24 I truly feel that no difference will be noticed in image quality when com- paring, for instance, Fujichrome 100 and Velvia 50 when shot from a mov- ing, vibrating kite line. A general rule, one that I believe in, is that a lens is at its sharpest stopped down two stops from wide open. If you have to shoot Velvia 50 with your lens wide open then you are wasting your money on a film that is not going to perform at its potential. I prefer to shoot 100 speed Fujichrome at a shut- ter speed and ƒ-stop combination that takes better advantage of the optical characteristics of the lens. So, what slide film do I use in my grain elevator? Fujichrome 100 is my choice when I'm out shooting for my- self on an average day. I will use Fuji Provia 100 when I am shooting some- thing very special—as when I have an ad agency waiting and watching, and need to have the assurance of uniform color from roll to roll and want the best possible image quality. Provia is refrigerated at the store and you can rely on it to be fresh and undamaged by heat or improper stor- age. Fuji Realla 100 is what I use for print film although I don't shoot print film very often anymore. I do always carry a roll of Fujichrome 400 for those gloomy days when it is overcast and windy because I want to shoot at 1/ 500 second or faster. the aerial eye / spring 1995 Building the Boardwalk by Brooks Leffler • æ the aerial eye CAMERAS & FILM a quarterly publication of the aerial photography committee of the American Kitefliers Association volume 1 / number 2/spring 1995 Cape May Light, Cape May, NJ, by Craig Wilson. Ricoh XR10-M US$4.00 USA & CANADA US$5.50 overseas
Transcript
24
I truly feel that no difference will benoticed in image quality when com-paring, for instance, Fujichrome 100and Velvia 50 when shot from a mov-ing, vibrating kite line.
A general rule, one that I believe in,is that a lens is at its sharpest stoppeddown two stops from wide open. Ifyou have to shoot Velvia 50 with yourlens wide open then you are wastingyour money on a film that is not goingto perform at its potential. I prefer toshoot 100 speed Fujichrome at a shut-ter speed and ƒ-stop combination thattakes better advantage of the opticalcharacteristics of the lens.
So, what slide film do I use in mygrain elevator? Fujichrome 100 is my
choice when I'm out shooting for my-self on an average day. I will use FujiProvia 100 when I am shooting some-thing very special—as when I have anad agency waiting and watching, andneed to have the assurance of uniformcolor from roll to roll and want thebest possible image quality.
Provia is refrigerated at the storeand you can rely on it to be fresh andundamaged by heat or improper stor-age. Fuji Realla 100 is what I use forprint film although I don't shoot printfilm very often anymore. I do alwayscarry a roll of Fujichrome 400 for thosegloomy days when it is overcast andwindy because I want to shoot at 1/500 second or faster.
the aerial eye / spring 1995
Building theBoardwalk
by BrooksLeffler
• æ
the aerial eye
CAMERAS & FILM
a quarterly publication of the aerial photography committeeof the American Kitefliers Association
volume 1 / number 2/spring 1995
Cape May Light, Cape May, NJ, by Craig Wilson. Ricoh XR10-M
US$4.00USA & CANADA
US$5.50overseas
the aerial eye spring 1995 32
the aerial eyeThis newsletter is produced by the
Aerial Photography Committee of theAmerican Kitefliers Association. It isour goal to publish quarterly, in August,November, February, and May.
Single copies and subscriptions areavailable to AKA members and non-members alike, under the following feeschedule:
Domestic subscriptions will bemailed by first class mail; overseas sub-scriptions (i.e., outside North America)will be mailed by air.
Advertising is available in one sizeonly, 2.25 inches wide by 1.25 incheshigh, at $20.00 per insertion, payable inadvance. Advertising in which aggres-sively competitive pricing is featuredwill not be accepted; call if you havequestions or need more info. Camera-ready copy is not necessary, but is ac-ceptable if it meets the above criteria.Copy deadline is one month before thefirst of the month of publication.Contact Brooks Leffler.
urgently needed:your words & pix
Whether you’re an AKA member ornot, you are encouraged to send us ar-ticles, letters, comments, photos andsketches that pertain to kite aerialphotography.
Text via email or on 3.5” disk (Mac orDOS HD) in ASCII text format is pre-ferred, but typed text or handwrittenletters are welcome too. Likewise, dia-grams in Macintosh PICT, TIFF, or EPSformats are best, but pen drawings,preferably on white paper, or justquick sketches on the back of the pro-verbial napkin will work too. We'remost concerned with getting informa-tion and don't want to discourage con-tributors.
Photos may be sent as negatives,prints or slides. We can also read Ko-dak PhotoCD, or Macintosh disks inEPS, PICT, or TIFF formats. We'll keepthe prints unless you direct otherwise,but return all negatives, disks, CDs, andslides—eventually.
Send everything to Brooks Leffler atthe address below.
american kitefliers association aerial photography committeeSteve Eisenhauer, Chair
Although this issue focuses primarilyon 35mm still cameras, we recognizethe increasing use of video camerasalone or combined with still cameras.The new lightweight video camcordersand micro-video cameras with trans-mitters could impact kite aerial pho-tography, just as stunt kites impactedkiting a few short decades ago.
Some of us may not embrace thisnew complication, but we can't simplyignore it.
