Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/01/10
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Greg Locke wrote: >Yes, Ted. Everything IS vibrating..... except your subject. > >And even if your subject is IN the helicopter, different materials and mass >will vibrate at different frequencies. > >A Herc, flying straight and level, is a different animal then a chopper. > >Shutter speed and not letting you camera touch ANYTHING is the only think >that will save you in a chopper. > >I shoot from Helicopters A LOT. In a wind buffeted hover over the north >Atlantic you are risking the picture with anything under 250/th of a sec.>>>> Hi Greg, Well of course your right and somethings will be shakey looking, but it depends what your shooting, it could be to your advantage to have a stopped & blurred effect in the one frame. Somewhat like doing a swishy-pan of a car or runner. And your right about the Herc as a tripod platform compared to a chopper, but I've had some pretty smooth rides in helicpoters, Although I admit I haven't shot very many tripod images in a whirly bird. :) And certainly when shooting air to ground/water subjects I've always used the highest possible shutter speeds, choppers or fixed wing. And for those who'd like to shoot beautiful sunsets from the air, no door on the plane. Just get the pilot to "side slip" your open door side in the direction of the sunset and you might be surprised to shoot at 1/15th, if that has to be the exposure speed for a successful image. It works.. Yep! and you'll do it a few times more than twice for a successful shot! :) Now remember we're talking sunsets and not brilliant sunshine with that slow a shutter speed would be foolish Unles you deliberately wanted a blurred graond effect. Think of it in this manner .... the camera and plane are sliding "towards the sunset" therefore there isn't any lateral movement. You'll be surprised at how slow you can hand hold and get some very nice images from the air. But it's the pilots ability to handle the plane in just the right manner and as smoothly as possible. And yes I've blown many a frame, but when it works they can be rather spectacular. Kinda off the tripod topic, sorry. ted Ted Grant This is Our Work. The Legacy of Sir William Osler. http://www.islandnet.com/~tedgrant