The First KEH Transaction

The Heritage Flight Conundrum led to my first acquisition of a used piece of camera equipment.  Specifically a 80-400 lens.  A new Nikon edition goes for $2300.

The 200-500 is a great lens.  But.  It's 5 pounds to sling around.  It's a bit bulky to handle.  I could have used it in Charleston, only if I could put it down on occasion.  And it might be intimidating to the security folks.  The lens I used on the D500, 70-300 is OK.  Nice and light but I still end up cropping too much.  Could have used just a little extra reach on the C47/C17 Heritage Flight.  

Enter the 80-400.  On the D500, it will give me an effective 600 mm reach.  And it comes in at 3.5 pounds.  After 3 hours in the sun, that 1.5 pound savings will be a lot.

The 200-500 is a fixed f/5.6 where as the 80-400 is a f/4.5-5.6, so no real winners there.

Even though the 200-500 is sold as a hand hold-able lens, my best shots seem to have one common element, a monopod.  The 80-400 is made to be hand hold-able.

I did some research on KEH, mostly through threads on UHH.  No real negative complaints.  And so far I don't have any.  I bought a lens that was graded very highly.  When I looked at it today, no blemishes at all.  I took it out to the Park for a few test shots.  No cracks on an inner lens.  But all my shots were static.  I'll take it out to a nature refuge this weekend.  If I can, I work in on both the D500 and D850.

So far the transaction with KEH was great.  Let's see if the lens can match.

The Heritage Flight Conundrum

My favorite fly-bys at an airshow are the Heritage Flights.  The intent of the Heritage Flight is to present the evolution of military air power by flying today's state-of-the-art fighter aircraft in close formation with vintage fighter aircraft.

There are so many levels for these events for me.  As a military aircraft enthusiast, I enjoy the the piston engine versus the jet engine noise.  I enjoy the difference in Engineering and Design.

On the other side, as for photography you have to shoot the lowest speed.  Not so enjoyable.

Usually there is a jet flying with a prop driven aircraft.  But not always.  I have this shot of a E/A18G Growler and an A4 Skyhawk from Wings over Northern Michigan in 2019.

But the majority of the time, I'm looking at 1/200 sec shutter speed or slower to capture what realistically could be a shot of a lifetime.  No pressure.

In Charleston, the Heritage Flight was a C-47 Skytrain and a C-17 Globemaster III.  In previous Heritage Flights, the two aircraft appear in a 'banana pass' in front of the crowd.  In Charleston, they added an overhead pass.  In order to line up for the overhead pass, an interesting formation appeared.  This formation is unscripted.  And a bit far away.  But has to be captured.

On Saturday I shot at 1/1250 sec.  I knew the prop would freeze, but I'd be back on Sunday.  I'd rather have an 80% shot over having nothing.  On Sunday, I shot at 1/200 sec at a long distance.  That shot came out surprising good.  It won't win any prizes and looks OK on a small screen.  It does leave lots of room for improvement - JB Charleston 2024.

Saturday's Shot:

Heritage Flight - C47 and C17

NIKON D500 Ver.1.30/NIKKOR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6E ED VR

450 mm, 1/1250 sec, f/6.3, ISO 100

EV 0, SHUTTER Priority, Size DX

Sunday's Shot

Heritage Flight - C47 and C17

NIKON D500 Ver.1.30/NIKKOR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6E ED VR

450 mm, 1/200 sec, f/5.6, ISO 100

EV +1, SHUTTER Priority, Size DX

In both cases, the more interesting shot was far away.  As the aircraft came nearer, the line up wasn't as interesting to me.  Saturday's shot, with the clouds and the aircraft in different lines is my favorite of the two.  Damn frozen prop.

Blue Angels - From the Walmart Parking Lot

The trip to Charleston for the airshow started as a planned two day photo shoot, just at the show.  Something about the best laid plans?

The two day photo shoot turned into a two and a half day photo shoot.  Saturday and Sunday were givens, but I was able to add Friday afternoon.

The Friday show was for base employees and DOD personnel.  I don't qualify for Friday's on base show - I qualify for general public with admission on Saturday and Sunday.  Fortunately air shows are not an indoor show.

One mile from the approach end of the main runway that will be the show line is a Walmart parking lot.  No charge.  Everyone welcome.  And thus I have the Friday afternoon Walmart Collection.

From the parking lot, I didn't see any of the show.  But to get to the show line - or to exit the show line, this parking lot was in the flight path.  At one end of the parking lot is a gas station with a huge American flag.  Excellent reference point.