Fran Gramkowski, of High Fly Kitesin New Jersey, has flown an 8mm SonyC7 camcorder for about five years. Hiscradle, built by Michel Dusariez, in-cludes a rotating mechanism poweredby a 9 volt battery that completes a360 degree revolution every two min-utes.
Marv Bowman, of High Sierra Videoin Washington state, has flown severalcamcorders. His favorite is a SonyTR500 that weighs 1 lb. 11 oz., and hasan electronic stabilizing system thatproduces a clearer and less turbulentpicture. Marv’s cradle weighs 7.5 oz.and is made of brass obtained from ahobby shop. Plans for the future in-clude a motor that will rotate the cam-era one revolution in two minutes.
Craig Wilson, of Wisconsin, prefersto take most of his pictures with a35mm still camera unassisted. But onoccasion (e.g., when a paying custom-er wants to watch and decide what
our feature this issue:
cameras & film…and videophotos are being taken), Craig uses amicro-video camera with his still came-ra, and transmits to a Sony monitor inhis (or his customer's) hand. Craigfeels that, with practice, a kite aerialphotographer usually knows what hisairborne camera is seeing. A micro-video system simply duplicates whathe knows and sees from experience.
Randy Bollinger, of St. Louis, Missou-ri, also uses a micro-video camera withhis still camera (see page 16). Randyforesees that the still camera may bereplaced entirely by a VCR recordingthe transmitted image from the videocamera, and photographs being madefrom the recorded film footage.
I believe the unassisted still camerawill dominate kite aerial photographyfor many more decades. Video came-ras will increasingly be used, but theywon't replace still cameras. Profession-al photographers at first shunnedauto-exposure, auto-focus cameras,but now frequently embrace the con-venience of these technologies. Kiteaerial photographers will similarly findthe use of video cameras a conven-ience that, on occasion, can help usmore consistently produce better pho-tographs. Each of us will decide ourown comfort level with the new elec-tronic technologies; and no two of uswill be the same.
— Steve Eisenhauer
the aerial eye spring 19954 5
basics for beginnersby ANNE ROCK
Most of us already own a camera onthe day when we decide “I want totake aerial photos using a kite to liftthe camera!” But what features makea camera a decent candidate for kiteaerial photography?
The first “feature” won't be found oncamera specification lists — it's yourwillingness to risk the camera, to ac-cept the possibility that the camera bedamaged beyond repair.
People use 35mm disposable came-ras, point-and-shoot, SLR, and evenmedium format for kite aerial photog-raphy. Choosing a camera is a processof balancing cost, weight, quality ofpicture, and specifications.
Disposable cameras are low in bothcost and weight. Quality of pictureisn't high, but often acceptable — goodenough to see the possibilities and forthe risk involved. If there is a choice offilm speed, you're probably better offchoosing one with ISO 400, even onbright days. Make a simple rig to holdthe camera, with a timer connected toa mechanical arm to take pictures,and you're ready to go. [For one exam-ple, see page 18] The main drawbackis having to pull the camera down toadvance the film and reset the timerafter each shot.
Point-and-shoot (p&s) cameras aremedium low in weight, typically 6-10ounces without battery, and vary con-siderably in cost and features. Auto-matic focus, exposure, and film ad-
vance are common and desirable.
A few p&s cameras have an interva-lometer, a great feature for a simpleaerial rig. The intervalometer is an in-ternal timer which takes photos at apredetermined interval until you turnit off or the camera runs out of film.The Rollei Xenar (replaces the RolleiPrego) and its Samsung relatives havean intervalometer with settings ofone, ten, and thirty minutes. Pentaxhas a new camera out with a more ad-vanced intervalometer.
By using an intervalometer camera,letting kite line out to change theheight of camera above the ground,and, if possible, walking around withthe kite, you can get a variety of pho-tographs without radio control. Occca-sionally pulling the camera down andchanging the direction it's pointing willadd more variety.
An automatic camera will be sensi-tive to the movement created by aeri-al suspension. Whether you're using ap&s or an SLR, a camera with a widerange of film and shutter speeds is abetter candidate for kite aerial photog-raphy.
Check the specifications carefully.Many p&s cameras have a top shutterspeed of 1/250th of a second; 1/500this a preferable minimum for kite aerialphotography (a faster shutter speedenables the camera to slow down mo-tion and take a sharper picture). Someonly use ISO 100 film, and there will
probably be days when ISO 400 maybe necessary, especially for a p&s withslow shutter speeds.
SLR cameras offer many more fea-tures, useful whether the camera is onthe ground or in the air; of course,SLRs are heavier and generally costmore. The difference in quality of pic-ture between a good p&s and a mod-erate quality SLR is not great. Using anSLR you have changeable lenses andfilters, a wide range of film and shutterspeed, and often many programmablesettings.
One programmable setting that Iuse with the SLR is shutter priority.With this, I'm telling the camera thatthe shutter speed is more importantthan the aperture, and I can programthe shutter speed I want. If you useshutter or aperture priority settings,
keep in mind that the exposure read-ings from above may vary considera-bly from ground level readings of thesame subject.
A couple of tips. Using an SLR thathas manual and autofocus settings forthe lens, I use the manual setting andput a piece of duct tape on the lens tohold the setting on infinity (too manytimes, the camera never registered’focused’ and would not take a pictureif the lens was set on autofocus). Ialso put a piece of tape over the view-finder on both SLR and p&s camerasto keep sunlight out, especially if theviewfinder will face the sun. On theSLR sunlight has affected exposure,and it has created orange streaks onp&s photos.
