Finally!!
Until now, cameras couldn’t be worn in wind tunnels – but the new Cambox changes all that…
In skydiving inside footage is a very valuable tool. An outside camera does not see everything. Level issues for example. Around the wind tunnel we have cameras from many different angles, so basically every viewing angle is covered. But when teaching, no matter to a beginner or an already experienced student, the first-person view is a valuable tool, no matter how many cameras are there around the big glass tube. Flying lines, layouts and other maneuvers in freefly, or teaching head switch in 4-way, if a student can see from the first-person view what he should see, it will help him to become better. However, cameras are generally banned in all tunnels worldwide. The risk of ripping a camera from the helmet due to a collision with the wall or another flyer is too big. Most fan blades are made of carbon fiber, to reduce weight and therefore save electricity. Its easy to imagine, how much damage an action camara could do to such a blade.
Cambox
But what about a camera which can’t be ripped off the helmet because it is installed inside the helmet? Enter Cambox. This special camera was invented in France for law enforcement. While normal police officers have dash cams in their car and body worn cameras, motorcycle police do not wear gear on their upper body for safety reasons. So, the inventors of the Cambox camera came up with the idea of designing a camera that fits inside the motorcycle helmet. In front of the forehead, a camera with a low width body would fit in most helmets.
And if it fits in a motorcycle helmet, it can also fit inside a skydiving helmet – and therefore offer completely new perspectives to the sport of indoor skydiving!!
How does it work ?
The camera itself looks like a flat banana or a boomerang, following the curve of the forehead. The lens compartment sits in the middle and the lens itself is adjustable in angle (20°), to compensate for any angle of the protective foaming of the helmet to which it is attached. The top side of the camera housing is covered with Velcro. There are several adhesive Velcro strips which are glued to the horizontal foam surface inside the helmet above the forehead. Therefore, the camera itself can be attached and removed quickly and easily whenever needed. However, this is one point to watch out if you are interested in the Cambox camera. Due to its shape and size, it does not fit every skydiving helmet… and if it fits the helmet needs to have a flat surface above the forehead to attach the adhesive Velcro.
Using the Cambox
Once installed the camera is very easy to operate, even with gloves. This comes naturally, as motorcycle police officers also wear gloves most of the time. Before you go to the tunnel, you have to charge the camera but, as it uses an USB-C port hidden under a lid on the left end of the housing, this is quite easy. The charger should not have more than 1 A of charging power. Charging then takes about 4 hours while a red/green LED indicates the charging status. The videos can also be downloaded via the USB cable. Naturally a normal Micro-SD card has to be inserted before, into a slot directly below the USB port. The manufacturer recommends a capacity between 16 and 256 GB. The Micro-SD Card can also be moved to a computer for copying/viewing the videos.
To operate the settings of the camera, one must download the free App from the Apple Store of Google Play onto a smartphone. Here, resolution (720/1080/4K), frame rate (24/30/60), white balance and many more (ISO/saturation/contrast/stabilization/one button record/etc.) can be easily set.
Flying with the Cambox
Now you are ready to fly (and of course also to skydive with the Cambox). Before you enter the tunnel or leave the airplane, just press the big on/off button for a second. In one button (auto) mode, the camera will start recording and a green light plus two short vibrations will give the feedback, that recording is in progress. And don’t forget to close the visor! 😉
When the camera is not in one-button mode, it will turn to standby after pressing the on/off button. The button then has then must be pressed shortly again in order to start/stop recording. A red LED indicates standby while a green LED indicates recording. This might be a bit confusing in the beginning, as in skydiving with most cameras and indicators the red light indicates recording. Maybe Cambox might give users the option in the App to change this in the future.
Summary
The Cambox camera is the perfect solution for a camera flown inside the wind tunnel. But also for normal skydiving it is an excellent option as it offers no snag hazards and can´t be lost during freefall.
Thank you
Special thanks to wind tunnel coaches and flying ninjas Roland Carl and Boris Peter from Flystation Munich for their help and expertise.
Technical Data
- Resolution:
- 4K, 30 FPS, Full HD
- 1080, 30/60 FPS
- 720, 30/60 FPS
- Pixel: 12 Mio
- Lens Angle: 150°
- Stabilization: hard- and software
- Sound: 2 Stereo microphones
- Recording time: up to 80 min
- Remote Control: via App
- Remote View: via App
- Height: 18 mm
- Width: 173 mm
- Depth: 24 mm
- Weight: 70 g
- Price: 524,59 €
Testimonials
Indoor skydiving instructors Roland Carl and Boris Peter tested the cambox in the wind tunnel. What did they think?…
Roland Carl – photo by Ralph Wilhelm