As the parking lot was a lot closer to the aircraft than being in the show audience, I could use the D850 and the 70-200 f/2.8 combo.  And not have to crop much.  My favorite combo.  And being is some other place other than show audience, there are some interesting frames.

This first shot is something I don't see a lot of, a jet aircraft framed by trees.  And lots of leaves.  (SC has green leaves now, we're still a few weeks away.)

Blue Angel through the Trees

NIKON D850 Ver.1.20 /NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8E FL ED

200 mm, 1/1250 sec, f/4.5, ISO 64

EV +0, Shutter Priority, Size FX

And sometimes you get the shot that just makes you laugh.  Or I was taking a photo of a tree and......

Blue Angel in the trees - miss

NIKON D850 Ver.1.20 /NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8E FL ED

200 mm, 1/1250 sec, f/3.5, ISO 64

EV +0, Shutter Priority, Size FX

One of the Blue Angel passes is called the Fortis Maneuver.  The pass is two jets with gear and arresting hook extended.  And one of the jets is inverted.  But the act of one jet inverting happens just over the runway.  And where I was, they were just lining up.

Blue Angel Parking Lot Approach

NIKON D850 Ver.1.20 /NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8E FL ED

200 mm, 1/1250 sec, f/5.0, ISO 64

EV +0, Shutter Priority, Size FX

And then you get the shot of one of the solos, Blue Angel #5, coming close overhead.

Blue Angel Parking Lot Flyover

NIKON D850 Ver.1.20 /NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8E FL ED

200 mm, 1/1250 sec, f/4.5, ISO 64

EV +0, Shutter Priority, Size FX

I learned a lot from this trip - one thing was there are more placed to watch an air show than just the show line.  Time to get creative.

Drone in an Open Field

Second spring is here.  First spring was a few weeks ago. The two springs are separated by four inches of snow.

The forecast we upper 60s this morning and maybe a bit breezy.  Too good to pass up.

Today, first flight outside of the back yard.

One of the county parks close by has a large opening with a couple of softball fields on the edges.  Perfect for beginners.  Lots of open field.

For the most part, I stayed between 20 and 30 feet high.

I worked the camera for both single shots and video.  I used the AUTO settings for both.  Baby steps.

In flight, I worked of coordinated turns and an orbit around a central point.  I finished logging an hour in the air.

It was a good day.  The drone and I are developing trust.

STOL - Draco

A friend of mine has told me to never toss away any shots.  I asked, "Even the blurry ones?"  Even the blurry ones.  Well, I have to draw the line somewhere.  But I do get his point.

Who knew that a few shots I had taken in 2019 would come into conversation today?  I posted a few STOL shots on the Ugly Hedgehog last night.  And someone asked, What - no Draco?

As STOL aircraft go, Draco might be the most famous.  In a world where aircraft need to be lighter and more agile, Draco is was beast.

But alas, Draco is no more.  A slight mishap caused by pilot error did it in.  The pilot walked away.  His YouTube is one of the best I've ever seen dealing with decision making in discussing his decision to take off in unsafe conditions.  You can apply his lesson to many walks of life.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NfctWAoDXvs

I never saw Draco fly - or race.  But the aircraft was on display, static display, at the 2019 National Air Races.  I got a few shots in one morning.

Draco - Full On

NIKON D7200 Ver.1.04/DX NIKKOR 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G

24 mm, 1/1000 sec, f/11, ISO 360

EV -1, MANUAL Mode, Size DX

Draco - Close Up

NIKON D7200 Ver.1.04/DX NIKKOR 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G

32 mm, 1/1000 sec, f/8, ISO 180

EV -1, MANUAL Mode, Size DX

I like revisiting some of the older shots.  In 2019, I had the D500 for the action shots, and the D7200 for the close ups.  And who knows what I was thinking then with those crazy, unnecessary ISOs.

This is a journey.

MiG 17

Since Airshows don't come around every weekend, I get to watch the list of scheduled performers grow as the show date gets closer.  And when I get so see something new to me, the days can't pas fast enough.

Going to Charleston, there were two aircraft I have not seen before, a FW-190 and MiG 17.  These were targets for me.  The FW-190 will show up later.

For now the shots of the MiG 17.

I am a big fan of the 1940 to 1945 era aircraft.  It's not that I'm not a big fan of all early fighters, I just don't know that much about them.  And the MiG 17 fits the bill.

The MiG 17 had it's first flight in January of 1950, with general introduction in October of 1952.  That's probably about right for slide rule engineering of the time.  During the years of production, over 10,600 were built.