Fly safely, and remember that everyounce counts. • æ
Kelso Dunes, near Baker, California, by Anne Rock. Rollei Prego, Fujicolor 100
the aerial eye spring 1995
cameras to considerby STEVE EISENHAUER
cameras for aerial photographyRRRRaaaannnnggggeeeeffffiiiinnnnddddeeeerrrr RRRRFFFF++++iiiinnnntttteeeerrrrvvvvaaaalllloooommmmeeeetttteeeerrrr SSSSiiiinnnngggglllleeee LLLLeeeennnnssss RRRReeeefffflllleeeexxxx
The cameras listed below are al-ready being used for kite aerial pho-tography, or are models that appear tobe well-suited for this purpose. Theyare light in weight, have automaticfilm advance and good quality lenses.
You might consider starting out withan inexpensive intervalomer-equippedcamera. An intervalometer is a shuttertimer which takes pictures at set inter-vals such as ten seconds, ten minutes,or thirty minutes.
The SLR models have interchangea-ble lenses that are often of better qual-ity than rangefinder models. The pri-mary advantages of the SLR camerasare their higher shutter speeds (1/2000th sec.), their manual and shutter-priority exposure modes, and their re-sultant ability to use lower-speed, finergrained films (ISO 50 to 100) thatshould result in better quality enlarge-ments.
This list is definitely not all-inclusive.A $2,000.00 Leica SLR camera and a$5.00 yard-sale rangefinder camera areboth capable of producing great pho-tos when suspended from a kite. Thelist simply serves as a reference foranyone considering the purchase of anew camera for kite aerial photogra-phy.
Of the cameras with intervalome-ters, the Samsung is the cheapest(about $80.00). The Ricoh Shotmasteris available in many different models
and costs; buy one without the zoomlens and save weight and money. TheRicoh Shotmaster is probably the mostcommonly used camera for kite aerialphotography. The Rollei Prego is usedby two AKA KAPers: Anne Rock andRodney Thomsen. It has a 35mm f3.5lens, a 1/500th sec. shutter speed, and7.5 oz weight
The rangefinder Yashica T4 has astreet price of about $120.00, but fea-tures an excellent quality 35mm Zeisslens and a top shutter speed of 1/700th sec. The Nikon f2.8 One-Touch isrecommended by Brooks Leffler; hebought his used for $60.00.
The list of SLR cameras includes theSigma SA-300: it is inexpensive (about$240.00 for the body), lightweight, andhas auto-bracketing. This last featuremakes it possible to bracket expo-sures without bringing the cameradown: a feature found only on themore expensive camera models. Sig-ma also makes a wide range of high-quality, inexpensive lenses (e.g. a28mm f1.8 for $180.00).
THE ULTRALIGHT SLRs.
A kite aerial photographer whowants consistently-professional resultsneeds a camera with a professional-quality lens, a high-speed shutter, andmanual and shutter-priority exposurecontrols. It also helps if the camera islightweight and has interchangeablelenses. The Canon Rebel X and Minol-
ta 2xi Maxxum are two cameras thathave all these characteristics. I haveused both of them for aerial photogra-phy; here’s a comparison [see table,next page].
The Canon camera is more expen-sive, but Canon equipment is consid-ered by some photographers to meethigher standards than Minolta. TheCanon is also a little lighter and has afew more features. These extra fea-tures will probably determine whetheryou prefer the Canon or the Minolta.
You can lock the Canon’s lens on theinfinity setting by flicking the manual-focus switch on the lens barrel, andthen using tape to keep the lens on in-finity. The Minolta also has a manual-focus switch mounted on the camerabody that must be reset each timeyou turn on the camera. You can’ttape the Minolta lens on infinity be-cause the camera starts in the autofo-cus mode and will try to adjust itselfwhen turned on.
Locking the lens on infinity is impor-tant. It’s one less thing to check be-fore sending the camera aloft. It’seasy to bump the camera’s lens barreloff infinity when you’re preparing it forflight. And some lenses (like my Minol-ta 35mm f2) will drift from the infinity
setting when they experience turbu-lence in flight. I now put a thick rubberband on each of my Minolta lenses,and position this so it keeps the lenson the infinity setting after the camerais turned on. One roll of out-of-focuspictures will convince you of the im-portance of locking the focus.
When set in the manual or shutter-priority exposure mode, the Canoncamera will take continuous one-per-second pictures as long as the shutterbutton is held down. The Minolta willtake only one picture; then the buttonmust be released and pushed again.Minolta's single-shot shutter makes iteasier to count the pictures you aretaking. With the Canon, you must re-lease your remote control lever quick-ly, or you may take more pictures thandesired.
The Canon camera has a connectionfor a remote shutter release, whichadds about 1.5 oz. of weight aftermounting on the cradle. For some KAP-ers it's an unneeded complicaton; theyposition a servo to push the shutterbutton directly rather than push theremote release. But other KAPers feelthe servo arm pushing directly on the
shutter button jogs the camera bodyand causes movement that can blurpictures. The Canon camera allowsyou to choose either shutter releasemethod.
