Warbird Information Exchange

Most likely it's the wrong size.

Check the inside of the lens cap. Often you'll find it stamped there.

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"Anyway, the throat feels a bit rough...the legs have gone...but I'm still able to chant, so let's get going."

Joe Strummer, 1999

The correct filter size for the Quantaray 70-300mm f4-5.6 lens is 62mm.

Walt

O.k. here is the deal, it is the wrong size, I will get the 62 tonight. I also picked up UV and polarized filters for both lenses. You guys have all been a huge help. I just go tthis camera, and it is my first serious camera. I have two other Digital camera, but they are all point and shoots. You can tell the difference in the photo quality for sure.

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Chris Henry
EAA Aviation Museum Director

Most everything has been covered here so far, but I for one will never use a UV filter. I shoot Canon, and with the exception of one lense, every lense I own cost me well over $1,000. Not bragging, just the harsh reality of good quality glass, it's freakin expensive!! I will not place a cheap piece of glass over something I paid that much for. Always use the lens hood. Unless you shoot is a harsh setting like saltwater, UV filters are useless. The only filter I own is a polarizer, and this is for landscapes only, never at auto races, or airshows.

Don't know how Nikon works, but with teleconverters in the Canon system, they only work on "L" lenses. They will not work on Canons consumer level lenses. You may want to head to the Nikon forum over at www.FredMiranda.com

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"I love the smell of racing gas in the morning"
www.timadamsphotography.com

SO you don't think that polarized lenses work for air show pics? Just wondering, as I am learning a ton from this thread.

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Chris Henry
EAA Aviation Museum Director

Mustangdriver...I'm having a bit of trouble with my picture taking lately so I'm not the one to advise you on that BUT...more than one is LENSES. If you are talking about only one...it's LENS...no E on the end.

Sorry, but lense was getting on my nerves.

Mudge the nervous

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Land of the free because of the brave

sorry, mudge i am just a country boy.

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Chris Henry
EAA Aviation Museum Director

OH...OK...I didn't know. No offense but, what country?

Mudge the agitator

"Just funnin', son. Just funnin'."

ps...anyone out there know what movie that line is from? This is a test.

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Land of the free because of the brave

They can, but you have to operate them constantly.

A polarizer needs to be rotated to screen out the optimum position for neutralizing reflection and glare. This position is changes based on the position of the sun relative to the direction the hot is being taken. In other words, as your formation of 7 P-38s barrels down the flightline from left to right, you have to keep one hand on the filter and rotate it as you pan with the formation in order to get the best effect.

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"Anyway, the throat feels a bit rough...the legs have gone...but I'm still able to chant, so let's get going."

Joe Strummer, 1999

That sounds like something from Dangerfield.

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Chris Henry
EAA Aviation Museum Director

The polarizing filter can reduce the amount of haze and reflection in your pictures however you usually will not get much out of a polarizing filter unless you are shooting near or on right angle from the sun. IMHO I think that for on on novice it might be a bit much to use the polarizing filter on moving objects since you will need to concentrate on panning etc and may be a bit much to also pay attention to rotating the polarizing filter at the same time. Just any opinion but maybe get the exposure, panning and framing down first.

Other means for cutting down the effects of haze is to use a skylight filter or UV filter as mentioned before. The skylight filter tends to increase the contrast and reduce the "flatness" sometimes caused by haze.

You might experiment with the polarizing filter with stationary aircraft where you want to reduce the glare on the aircraft or in the plexy which will allow you to take clearer pictures through the glass to the inside of say B-25 nose.

Sounds good, I picked up a skylight filter as well.

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Chris Henry
EAA Aviation Museum Director

Mustangdriver, to confuse matters further, there is very little difference between a UV and a skylight, but there is a bit -- the skylight should have a very subltle salmon tint. I was a film photographer for many years and generally used Skylights to very slightly warm a scene which generally improved things with most slide films. Since swithching to digital (Nikon also) I have found that I much prefer the colorless UV, and I can see a differnce, however slight. I always end up doing some work on the image afterwrds, so it's easy to warm a scene a bit in Photoshop (or Elements, or any other photo program) if necessary. So I would try shooting the same scene with both and see if you see a difference.

There is a wonderful website called Nikonians.com that has great discussion forums on Nikkor lenses and on individual camera bodies -- I'm sure there is a D-40 forum. There is also a forum where you can post images for comments and discussion -- vey helpful if you run into problems and want some ideas about a different way of dealing with something. The posters are very friendly and helpful to newcomers and more advanced alike. Very highly recommended to anybody trying to learn some photography.

Most of all take lots of pictures before and between air shows. You have to know equipment fairly well to use it really effectively under pressure with opportunities that may well never be repeated. With today's equipment you can get great and consistent results with relatively little real studying of anything, but some basic comfort with the equipment will only come from taking pictures regularly for a while -- family, toys, the possibilities are endless...

Also look critically at photos posted here and elsewhere and try to figure out what attracts you to the image -- sharpness, direction of light, time of day, angle, closeup -- how did this guy or gal do this, and what makes it work? Gives you something to work toward.

So make it fun and take lots of pictures so you know what you have and what you need-- practice is almost always cheaper and more effective than new equipment for the first year or so of really trying to get the most out of this amazing equipment.

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Neal Nurmi

---Wingman Photo---

For the record, I actually have a D50. Shows how much I know. I am interested in getting some cool ground to air shots at KOSH, and also some easy tricks to get a cool picture of them while on the ground. Any tips?

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Chris Henry
EAA Aviation Museum Director

Check out Eric's site. Most of what you see was shot with a D50.



http://www.vg-photo.com/index.html

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