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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 on
its own.
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. Not light though.
Canon XHA1 HD Camera.
The Canon XHA1 HD camcorder fitted onto the Varizoom Media
Rig Pro. The camera is operated by a VZ-Rock lanc which is
attached to the main Rig so that all camera operations can be
performed remotely.
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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 benchmark for
action photography.
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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 (2.01) 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/26605/c/648/r_id/127673
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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. |
| 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. |
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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 waistbelt. 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. |
I've yet to shoot any photograph or video that
didn't need a little tweaking once uploaded to the PC,
for this I use Abobe Photoshop Elements 6 for still
photographs and Sony Vegas Pro 8 for video.
Photoshop Elements 6 is the latest version of Adobes
Elements series and does most things its big brother
(CS3) does. It has a great RAW editing tool as well as a
host of new features including Photomerge, Quick
Selection Tool plus Three Editing Modes making PS
Elements 6 a must for any photography enthusiast. |
| 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. |
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Nikon's
Capture NX 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 most the usual editing with Adobe
Photoshop.
Download the
free trial here
www.capturenx.com/en/index.html |
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The MVT-7100
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.
For a full list of frequencies that are ideal for low
level activity click on the link below...
...Frequency Guide... |
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