In aerial field tests, I’ve used the Mi-nolta 2xi for about 70 rolls of film andthe recently-purchased Canon X for 5rolls. I’m undecided which is the bestcamera for kite aerial photography. Ifpressed, I’d give a slight edge to theCanon becuase of its lighter body,lighter 50mm and 35mm lenses, andinfinity lens lock capability. I just wishit had a single-shot shutter at all pro-gram settings like the Minolta.
It's important to note that neither ofthese cameras (like many electronic
cameras) will be produced by theirmanufacturers for many years. TheMinolta 2xi is no longer being manu-factured, but is still sold by most came-ra stores. It has been replaced by theMinolta 400si, which is just as light-weight as the 2xi, has a few more fea-tures and a higher price. Likewise, theCanon Rebel X will probably be updat-ed soon.
Camera manufacturers seem to beleapfrogging over one another—electronic cameras are like microcom-puters changing with each new micro-chip advancement. Luckily, intensecompetition is keeping prices down;and camera weights seem also to bedecreasing.
cameras • continued from page 7
9
The first photo I took from a kite-lofted camera was of the ColumbiaRiver Gorge in 1974. I used a 1950's-vintage Kodak Hawkeye that was kick-ing around my parent’s basement. Ibought a small six-minute timer usedto dethermalize model gliders, gluedand screwed it to the camera body,epoxied a 2-1/2 foot wind vane andseveral pieces of wood to variousparts of the camera in a way to use arubber band to set the thing off.
It was the lightest, cheapest, mostexpedient way for me to take aerialphotographs and it appealed to mysense of getting the job done with theleast amount of effort. True, the pho-tos I took were not particularly sharp,and I couldn't aim the camera at all,but I got a tremendous satisfactionlooking at my photos taken from theperspective only height could give.
After a 20-year hiatus from kiting, Irecently got the aerial photographybug again. But since my budgetdoesn't allow for radio control gear orself-winding cameras, I grabbed a hot-glue gun and one of those disposablepanoramic cameras.
Before I was able to visualize a com-plete design for my camera system Iread many postings on the Internetnewsgroup “rec.kites” about aerialphotography rigs. I needed a betterway to suspend and aim the camera. Ihad the good fortune to contact ourown Brooks Leffler via Internet e-mail,
who shared with me the Picavet self-leveling suspension system.
At last I had all the pieces to thepuzzle! From the old Hawkeye, longsince gone, I had saved the most criti-cal piece of hardware, the detherma-lizer timer, which has a wire arm thatsprings open when the timer reacheszero. I laid it, the camera, my gluegun, several pieces of scrap sprucesticks, some super-glue, a roll of strap-ping tape, packing tape, a paper clip,some sheet aluminum, a chunk of sty-rofoam, and a bit of 1/32 inch birchplywood on my bench.
Over the top of the camera I hingedwith strapping tape a strip of spruce. Iglued a knob of wood on the strip atthe shutter button to reach down tomake firm contact when the timertripped. This strip extended over theedge to accept a rubber band to pull itdown. I hot-glued another strip ofwood to the bottom of the camera toallow a grip for the other end of therubber band.
The timer was enclosed in a smallstyrofoam-and-plywood box and hot-glued to the shutter side of the came-ra. A pillar with a wire arm placedabout an inch above the top surface ofthe camera was hot-glued next to thetimer. A string was attached to thetimer, looped up and over the wirearm and back down to the shutter re-
comparing the slrs
• æ
hot glue, scrap spruce, and cardboardby DAVID VAN ZANDT, 1119 NW 60th Street, Seattle, WA 98107-2919
• continued on page 19
the aerial eye spring 199510
as long as it’s light, use any SLRby DAVID McCUISTION • 824 W. Second, El Dorado, KS 67042
11
I lay out the equipment. Two earth an-chors are grounded side-by-side tohold the cord winder. After launchingthe kite to approximately 100 to 150feet the line is anchored and the pen-dulum is attached about 15 feet fromthe anchor — high enough to hold thecamera, which is attached next, out ofharm's way.
I clip a storage bag to my belt loop,filled with extra earth anchors, rope,and a carabiner; snap on my separatepocketed belt that holds the R/C trans-mitter, range finder, and note pad;wrap a seat-belt body anchor aroundmy legs, just below my hips; attachthe cord winder to the belt, and off Igo.
With this system both hands arefree to set additional earth anchors,use my range finder or binoculars,climb fences, and snap the picture.
I prefer the image control a singlelens reflex (SLR) camera provides. Pri-marily, SLRs have superior optics com-pared to point-and-shoot cameras. Aslong as the camera is relatively light-weight it makes little difference to mewho manufactured the camera.
Image quality is controlled by thelens. My Sigma 28 mm ƒ2.8 wide-anglelens has benefits of great depth offield, more coverage of the subject(without having to fly as high), plus thewide-angle lens’ distortion of perspec-tive can accentuate the subject.
My Ricoh XR-10M 35mm camera hasthese features which are important tothe aerial photographer: automatic ex-posure control w/exposure compensa-tion, manual override, automatic filmadvance, R-K mount which acceptsPentax lenses, and an electrical re-mote shutter release.
The camera body w/o batteriesweighs 18 ounces. The rarely-foundelectrical remote shutter release al-lows the camera cradle builder to lo-cate the R/C receiver/shutter interfacewhere it may be more convenient; aservo directly actuating the shutter re-lease button is not the most aestheticplacement.
