Tag Archives: video

On and Off the Ferries

While mum was visiting, we took a trip across to Bainbridge Island. We went across from Seattle to Bainbridge and then returned via Kingston to Edmonds. For now obvious reason, I decided it might be interesting to video the boarding and unloading process from the ferries as we drove the car on and off. I thought the Insta360 would be a good idea for this since it would record a full sphere and I could decide on the editing afterwards without having to worry about which direction the camera was facing while I drove the car. I opened the sunroof of the car and had mum hold it out of the roof.

A little editing back at home to pan and zoom around and the video below was the result. Not exactly a thrill a minute video but more something to have to remember the ferries by should we move away at some time. I have taken more than my fair share of photos of the ferries along with the occasional video so this can go with the larger collection.

This Stabilization is Amazing

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Another episode in the testing of the RF 200-800 for today’s post. This is more focused on the image stabilization in the lens. When shooting stills, I have commented on the slightly odd jerking effects visible in the viewfinder. I think this is most apparent when panning very slowly and I think the camera is trying to work out if you mean to stay still or not. However, one area which is really effective at showing the capabilities of the stabilization is video.

I have some footage below that is taken with the lens at 800mm and hand held. No tripod or monopod here. The rabbit was at the other end of our back yard while the bees were on the lavender plants in our beds. You can see that the image is remarkably stable. It is amazing to see it lock on so well. I have also shot some video of an F-35B in the hover, also at 800mm. It was interesting to see a lot of movement in the viewfinder for a moment and then it seemed to lock in on what it was doing and then things get really solid. This tech is most impressive.

Checking Out Hawaii Mars on the Water – We’re Not Alone!

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The retirement of the Martin Mars firefighting aircraft of Coulson took place about eight years ago and the two remaining aircraft have been in storage at Sproat Lake on Vancouver Island ever since. I have previously swung by when en route to Tofino to take a look at them but I had never seen them in the water. Recently it was announced that they were both moving to their final resting places. Hawaii Mars was to go to the British Columbia Aviation Museum in Victoria with Philippine Mars heading to Pima. The flight of Hawaii Mars was to include a bunch of flybys at significant locations in the area before ending up at Victoria.

This got a ton of attention in the aviation world, but it was just as big a deal for the local population. It was interesting to discover just how important these planes were to the people in the area as everyone I met was interested in them and had something to say about them. A bunch of us decided to head up the weekend that the move was supposed to take place. The original plan was to go on the Saturday which had been suggested as the move date. As things got closer, it became clear the move would be on the Sunday instead.

In the week before, the plane had been out on the lake doing taxi trials and then getting some flying time in. It became apparent that another flight would probably occur on the Saturday for some photo work. We had settled on a plan to head to Sproat Lake and rent a boat to go and see it in the water. The potential for some flying was a nice bonus.

When we rented the boat, the guy at the rental facility suggested to us that we should check out the flying boat while we were there. We explained that was the only reason we were there at all! It wasn’t far from the dock to Hawaii Mars at its mooring buoy. We were not the only ones interested. The plane was surrounded by boats, kayaks, paddle boarders and even some people swimming up to it from whatever they had come up on. As we worked our way around the plane to get images, it was a constant effort to be aware of who else was nearby and coming in or out of the shot. Some boats were going under the wings which took them perilously close to the props but, thankfully, nothing went wrong. We were still hoping for a flight, of course, but more to come on that.

Initial Impressions of the RF 200-800

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When Canon announced the RF 200-800 lens, I was mildly interested but not too bothered by it. However, in an example of how easily a weak mind can be influenced, when I watched some reviews by those that had used the lens, I started to be more curious. The focal length range was always of interest, but the aperture range had initially put me off. The reviewers suggested that the excellent ISO performance of modern mirrorless cameras meant this wasn’t an issue. Also, while not in anyway cheap, the lens was very well priced for the range it offered.

I went to my local shop and placed a deposit for one of the lenses. This was many months ago. After that, things got very quiet. I was beginning to think that I would never see an actual lens. Then I saw something on a Canon rumor site that said August was likely to be a time when a lot of lenses got delivered. Whatever the blockage had been, there seemed to be some relief. The last Tuesday of July (stuff seems to get delivered to stores on Tuesday I guess), I get a phone call telling me that my lens has arrived. Hurrah!

After work, I headed down to pick it up. I then headed down to the water in Kenmore – a short distance from the store – to give it a quick go. I didn’t have a lot of time, but I got a quick feel for some of its quirks. Initially I was a little unsettled. The stabilization seemed very effective, but it did make tracking things that were moving slowly a bit jerky as if the stabilization didn’t believe that I actually wanted to be moving. I worried that this would be an issue. However, the images seemed to be rather sharp so maybe it knew what it was doing.

