Warbirds over Wanaka 2016

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You might find a monopod a bit awkward and restrictive Grant - there's a tendency to trip over the damned thing as you turn to pan !
I've just had a similar conversation with Karl over the last couple of days. I've been using a shoulder stock, cobbled together from a video camera rail mount and stock, fitted with a remote trigger pistol grip, and a second, plain grip at the front.
It works wonderfully, allowing sharp, steady, controlled shots, rather like firing a rifle at a moving target. But it's a tad on the heavy side, especially as the arthritis is getting worse, making lifting and panning a bit of pain - literally.
I spotted the American-made 'Stedi-Stock' on e-bay and Amazon, a very light-weight, nylon skeleton stock, with a grip to fasten through the stock, into the camera, via one of three holes. They're normally around the £25 to £29 mark, which I thought a tad expensive for a simple stock, no remote trigger, but I saw a limited number on e-bay at £4.95, so Karl and I both grabbed one !
I'll need to adapt it, and mount a tripod-type quick-release head for the camera, and an extension plate on which to fit the two pistol grips, but it should work as well as the other one, and it's a lot lighter and more compact.
Worth looking at, as a stock makes a heck of a difference.
As for a bigger lens, I know what you mean - I'd love a Nikon 400mm zoom, but I can't justify spending £1,500+ on a lens used 2 or 3 times a year!
The Nikon 300m I use now gives some great results, especially with Image Stabilisation engaged, and to be honest, the 200mm to 300mm range is probably used more than if I had 400mm at my disposal.
It's not an expensive lens, and on the used market, they can be picked up for a very reasonable price, in good to 'as new' condition, as they often form part of a 'bundle' with camera kit sales, where the buyer wants to move on to something more specialised, and sells-off the 300mm lens.
Again worth looking at, especially if bought from a recognised photo dealer. As and example, I picked up a Nikon D80 body last year, so that I can use two cameras at shows, and got it in 'as new' condition, with a low shutter count, for £95 - a snip really.
 
Great pics Grant, and I particularly like the one of the Anson.
Looking forward to more.

We have the Anson going up...

...the Anson going down...

...and finally landing.
 

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I'm nowhere near as good a photographer as you Grant but I've found that I'm getting better with the steady pan with just lots of practice. I shoot a typical high speed pass at 1/250 with a 75-300 zoom lens at ISO 400 and, despite still throwing out lots of pics, I get more and more that I like. I slow down to 1/125 on landings.
 
Yep.. I have clicked twice and my player started displaying with no problem.
 
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Thanks Terry, having never used a monostick, I can't vouch for them, but my quest for ultra clear images at long range will have to keep up practising with differing shutter speeds. I think I might find a shoulder harness a little too restricting; I do like to get around the airfield and get photos from different locations; the Buchon images will testify to that and you never know what you might see, but nice idea. I have a Nikon 200 mm lens on a D5500 body, which has a 24 MP sensor, so nice and clear, but you're on it I think; upgrading to a 300 mm attached to another body might be the go. I went on a trip to Stewart Island recently (the women's pubic hair shaped island that sits below the South Island of New Zealand) and met a woman doing wildlife photography with a monster of a 400 mm lens, but her camera, a Canon (hssss) something or rather still only had a 24 MP sensor.

Thanks Crimea, I played with a few different shutter settings and ISOs, but they came out either too washed out or too blurry! Practise I fear! I just don't wanna ruin opportunities, like the Buchon, so I went with stopped props. My editor gets a little annoyed as he's done a lot of air-to-airs, but he still tolerates my pics!

Hi ccwilber, nice clips. Were you in the Titanium Pass stand? I was variously in the Gold Pass stand or could be seen loitering with intent around the Warbirds park at the far end of the field. Jim Hickey annoying the crowd with his inane babble.
 
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Got the videos this time around - must have just been a glitch earlier.
Grant, I didn't mean a shoulder harness (although I got one last year, on the advice of my Consultant Rheumatologist, to take the weight of the cameras off the shoulders and neck, and it's been great).
I meant a shoulder stock - like a rifle butt stock.
As mentioned, I 'customised' mine, and I'm in the process of doing the same with the new, Nylon, light-weight stock. The camera and 300mm zoom lens sit on top of the stock rail, with a remote-trigger pistol grip beneath, which 'fires' the shutter, and another, plain pistol grip further forward.
This allows the camera/lens combination to be held firmly in the shoulder, just like a rifle, and subjects can be tracked and panned very easily, and precisely.
When not in use, the rig is suspended by two straps, and can either hang on the harness or, by utilising a special 'bolt on' adapter, it can be attached to either a chest holster or hip holster, both of which are an integral part of the shoulder harness mentioned above.
When you get a chance, do some practice shots at the local airport, with the camera set for ISO 400, and with shutter priority at around 1/250th to 1/320th with the 200mm lens.
This should give good results, in average weather conditions, with good resolution and image sharpness, and with prop blur, given that the subject is correctly panned and followed through, avoiding 'snatched' shots.
For 'fast jets', a faster shutter speed can be used, around 1/500th or more, or, even easier,set to 'Auto' and blast away. Both methods will be enough to 'freeze' the action, including any vortices or fuselage or exhaust shock waves, and should give great results.
 
Aaah, I get you now, Terry; I see. Not thought of that and sounds like a brilliant idea, although people might look at me sideways if they saw me carrying around a stock at an airshow, but great idea. I'm surprised it hasn't been acted on commercially as much as other steadying aids for cameras. The VR on the lens is pretty good at long distances, though. The local airport sounds like a goer, since I'm down there a lot already (every day since I work there!).

Anyway, here are some images of the terrific Avro Anson, which is a highlight at every airshow it attends; obviously in airfield attack scenarios, the Anson is the token 'bomber' and is shot down by the 'goodie' fighters with regularity, the odds made greater in the Anson's favour as it actually releases bombs from its bomb bay! Although sadly I failed to capture this since I had my camera on other aircraft during its bomb run and the bad commentators failed to alert us it was about to happen.

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More of the Anson...
 
Great shots there Grant.
Shoulder stocks used to be very common, and popular, for air show and motor sport work, back in the 1970s and 1980s with film cameras, but they're hard to find now. Those that are available, are mainly far too complex, and very expensive, designed more for video work.
The 'Stedi Stock' is a good start point, being a simple, relatively inexpensive skeleton stock, in light-weight nylon, but it needs further design development and refining (or customise yourself) in order to provide a more secure camera mount, and the ability to attach a remote pistol grip - still working out how to make the best of mine, and meanwhile I'll continue to use the customised rig I mentioned.
 
Thanks guys. Terry, it's something I might consider, although I'm reluctant to add anything else to my already stuffed full carry bag at airshows!

Now, the Grumman Avenger, which is a very big aircraft indeed and which makes a great airshow display item.

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The Avenger set itself up for a carrier style approach and landing with a bat man guiding it in, but I couldn't get both into the shot from where I was standing; the Grumman was waved off at the last minute...

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Next, Avenger wing folding.
 

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