The gyro well, erhmm, it almost sounds silly, but it has what is known as a gyroscopic effect. In practice it will simply resist a change in angle along its axis of rotation, as a result of (in this case) two counterspinning weights.
So, as opposed to lens IS which uses a floating lens element to correct shake, it will simply increasing the inertia along the axis of the gyro, and reduce shake, rather than compensate for it.
What is the axis of rotation for these gyros? Do they reduce movement along the horizontal, or the vertical? Inquiring minds who can't afford one want to know!
For those curious about the gyro/camera issue, here's the link to Kenyon; the manufacturer: http://www.ken-lab.com/.
I used them on several occasions and owned one for a while. I like em but found, even shooting air to air, I wasn't using them as much as maybe I should/could have. I rely on the VR on Nikon 70-200.
Jim - I'll let ya know tomorrow via email or a phone call if I'm gonna be down your way. I'm supposed to shoot a new paint job on helo for a company's project on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Your 407 adventure sounds interesting. YIKES!! I'd of wanted to have been on the controls myself... Would ya have rather been in the T6??
WOW! .. after 3 nights I reach the end of this thread. I haven't visited FM forums for a while. I'm super-happy to have chanced upon it. I've wanted to be a pilot since, oh, I was about 6 or so, but so far haven't realized that dream.
Your images are just spectacular. I love the details that separate them from the ordinary. The silver prop reflecting sunlight (big red), the firing wing strobes, the way your pilots' faces are lit by the soft sidelight in so many of those air-to-air shots, that DC-3 which would have been fine on its own, but with that dark cloud/smoke on the left the image has a STORY going on. So much more.. I'm hugely inspired to see what I can do myself.
I only have some old stuff to share, from the Watsonville fly-in:
year 2004, scanned from provia100 (first time shooting planes, 80-200mm zoom, noontime light, and props that could have been more blurry). Nothing great, but some nice planes (I was pretty happy with the mustang shot, and I love that sea fury). My photography has gone more serious since then, and after seeing all these great images, I'm now looking forward to the next fly-in.. hoping to be able to attend at some hours of nice light, too.
I have a mind to see if I can talk to some folks at the local airport about doing some photography work for them (ramp, or takeoff shots), in trade for some air-time. Start a portfolio that way.
Here's one from this afternoon; my son Dominic launching his recently acquired foam Citation:
Thank you for your kind remarks! I love the shot of Dominic, great capture, composition, expression, color, it couldn't be a better image. Come back and visit us often and let's see what you're shooting. It's a pleasure to have you on board.
I took these in Lake City on Sunday. It was my last aviation related event in Florida for a while because I head back to Dallas tomorrow afternoon for the summer! Mr. Leroy put on an amazing display for the crowd.
Thanks for starting this post Jim. I am very fortunate to live less than an hour from Oshkosh, WI, which also means Reno is soooo far away. The good news is that a couple of weeks ago I took my 5 -1/2 year old to the EAA Museum. He was very excited and completely without prompting pointed to a Rutan design and asked if we could build that one. Another proud moment for daddy! I will be at AirVenture '07 and will be looking for the big JW.
Just replied to your very kind e-mail. That liitle guy has good genes it seems. Try to steer him away from monoplanes though, I don't think the design is here to stay, biplanes are the ticket. I'll see you at AirVenture '07! I'm planning to be shooting the entire week under the azure Wisconsin sky and I'd very much enjoy seeing you.
Summer plans are finalized, and I am officially ready for Oshkosh. Plane tickets, hotel reservations, everything. I'll be coming back from a 3-week trip to Africa, and flying Johannesburg -> Madrid -> Chicago on Tuesday 7/24, so we'll see what kind of shape I'm in. But at least I will have had some recent practice on shooting moving subjects!
Everybody else ready to go? Jim, can you tell me what size and font the "JW" on the back should be? For me, it's easier to print my own T-shirts in Guatemala, since it's very cheap to get good product there and I'm going to be traveling heavily from now until then. But I wouldn't show up to Oshkosh without a JW T-shirt or four!
Some questions on air-air shooting. I've read through this thread but haven't found all the answers I'm looking for.
After I showed my air show shots around some of the folks would like to try for some airborne shots of their personal planes. I'm comfortable with that - they fly formation for a living with their day job and they have a lot of time in their personal birds.
I've got a MK II N, so I'm okay there - I'm hurting on IS lenses. I've got a 400/5.6, 70-200/2.8 *non* IS and a 24-105/4 IS. So.. my longest reach is 105 with IS. These are props I'll be shooting, so we'll want slower SS to get a good prop blur.
Will the 105 be too short?
I'm tempted to try both IS and non IS lenses. What type of SS is needed to knock down a normal a/c vibration from the shooting platform?
JIm, I wouldn't get too hung up on IS vs non-IS lenses. Sure, the IS lens may give you a few more keepers, I've found that good positioning in the aircraft and your camera holding technique is far more important and the key to sharp images. These considerations will, in large part, remedy the camera platform vibrations.
The most critical aspect of air to air shooting is pilot comfort and experience in flying "formation." I have had my share of scary moments with pilots who have thousands of hours in a particular aircraft yet have little or no experience in a "formation" or maneuvering for a camera. Bad stuff can and does happen with inexperienced pilots when a camera is introduced.
As for prop arcs; in the beginning, don't become consumed with nailing a full arc. Begin at a fast enough shutter to give you some nice images then try slowing things down. But remember, it's all a balance. Ultimately you want to find a balance between a sharp aircraft yet nice movement in the prop/rotors. It takes practice on the part of all involved.
But at least I will have had some recent practice on shooting moving subjects!