The Ricoh appears to be a rugged,reliable camera that is unencumberedby autofocus. To prevent out-of-focuspictures, tape the focusing ring at in-finity. Before lofting the camera I al-
ways attach a lens hood, and for brightsun, I program one full ƒ-stop less ofexposure compensation; this allowsfor ground reflection.
An ƒ2.8 aperture lens allows use offilms rated as low as ISO 25. I use Ko-dak ISO 25 and 100 and Fuji ISO 100films; Fuji appears to have the edge oncolor accuracy.
STAY PORTABLE
Many times the good photo opportu-nities move, or launching the camerain your chosen location is not possible,so I have devised a highly portableway of working.
Arriving at location I first lay a tarpon the ground held down with one ofmy storage containers; on this surface
The portable McCuistion
• continued on next page
The camera I am presently using is aMinolta Freedom Escort with databack. The primary reason for selectingthe Minolta was its light weight of 185grams followed by automatic filmtransport, quality ƒ3.5 lens and, a five-minute shutdown time, which allowsample time to loft the rig to the de-sired height.
After reading Ann Rock’s piece [ae1.1, p. 23] about her lightweight rig, Iwas so impressed with the intervalom-eter feature that I bought a Rollei Pre-go AF with data back from Smile Cam-era in N.Y, and am presently building aframe for it.
For my next project I have in mindan R/C rig using one servo. The hori-zontal axis would be set before launch(usually I like about a 10-degree downangle). Once airborne, pushing thestick in one direction would trip theshutter, while each push in the otherdirection would actuate a pawl andratchet which would pan the camera15 degrees. That way, using 24-exposure film you could pan through360 degrees in a matter of minutes.
I use color print film by Fuji, Kodak,and Konica with a preference for Fuji400, but often use Konica 200 & 400because it's easier to find in 12 expo-sure rolls which I use most of the time.I bought 10 rolls of 3M on sale at 99¢per roll but don't care for the color ren-dition nearly as well as the others.
• æ
from escort to prego to 1-channel rigby RODNEY THOMSEN • 3656 Old Arcata Road, #25, Eureka, CA 95503
• continued from page 10
• æ
in the summer issue:
KITES, LINE,& WINDERS
What do you use?Send us closeup photos of
your kites in flight,and/or your comments,anecdotes,& analysis.
COPY DEADLINE APRIL 1
the aerial eye spring 199512 13
aerial galleryclockwise from right:
• Tuckahoe River, New Jerseyby Steve Eisenhauer
• Shilo Hotel, Seaside, Oregonby Rodney Thomsen
• Chris-Craft on the Rocks,Pacific Grove, California
by Brooks Leffler• Sand Island, Mississippi River,
near St. Louis, Missouriby Randy Bollinger
• Butler County Community College, El Dorado, Kansas
by David McCuistion
the aerial eye spring 199514 15
Kite aerial photographers use fourtypes of film: color print (negative), col-or slide (transparency), black & whiteprint, and infrared. With the exceptionof infrared film, each film type is avail-able in a wide range of speeds (repre-sented by ISO or ASA number). In gen-eral, low speed films have finer grainand more accurate and vibrant colorrendition. High speed films enableyou to use higher shutter speeds andsmaller aperture settings. Film qualityvaries with different manufacturers.One manufacturer may produce differ-ent films of the same speed and type(Kodak has four slide films with an ISOrating near 100). Each film type has ad-vantages and disadvantages:
COLOR PRINT
The biggest advantage of color printfilm is its latitude: exposure settingsare not critical; often you can be twostops (shutter speeds or aperture set-tings) under or overexposed and thepicture will still be acceptable.This latitude reduces con-trast a little: an aerialphoto with sunlitand lightly-shaded ar-eas
may be acceptably-exposed in both ar-eas. Color print film reduces the effectof a camera's exposure meter misledby unusual light conditions.
Other advantages of color print filmare its availability, its purchase price,its development time, and the lowercost for prints and enlargements com-pared to slide film. The grain and colorrendition of print film has improvedsignificantly in the past two decades.This quality improvement is particular-ly evident in the high speed films;films with an ISO rating of 400 nowproduce results approaching the quali-ty of ISO 100 films.
One disadvantage is that its overallcost (including development) often ex-ceeds that for color slide film. Anotherdisadvantage is that color negativesfrom print films lose quality when con-verted to color slides. It's also easierto convert slides, rather than prints, tothe video format.
One last disadvantage of color printfilm is that many publications use
color slides to produce their pub-lished prints, and request slides
when they review photos forpossible publication. Slide
film is often preferred overprint film for professionalwork. However, publishers
seem to be more willing to useprint film in recent years. With the
improved quality of print films thistrend is expected to continue.
COLOR SLIDE
National Geographic magazines thatare decades old consist entirely of pho-tographs using Kodachrome 25, 64and Ektachrome 400 slide film. Thesefilms are still widely used today, al-though Japanese films are increasinglybeing used by professionals. Fuji Vel-via 50 and Sensia 100, withtheir vibrant color rendi-tion, are now commonlyused by photographers.Kodak's new EktachromeElite 100 attempts tomatch the brilliant colorsof these Fuji films.
The purchase and pro-cessing cost of slide filmshould be cheaper thanprint film. However, thiscost savings may often berealized only if you purchasefilm and processing mailers from mailorder supply stores. Local photostores frequently charge as much topurchase and process slide film asthey do print films.
