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High-Def hatcam - first USPSA match


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Finally went somewhere outdoors to throw some rounds downrange, and figured out how to edit these monster files.

*edit* STILL TRYING TO GET IT TO UPLOAD

Forgot a reload on two of the stages, and forgot to turn the damn camera on for another. :rolleyes:

I'm editing the video right now with Quicktime Pro, because nothing else (that's cheap) can deal with the huge resolution in Quicktime's .MOV format. I don't mind editing them in Quicktime... Except that it had no provision for a transition effect (fade/dissolve) between clips. Sorry about the abrupt jump to the next stage.

Edited by MemphisMechanic
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Apparently YouTube won't play nice with massive Quicktime files. Terrific.

So instead, you get to download it from a random website I uploaded it to:

http://home.off-road.com/~mithrandir/video/FILE01.MOV

I blew the grip on the draw of the classifier stage (of course) which lead to a slow mike on the first popper. HF will barely be good enough for an A... 75.04% :rolleyes:

Overall it was a pretty crappy day. I shot terrific points, even on the long targets at the end of the last stage, but I just couldn't get a plan to stick in my head for a complete stage. Forgot the sequence of the second array in stage 1... Forgot to reload in stage 2... Ug.

But the video camera worked great, even if my mind didn't.

Edited by MemphisMechanic
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Sigh...

I don't know. One of my buddies on another forum was unable to play it, and he HAS the newest version of quicktime.

I downloaded it at work, and it plays just fine with the regular Quicktime player. I usually use VLC as well, and I'll try to remember to give that a whirl when I get home.

If anyone else has tried to watch it, please chime in and let me know if it works or not. I think you might have to download it to your PC, and then open it from there. I couldn't get it to work by clicking on the link and streaming the file. Had to right-click and "Save As..." in order to get it to open here at work.

I just paid $33 for Quicktime Pro so that I could edit the video, and it doesn't have a few of the features I would really like to have. If it's creating unreadable files, I'll be REALLY irritated with it. :upeyes:

Edited by MemphisMechanic
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I have an HD cam that uploads to youtube fine. I think you have a problem with how you editted your files together. When I open the file in Media Player Classic (Quicktime Lite) I get an error that it can't find a file called FILE0002.mov

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Pretty sure I've figured it out. Quicktime Pro was the ticket.

It's just that once you're done editing, Save As creates a funky-formatted file that isn't really quicktime. Export, on the other hand, seems to do the trick, once you figure out the settings to keep the file at 1280x720.

Edited by MemphisMechanic
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Cool video, I see what your problem is now….. you’re a lefty :wacko:

Just kidding :cheers:

Your shooting looks solid, you just need some better stage planning. Fight the urge to shoot brown when you see it and instead pick a specific engagement order that lets you flow through the COF better. For example, on the second stage, you engage the left side targets first, but choose to engage the Open target first then the No Shoot blocked one second. It would have made more sense to engage the No Shoot Blocked one first then finish on the open one as that would allow you to be more aggressive in advancing and swinging to the right. Then you go through the door and head to the left port and start engaging the center target first through the port. You could have hauled ass up to the port and engaged the targets from left to right. Then moving to the last shooting position you have the gun up and are waiting for the target on the right to appear through the port as you are advancing. This kills a lot of time, not only in engagement of the target but also getting to the end of the COF. If I were to shoot that stage, I would have booked it up to the final position and engaged the steel/paper down range then swung to the right to engage that paper through the port to finish the stage all standing in the same final position. I think you could have saved at least a second or two on your stage time if you simply engaged the targets in a different order that allowed you to haul ass through the COF more.

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Yep, stage breakdown could have saved you some time, definately on stage two. Reload going to the door, take the one through the port, then the target to the right while backing up to the three three on the left. The three on the left I would have also shot the one with the no-shoot first and then left to right. Reload to the paper and steel array, reload (if necessary, the steel and paper were only 7 shots) and pop the last one at the weird angle through the port.

