Well, this week I attended another special exhibition of aircraft from all over the globe at EAA Air Venture. While the first time I attended this was many years back (Early 1980's) I can honestly say it has been a must to the last 5 years! I'm sure for everyone that goes there is that something special that draws them. For me, it's seeing the classic Military aircraft. Planes such as the Mustang, B-17 Flying Fortress, and F-86 Sabre all enthrall me. I'm sure its due to my love of Military history. That's not to say I don't appreciate the Build up's or the Trick planes and their pilots as I do! Because this I believe is one of the biggest airshows in the country. It is huge! I easily can walk 6-10 miles in a day. So even though being in pretty good shape, you can understand you really have to think about the gear you take with you. Up till now, my rig was a double camera strap and a Mountain Smith bag like I saw Moose Peterson mention in one of his videos. While this worked fairly well, I had something in mind that would save my back. And also allow for other things, a tripod, Umbrella, seat, and other camera gear. This year I finally built up an idea I had a while back for a mobile camera equipment cart. It using an old Golf Bag Cart as the base. It cost me a couple hours and about 50.00 in products including the old golf cart. I'm glad to say it works pretty well. Now that I used it, I will be retrofitting and be adjusting. I've shown a few pics here of the first build up! I'll share more instruction later. With this, I was able to use two of my Think Tank bags as carriers. This allowed for bringing not only my tried and true Nikon D4 and D750. But also my Sony's, the A7, and A6300. It was interesting shooting with both cameras, with of course plus and minus to both rigs. A Short list of some observations between the systems. Nikon: 1. The startup, while its gotten better, be it asleep or turning on the Standard DSLR out passes the Mirrorless by a bunch. Very important if your a person that wants to capture those spontaneous moments. I really hope this can be addressed. As in wedding, portrait work, or Wildlife, this is a big miss! (Winner DSLR) 2. Battery Life: This shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone, but the battery life on Sony cameras is almost offensive when comparing to a DSLR. Shooting at EAA this last week brought this to the forefront. My D4 many times I can get a whole day on one battery, but I always carry a spare. The Sony A7 I have a battery pack on, But only using part of the day, I could easily see having at least 6 batteries along for a shoot. (Winner DSLR) 3. One card slot. Now be aware I do know on some of the newer models Sony has added another slot yah!, I just love the peace of mind in an important shoot to have a second copy of the images! (Winner Nikon, but note Sony learning) Sony: 1. Sony offers 5-axis in-body stabilization in its newest camera bodies that is very useful. 2. Size, for sure I believe the reason many switch from the DSLR is weight and size. I've always felt I've had good control of my camera when shooting, but not going to lie, picking up the Sony with the 70-200, is a lot different than my Nikon D4 and same lens. (Winner Sony) 3. not only are these cameras feature-packed, they offer tremendously good image quality. Using the Nikon system, I can say without a doubt that the Sony sensor trumps the Canon sensor when it comes to dynamic range and shadow recovery. The full-frame A7RII and crop sensor A6500 gives me unreal resolution, dynamic range, and sharpness that I’m extremely happy with, and has allowed me to get the most out of my photos. (Winner Sony) What does this all mean to you and me? I think the biggest thing is knowing we have option's which is a great thing. I'm not into camera soberly, be it Canon, Nikon, Fuji, Sony just to name a few, are tools that can help you create what you imagine! And lastly to put on your radar was an announcement from Nikon about a new Mirrorless full frame August 23rd, Again options! Got to Love it. This website uses marketing and tracking technologies. Opting out of this will opt you out of all cookies, except for those needed to run the website. Note that some products may not work as well without tracking cookies. Opt Out of Cookies
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Hello, in our fourth part of this series we're going to continue discussing your DSLR's options. I know many equate this much like a computer. They feel you much learn everything at once! As a person who taught himself computers, please don't think of it that way. You learn the basics and then add to your knowledge as you go along. Remember learning is a lifetime endeavor. So here we go. Auto exposure modes. Your DSLR's fully automated setting is called program. In this setting, the camera's computer picks the aperture and exposure duration for you. More experienced shooters might select intelligent Auto or Auto ISO modes to control their image sensors light sensitivity ( low ISO such as 100-400 work well in bright conditions; high ISOs are best in dim ones). Note There is the adage the higher the ISO, the more noise your image will contain. That said the cameras are coming out now have excellent capabilities in low light conditions. And my thoughts have always been a little noise and get the image, or just skip it or not try; I will always go after the picture! Other modes include Aperture Priority when you require a particular aperture for the light conditions. But if your freezing action? Choose Shutter Priority. (Use this all the time to shoot aircraft with props!). And last, but not least Full Manual mode allows you complete control over exposure. Next time Scene mode, White Balance, and Auto bracketing. Till then Happy Clicking! Lance Hi all, had another wonderful year at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh Wisconsin. I have to give a shout out to the folks at EAA who plan and execute this very large venture. As well as the city and surrounding areas around Oshkosh. The setup which is huge with parking and camping areas surrounding still always flows very smoothly. Check in, bag checks if carrying in is all very seamless. Besides the planes of all types from warbirds to home kits which are of course my main focus of the show. You will find great education venues on how -to's and history throughout! If you never been here, or are thinking about it for next year. Be sure to download the EAA app on the iTunes store. It's updated every day and allows you to plan for the day. As it tends to get pretty warm this time of year, drink plenty of water, I also like to throw in a Gatorade during the day as well. Besides the Folks at EAA, I'd like to give a shout out to the Folks that run the Quality Inn and Suites in Kimberly, WI. I've stayed there the last two years, they're clean well-appointed rooms, good parking, and breakfast in the morning that helps set you up for the day. With a pool/whirlpool if you want to relax at the end of the day. Being only about 20 minutes from EAA it works out great. One last thing I'd like to mention is if like me your going there for photography. Plans what you want for ways you want to shoot. From static displays to ground to air shots. Remember your going to be lugging this all day, and there's allot of area's to cover. And not much shade. I learned the last year about this by Watching a presentation from Moose Peterson on the Kelby-One site. Thanks to Moose for the suggestions. I did use a Tour Classic | Hemp with optional staplettes. This like weight outfit could store the lenses I brought for statics which included a Nikon f3.5 AF-S 24-85mm zoom, and Tokina f4 17-35mm for static work. Then I carried my Nikon D4 with a Nikon 200-500mm f/5.6E VR. The bag has enough space for camera cards, blower, side straps for a couple water bottles, small iPhone tripod, and a go-pro camera. Well. I hope that gives some insight if you plan on this fly-in or others around the country. Till next time! Happy Clicking Lance |
AuthorI'm a photographer who loves animal photography. Trying to capture that perfect moment is a passion of mine. Archives
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