Most processors say they can makeprints from slides (although it usuallycosts twice as much), but the resultscan be disastrous. I live in New Jerseybut send my slides 2000 miles away toColorado whenever I need prints. Al-ways use a slide processor who spe-cializes in slide films.
Most slide film has an exposure lati-tude of less than one stop under- oroverexposure. This narrow latitude re-quires exposure settings to be moreaccurate than for print films. Manyprofessional photographers bracket
exposures, taking photos at the indi-cated setting and at one stop over andunder the indicated setting. Most kiteaerial photographers cannot easilybracket, as automatic cameras are of-ten not manually adjustable. Camerasthat are adjustable must be reeleddown for resetting, and then a series
of photos takenat the new set-tings.
In my own ex-perience of us-ing slide films
film for aerial photographyby STEVE EISENHAUER
• continued on page 18
almost exclu-
sively for aerial photography, my cam-era's automatic exposure gives me ac-ceptable settings about 80 percent ofthe time. For difficult light conditions, Iuse a hand-held incident light meterand manually set my camera beforeeach flight.
BLACK AND WHITE
Few people use black and white filmanymore. But if your photographs arebeing reproduced in a newspaper,
the aerial eye spring 1995 17
To some of us, the use of a micro-video camera may be too cumber-some, or too much to add to an al-ready complicated AP system.
In the future its use might be an ab-solute necessity. It is a fact, our strato-spheric ozone layer is depleting, withincreased ultraviolet radiation the re-sult. For now, its only harm is from pro-longed exposure.
We are the only aerial photogra-phers that find the need to look up;the use of a micro-video camera andmonitor can reduce the time wespend doing that.
The micro-video camera is not need-ed for shooting anything above 150 -200 ft. The higher the altitude, thewider the field of view; the lower thealtitude, the more need there is forprecise framing.
I like to be conservative with film,making every low altitude shot pre-cise. In photography, good framing isan art, and it is what we all strive for inAP, no matter if it is with servo control,fixed position, or by pure chance.
VIDEO APPROACHES
There are three ways a micro-videocamera can be mounted. The first isthe parallel mount. The video camerais mounted off to the side, above orbelow the still camera.
The key to proper mounting is (1)not to interfere with other movingparts, (2) keeping the system in bal-
16
ance, by not binding servos and run-ning batteries down, (3) taking allsteps to reduce weight.
The video camera in the parallelmount is what I used for the photos inthe December 1993 issue of KAPWANEWS. It has a field of view approxi-mate to a 35mm lens.
The second approach to mounting isthe direct view or tandem mount. Thevideo camera is mounted so that itlooks directly through the eyepiece ofthe still camera.
The third approach is to use the mi-cro-video camera by itself. With thismethod, you can watch the monitorand use a portable VCR and record theview. Later the VCR tape can beplayed linked to a computer to stopframes and burn off copies at random,thereby eliminating the need for cam-era and film. I can’t elaborate on thisapproach; it is hearsay by friends inthe computer world. I have mydoubts that the computer imaging canmatch the quality of camera, film, andprint; however, this is an option andshould not be overlooked.
In all the methods there are threemain components: (1) the micro-videocamera, (2) the video sender, (3) themonitor. A VCR will also be necessarywith the third method above.
(1) the micro-video camera.
Color or black-and-white? B/W willbe less costly, and will serve fine for
the first two methods. The B/W came-ra will operate on 7-16vdc continualpower. Flying with power leads up tothe camera is too dangerous, so I usea 9vdc battery, which lasts for about45 minutes.
The video camera can be of the en-closed or open type. The open type isa circuit board with lens only. Theopen type will cost less than the en-closed type, but you will need to boxmount it.
There are two power lead connec-tions and one coax lead to be made tothe video sending unit.
(2) The Video Sending Unit.
The sender takes in what the microcamera sees and radios the signal tothe monitor. I mounted my sendingunit on the pendulum arm, with theantenna extended upward.
using aerial micro-videoby RANDY BOLLINGER, 249 Gladys Avenue, Ferguson, MO 63135
Video senders are priced at $45-$65and can be found at places like RadioShack or tv stores. They can be pow-ered by 110vac or 9vdc. Their range isabout 175-250 ft outdoors; receptionwill drop off the higher the altitude.
Most senders come mounted in ametal box. To reduce weight, I guttedmine and installed it in a plastic elec-tronics box.
(3) The Monitor
This needs to be mobile and of DCpower. We now have at our disposalmonitors in the size of beepers, wrist-watch monitors, and even monitorsthat mount on headsets for joggers.All are reasonably priced.
My cradle with video & cameraweighs in at just over 3.5 lb; with a Nik-on Lite-Touch camera that can be re-duced to approximately 2.5 lb. • æ
DC monitor
video sender
B&W videocamera
9vbattery
9vbattery
the aerial eye spring 1995
This whole system, including the cra-dle, weighed in at just over 8 ounces. Iwas able to remove the hardware veryeasily with a table knife before send-ing the camera off to the processor.The next system I build will have thetimer built into the platform to allowfor the camera to simply strap onto it,and to allow the platform to have agreater degree of aim-ability, though Iexpect that the weight will increase byan ounce or so.
