Maddog From Australia, joined Jun 2005, 32 posts, RR: 0 Posted (7 years 2 months 3 weeks 1 day 2 hours ago) and read 4195 times:
What are the best settings for flight deck shots, early morning or night time, whilst trying to capture exterior lighting (early sunrise or night lights) - whilst also getting sharp focus inside, with good instrumentation lighting.
So far shooting without a flash requires an exceptionally steady hand, - obviously causing blur, and a lack of sharpness.
Using a flash (in Auto TTL balanced fill), causes the flight deck to be washed out, but seems to capture the exterior sky lighting well.
Slow sync flash - not necessarily sharp photo, but view through windows is washed out
Rear sync flash, similar, washed out exterior, better interior, but also requires steady hand, otherwise very blurry.
Using the flash on the SB800 with nikon diffusion dome, seems to cause a whiteness to the image, similar to viewing on an LCD computer screen tilted at the wrong angle (then again, maybe I am doing exactly that!)
Using Nikon SLR with SB800, and 12-24mm.
(Flight deck lighting obvioulsy set to max on all instruments)
JeffM From United States of America, joined May 2005, 3266 posts, RR: 53 Reply 1, posted (7 years 2 months 3 weeks 22 hours ago) and read 4161 times:
Check the outside's exposure, Dial that in in Manual staying within your max flash sync, then bounce fill on the interior using first curtain, bracket two below and two above.
Martin21 From Netherlands, joined Aug 2001, 346 posts, RR: 1 Reply 2, posted (7 years 2 months 3 weeks 22 hours ago) and read 4155 times:
I think it would be nicest without flash, flash has a big chance of ruining your shots with reflections. Try to shoot when there is not much exterior lighting. Maybe the best way is to measure the instrumentation lighting @ (for example) 800 iso. Than note the apature and shutterspeed. Do the same with the exterior lighting and wait till this has (about) the same value's. Than you'll make your photo's. About the blur, I think the 800 iso will reduce a lot of the blur, but the best way is to avoit it is to use a tripod , if you use a tripod you maybe able to bring down the iso to 400 or even 200.
for example this one: i had a 1/3 shutter at ISO-1600, what is quite high, probably even too high for the 10D
i'd go no higher then stage 800.
but well you always need a bit of luck and it takes you looooads of shots until a single one turn out well
Paulinbna From United States of America, joined Feb 2003, 1114 posts, RR: 5 Reply 5, posted (7 years 2 months 2 weeks 4 days 4 hours ago) and read 3968 times:
What I do is set the camera to manuel at F-8 and 1/200th set the flash to high sync and shoot. You will get pictures like this:
Staffan From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 6, posted (7 years 2 months 2 weeks 4 days 3 hours ago) and read 3961 times:
Quoting Paulinbna (Reply 5): What I do is set the camera to manuel at F-8 and 1/200th set the flash to high sync and shoot. You will get pictures like this:
Maddog From Australia, joined Jun 2005, 32 posts, RR: 0 Reply 8, posted (7 years 2 months 2 weeks 1 day 3 hours ago) and read 3829 times:
Tried again today, still without great success. The main problem is over exposure through the flight deck windows. Still havent tried the bracketing though.
Also using the flash seems to make the Flight deck LCDs almost invisible.
Using manual 1/200, F8 helped a little (more so with outside exposure).
Staffan From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 14, posted (7 years 2 months 2 weeks 20 hours ago) and read 3773 times:
Quoting Spencer (Reply 13): ISO has nothing to with the need for fast sync, does it?
No only shutter speed. It's the construction of the shutter itself that dictates the fastest sync time. Since the flash is illuminated for a few thousands of a second the camera's shutter has to be completely open when the flash fires if the whole sensor should be able to record the light from the flash. At times faster than the cameras max sync speed the second curtain starts closing before the first curtain has opened completely.
Maddog From Australia, joined Jun 2005, 32 posts, RR: 0 Reply 15, posted (7 years 2 months 1 week 2 days 1 hour ago) and read 3720 times:
Well I could post another 200-300 under exposed to overexposed and an occasional blurry shot...... still no luck, - I had 4 hours each way to fire away. I have tried bracketing with no joy either. THe problem may be, that on most days the outside was very bright, - the sky to the naked eye was a very pale blue, and there was a very light white haze effect which hasnt helped (unfortunately I have not had any evening or sunset flights in the past few weeks - i think the less harsh outside light makes it easier for the correct exposure).
I notice that there are not a great number of flightdeck shots (midflight-cruise/ daylight) which have succesful interior and exterior exposure - but I would love to know the key to the succesful ones!
