What is the best and affordable gear setup for taking video or photos while you are kiting and where can you get it from?
Backpack setup?
Helmet cam setup?
Camera in the kite setup?
Small camera strapped to your arm setup?
I want to be able to take photos while kiting without having camera gear in the way.
Any websites out there that you can get a ready to go setup?
I use my Olympus 720SW strapped to my arm, but thats a bit dodgy as you need 2 hands to take a shot which is tricky when there is a double overhead wave behind you.
Ive been looking at getting a W30 for a while now but have been humming and harring because of a few reports of the camera flooding, even when it appears everything is done right. That's not so bad in itself as you're bound to get some of that in any mass-produced product - the thing that has made me hesitate is reports of Pentax being nobs about the warranty (first stop, blame the user for not doing something properly even when they don't have the information to make that allegation). I believe you can get it around $400 at most places.
For our needs, the W30 definitely seems like the camera of choice tho. I'll probably end up getting one soon. Those attachments from camrig look excellent, too.
I've got the ATC2000 (ATC2k) which is ok for what you pay, but don't expect high-grade cinema from it. Pictures look nice in good light, but it is a poor perfomer in low-light like many CCDs. Be prepared to lay an audio track on your movie as the mic is worthless - the only thing you'll ever here is scraping or splashing. I also notice that it has regular 'jerks' in the video as well, but I suspect this will be cured by using a faster memory card (but haven't tried it yet). Sounds like I'm bagging it, but Im happy with it for what I paid, and it has some fun uses. I've tethered it to myself and taken it surfing, tho somehow always forget to take it kiting. The only time I remembered I attached it to the board which worked surprisingly well, but the angle was off so there wasn't that much to see 
Sk
I've been using the W30 & a camRig for the last 8 months & haven't had a single problem with either of them. I've given them a good work out & crashed the kite quite a few times in the surf with them both attached to the kite & all is good.
If your expecting broadcast quality video from the W30, your not going to get it. However for what the camera is & the cost of it you get pretty good results. I made a short film using the W30 for the whole shoot including the time lapse stuff. I had to grade the hell out of the raw footage to get anything decent, but the final results weren't too bad.
If you want to see the results, you can download a good quality version of the film here: www.markg.com.au/lyallSessions.htm
or have a look at a still out of the film here: www.seabreeze.com.au/gallery/gallery.asp?imageid=6092
Splaat, have a look here www.seabreeze.com.au/Members/Content/Articles/Kitesurfing/Setting-Up-a-Kite-Camera_1190269.aspx
Latest pics here
www.seabreeze.com.au/gallery/gallery.asp?imageid=6359
www.seabreeze.com.au/gallery/gallery.asp?imageid=6360
www.seabreeze.com.au/gallery/gallery.asp?imageid=6361
www.seabreeze.com.au/gallery/gallery.asp?imageid=6362
www.seabreeze.com.au/gallery/gallery.asp?imageid=6363
www.seabreeze.com.au/gallery/gallery.asp?imageid=6364
www.seabreeze.com.au/gallery/gallery.asp?imageid=6365
www.seabreeze.com.au/gallery/gallery.asp?imageid=6366
Cheapest:
Find a shallow area and get somebody to setup on a tripod, then just kite back and forth past it. OR grab a towel watcher and ask them to film you.
Not quite so cheap:
waterproof disposable camera, buddy stands in the water as you kite past, snap snap.
getting dearer:
video camera in backpack in waterproof camera connected to a helmet camera that you wear on your head(either facing away or towards you)
expensive sh!t:
Buy a waterproof housing for a video camera
etc
etc..