19
hot glue • continued from page 9
• æ
18
lease. This string held the shutter re-lease up while the rubber band held itin tension waiting for the timer to gooff.
I used a jeweler’s saw to cut some1/16-inch aluminum sheet for thehinged, rotating camera platform. Ihot-glued and taped the the camera toit. This platform allowed me to aimthe lens about 30 degrees above andbelow the horizon and a full 360 de-grees around the center of the Picavetsuspension arm.
string to hold upshutter release
knob topress shutter strapping tape
hinge
rubber band
dethermalizingtimer
Fuji disposablecamera
newsletter or other black and whitepublication, you should use black andwhite film. It produces better printsthan color film converted to black andwhite.
Black and white photography is alost art to most photographers. Thereare no colors to make your picture ef-fective; you have to look for contrast.If you find the right contrasts, yourblack and white photos can have justas much impact as any color photos.
Since black and white film is infre-quently used by nonprofessionals, pur-chasing and processing it can be aproblem. Like slide film, many proces-sors say they can process and printblack and white film but, in truth, theyoften lack experience. Results can bevery disappointing, so look for a pro-cessor who does professional blackand white work. It may cost you morethan color processing but often youhave no choice, unless you plan to de-velop and print the film yourself.
INFRARED
I produce slide shows about environ-mental issues. In these shows I utilizekite aerial photos, but also purchaseinfrared photos taken from satellites.Although the colors produced by in-frared film are distorted, the photosare usually crystal clear. Infrared filmpenetrates haze and mist much betterthan other films. Its main use today isfor aerial survey work. Kite aerial pho-tographers should know how to use it.
If you use infrared film, an SLR cam-era is a big help. Infrared film requires
the use of filters that alter exposurereadings. With black and white in-frared film, autofocusing systemsmust be turned off and the lens adjust-ed manually to an infrared focus set-ting (see your camera's manual). Mostcolor infrared films use the camera'snormal focus settings.
The recommended ISO setting forKodak Infrared Ektachrome (IRE) film is100, but bracketing one or two stopsover- and underexposure is highly rec-ommended. Most modern camerasthat automatically read film exposure(DX) codes will set themselves at ISO100 if the code isn't imprinted. In-frared film doesn't have a DX code, somost cameras will automatically selectthe correct setting for Infrared Ektach-rome.
Infrared film requires special han-dling: load and unload it in total dark-ness, and process it only at laborato-ries familiar with its specialrequirements. Expect to pay more: a36-exposure roll of IRE costs about$15.00, and $20.00 more to processinto slides.
I recently shot my first roll of IRE us-ing a #12 yellow filter. The film’s haze-penetrating ability was impressive, butthe color distortions were confusing. Iplan to use a few more rolls for aerialviews of wetland areas, to see if it’shelpful in identifying different plantspecies. I just hope I don’t get hookedon it; I might have to get a second jobto pay the $35.00 per roll purchase/process costs.
film • continued from page 15
• æ
the aerial eye spring 1995 2120
aerialettersAKA TOO RESTRICTIVE?
It’s good to again have a forum toshowcase our work, a place where wecan exchange ideas and information.The computer generated graphics arealso a welcome addition. However,there are a couple of points I wouldlike to make.
My understanding is that under yoursubmissions policy only input fromAKA members will be considered. Ifsuch is the case, given the small num-ber of AKA members involved in kiteaerial photography, it would seem tome that we would be ignoring the vaststore of knowledge held by otherworldwide adherents of the hobbywho are not AKA members.
Another point I would like to makeis that I feel that the aims and objec-tives of kite aerial photography wouldbe better served as an independent or-ganization rather than merely being acommittee of the AKA. As a separateentity we would enjoy the distinct ad-vantage of not being subjected to thewhims of the parent organization.…
Rodney Thomsen
Eureka, CA
• To get the aerial eye off theground quickly, it seemed simplest todo it within the AKA organization —that was where the energy was. Asto “the whims of the parent organiza-tion,” so far the Board has been fullysupportive. If their whims get toowhimmy, we’ll split!
We welcome submissions from allinterested parties, without regard toAKA membership. We have no inten-tion of “ignoring the vast storehouse”,though opening it is proving muchmore difficult than it should be.
Most of those “worldwide adher-ents” were KAPWA members, butMichel Dusariez has not provided uswith the KAPWA membership list.Michel did mention us in his latest let-ter to former KAPWA members,which resulted in a few inquiries. Wethank him for this recognition, andhope that someday he will share hislist. —bgl
THREE CHEERS FOR LO-TECH
Last weekend I finally got togetherwith Peter Berryman…. His rig is reallya kick [ae 1.1, p. 9] … worthy of everybit of exposure that the aerial eyegave it. I think it is critical that ourreaders get the message…that youneed not have a complicated, expen-sive rig to be successful. A simple andcreative combination of shoe strings,Tupperware®, wire, dowels, tape,and rubber bands has just as muchpotential and loads more appeal thanthe servo-laden techno-geek version.
Craig WilsonMadison, WI
NO MORE FEAR
I have for years been interested [inKAP], but in too much fear to try. Lit-tle by little I took risk. Using my Pen-
sourcesAlways buy from your local sup-
plier if possible, but if you can’tfind what you’re looking for, hereare some sources:
Small Parts Inc.13980 NW 58th CourtMiami Lakes, FL 33014-0650Phone (305) 557-8222Fax (800) 423-9009
Gears, belts, nylon fasteners,and all manner of little stuff.Catalog.
