In your video on dry flies you use a small video camera. I was thinking about that the other night and was wondering if such a set-up along with a small TV could be used as an aid for tying. My magnifiers seem to be getting stronger and stronger as the years go by. They work fine, but when you glance away from the fly to look for something else on the bench, things get blurry as…
Don’t know if looking at the TV screen while tying would be possible, but who knows.
What are your thoughts on this and just how much would a set-up like this cost?
I would think that you could adapt to using the small screen as your visual aid. I think at first it would be ackward, like the double haul, but eventually I think you would be able to master it.
Last year I watched a tyer at a sports show who counter wraps. He said by wraping towards him rather than away gave him a better view of the materials being wrapped on. He said it took a while to get the brain trained, but it can be done. He has been tying this way for many years and it is as natural to him as breathing.
I had the progessive lenses for years, but always had problems with them. The company I worked for got me started using them when we went to CAD (computer drafting). They were OK, but I always found the close up magnifier glasses worked best for close up work for me. The problem is that as the years went by I needed stronger and stronger magnifications. With the less strong lenses the range of vision where thing are clear was much greater.
Tyrone
I also think the video camera approach may work, but don’t want to invest and find out I have overlooked some obvious thing. AK has experience with these things and may be able to shed some light on it.
The little Point Of View camera used to make the videos was a rental from an L. A. studio and was wired directly to a tape recorder. They cost a few thousand $s. It’s very hi-tech equipment and then you have to have the comuter that can read the images the POV camera sends. Bill Wells, the man who shot the videos has great experience from his previous work in Hollywood. I have no understanding of any of it. I just sat there and tied flies and talked about what I was doing and why. We actually used three cameras and a whole forest of lighting.
Hi AK, I think it was Betty on here who was looking for one of your vises…Any idea where she could still buy one?
As to the original question of the post. If they can do laprascopic operations watching it on a screen I bet, with some practice you could get the feel for it doing your tying via the TV or Monitor screen…
…Bob
I am still young with 20/20 vision, but the thing that helped my tying the most was a pair of clip on 1.5X reading glasses.
A web cam would work, although video quality would be one of those things where you get what you pay for. I got a webcam a couple months ago and have recorded several how to videos that I will eventually use for my website. I can also make these with the video function on my digital camera.
Anyways, if you try this, get a webcam that records at atleast 30 frames per second, otherwise it is gonna look choppy. I got mine on sale at Office Max for $25($50 normal) It’s a Lgitech QuikCam, can’t think of the model number off the top of my head. But the video quality is quite good. If this sounds like something you’d like to check out I could email you a video file to show you what it will look like so you don’t have to throw down your money for something you might not like. Just shoot me an email if you( or anyone else) is interested. I’m always happy to help other tyers. My email address is info@colemancreekflies.com