Jump 246 - Atair Hyperbolic Lens and Cobalt 135

Atair Aerodynamics is on the cutting edge
of skydiving technology. From their high
performance canopies to their amazing
optics, they are positioned to push the
sport forward.

While perusing their site at
www.extremefly.com I stumbled upon a
Hyperbolic Wide Angle Lens. This lens is
made to cover a wide angle. Close to 180
degrees in all directions, in fact. The
ultra-cool thing, however, is that it
doesn't cover the area away from the
camera... it covers the area *with* the
camera. This means that you can film
yourself skydiving, dancing, driving or
milking cows. It's up to you, but it's all
about me, me, me.

Given my clear initial excitement I
contacted Atair requesting pricing
information. It turns out that they are
just beginning to produce the lenses. They
only have one prototype at this point.
They offered it to me for a couple weeks to
test on a "you break it, you bought it"
basis. Cost: $1500. They tell me that
with only a few orders they can get that
cost down, almost in half. If you're
interested, please give them a call or send
them an email.

I was expecting to get one lens but when
the package arrived it had two in it! One
is a smaller version that provides a better
area of view. One is a longer version that
gets away from the camera more. Both have
advantages and disadvantages.

Within minutes I had them onto the camera
for some test shots around my loft. I was
amazed at the clarity of the image.
Essentially the lens is a mirror that
projects an image from 180 degrees onto the
camera lens. Considering skydiving safety
I attached the shorter lens to my camera
first. When I mounted the camera to the
helmet I found that the shorter lens didn't
reach around the helmet and my big head
enough. So I switched to the longer lens.

Three hours of running around the loft and
surrounding Atlanta neighborhoods with a
helmet cam and I felt that I was ready to
jump with it.

The weather was bad for two weekends at
Skydive Atlanta, the best dropzone in the
universe. I asked Atair if I could keep
the lens for an extra couple of days for a
weekday jump session. They were kind
enough to accommodate my unlucky weather
self.

The weather was perfect. Clear sky with
some puffy clouds. This always makes for
great video. I strapped the lens onto my
camera and immediately people started to
wonder what it was. Lots of questions.
Lots of explanations. Before the first
jump I already had about ten people who
wanted to check out the video.

The lens mirror sticks out from the camera
a good bit. I was a little concerned for
the safety of the lens so I put it into my
pocket while loading the plane. When at
altitude I attached it. I had to pay very
close attention to it in the crowded plane
near exit time. This is the downside of
the longer version of the lens. With the
shorter version I wouldn't even notice that
it was there.

I climbed out and consciously made sure
that I didn't smack the lens. Exit was
smooth and the lens was unobtrusive. The
jump went well. After jumping with a
forward-facing camera for so long it's
tough to remember to keep people behind you
so that they're in frame.

Opening was uneventful. I looked down.
The weight of the lens isn't anything to be
concerned about. From a safety perspective
I practiced cutting away my helmet first,
canopy second, etc. The lens is actually a
lot less stable than a ring sight. I
expect that a line caught in it would break
it off which is much better than it being
caught. Of course, any protrusion does add
extra risk, but this risk appears low given
the fact that the lens would break off.

Under canopy I clipped my risers with the
lens a few times. Landing was uneventful.

We put the jump onto the big screen and
people flocked to it. It creates some
amazing video. My head stays completely
still while my body moves all over the
place. On landing I was able to see all
toggle movements and their resultant effect.

This lens is cool. Good for fun. Good
for learning.

Order one. You won't be disappointed.

On this jump I also jumped my new Atair
Cobalt 135. This canopy rocks. It has
great lift on landing.

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