American Science & Surplus3605 Howard StreetSkokie, IL 60076Phone (708) 982-0870Fax (800) 934-0722
tax P-3 on self-timer…did not give meenough time to pull kite up or camerato stop swaying. Got lots of beachsand & parking lots.… At the [AKA]convention this year I had put togeth-er a Canon AE-1…and radio control outof model car…on Greens cradle. Usedsame Feather 11-ft delta …lifted upabout 20-25 ft. Results enclosed [seepic].
Eddie WebbDanvers, MA
EYES ACROSS THE WATER
Payment enclosed…I would be par-ticularly interested in receiving thefirst issue..…I hope your newsletter isa great success; it is a perfect way tobring together even the simplest ofideas for others to advance to thenext stage of Aerial Photography Evo-lution.
Rob GreenNewbury, Berks, UK
FOR SALE
Lightweight Cradle w/Radio Pan, tilt, and shutter control w/just 2 channels!
Used just enough to know it works well.Will tailor to your p&s camera.
$130.00Brooks Leffler • (408) 647-8363
the aerial eye spring 1995
using the film. It is more desirable toget consistently good, predictable re-sults rather than an occasional greatsuccess.
Many professional photographerswill say that the only film to use is Ko-dachrome 64 or Fuji Velvia 50. I disa-gree. All films have made great ad-vances in the last several years andthe differences between them is nolonger as great as it once was. In myopinion films such as Velvia 50 or Ko-dachrome 64 need to be shot from atripod-mounted camera with very pre-cise metering to realize their superiorcapabilities.
2322
All this talk from various Eye Linersabout what film to use has probablyclouded the issue. You are looking forresolution to this filmy topic, and wantsome well-focused answers. The typeof film you use in your “grain elevator”should depend on what you are goingto use the images you are producingfor.
There is no magical film that willserve all the purposes that a photogra-pher would want. You need to decidewhat you want and then choose a filmto best meet those needs.
If I am shooting something that Ihope to use for publication purposesor to show many people, then I gener-ally will use a slide film. I like how easyslides are to store, organize, and findwhen I want to show them. The nega-tive side of slide film is that is ratherexpensive to make quality prints todisplay or frame. If the subject orclient is looking to make prints fromthe images, or I want to use them inmy portfolio then I will shoot thescene using print film.
A man that I consider a very goodphotographer once told me that Ishould pick a film that I like and stickwith it. To ensure uniform results, Ishould always buy it in the same sizerolls. If you always use the same filmyou will better understand its struc-ture, limitations, and qualities, andthereby make more correct choices in
optical delusion or…chrome chrome on the range
by CRAIG WILSON
• continued on next page
Wildwood Off-Season by Craig Wilson
Kite aerial photographers measuretheir skill by the quality of their photo-graphs. After they learn how to keepa camera aloft, they must learn moreabout lenses, filters, films, cameras,and the techniques of aerial photogra-phy. Aerial Photography by HarveyLloyd is 144 pages of advice and re-markable aerial photographs. Al-though all were taken from aircraft,this is a worthy reference manual forKAP. More importantly, its picturesare examples of the quality kite aerialphotographers can strive to attain.
Most of the book’s photographswere taken from elevations below1000 feet; some photographs weretaken from a helicopter hovering 10to 30 feet above the ocean’s surface.Lloyd spends thousands of dollars forhelicopter and plane rentals. A skilledKAPer could replicate many of thesephotographs at a small fraction of thiscost.
An interesting aspect of Lloyd’s pho-tographs is that many do not havelevel horizons. Indeed, Lloyd says, “Ilike images that are slightly askewyet always on a solid foundation.” Asthe saying goes, an artist must firstlearn the rules of his craft before heknows how to break them. Similarly,a kite aerial photographer first learnshow to get a level horizon, then rec-ognizes that in some images acrooked horizon is a better composi-
Lloyd does not mention kite aerialphotography, and indeed, some of hisequipment is not pertinent (e.g., aheavy gyro-stabilizer to minimize vi-brations). But much of his discussionof photo equipment is relative to ourcraft. In particular, his emphasis onbracketing exposures (about one stopover & under) represents the next ad-vancement for many KAPers. SomeSLR cameras, like the Canon EOS Elan,have auto-bracketing capabilities:push the shutter button once and getthree exposures at predetermined set-tings of over- and underexposure.
Lloyd’s advice on marketing, onmodel releases, and on copyright lawis valuable. But his treatment of theartistic aspects of AP is the most fasci-nating part of the book. Two chap-ters—over 40 pages—deal with color,mood and composition on location.One small section, titled “Zen and Aeri-al Composition”, speaks directly to thesoul of every dedicated KAPer.
If you’re just starting out in KAP, thisbook might be a little overwhelming. Iread it two years ago, and thought itstechniques and information were per-tinent mostly to aircraft-elevated aeri-al photographers. After a couple thou-sand kite aerial photographs, myrecent rereading of this book openedmy eyes and stirred my spirit. I highlyrecommend it for advanced kite aerialphotographers.
book reviewby STEVE EISENHAUER
Aerial Photography by Harvey Lloyd. Watson Guptill Publications, 1990.1515 Broadway, New York, NY 10036. $22.50
