The Cameras
One of the most often-asked questions on our videos (especially underwater ones) is "what camera did you use?" Wonder no further!
This page is not a store. We don't have any sponsorship deals with camera manufacturers (so we don't provide links to their websites), but we think it's nice to give credit where it's due. Some of the cameras we use are incredibly tiny; others take excellent high-speed footage; still others can withstand incredible environmental extremes. All of them have helped us capture some great moments. Here's a list of most of the cameras we've used over the years.
This page is not a store. We don't have any sponsorship deals with camera manufacturers (so we don't provide links to their websites), but we think it's nice to give credit where it's due. Some of the cameras we use are incredibly tiny; others take excellent high-speed footage; still others can withstand incredible environmental extremes. All of them have helped us capture some great moments. Here's a list of most of the cameras we've used over the years.
GoPro Hero HD
With a waterproof casing capable of immersion in depths up to 100 feet, and temperature tolerances running below freezing, the GoPro Hero HD is our camera of choice for extreme on-board shots. The fisheye lens keeps everything in frame, and speeds up to 60 fps (at 720p) mean we can playback in smooth slow-mo.
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Casio Exilim FC-150
Settings, menus, and more settings and menus beneath those! Somewhat complex to operate, but the FC-150 lets us shoot video up to 1000fps, to capture rocket launches and great dry-ice bubble blasts. The FC-150's still shots ain't bad, either.
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Flip Video Mino
2011 will be a year sadly remembered as the year Cisco Systems dumped its Flip division. Simple to use and operate, and excellent at easy sharing, Flip was a great product. Ours is going on its third or fourth year and shows no sign of giving up. While we mostly shoot with newer HD cameras these days, the Flip is still the quickest and easiest option for general coverage.
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Muvi Veho Atom
"Tiny" is the only word for this one. Small enough to put in a Titanic model, durable enough (with the waterproof casing) to sink to the bottom along with her and survive the trip. This camera is starting to replace our gum stick camera (below) for most small tasks.
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FlyCam One(2)
The first "small" camera we purchased for model work, the FlyCamOne(2) seems comparatively huge nowadays, but it's a hardy veteran of many RapidNadion adventures. From airboats to destroyers to carriers to helicopters, this little guy has gone everywhere, and taken a lot of bumps along the way - including sinking to the bottom of the ice-cold Peconic Bay and staying there for a week ... and living to tell the tale.
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Gum-Stick
The obviously-named "gum stick" cameras in our inventory don't even have a proper brand name, coming as they do from the land of mass-produced cheap electronics. But despite their low quality, these cameras (we have three) have served us well, most notably in our on-board rocket and helicopter videos. We're phasing them out gradually as other companies deliver better alternatives.
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Kodak Easy Share
A holdover from the days before RapidNadion was even a thought on the horizon, the Kodak EasyShare provides a simple, familiar, "easy" way to "share" (see what we did there?) footage. Usually only makes its appearance on big shoots where every camera is needed, like the carrier videos.
Sony Handycam HDR-CX130
A Christmas gift from friend of RapidNadion -and sometime videographer- Maura, the Handycam gives us the ability to shoot clear, beautiful footage with amazing optical zoom. We use this camera on a lot of our rocket shoots!
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Panasonic Lumix ZS5
Jim's ("Video One") weapon of choice when it comes to RN shoots, the ZS5 and its big lens provide very nice quality video and buttery smooth optical zoom, as well. This camera takes the place of the Kodak when Jim is on call.
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