It's one thing to look at a piston powered fighter and enjoy the engineering.  There is nothing to compare it to today.  As for the jets, we can see the engineering progression.  Although the MiG 17 is a jet, it was designed to chase down subsonic bombers.  As a result, it was not designed for supersonic flight.  It turned out that the jet could fight and did so against US F-4 Phantoms and similar aircraft.  (For the record, I think the F-4 Phantom was the best fighter of the time!)

Anyway, the engineering and design of a Soviet era aircraft is interesting to me.  And after looking at the photos, the one item that caught my interest was the afterburner.  Looks very thin.  My uneducated engine design thoughts are that the fuel is not atomized before entering the burner chamber.  Looks like a dump of a stream of fuel.  In American engines, the fuel is atomized when it enters the afterburner chamber.  Under pressure.  I know this as I worked on J-85 engines - with afterburners.  I remember stuff.

The MiG 17 shots.

MiG 17 On Approach

NIKON D500 Ver.1.30/NIKKOR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6E ED VR

150 mm, 1/1250 sec, f/7.1, ISO 100

EV 0, Shutter Priority, Size DX

MiG 17 in Afterburner

NIKON D500 Ver.1.30/NIKKOR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6E ED VR

330 mm, 1/1250 sec, f/7.1, ISO 100

EV 0, Shutter Priority, Size DX

MiG 17 Tower Fly By

NIKON D500 Ver.1.30/NIKKOR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6E ED VR

450 mm, 1/1250 sec, f/5.6, ISO 180

EV 0, Shutter Priority, Size DX

MiG 17 Top View

NIKON D500 Ver.1.30/NIKKOR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6E ED VR

450 mm, 1/1250 sec, f/5.6, ISO 100

EV +1, Shutter Priority, Size DX

Hopefully there will be another time with more lens power for closer shots.  But for now, these will do.

Let the Drone games begin

For the last few months I've had my head in the drone games.  Or the personal drone game.

First, there is researching what drone to get.  And then there is the legal aspect to learn.

As to what drone to get, there were a few months of research.  For my purposes, this is an extension camera.  Yes, the flying will be fun, but for now the primary purpose is photography.  The requirements was a one inch sensor with a mechanical aperture.  For the time being, at the entry level I was looking at was the DJI Mavic 3 and the Autel Lite.  Both are new models this year.  Enter YouTube.  Lots of YouTube reviews.  DJI is clearly the biggest elephant in the market.  But the Mavic 3 has two strikes against it.  First, it is roughly $1k more than the Autel.  Second, there is a growing problem with the GPS.  DJI says the problem can be fixed with a software/firmware update but after 90 days of knowing the issue, the resolution is not forthcoming.  I've read other people's thoughts to the issue and if true, the problem will only be resolved with a drone replacement.  A GPS if fundamental to a drone's flight characteristics and if compromised can lead to uncommanded events.  Not going to toy with that at all.

So the Autel it is.

Legally, there is a chance I will use the drone in a commercial venture, ie: going to make money from the photography.  Drones fit two categories, hobby and commercial.  For commercial, I had to pass a FAA knowledge test to get what is commonly referred to as a Part 107 Certificate.  I passed the test in late March.

Today I logged my first hour with the Autel.  It was great.  I just flew it around the house, lots of straight line flights.  No photography.  Just flight drills.  Lots of take offs and landings.

Next stop, a larger field.

Fun first steps.

Viper (F16) into the Smoke

When I go to an airshow, or spend a long weekend at any event, the goal is to come home with one to five really good shots.  The shot that blends artistry and technical elements into the final product that I am really happy with.  There are shots that have the artistry, the so called eye, that I get good feedback on.  To be sure, that's good.  And the good technical shots are the ones I feel good about.

Then there is the very small percentage that punches both elements.  

Technically, this shot is awesome.  I didn't screw it up.  The subject came together, the light was right and the amateur on the small side of the lens didn't act like a rookie.  

To me, this shot was built on the mistakes of the last five years of aviation photography.

One of the acts at the Joint Base Charleston Air Expo was the F-16 Viper Demo Team.  The Viper Demo is one aircraft in the air.  But behind the scenes is always a team.  Backup aircraft, backup pilot.  Support personnel.  With one in the air, there are plenty of hands keeping it aloft.  The Viper Demo Team is the same aircraft as the Thunderbirds - but only one.  Cool paint job.  Great show.

In Charleston, as well as other locations, some shows add a bit of Pyro.  Staged boom-booms.  If you're not looking, you might think it was a compressor stall.  In some cases, maybe just touching Mach 1.

In this case, the pyro boom-boom did its thing.  The winds of the day did not disperse the pyro cloud quickly.