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Yep, stage breakdown could have saved you some time, definately on stage two. Reload going to the door, take the one through the port, then the target to the right while backing up to the three three on the left. The three on the left I would have also shot the one with the no-shoot first and then left to right. Reload to the paper and steel array, reload (if necessary, the steel and paper were only 7 shots) and pop the last one at the weird angle through the port.

This is EXACTLY the way I had come up with to shoot it... When I got home and watched the video. :rolleyes:

Cha-lee's breakdown sounds good, too. Both stages were you hear a grunt/groan, I'm doing something that is totally contrary to the way I WANT to shoot the stage. Not loading before opening the door, for example. Trying to eliminate a reload (to save time) cost me an extra 2 seconds doing a flat-footed one instead. At least for the time being, I need to work with the way I instinctively *want* to shoot the stage, instead of fighting it to do something theoretically faster, and screwing it up.

The "I'm used to shooting IDPA" thing most definitely shows, doesn't it? Stage breakdown is the thing I need to work on the most. By far. After that, I need to stop trying to take a target before arriving in the position, and take it while arriving in the position. There's a massive difference there, and I almost always do it wrong.

So far, I'm loving USPSA, because it's almost like starting over as a total rookie. The challenge is addicting as hell, and massively helpful to an IDPA shooter... Which is something I'm surprised more of 'em don't understand.

Edited by MemphisMechanic
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Don't get me wrong on engaging targets as you are advancing towards a shooting position. If you do that, it has to make sense and save time. for example, if you are heading to a port and can see a target in the middle but the left and right cant be seen until you are at the port, it probably makes sense to wait to engage any targets until you are at the port. You have to go all the way to the port anyway right? You will also be swinging from the extreme left to right as well, so you will be swinging past the middle target on the way. So why not use the movement time to really move and haul ass to the position? Then dig into the port, engage all of the targets in the best path for leaving the shooting position and move on. On some stages it will be advantage to engage as you advance into or exiting a shooting position and others it will just slow you down and increase the chance of poor hits if you shoot too fast. Only you know what you are capable of or comfortable with. I try to use the “Am I going to be there anyway?” thought process when breaking down a stage and deciding on when to engage targets. The biggest thing I try to look for are bottle necks in the COF that will keep me stuck in a shooting position for too long. If you can optimize the shooting position by engaging targets as you are entering or exiting the bottle neck it will save time. But even that is always a balance of foot speed into/out of the shooting position verses how fast you can shoot accurately while entering or exiting the position. If you have to shoot very slow to ensure hits while entering or exiting a shooting position, it probably makes more sense to focus on getting into and out of the position fast and planting in a solid stance to engage the targets as fast and accurately as possible.

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  • 1 month later...
  • 2 months later...
I just bought a vholdr as well and would like to know how you mounted it.

I use a pair of Radians Pro-Amp muffs. See how wide the headband is?

95037[1].jpg

I stuck the surface-mount to the headband. Wrapped it with electrical tape, too. Just in case the adhesive decides to come free some day.

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I have my VHoldR mounted on the earcups of my sordins. I actually mount it upside down so that the lens is at the same level as my eyes.

Got any videos posted with it that way? My 720p's are all here... http://www.youtube.com/akadamson1

Current mount position for me is top of headset band, not ideal, but it works... may try the sordin trick, but was concerned that the angles would put too much tension on the mount... guess I'll have to look further

Edited by Alan Adamson
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I have my VHoldR mounted on the earcups of my sordins. I actually mount it upside down so that the lens is at the same level as my eyes.

Got any videos posted with it that way? My 720p's are all here... http://www.youtube.com/akadamson1

Current mount position for me is top of headset band, not ideal, but it works... may try the sordin trick, but was concerned that the angles would put too much tension on the mount... guess I'll have to look further

video

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  • 1 month later...
I have my VHoldR mounted on the earcups of my sordins. I actually mount it upside down so that the lens is at the same level as my eyes.

I put my VHoldR on the bill of a ball cap, making sure its snug on my head.

http://www.vimeo.com/7355755

http://www.vimeo.com/7496058

BTW, I bought my VHoldR because I saw MemphisMechanic (I think that who it was) at a Manchester TN shoot with it.

Rob

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  • 2 weeks later...

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