When I got home, I did spend a little time looking at the hummingbirds on the bushes. The light was very low, which should be a problem for a lens with smaller apertures, but it seemed to work very well and the images were surprisingly sharp and clean. I then took it to its first airshow. Again, results were really very pleasing. The 800mm reach was so helpful since the show line was quite distant and I was veery happy with the framing I could get. The jumpiness in the viewfinder is still something I find rather distracting but it doesn’t seem to be an issue for the images, so I guess the stabilization knows what it is doing. I also shot some video at 800mm handheld and, while there was initial wobbling, there comes a moment when it seems to get what is going on and then it is rock steady. Quite bizarre. I think this lens could be a key part of my shooting going forward. We shall see as my experience grows with it.

Huskie Video Since I Don’t Know When I Might Have Another Shot

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I recently posted some photos of the Kaman HH-43 Huskie doing a display at Olympia. I mentioned in that post that I also shot some video. The way in which the Huskie flies is quite different from most helicopters and stills do not portray that. I figured some video was in order. We got lucky in that, after it landed, there was some other movement on the field, so they ended up getting airborne again and flying another pattern to land over near the hangars. I hope the air show music in the background doesn’t get me in trouble with YouTube!

A Huey Trip at the Last Minute

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During our Arizona trip, Mark and I stopped by at Falcon Field. Our friend, Joe, is involved in a group, the Army Aviation Heritage Foundation, that maintains and operates historic army helicopters, and they were having a flying event that day. We wanted to see the Huey that they operate as it was taking people out on rides. We saw a couple of runs and then they stopped for a break, and we could wander around the helicopter. When they were getting ready for the next flight, they had a spare slot and asked if I wanted to take a ride. The funny thing is, while I was happy to make the contribution, I often am more interested in seeing the flying from the outside rather than being inside. However, since it was a good cause, I said yes. I am so glad I did so. I had a good spot looking forward between the two crew up front and next to the open door giving me plenty to see. I decided that video was more likely to be a good way of recording such a trip so that is the majority of what I took during the trip. I did get some stills, of course, but the video then got edited down to the following piece. I thoroughly enjoyed the flight and the brief time to see some of the surrounding landscape. I will not be so reticent in future.

EcoDemonstrator Returns in the Gloom So Video It Is!

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Boeing flew the EcoDemonstrator 777 from Paine Field for a while last year. I managed to be up there for the return late in the day, but the conditions were not that great. Having shot the plane at other times, I decided that the stills option was probably not the right one to take. They would not look that interesting. Instead, I decided to shoot some video of its return. Since going mirrorless, video shooting is so much easier because I can continue to hold the camera up to my eye as I would if shooting stills. It makes for a (slightly) more stable platform so a little less camera shake.

Into the Clouds Approaching LAX

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I have had a couple of work trips that took me to LA in the recent past (how recent may depend on when this gets posted), and the weather has not been great for either of them. The second one coincided with some pretty horrendous weather for the region and our approach to LAX was a pretty bumpy one. We actually landed from the ocean side which is pretty unusual for LAX. The crew prepared the cabin for landing early and I decided the view of the cloud tops from the storm were worthy of video rather than stills. Here is the resulting video of our approach.

Butterfly on the Lavender

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While playing with the macro lens, I have spent plenty of time watching the insects in the back yard as they feed on the flowers. The butterflies are quite fascinating as they have a proboscis that they curl up when they are not using and then extend to extract the nectar from the flowers. As I was observing them at work, it occurred to me that the stills didn’t really give a good way of seeing what they are doing. Instead, I switched to video and filmed them as they fed on our lavender bushes. Here is some video of them busily getting fed!

https://youtu.be/OpzZAb30sZs

The Return of the DC-8 and Max 10 After the Storm

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There was an evening when the weather was awful and the NASA DC-8 was out on a mission. The forecast suggested things might get a bit clearer late in the afternoon and so, while the light was awful, I thought I might take a chance and head to Paine Field after work. The sky was dark and ominous but I was there so I might as well wait. As the Max 10 was first on approach, it was the one I would try out first. There was a hint of the sun starting to punch through the cloud and it did look okay.

Then, when the DC-8 showed up, the clouds parted. The backdrop was still and evil looking sky but the sun was on the plane as it came down the approach. I had thought of shooting video but, when I saw the light, I couldn’t resist shooting stills. The joy of modern cameras is the ability to switch rapidly from one to the other. I got video down the initial approach and then stills as it was close in. Then back to video once it was by me. This actually didn’t make for a bad video edit.

A moment with light like this is very rare and you have to be excited when it all works out.