Enter the Viper.

Viper into the Smoke

NIKON D500 Ver.1.30/Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6E ED VR

450 mm, 1/1250 sec, f/6.3, ISO 100

EV +2, Shutter Priority, Size FX

This is so cool to me.  The sun on the aircraft with the darkness in the background.  And a little blue sky.  When this is on the monitor, you can see right into the cockpit.  There was some sun reflection that had to be removed from the canopy.  This shot didn't require much editing.

Sometimes, it just works.

Fat Albert - Blue Angels Style

This past weekend's Blue Angels show was the first time I'd seen the Fat Albert act.

The Fat Albert aspect of the Blue Angels has along history.  Shortly after the BA were formed, the need for a support aircraft became apparent to haul the support equipment and personnel from show to show.  Starting in 1970 the platform of choice was a Lockheed Hercules C-130 Transport.  The current aircraft, C-130J, was acquired from the RAF in 2020 to continue the tradition.

Before some shows, Fat Albert does its thing.  

The paint job is just awesome, not to be confused with any other 'skin'.

I like aircraft like the C-130.  Old and still in service.  Most C-130s aren't as colorful as Albert, and don't seek the spotlight but when something has to be there on time, you call a 130.

Photographically - Big, low and slow.  A dream.  But, the prop will limit the speed to 1/100th to 1/200th.  Not that the dream has a nightmare element, but props is props.

Fat Albert - Static Wave

NIKON D500 Ver.1.30/Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6E ED VR

450 mm, 1/100 sec, f/10, ISO 100

EV 0, Shutter Priority, Size FX

The flight shots were a bit more difficult.  The sky was heavy overcast.  The max reach on my equipment for the day was 450 mm.  I've been working with Topaz AI GigaPixel when the crops start getting aggressive.

Fat Albert Level Flight

NIKON D500 Ver.1.30/Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6E ED VR

450 mm, 1/100 sec, f/16, ISO 100

EV 0, Shutter Priority, Size FX

Fat Albert Left Bank

NIKON D500 Ver.1.30/Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6E ED VR

450 mm, 1/200 sec, f/13, ISO 100

EV 0, Shutter Priority, Size FX

The discerning photographer can spot the difference in the props at 1/100th and 1/200th second shutter speed.  (Hit:  For the most part, the rpm of the C-130 engine is constant.)

It was fun to finally see Fat Albert fly.

Getting back to Normal - JB Charleston Air Expo

Joint Base Charleston (SC) held its Air Expo for 2022 last weekend.  I've been looking forward to this for a long time.

This year's lineup was impressive.  Heavy on the military air power stuff and a bit light on the aerobatic stuff.  My kind of show.  The static displays did not disappoint.  The static highlight for me was the C5M.  And for bonus points, the aircraft was out of Dover and flown by the 9th.  My old squadron.  Great to have time to chat with the younger generation.  The Pelican tradition continues.  Would have liked to see it fly, but that was not in the cards this day.  (I'll get to see that in May!)  Other static displays were a C-130 Gunship, F35, F15, KC46, C27.  Flying in the Expo was headlined with the Blue Angels and Fat Albert.  Other flyers of note was a MiG 17, de Havilland Vampire, FW-190 Focke Wulf and the F16 Viper Demo Team.

And more importantly, I was in South Carolina in April.  Deep warmth.

Between the phone and cameras, I took around 1450 photos.  I did use the phone on location more than I had ever done before.  My primary setup was the D500 and 70-300.  So for close up shots,  I used the phone.  I did use the D850 and 70-200/f2.8 for a couple of shots.  More on those later, but that combo produces some very fine shots.  The 200 lens is just too short to be practical at a show for flight photos.  But on Friday, I was able to use it effectively and will post the shots and why I could use that combo in that situation.

Today's goal was to cull all the shots to around 100.  I've gone though about 80%.  The last 20% always takes a few days.

But to get started, air shows always incorporate the National Anthem.  The Anthem may not be the first act, but it will be done.  In this weekend's show, as JBC is home to the C-17 Globemaster III it is only fitting that the flag be delivered out of the back end of one of these aircraft.  The delivery was done by the Black Dagger parachute team.

Black Dagger Entrance

NIKON D500 Ver.1.30/NIKKOR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6E ED VR

105 mm, 1/200 sec, f/5.6, ISO 100

EV +1, Speed Priority, Size DX, ND9

I worked the ND9 filter over the weekend when the sun and aircraft favored it.  I was expecting a C-47 shot right after this, and the ND was part of the set up for the day.

It was a great weekend.  Back in my elements.