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07-23-2021, 01:03 AM   #1
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Glider ride

Hello, everyone! I'll be a passenger in a glider this coming weekend. I assume I will be sitting in the front seat so I hope I can take some photos. The camera will be the K-1. I'm thinking wide angle... I have 14, 20 and 31mm lenses. What would you take with you for the ride?

07-23-2021, 01:22 AM - 1 Like   #2
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QuoteOriginally posted by pixie Quote
Hello, everyone! I'll be a passenger in a glider this coming weekend. I assume I will be sitting in the front seat so I hope I can take some photos. The camera will be the K-1. I'm thinking wide angle... I have 14, 20 and 31mm lenses. What would you take with you for the ride?
I would leave the camera gear home and enjoy the glide and visions without being distracted by taking pictures.
07-23-2021, 01:32 AM - 1 Like   #3
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Enjoy the experience! Whatever you do take, it could be bumpy up there so make sure you hold onto it tight. I’d suggest as wide as you have for impact, but pre-focus it as you don’t want to be eyes-down on the controls too much. Keep your eyes on the horizon as much as possible …
07-23-2021, 01:44 AM - 1 Like   #4
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You have got to take pictures, it's the law.
I would take the 20mm, set aperture to f11, infinity focus and just fire away.

07-23-2021, 01:56 AM - 2 Likes   #5
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QuoteOriginally posted by Kevin B123 Quote
You have got to take pictures, it's the law.
I would take the 20mm, set aperture to f11, infinity focus and just fire away.
What he said.

The 31 is too narrow and the 14 is too wide. So do as Goldilocks would and take the 20.

Select Av mode and trust the camera to get it right. I would not try and be clever with manual exposure. There will be too many distractions from the ride. Also, leave it on manual focus, the camera might try to focus on the cockpit in front of you.

Enjoy the ride!
07-23-2021, 02:36 AM - 1 Like   #6
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I don't know about a glider, but I have been on a motorized, twoseater plane.
I guess it depends on the surrounding area what might be interesting to photograph, I got my best pictures with my old Vivitar 70-210mm f4.5 lens:
07-23-2021, 03:00 AM - 1 Like   #7
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Enjoy the ride. And I think the 20mm, f11 and focus on infinity will serve you well. We will be waitinfg for the pics.

07-23-2021, 03:56 AM - 2 Likes   #8
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Wide angle will be great in the cockpit, but pretty useless for the scenery. As stated above a 70-210 lens will be better for landscapes. 50mm at least. You will not be close to the ground and a lot of detail will be lost with a wide angle lens. With modern stitching software you can build the wide angle shot afterwards. Just look at a wide angle shot and see how little detail there is 610meters (2,000) feet away. You will be that far above the ground or higher for most of your ride.




NOTE: You will be in a sailplane not a glider. Gliders were used on D-Day during the Normandy invasion. Once a glider is released it can only descend. A sailplane can soar with the updraft and stay aloft for hours if the conditions are right.
07-23-2021, 05:52 AM - 1 Like   #9
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I might consider a fisheye lens (e.g. Samyang/Rokinon 8 mm)
07-23-2021, 06:05 AM - 1 Like   #10
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That really depends on what you want to capture.

Details on the ground from an aerial perspective: telephoto preferably a zoom

Cloudscape above the cockpit with some cockpit context: ultra wide
07-23-2021, 06:05 AM - 1 Like   #11
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As with every outdoor event, what do you want to capture? Plan accordingly. Personally, I would take a fisheye so I can make use of the curvy canopy of the glider and take in the clouds above, you could even get a selfie with a lot of context.

You have a K-1, and the lighting will probably be very good, so you can go with a low ISO, so you can crop if you want to make prominent something on the ground you see from the air. Almost everything you see will be toward the horizon any way.

Find out if you will sit in front or back seat .

Enjoy!
07-23-2021, 06:51 AM - 1 Like   #12
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Unless the air is very clear & dry on the day of your flight, you might consider a UV or haze filter for shots of the ground from the air.

Get some pre- and post-flight shots (if you don't get in the way) - airport ambience: you will be out on the field (depending on the size of the airport, things look much different out there than when walking down the jetway to board a passenger flight); hooking up the tow plane; when the tow plane releases your sailplane; coming in for the landing; ... .

No matter what, as others have said - Enjoy the ride!

Dave (an occasional motorized pilot, seen here doing the pre-flight for a trip to Albuquerque)
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07-23-2021, 08:12 AM - 1 Like   #13
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QuoteOriginally posted by pixie Quote
Hello, everyone! I'll be a passenger in a glider this coming weekend. I assume I will be sitting in the front seat so I hope I can take some photos. The camera will be the K-1. I'm thinking wide angle... I have 14, 20 and 31mm lenses. What would you take with you for the ride?
A parachute is the first item that comes to mind....
07-23-2021, 08:30 AM - 2 Likes   #14
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14: straight-ahead and selfie-straight-behind in-cockpit shots (probably on the take-off roll, climb-out and release). A 14 can also be used creatively for exaggerated perspectives of the sailplane or tow-plane on the ground.

24: This would be my go-to lens for landscapes unless the distortion of the canopy is to high. (If you have time after being seated and before take-off, you might do a little experimentation with aperture and pixel-peeping to check the corners of the image).

31: This would be the backup landscape lens and good for on-the-ground airport ambience.

normal-medium telephoto: great for focusing on portions of the landscape.

Long-telephoto: Can be very tempting but unless the air is extremely clear, the contrast on the images may be very disappointing.

Before the flight, inspect the canopy where you will be sitting, clean the outside and inside if possible, and pay attention to the location of scratches or fogging.

P.S. Turn-off automated horizon leveling -- the accelerations of the aircraft can fool it and make the horizons unlevel.

P.P.S. Do not use a polarizing filter. It is very likely that the materials of cockpit canopy will interact with the polarized light of the sky such that putting a polarizer on the lens will create strange bands of color.
07-23-2021, 11:54 AM - 1 Like   #15
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take a gopro
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