Just to pick up on Brick's comments on tripods - I tend to agree with him that they can be difficult to use. They are, in my case anyway, a necessary evil when shooting slow film with long lenses on a dull day. It is VERY difficult to smoothly follow moving aircraft when using a tripod, and I have f...
Jump to postI would suggest that the single best move you could make is to purchase a 70-210 zoom for your ME. There is nothing wrong with your camera, but the zoom would help you both get in closer and assist in framing your pics better. This should not be a major investment - a 2nd hand version from either Pe...
Jump to postReally, I'm not a lawyer! But I have had many dealings with them regarding copyright, particularly in the area of producing educational materials. This is somewhat similar, as the materials are intended for non-profit course work - however the copyright still applies. The problem is, that while no o...
Jump to postTricky making a strict rule ... eg. I have inherited my grandfather's(now deceased) slide collection - I do belive there are some interesting Prestwick shots from the 50's/60's therein which I guess would be of interest (when I get round to them!). Clearly I didn't take the shots, but at the same ti...
Jump to postThe lens you have is not going to be much use at any of the major airports unless you have special access. But it should be more than adequate at many of the smaller regional airfields/private strips. I would strongly recommend to anyone starting out in aviation photography to "work" the smaller fie...
Jump to postFirstly, as far as I can make out, there are a number of standard rejection messages sent out - the "poor quality" message includes a number of possible faults, but it does not necessarily mean they ALL apply to your image! I'm guessing its the combination of graininess, small size and comparative a...
Jump to postJust to note - Canon are excellent, but there are 2 types, manual focus (FD mount lenses) and auto-focus - unlike, say Nikon, lenses between old manual focus and autofocus are NOT interchangeable. While there are real bargains to be had - eg. a canon T90 with a 70-210 zoom for about 300 stg., you wi...
Jump to postYes, I use this combo - personally, I save images as .tif files for max quality and compatibility. A space saving alternative is .jpeg. At its best, quality is fine, burt increasing compression decreases quality ... this usually becomes noticable in the skies first of all (blocky shading of light gr...
Jump to postYes, rooftop still there. Other possibilities include the long term car parks - along side 27R - take the courtesy bus. Don't know how long you can hang around without people asking questions though!
Cheers,
Colin
A thought - is it your PRINTS which are poor? Try changing processors or get one of your favorite negs hand processed - in many cases, automated film processors don't get aircraft shots right because the pic doesn't conform to "average" conditions.
Jump to postYes, I use Vuescan, and personally think it worth every cent of the $40 - probably my favorite features are the ability to create contact sheets as you scan and the fact it can turn my Nikon LS30 into a multipass scanner. The other 3rd party package I use is SilverFast - which came out at about 6x t...
Jump to postNikonman: I think you're being taken for a ride here! You most certainly DO retain copyright for any photos you sell - unless you EXPLICITLY transfer your copyright as part of the transaction. This is the fundamental basis of copyright - YOU create the work, YOU retain the right to benefit from it. ...
Jump to postThere is clearly some misunderstanding of copyright. Copyright is not associated with an object (eg. a postcard) but with the "intellectual property" and the right of the "artist" to benefit from his work. Owning an orginal does NOT infer rights for reproduction UNLESS such rights have been specific...
Jump to postI can appreciate the frustration of not getting pics accepted - but if you think the administrator here is tough, don't ever try a traditional publisher! But it seems to me a lot of you are going about this the wrong way - ie. going to major international airport with some pretty basic equipment and...
Jump to postWhatever A.N. policy, if you do not own the copyright (ie. the copyright has been in some way transferred to you) then legally speaking, such pictures should not be uploaded. Johan will need to watch this, since in my experience, the lawyers come after the host in the first instance!
Colin
First the focusing problem - why not simply measure the distance panel to lens and use the len's depth of field scale to set the focus. Yes, it seems a bit old fashioned but, hey, it works! Scanning - the scan process is such that noise in dark areas of slides is almost inevitable to a greater or le...
Jump to postYou need to decide whether you want to be a "photographer" or simply get some good pics of aircraft with minimum fuss. If the former, you need to start on a learning process which will probably last forever, but if you get hooked, is very rewarding. To get started, you need to learn and understand t...
Jump to postA light hand with a brush is all I do - dust spots are quite easily removed digitally (using a "clone" tool) after scanning - but scratches are more difficult, so minimal handling is the secret. There are special negative cleaning preparations on the market, but in "normal" conditions I've found the...
