Week 3 with the Sony RX10V4 and Family times.

Its Sunday after Thanksgiving. I give thanks for my Granddaughter and my family and friends.

Emily loves lights and things that display things. If she sees a television that isn't on she says.. "uh oh!" because she thinks they all should be on all the time. From the moment she came into the world till now she has had a camera lens nearby and a tablet or cell phone to play with. She loves music and brightly animated presentations.. be that the A,B,Cs to rhymes and other cartoons out there. She detests commercials... She will loudly vocalize her unhappiness with the interruptions. I am not sad to say she has her own 4g enabled iPad ( I gave her ) and can make face-time calls to me whenever she wants. I want her to be able to talk to me whenever she wants. That she likes to try and call me while I am indisposed .... well... she does call back. Which is nice.

Since her parents moved to California it has been very hard on us not to have her every Sunday.. which we have done ...again since she was born... so face-time is our only avenue to watch her grow. She is scary smart and picks up ideas and processes after one look. That she was carrying around my FAR/AIM flight manual is nothing to be worried about..even thought it weighs about a 4th of what she weighs.. she carry's it about and sits with it in her lap and flips through the pages... She has a lot of words down.. Book being one and socks another. Please and thank you and some sign language as well.

Her second birthday is coming up and I expect we will go out to California somewhere around it to celebrate her second year. Hopefully we will get to get out of the house and go have fun with her and see some sights. I really would like to see the Golden Gate Bridge up close and also the Winchester house.

Emily loves carousels and has no problem with all the spinning.

A large multicolored projector she figured out in a few seconds. Thumb on the switch.

All shots were with the Sony RX10V4. It has the same problem most DSLRs have with low light... noise.

So on week three with this camera I have found that I need to learn more where specific settings are and how they interact with other settings.

Findings.. Not sure I like that I can only shoot some types of shots in JPG only and that it will only save it a specific type of file for a specific shot. Sounds strange but it is easy to understand in reality.

I have run up against the buffering problem a lot and have missed some video because of it. You cant shoot video while it is buffering picture shots. I think you can shoot video and while you are doing that take separate shots but I didn't play with that much.

Since my Granddaughter was only here for a few days I wanted to spend as much time with her as I could so a lot of things I wanted to do got shoved aside. My priority is Granddaughter first.. everything else comes second.

So playing with the camera was a far second. She holds her hands up to be picked up and the camera goes away.

Though I did get some good shots of the flying antics on Fridays ( Eric has a term here but I forget ) after Thanksgiving evening flight.. and those are below.... Ill explain on each shot...

A pretty gusty afternoon but once off the ground it was very nice. about 200mm.

The speed of the zoom when photographing and that of video are two different things. Picture.. fast.. video smoothly slow.

What makes this camera rock. 600mm shaprness.

Colors and corner falloff are so minimal I don't even look for it anymore. Oh when I use the D7100 its gonna suck..

Crisp sharp colors and fast shutter catch Holly walking between two envelopes...both envelopes are flapping as they inflate but its a tight shot.

Ted is off and has flags...

I have no clue what they are about but it was fun to see if the camera could zoom in and focus quickly and get the shot... it did.. silly easy.

Eric is off in his big basket. It has a door. No leaping over the side for this guy. Nice and clean. Keith in the background heading East South East.

Matt headed out first... when it looked iffy. Went South then headed North across the Sandia's at a distance. This shot at 600mm was stunning. So easy to zoom in and the vibration control was wonderful. No worries. Blast off 12 shots. I can enlarge this and there isn't any fuzziness at the edges in the original.

Mo heads up and out. Since flying would be a secondary to the Emmers I just took pics until she wanted me to hold her. So.. Mo flew.. hahaha. He flew three days in a row... why.. because he can.

Trenton rides upwards and Northwards. This Fantasy balloon is very bright against the blue sky. Easy to pick out as its the only one in the area those colors. Great envelope and he loves it I believe.

A viva envelope cuts low across the bottom of the Sandia mountain range. Again.. 600mm and so light. A regular 600mm lens would cost around 12,000 dollars and weigh as much as a small child.. Not happening. I chose correctly with this camera. Okay.. Bennie told me about it but I did the research. Worth every penny to buy it. every penny.

Morghan comes out of the South to fly overhead and chase Trenton down.

Trenton lands amid all his family and friends.... good spot to set it down too.

