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Nikon
D3 & 600mm f4.
The
Nikon D3 dSLR fitted with the Nikkor 600mm f4 VR prime lens. Its
not light but the quality is superb. The aluminium case shown
here is provided with the lens and is a lovely piece of kit.
Size comparison.
The Nikon D3 fitted with the 600mm f4 VR lens is on the left
and the Nikon D300 with 300mm f2.8 VR lens fitted is on the
right. I can highly recommend both of these setups, fantastic
:-)
Lowepro Super Trekker.
The Lowepro Super Trekker AW11 is a fantastic backpack for
carrying a lot of gear. Its well built and has plenty of storage
space for near enough everything.
BushHawk 320-D Mount.
The BushHawk 320-D shoulder support with a Nikon D300 and
Nikkor 300mm f2.8 VR attached. I always use this mount when
using this camera combo, great for panning.
Benro GH-2 Head.
The Benro GH2 Gimbal head with a Nikon D300 and Nikkor 600mm
f4 VR lens attached. Makes life so much easier when using the
larger lens. |
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Nikon D3 dSLR
The D3 features a highly sensitive 12.2 megapixel CMOS
sensor that boasts an extendable ISO range of 200 to
6400, and its Kevlar/carbon fiber-composite shutter and
EXPEED image processing engine enable it to shoot at a
staggering 9 fps (11 fps in DX Crop mode). The advanced
Scene Recognition System delivers superior exposures and
is supported by Nikon’s next-generation 51-point AF
system, which offers broad coverage and high sensitivity
in low light. Selectable Picture Controls streamline
in-camera image processing, saving time in
post-production, and a high definition 3-inch LCD screen
supports two Live View modes plus an HDMI video output.
Protected by a tough, environmentally-sealed magnesium
alloy body, the D3 sets the standard for action
photography. |
Since
using the Nikon D3 I have to say its probably the best
camera I've ever used. The autofocus is the best in its
class and I can't think of a better camera for aviation
photography. There's a new firmware version (2.02) which
addresses a few issues and can be downloaded from the
Nikon website on the link below...
http://nikoneurope-en.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/45640/page/2/c/648/r_id/150284
Some
of my custom settings for both the Nikon D3 & D300 can
be found by clicking here. |
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Nikon
D300 dSLR.
Just under two
years since the D200 Nikon reveals the D300, the range
of changes is so significant that it wouldn't be
inappropriate to call it a 'compact D3' (less the
full-frame sensor of course). From the top there's a new
CMOS sensor with twelve megapixels, a new auto-focus
sensor with 51-points (15 of which are cross-type
sensitive), there's focus tracking by colour, scene
recognition, Picture Control presets, six frames per
second continuous shooting (or eight frames per second
with a battery pack), Compact Flash UDMA support, Live
View (with contrast detect AF) and the mighty impressive
3.0" 922,000 pixel LCD monitor. It's an impressive list,
the D200 was a fair step up from the D100, the D300 can
be seen as just as big a step, certainly more than
enough to make the competition sweat. |
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I use Nikons Nikkor 300mm f2.8 G AF-S VR and 600mm f4 VR
prime lenses for low flying photography. These are
superb for aviation photography and give really crisp
results. To get even closer to the action I also use a
Nikon TC 14 E11 teleconverter, this converts my 300mm
lens to a 420mm and my 600mm to an 840mm but drops them
down by one f stop so that the f2.8 becomes an f4 etc. |
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Canon XHA1 1080i
digital HD camcorder.
It has a 1/3" 1.67 Megapixel 3CCD sensor which produces
superb widescreen footage. Benefiting from a 32.5-650mm
(35mm range) Canon L-series 20x optical zoom lens with
Super Range Optical Image Stabilizer, the XH A1 inherits
the highest optical standards. A full range of image
adjustments are available, including finely graded gain
and matrix settings and colour correction. Cine gamma
settings are provided for digital filmmakers. With an
additional 25F shooting mode the XH A1 is able to
reproduce the look and feel of film. I use a Rode NT-G2
external microphone which utilises the XLR input
channel. |
Instead of a tripod I use a Varizoom Media Rig Pro
shoulder mount combined with a VZ-Rock remote.
The DV Media Rig Pro Support comes with an absorbing
support pod and adjustable shoulder mount, and has an
adjustable weight distribution system. The VZ-Rock Lanc
remote control plugs into the lanc terminal of the
camera and has a variable "Rocker" style zoom control,
record button plus other features which enables me to
have full control of the camera and settings whilst
using the Varizoom Media Rig Pro. |
BushHawk
Shoulder Mounts
are constructed of Acrylonitrile-budatiene-styrene (ABS) and weigh less
than 12 oz. complete. These shoulder mounts are tough
enough to deliver a lifetime of service in the field.