Jump to postIf you are going to use filters, buy the best - saving a bit of cash here is a foolish economy. I'd choose UV over skylight as the latter can introduce an unwanted colour cast in some situations. If you want to "warm up" a dull day, there are a range of filters for this purpose. With regard to polar...
Jump to postThanks for the info Scotty - I recall a lot of scaffolding etc. on my last visit, now I know why! In my last list, I forgot to mention Bournemouth - not much use to AirNikon as it's not easy to get to from Heathrow, but it currently has my favorite "observation deck" which consists of an outdoor bar...
Jump to postGiven your criteria, I think you're a tad limited unless you're willing to get outside the terminal and walk a bit! Of the airports I know: Southampton: good views of apron/taxiway/runway from terminal viewing area (behind glass though). Not much traffic, but you might be interested in the trislande...
Jump to postf16 + is not really necessary unless you want to get the foreground and background sharp as well as the aircraft - using f5.6 - f8 will allow for a more "selective" focus, helping your subject stand out from the background. Note that most lenses are designed to provide their best results at around f...
Jump to postI use a Canon F1 (old style) and Canon T90 - am gradually upgrading lenses to Canon "L" series as I find them 2nd hand. Despite being an obsolete line, the FD Canons are of very high quality, and given my investment in FD mount lenses, I doubt I'll "upgrade".
Colin
Does your current camera work? If yes, you don't need a new camera - after all, its just a box to hang a lens on. The glass is what matters. Going autofocus won't be as good as you might think, since unless you can afford professional spec. equipment, the autofocus can be too slow and easily fooled ...
Jump to postI've been a convert to Fuji negative film for some time, and use Superior 100, 200, 400, 800 and Reala. In my opinion colours are more "natural" than Kodak, and in the case of the 400 and 800 films, the grain is finer. The best of the lot is Reala - 100 ASA, superb colour and the sharpest neg. film ...
Jump to postSince I scan directly off negs, I get my film processed "develop only, uncut". I usually use a local specialist camera shop (who give me a discount for quantity!) works out about £2.70 per roll of 36. However, I did find a local one hour operation who were willing to run the film through their proce...
Jump to postI agree with Gary - you're looking at half price or better, even after postage. One warning though - don't leave ordering till the last minute. Deliveries can take up to 7 days, and they are sometimes out of stock of a particular brand ... they are very good at keeping you informed, but stock up wel...
Jump to postAs to the 1st photo, it may simply be that it is too large - it appears to be 1024 x 768, whereas max size should be 1024 x 728. Try resubmitting at the required size.
Colin
In most cases you cannot sell pictures from a museum without obtaining the museums permission. The conditions undr which you can take/use pictures are normally set out in the admissions brochure, or on posters. If in doubt ask. Terms vary between museums. I am aware of one major UK Museum which has ...
Jump to postI start by producing an A4 print, scanning at 240dpi to the required size (this produces a file of about 13mb). After printing, I make any "improvements" I think the image needs. Avoid if possible using controls like "brightness" and "contrast" to modify the image - these tend to cause image deterio...
Jump to postBeing relatively new to this site, I am both impressed with the service and amazed by the amount of whining - personally, I'm surprised how high the acceptance rate is. If I were running the site, I would focus on compiling a selection of a few high quality shots of each aircraft - and if a better o...
Jump to postNow almost exclusively Fuji Superior (but experimenting with Reala) all speeds 100 - 800 depending on conditions. I find "downrating" 400 to 300 and 800 to 600 helps a lot with grain - these films love lots of light. I gave up slides after I got my neg/slide scanner. To my mind much of the apparent ...
Jump to postI tried the HP Photosmart S20 (to replace my original version photosmart) but returned it after having endless hassle with the USB interface - this is NOT a criticism of the scanner, but my PC, however, the S20 is USB only so check that your system is up to scratch in this respect. Finally I settled...
Jump to postI've just posted a couple of shots (if they get accepted) of a Varig MD-11 and SirLankan A340 landing on 27L from the Queen's bldg observation deck. You may be interested to know that these are approx. 1/2 the negative taken using 400mm lens. This might give you a feel for required equipment. One pr...
Jump to postI'm not a lawyer, but have made a number of investigations into copyright in the context of running a website. 1- details of copyright vary from country to country 2- copyright does not apply to the object as such, but to the "intellectual property" 3 - you cannot sell your "intellectual property" (...
Jump to postI've used Canon equipment (and still do) extensively, starting with the AT-1 (AE-1's manual sister). I agree they are great cameras - and the best Canon lenses are 2nd to none. BUT if you are thinking of buying an AE-1, 3 notes of caution: 1 - The electromagnetic shutter release on my AT-1 became un...
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