Mo drops in beside him. We ran off to get some food for the baby and didn't get shots of the far side of these two. It looked like a wonderful glow shot from the shots I have seen from other people.

Last thoughts for now on the RX10V4. Focus. So many options you can lose yourself. I found myself getting mad because I had it set for movement and needed single center and got locked on the wrong thing. My fault but I was trying to shoot quickly and without much thought. The other thought of these last thoughts.. the battery is holding up much better than expected. I was under the impression it would last about 1400 shots or so from the manual. Its lasting a lot more.

So since I hate Youtube reviews of this camera except for the Three Blind Men and an Elephant versions due to the long winded full of BS descriptions.. okay there may be one other that is long winded but does show settings clearly... Ill put this simply.

600mm, crisp focus and crisp shots, no corner fall off, fast zoom, lightweight... worth every penny.

Oh one more thing I forgot......

 Illustration mode is fun...

Since we are past Thanksgiving.. Ill say Merry Christmas to you all!

Next weekend is the Red Rock Rally in Gallup New Mexico. An awesome venue for photographers.

Sony RX10V4 2nd week and Westside flying

It was the second week with the Sony RX10V4 camera and today was a great flight day. Another day of wishing I was two people...maybe three.... yeah three would be nice.

1. Just fly the balloon. Think of nothing else but what I want to do and how I want to do it. Feel the rise and fall as directions are changed and speed is handled.... feel the sheer at 200 feet while cutting through it at 700 feet per minute...feel the wind hit your face as you descend into a stronger then lighter wind and listen to the flames of the burner wicker around... feel the catch as you know you have the shift from down to sideways and ground tracking flight....

2. In the basket taking pictures of everything possible.. the balloons laid out below and those in the air ahead of you. The couple who are beside following the winds South Southwest. Knowing you are in the same track as you've come up to their altitude... The balloon stops exactly at the height you want to get that little tickle westerly...shooting down at the other balloons still inflating, across at your friends cutting down to route, each of us at slightly different areas of wind and going in directions just off each other.. blowing through hundreds of shots just because, knowing you are going to look through every one for that great shot...

3. On the ground with the chase crew, photographing your balloon as it goes around and in and out and chases rabbits while tracking in to land. Getting ahead of the balloon so you can be there to catch it before it can touch the ground and knowing you can think so far ahead that the Pilot just has to sit back and enjoy the ride.

With a good crew a Pilots job is so much better. Like this morning. It was a total breeze. We had not flown the Lindstrand Racer since day 6 of Fiesta. She needed some air. We had a good bunch of crew to heft her out. We get so very comfortable with the Kennedy 90 Soarcoat, super lightweight envelope that we make excuses...but it is when you have the Lindstrand standing up... Can have the crew hold on while you temp up the racer, have the crew release you and you zip upwards at 700fpm while spinning that gives you a super rush... The turning vents are super reactive and spin you around very quickly... then a short grab on the reverse line stops you cold, another tug on the red line and you stop you ascent in seconds. So very responsive it kind of makes you just smile a little hidden smile.

We did all that and even did a quick descent into the large arroyo South of the launch field, Dropping in through a small sheer and landing, taking some pictures, then busting back up through the same sheer to get back up to the winds going SW. Riding those until you get past all the houses then dropping back down, the wind rushing past your face coolly, burners above wicker and roar, tapping a few times on the squeeze burners stops you about 20 feet up to curl ( turn left )  around and over Paseo and then Unser where they cross, drop a little lower and play around the bushes and see the rabbits run... then getting caught by the crew...whew... what a rush!

With all the crew it was easy to get her strapped up and packed up and put away. She didn't want to fit in the envelope bag but we got her in at last. A quick drive back to the field and some talk about the flight with other crews and pilots and we can call that a perfect day.

If you cant take pictures all through the flight ( like me ) you clip from the GoPro cameras.

Launching as fast as we did you have to make sure the airspace above is completely clear. Mo did this. We were close to the Dead Cat so we also made sure we wouldn't move towards them but with the speed we launched that was a moose point. Moose point.. get it........never mind.

Stopped on a dime both rotation and height. Lovely Lindstrand workmanship makes for a super awesome ride. She did exactly what I wanted when I wanted.

 Back out of the arroyo with Trenton down below us doing the same thing we did. Loads of fun to dip into that spot.

Chatting with the chase crew and relaxing through the ride Southwest.