Their unique patented design adjusts to fit any arm's
reach, right or left-handed or right or left "eyed". I
use the BH-320D model for use with my D300 and 300mm
f2.8 lens. I always use mine for my low flying
photography, its superb for keeping the panning shots
spot on and is great for those slower shutter speed
shots. You
can contact BushHawk direct at
sales@bushhawk-europe.com
or
visit their website...
www.bushhawk-europe.com
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Lowepro Super Trekker AW11
Hi-tech materials and a fully adjustable harness system
makes this bag the most technically advanced of any
camera pack. It ensures perfect weight distribution and
extraordinary comfort. Harness includes internal frame,
load adjustment, compression and sternum straps,
CollarCut shoulder straps, and a quick-adjust waist
belt. Revolutionary water-resistant zippers, travel
cover, and All Weather Cover™ protects your gear against
extreme weather, dust and sand. Attachment loops - made
from the same tough Hypalon used in river rafts -
position the Trekker Tripod Mount™ or optional SlipLock™
accessories wherever most convenient.
This bag is ideal for carrying both my Nikon D3 and D300
dSLR's as well as both 300mm and 600mm lenses plus has
loads more room for the usual bits and pieces. After
using this bag in some serious weather conditions I can
highly recommend it, it keeps kit safe and dry and is
comfy to carry. |
Apple 27" iMac i7
All my editing is done using an Apple iMac 27". Along
with the iMacs 27" screen I also run a 27" NEC MultiSync
monitor as a dual display setup. My Mac runs on a quad
core Intel Core i7 processor with 8Gb of RAM.
I use a magic mouse for web browsing and every day tasks
but use a Wacom Bamboo Graphics Tablet & Pen for photo
editing, The pen takes a little getting used to but I
can highly recommend it, much more accurate than a
mouse.
Adobe Photoshop CS5
is the industry standard in digital imaging software.
CS5 redefines digital imaging with powerful new
photography tools and breakthrough capabilities for
complex image selections, realistic painting and
intelligent retouching.
Capture One Pro 6
The raw converter for ultimate image quality. Capture
One Pro 6 is a professional RAW converter and image
editing software. It contains all the essential tools
and high-end performance in one package to enable you to
capture, organize, edit, share and print images in a
fast, flexible and efficient workflow. Capture One Pro
6’s powerful and intuitive toolset is used by
professional photographers to achieve world-class image
quality with excellent colour and detail. |
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Nikon's
Capture NX2
program has always been a solid choice for
those using the NEF RAW file format used by Nikon
cameras. This was the first application that made use of
the U-Point technology for selections that is now found
in Nikon Software products like Viveza, Dfine, and Color
Efex Pro plug-ins for Photoshop and Aperture. Capture NX
combines powerful RAW processing features with good file
management. The latest release of Capture NX, version 2,
has added some powerful new features to the mix that
will appeal to both Nikon and photographers with other
brands. Of course, the RAW editing features are NEF
specific, but there are a number of other editing
controls for JPG and TIFF files. I mainly use it for the
RAW conversion then do the usual editing with Adobe
CS5.
Download the
free trial here
www.capturenx.com/en/index.html
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Sony Vegas Pro 8
is one of the best video editors available, it has a
host of great features and is ideal for HD editing. Edit
SD or HD video with drag-and-drop functionality, mouse
and keyboard trimming, and ripple editing. Features
include ProType Titling technology, Multicamera editing
tools, 32-bit floating point video processing,
customizable window layouts, colour-coded snapping,
improved HDV/SDI/XDCAM support, Cinescore plugin
support, A/V synchronization detection and repair, and
auto-frame quantization. |
The MVT-7100 Scanner
is a small, lightweight scanning
receiver, offering continuous coverage from 100 KHz to
1.65 GHz! It will receive AM, FM, WFM (wide-FM), USB
(upper sideband), LSB (lower sideband), and CW
(continuous wave; i.e. Morse code) transmissions. The
7100 has 1,000 scan channels organized in ten banks of
100 channels each and one additional dedicated channel
for priority. It offers ten individual search banks with
the ability to lock out up to 500 frequencies during a
search. The MVT-7100 has ten separate search banks, each
search bank holds an upper and lower limit, a step
increment, and a reception mode. You can change the step
and the mode any time after setting up the search bank,
but you can't change the upper or lower limit without
reprogramming the whole bank. You may also turn the
attenuator on for the entire search bank.
A full range of scanner frequencies can be found on the
Fox2 website. |
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