This was done with ISO 400, 1/2 second exposure on aperture 4.5 plus some fill flash. You need of course a steady hand, calm wind (or even better no wind at all) and a crew not minding the flash. Oh and a big CF card for all those shots you have to bin afterwards because of being blurry etc.
Peter
JeffM From United States of America, joined May 2005, 3266 posts, RR: 53 Reply 18, posted (7 years 2 months 1 week 2 days ago) and read 3695 times:
Quoting Maddog (Reply 15): THe problem may be, that on most days the outside was very bright,
The problem is that your camera is metering for the bright light outside. You have to shoot this in manual with fill flash to get it right. The one part of the exposure equation you can't do anything about is the outside, so you have to set your exposure for that, then fill the cockpit to match.
Quoting JeffM (Reply 1): Check the outside's exposure, Dial that in in Manual staying within your max flash sync, then bounce fill on the interior using first curtain, bracket two below and two above.
Maddog From Australia, joined Jun 2005, 32 posts, RR: 0 Reply 19, posted (7 years 2 months 1 week 2 days ago) and read 3691 times:
Chris thats a great shot, I did try with your settings, but to no avail -
Jeff - I also tried your settings, but also no luck - I can possibly get the interior and exterior almost - but I am losing the LCD displays - the photo may turn out except the screens will appear black.
ChrisH From Sweden, joined Jul 2004, 1136 posts, RR: 18 Reply 21, posted (7 years 2 months 1 week 1 day 23 hours ago) and read 3679 times:
Quoting Maddog (Reply 20): Chris which metering mode did you use for that and are you leaving your flash in full auto TTL or are you adjusting the flash exposure?
Hi, I use matrix metering mode, it seems to work well with flash photography. I knew that the outside would be approx. 1/250 @ f8 (perhaps a little brighter than that even), and since 1/250 is the fastest sync speed for the D2x without using FP-mode, I wanted the fastest shutter possible.
The flash was set to normal TTL and adjusted down to -1/3 stop, otherwise it gets a bit bright sometimes.
You might have problems with the PFDs just becoming black, that's tricky. I don't have jumpseat access so never shot a glass cockpit, but I know from a friend that setting the screens to full "power" and tilting the flash 45 degrees backwards usually helps a bit with that. Also a longer shuttertime like 1/60 might be good. Stop down accordingly depending on outside light.
In this case, exposure was set for the outside light, flash was bounced off the roof (straight up or tilted slightly backward even) with a softdome on, and finally PFDs were at full blast. They do come out nice then, but I reckon this was taken at 1/60 or thereabouts. I can ask him for full details later.
Staffan From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 22, posted (7 years 2 months 1 week 1 day 20 hours ago) and read 3659 times:
Quoting Maddog (Reply 19): I can possibly get the interior and exterior almost - but I am losing the LCD displays - the photo may turn out except the screens will appear black.
In bright sunlight the outside is so much brighter than the glass displays that
it's impossible to get them both well exposed. That's why dawn/dusk is better because they will be more evenly lit. Flash doesn't affect these at all, only lights up the interior panels.
Dehowie From Australia, joined Feb 2004, 1044 posts, RR: 38 Reply 24, posted (7 years 2 months 1 week 1 day 10 hours ago) and read 3620 times:
Maddog
Day shots of CRT's are about the hardest of the hard to get.
I tend to focus on shooting in the deck at dusk and dawn(ouch!!).
I see your a QF NG driver,welcome.
Normally instrumented aircraft are pretty easy to shoot but crt/lcd by day is a different kettle of fish.
One way is the blendng of 2 pics in PS.
One exposed off a tripod for the screens and one for the outside world.
The major issue is there is a major difference in the light required to get the panel and the screens.
Not easy to resolve in full daylight at all with any sun visible on the flightdeck.
Some careful editing of the slightly underexposed shot could get you a winner but it will take a bit of work.
LCD/CRT by day is totally different to normal analogue aircraft when shooting by day as can be seen above at some nice shots of analogue aircraft.But the screens have suck low light output that its from where i sit impossible to get all three.
The outside,the inside and the screens all at once.
You may want to try a diffuser on your flash like omnibounce or another of the cheaper ones to help cut the harshness down of your flash.
Best of luck
25 Maddog: Thanks Darren, yes I was just having a chat to someone about using 2 pics - one for the outside shot and 1 for the inside - i am not sure if that wont
26 CX flyboy: I have taken a few shots which I consider to be very nice in that period where the sky is almost completely dark except for a bright red horizon line.
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From Australia, joined Jun 2005, 32 posts, 
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From Netherlands, joined Aug 2001, 346 posts, 
, if you use a tripod you maybe able to bring down the iso to 400 or even 200.
From Switzerland, joined May 2004, 423 posts, 
if possible try to use a tripod.
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