Down over Paseo and taking a left turn as we shift from the higher SW to the lower East wind.

Crew catch!

Laying down on the job is also a good bit of fun.

So now the trailer and the envelopes and the basket are resting in the side yard. I have to refill one tank. I only used 75% of that one tank and nothing off the others. I need to get some more conditioner on my leather as it is super dry here now. Its amazing how little humidity there is and how quickly it leaches out of everything.

Next flight will be day one of the Red Rock Rally in Gallup NM on the 1st of December.

So, now onto the Sony RX0V4 camera on its second week.....

Smashing!

Lets just put this down..I tested most of the settings except the video portion. Really no time. Everything is cool. Menus once you grasp the layout are quick and easy to go through. A few things I need to continue to play with just to get comfortable for on the fly changes but its pretty quick and easy.

Ill post the shots below I took ( not a lot ) and explain myself.

Playing with Shutter priority, Aperture priority. Slowing things right down and keeping everything in focus. Fantastic and easy to adjust.

600mm shot through a roiling and dusty morning at a Rainbow Ryders balloon flight across the valley. Volcano in the background.

Illustration mode. Three types. This is the high setting. Izzy in repose ( as usual ). Nifty.

Isabella questioning my need to take another shot of her. Shes loves to lay on the back of the couch like a cat and dares anyone to tell her that she is really a dog.

Into the sun.  So many balloons out and everyone laying in all different directions as the winds were almost nonexistent on launch. Been a while since we had that nice of a launch.

Off to the South looking North and seven more balloons getting ready to go. The winds did come up a bit, then went back down and then up again. Still an awesome day.

Sun Dagger way out there. Shot at 600mm with a massive amount of shake. The quick shutter and compensation made it almost perfect.

Crop of about 1/3rd and its clear but a little fuzzy if you zoom in farther, My fault and, well, the basket isn't really stable shooting that distance.. but Ill bet if I had gotten myself more stable first it would have been crisp. My Nikon cant do this and does not have the reach either.

Sharing the levels with some pretty balloons. All heading somewhat South. Choices were there. A good 90 degrees of direction in this area and a good 180 if you went high.

Crop of 1/2 and retains the crispness.

Follow the leader here. A very bright balloon .. Pilot of whom I need to say is having as much fun as I am.

Sitting on the ground in the arroyo and taking more pics.

Partial crop of the shot. Lots of wiggle room for re-composure of the shot.

Here you can tell the difference between the Nikon 18-200mm lens and the Sony 24 to 600mm lens. 6mm cuts the edges of the envelope off the sides. Still a great shot and gosh....6mm hurts nothing at all when you have 400mm on the other end. My problem with this was I had to move the camera to clear the cross bar of the burners and then recompose with my finger half way down on the shutter to hold the focus. I know I could have used the lock but.......

Super fun day. Felt great to have my Lindstrand Racer do exactly what I wanted when I wanted and do it with panache to boot. Response times are ridiculously silly and it gives you the exhilaration of power too. Yep. This Lindstrand envelope and the Jetstream Series 2 Double Burners kick proverbial Arse!

Almost 7 and a half years old and looks like new. Cant beat it. You can scope out the options at the Lindstrand USA web site here.....   http://lindstrand.com/

More videos are posted at my web site here....   http://InvisibleBlack.zenfolio.com/p715442282/e9c2715ee

Thanksgiving coming up and the Grandaughter is coming. Lots of fun with her and the camera coming up. I will set up for eye tracking, fast movement ( sports mode ), and antics.. lots of antics. Ill see what other settings I can try on the fly to show you the cameras abilities.

So far though.. Its staying...

I didnt even tell you how it felt hanging from my neck while flying. Didn't notice the weight at all. Unlike my Nikon D300 and D7100 this is a feather.

Onward!!!!    Enjoy your week upcoming. Eat a lot, Enjoy the family, Take pictures, share them!

Sony's RX10D4 bridge DSLR and ballooning

After many weeks of dithering and research into the Sony RX10D4 or IV Bridge DSLR camera I decided it was time to get it and test it out. Since Bennie Bos, well known photographer educated me on the crispness and reach of this 24 to 600mm camera I've been wanting to see if it lived up to its reputation.

It seems it does. So far.

I have nowhere near put it through its paces and there are many things I need to read up on that I have questions on but here are the down and dirty descriptions.... and you can check on what I consider a very good pre review here....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9t-C6WAlun8

and here...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAn5bJlCzvk

What I was told about.

