Large format aerial photography...anyone?

[Armin Seeholzer]

If I'm shooting from a chopper at around 500', would I still be ok if I use a fixed infinity focus on 110, 150 and 210mm lenses?

I did not answer this one because of 500' means this feet or what?

I would really do at least for the longer ones 150/210 really focus on 500' and fix it at it why should I loose some sharpness because of not use the exact focus point especially if you are for smaller things maybe even a bit shorter in distance!

Cheers Armin

[Sevo]

500ft often is the minimum altitude above ground without special permission. Shooting from a window the actual distance to the foreground will be more like 700-1000ft.

[cosmicexplosion]

Hey john,

i knew i should have asked you, but its good to see you are still in the woodwork,

he he

i am real glad you dig the camera, i just did a course on basics, and and only half finished but it gave me a kick start and i understand books a bit better, but i think all we are doing is deciding how much light we want to enter.

he he

any way i dont want to hi jack this thread so i will say gowland one more time.

see you soon

andrew

oh and happy happy cristmas to you and your family

[Armin Seeholzer]

500ft often is the minimum altitude above ground without special permission. Shooting from a window the actual distance to the foreground will be more like 700-1000ft.

We always worked with special permission so we could work at 50- 100m from ground, which is also a dangerous low if the motor stops on the heli!
Only for city's and really large company's we worked higher!

Good bless you all in the air!

[Noah A]

Sorry I should have been more specific, but yes I meant 500 feet. It is generally the lowest we can go without special permission (which I usually don't have). So therefore it's the worst possible scenario in terms of needing close-focus.

Most of the time I'd be a bit higher for safety and yes, not shooting straight down so we'd be looking at more distance. But it's the closest focus I was worried about if the camera is fixed at infinity. Clearly it shouldn't be a problem.

I'll look into the gowlands or possibly I'll build my own. Thanks for all of the suggestions.

[Reinhold Schable]

I just stumbled across this forum topic, and I've got to rush off...

But first let me add: another option is the Cambo Wide;

http://www.mediajoy.com/en/cla_came/cambo/index.html

It's a 4x5 handheld that accepts sheet film as well as Horseman 612 holders. I have one that's been in my arsenal for about 15 years, and I'm in the process of scaling back on my equipment, but I don't have the time to take some photo's at the moment. Give me a day or so...

Reinhold

www.classicBWphoto.com

[John Kasaian]

I've done a bit of 8x10 aerial work with a Gowland. A rigid camera is a good choice. Gowland cameras a fine but you could also use a military speed graphic (the solid box ones) or make a shield for a Crown as I suggested earlier. I prefer "normal" to "long" focal lengths for fixed wing work and generally wider lenses for helicopters(this might sound wierd I know but take it into consideration when shopping for a dedicated aerial camera) If you're shooting sheet film use plastic film holders and practice where you'll be putting the dark slides. You don't want them sucked out! Also don't let any part of the camera come into contact with the fusilage or you will have vibration problems. Dampen vibrations with your body. An important consideration for these big "box cameras"(which is really what they are) is the lens and shutter. You'll want one that has fast shutter speeds(500 is nice) and a lens that performs well wide open or nearly so(like a 150mm Nikkor M for example) The best fixed wing aerial photoship for low altitudes IMHO is a SuperCub. Have a safe flight!

[BetterSense]

In the infinity regime where DOF is not a consideration, such as aerial photography, how does aperture effect the image quality? Telescopes use as large of an aperture as possible to reduce diffraction, but are LF lenses corrected well enough that using larger apertures provides better resolution at infinity?

[Jack Dahlgren]

In the infinity regime where DOF is not a consideration, such as aerial photography, how does aperture effect the image quality? Telescopes use as large of an aperture as possible to reduce diffraction, but are LF lenses corrected well enough that using larger apertures provides better resolution at infinity?

No. Look at any lens resolution chart. Wide open is not the best resolution. Nor is stopped all the way down.

[Neal Chaves]

I have flown on aerial jobs with some very experienced pilots most of whom are also personal friends. The small, fixed wing aircraft costs a fraction of the helicopter's expense to operate and maintain. The commercial photographer who can work out of such an aircraft and deliver excellent results has a significant competitive advantage over one who is operating out of helicopters, which are seldom needed or appropriate for most assignments.

Even most experienced pilots feel uncomfortable at first with one of the most useful maneuvers for the photo-reconnaissance aircraft, the side-slip. Slipping requires crossing the controls and goes against all basic flight training and instruction, but when you have a pilot that can or learns to do it for you, it is a great technique.

Let's say you need to photograph a house for a real estate ad. You first circle the house a time or two and determine your best composition. Tell the pilot when you pass the point, because he probably can't see it himself but can use other terrain he can see as a reference. When you start to circle on your photo run you should be somewhat higher and further out from the house than when you found your best composition, because slipping will cost altitude and also carry you in closer to the house. The advantages are that you will stay in the "sweet spot" much longer than if you just fly by or around and your ground speed past the house will be significantly reduced.

The Champ, the Cub, the Cessna 150 and 172 are all great slippers. The 85 HP J3 Cub is the best for warm weather flying. The 172 has the advantage of space for a light-weight assistant who can feed you your holders. Remember to keep your own feet off the rudder pedals as you stretch and strain for that perfect exposure!