareness, or lack of, is another concern addressed by the USPA, as they don't want the jumper sucked into getting "the shot".

Thoughts on skirting the USPA camera recommendation via glasses cam under a helmet? I could see it being useful to jumper with good discipline perhaps on a B license with say 75+ jumps to help record and critique progress.

After reading the entire thread I'll come back to the OP.

Getting quality (e.g. useful) video during a skydive is a discipline, just like any other one (FS, FF, CReW, Swoop, instructing, tandem).

You cannot expect any skydiver to be usefully competent in any discipline without investing some time in it first.

I mean, I have enough jumps to wear a camera. I have enough jumps to make a freefly jump, if I were so inclined. 

Would that make me a suitable person to get video from a two-way headdown?

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