Mar 23, 2017 | 1 VR 30-110mm f/3.8-5.6, Aviation, Daily Image 2017, IMHO, Nikon 1 V3
My Nikon 1 V3 Walkabout Kit has changed a bit since upgrading to the V3. What’s in your bag; is it still small? Well, yes it still is. The bag has been changed to a very small Lowepro camera backpack. As you’ll see below, I’m carrying a few more items in the bag. On my walkabouts, I usually just carry the camera and one lens. By adding the 30-110mm lens, I don’t carry the big lens as much. Still, if the lens is the 70-300mm, I usually attach the sun sniper strap to the FT-1 and use it to carry the rig.
Air Show Reenactor
The kit generally stays in my vehicle and rides almost everywhere with me. If I go on foot or for some other reason can not take the entire kit, I either carry the camera and lens or put it into my briefcase. Sure, my iPhone is much easier to carry and the image quality continues to get better. It just doesn’t capture images like the V3 and the 2.7 crop factor really increases the effective reach. Find more Nikon 1 V1 and V3 experiences posted under IMHO.
Mar 22, 2017 | AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8G ED, B-25 Mitchell, Daily Image 2017, Military Aircraft, Nikon D300
B-25 Cockpit Except for the GPS moving map in the center, the instrument panel of this B-25 Mitchell looks pretty much as it did in 1944. Pilots loved the plane. The B-25 was easier to fly than the B-26, which preceded it. And, it could take an incredible damage from enemy fire and still bring its crew home. The crew chiefs and mechanics also found it easier to maintain than the B-26.
Mar 21, 2017 | 1 VR 10-30mm f/3.5-5.6, Daily Image 2017, Martin JRM Mars, Military Aircraft, Nikon 1 V3
Martin JRM Mars Making a Drop The Martin JRM Mars flying boats are the world’s largest flying boats ever flown operationally. Although seven were built, only two remain flying, the Hawaii Mars JRM-3 pictured here and the Philippine Mars. They have been refitted as firefighting water bombers carrying 7,200 gallons of water.
This Martin JRM Mars is dropping 7,200 gallons of water on runway 18/36 at AirVenture 2016. You might ask: how do they get the water? Well, the Captain lands on the water normally, but keeps the the aircraft “on the step” at 60-70 knots. The Flight Engineer controls the power to keep the aircraft “on the step” and selects the scoops to the “down” position to inject the water into the tanks at the rate of about a ton per second. The 7200 gallon pickup time averages 25 seconds. When the tanks are full, the scoops are raised, takeoff power is applied by the Flight Engineer and the Captain makes a normal loaded takeoff. Pretty slick!
Unfortunately water landings are not without risks. This Hawaii Mars JRM-3 flying boat sustained some damage to the hull when it was scooping up water on Lake Winnebago. One of the scoops hit something hard that was submerged in the lake. Hopefully, it will return this summer. With spring here, it’s time to begin looking forward to fly-in and air show season; better known as summer. Actually, the first big fly-in close-by is only 3 1/2 weeks away.
Mar 20, 2017 | 70th Doolittle Raiders Reunion, AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8 ED VR II, Aviation, B-25 Mitchell, Daily Image 2017, Military Aircraft, Nikon D300
B-25 at Doolittle Reunion Champaign Gal was taking off at Grimes Field in Urbana, OH before the 70th Reunion of the Doolittle Raiders at the Air Force Museum in Dayton, OH in April 2012. Twenty B-25 aircraft attended the reunion with the five remaining crew members from the raid. On April 17th -18th this year, the 75th Anniversary will be held. Seventeen B-25s are expected to attend this year. For a first hand account of B-25 activities at the 70th Doolittle Raider reunion: B-25s at the 70th Doolittle Raiders Reunion.
Looking back; on 18 Apr 1942, sixteen brave flight crews took off from the USS Hornet aircraft carrier in B-25 bombers to strike the Japanese mainland in a daring mission early in WWII. Of the 80 men on the mission, only one remains with us to celebrate the 75th anniversary of their successful mission. This reunion remembers them and all the brave WWII air crews who fought and sometimes died to keep us a free nation. And, it’s refreshing to see the current generation of pilots, air crews, and ground crews that keep these B-25s flying.
Champaign Gal is based at Grimes Field as part of the Champaign Air Museum. She has the home field advantage, but doesn’t seem to need it. Similar images could have easily been taken at numerous airfields around the world in 1942.
Mar 19, 2017 | AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8 ED VR II, Birds, Daily Image 2017, Nikon D300, Sandhill Crane, Sunset
Sandhills over the Platte Every year from mid February to the first of April, most of the planet’s Sandhill Cranes converge on stretch of the Platte River near Kearney, Nebraska. The gathering represents the closest thing to the Serengeti we have in the lower 48. More than 500,00 Sandhills stop on the Platte to rest and gain weight on their flight from southern USA and Mexico to Canada, Alaska, and Siberia.
Although I can’t go this year, I’ll continue to look forward for next year’s gathering. Yep, nothing like being ready to capture images at o’dark thirty along a bend in the Platte River. At first light, the Sandhills lift off the river to eat in nearby corn fields. They take flight in groups of hundreds; even thousands, even 10,000s, at one time.
Mar 18, 2017 | 1 VR 30-110mm f/3.8-5.6, Daily Image 2017, Nikon 1 V1, White-tailed Deer, Wildlife
Backyard Deer The white-tailed deer seem to be coming closer to the back door in search of greener grass.
Mar 17, 2017 | 1 VR 10-30mm f/3.4-5.6 PD-Zoom, Black & White, Daily Image 2017, Dogs, Nikon 1 V3, Pugs
Ear Scratch Nothing like a good ear scratch to make you feel right at home when visiting relatives.
Mar 16, 2017 | Black & White, Daily Image 2017, FujiColor Pro 400H, Kodak Signet 30 - 44mm f2.8, Landscape, Michigan
A Winter Morning, just after sunrise, seemed like a good time to try more film photos. The Kodak Signet 30, a 35mm film camera with a 44mm f2.8 lens and FujiColor Pro 400H film makes a very nice image even after converting the color to black & white in post. This digital image was produced at the time the film was developed. Since this image was delivered as a JPG, it did not need much post processing.
These older cameras like the Kodak Signet 30 really make the photographer think about what he is about to do as he prepares to make a photograph. It does not have a light meter or rangefinder. So, the photographer must use his best guess of the distance while making the depth of field large enough and the shutter speed fast enough to keep the subject sharp. And, the photog must determine aperture and shutter speed for the best exposure.