Crispness at 600mm with little or no corner darkening...drop off.
24 to 600mm zoom quality.
Silent shutter.
Mechanical Shutter and Electronic Shutter.
Mirrorless.
Light.
Video ability.
Speed of shots.

As the shots I am attaching will show some of these things the main is at 600mm stability is excellent. The vibration reduction is great. Crispness is fantastic. I saw minor corner shadowing. Minor.

Using the switch on the shutter release for zoom from 24 to 600 is easier than using the ring on the lens and lets my left hand free to support the cameras stability. Zoom is fast and smooth.

This is silly. Sony added a shutter sound to the camera. Why.. I just do not know. Its horrible. You can only shut off that sound and the sound of the phase locked focus or the phased lock focus. I want the sound of the focus lock but not the fake shutter. I will be asking about that firmware mod soon.

With the sound shut off there in fact is not a flippen sound when you shoot. Not one. Nothing. Stealth shooting. For street shooting and with the flip up display on the back street shooting would be super easy here. Camera can be at your waist and you can look down and frame and shoot and not a soul will know. This is pretty much the only way to get candid shots on the street. Setting up shots always look fake. So the silent shutter is a favorite.

You can choose either Auto, Mechanical or Electronic shutter. I am in Auto and I still cant hear a thing.

Mirrorless... So this is good for camera vibration on dark shots. No mirror flipping out of the way. I will be testing this at the Red Rock Balloon Rally in Gallup NM on the 1st glow in the red rocks. I will tri-pod the cam and shut off the Vibration to see what happens. * Yeah.. thats a *. Look below.

Lightness... questionable. Maybe lighter than my Nikon D7100 but its slight. I do know that this camera is squattier then my Nikon which does not fit my hand well at all. Scrunchier? Not as tall. Hard to shoot with it... Nope.

Video I have taken one short video. Having a direct to video button on the back instead of my Nikons trip through multiple settings to set up its a dream. If you complain about the settings menu for this Sony you really need to go play with the Nikon. Ill have more on Video soon.

Speed of shots was utterly stupid. It can go up to 900+ shots per second?!?!? It has settings for Continuous fast, medium and slow... Heh. 40 shots on one press on Fast. Slow was perfect. WOW! Though the view of a shot grouping shows as a stack of shots in the back screen its pretty awesome to burn shots that fast. Many more tests for that setting... but ... freakin awesome for sports shooting or birds in flight shooting.

Picture quality for shots take is great. Colors are great. Accuracy is as good as the Nikon or better.

The *. I will be trying this out on the as well... I've done tests and it works very nicely indeed.
What am I going on about. The ability to use your phone to control the camera. Shutter release, zoom control and some setting controls. No more wired remote. Big test at Red Rock.

Some of the shots....

600mm shot in the dark. Some noise. Incomming!

Pibal release. Dark shot adjusted. Crisp.

Dark shot with light behind. Crisp.

Dark shot adjusted to see puppers.

Very dark shot. Crisp flames are excellent.

Hare launches and at 600mm. Adjusted light.

Great contrast shot.

Slight crop  on original. Life and times of the Crown Crew.

600mm shot. Somewhat blown out sky but shooting into the rising sun.

300mm

Action shot. low light, gust front. sharp sharp sharp.

600mm shot light adjusted heavily since it was almost directly towards the sun. Still crisp. Look at the wicker on the left side.

So for a "bridge" camera this looks to be my go to for every day shooting. I still need my Nikon D7100 of rmy 10.5 fisheye lens and it still takes a cracking good picture but........ its probably going to be my backup camera. I lose 4meg pixels on this as the Nikon is 24 meg and the Sony is 20 meg but hay.... that's still a huge shot.

Now the ballooning part of my tale. So I spent so much time with the camera I didn't consider the balloon and my location on the field. Since we slipped in beside two others that were there before I was etiquette and just being nice is to not just run out there and inflate over their equipment.

So waiting for them to inflate and launch caused a huge delay in my options and I was so into taking pictures I dallied too long and the thermals started coming up...

So my poor crew got to stand around helping other people launch and then we didn't do a thing. When we had space to lay out it was to gusty and thermally to do it. My bad.

Sigh.

Two weekends to go before REd ROcks. I will refuel and prep but no flying until then. I promise to fly first and take pictures second.. or third. Promise!