[paulh]

Can you spot the aircraft? DA18-55:

[wtlwdwgn]

Can you spot the aircraft? DA18-55:

Yep, low middle between two clouds.

[Racer X 69]

Can you spot the aircraft? DA18-55:

Barely.

[rayallen]

Can you spot the aircraft? DA18-55:

Or it could be a bird!!

[ChristianRock]

Or it could be Superman!

[Dartmoor Dave]

Nope, you're all missing it. That speck in the background is just a bug. The actual aircraft fills almost the whole sky, but it's the new top secret stealth fighter that's being tested over Texas. Uses a quantum cloaking device to bend light around it, so that it's completely invisible to radar and cameras. You can only tell it's there from that streaking effect in the clouds as it passes in front of them.

I'll be at the Torbay airshow this weekend, weather permitting, and I bet I'll end up with lots of shots with nothing but invisible planes in them.

[paulh]

Nope, you're all missing it. That speck in the background is just a bug. The actual aircraft fills almost the whole sky, but it's the new top secret stealth fighter that's being tested over Texas. Uses a quantum cloaking device to bend light around it, so that it's completely invisible to radar and cameras. You can only tell it's there from that streaking effect in the clouds as it passes in front of them.

I'll be at the Torbay airshow this weekend, weather permitting, and I bet I'll end up with lots of shots with nothing but invisible planes in them.

You got it, Dave. That stealth technology is amazing, especially the "quantum cloaking" effect. But it unfortunately makes excessive use of rare and expensive dilithium crystals. However, they are working to eventually adapt unobtainium for that purpose! The "plane" in that photo is actually just a high-flying gnat.

[subsea]

You got it, Dave. That stealth technology is amazing, especially the "quantum cloaking" effect. But it unfortunately makes excessive use of rare and expensive dilithium crystals. However, they are working to eventually adapt unobtainium for that purpose! The "plane" in that photo is actually just a high-flying gnat.

That aircraft configuration has been around forever. In fact I've got a plastic model of it on my shelf! If I get the chance, I'll post a picture of it.

[paulh]

In fact I've got a plastic model of it on my shelf!

You have a plastic model of a gnat? What scale is it? Yes, please post some pics!

[subsea]

You have a plastic model of a gnat? What scale is it? Yes, please post some pics!

Actually, I was talking about the optically invisible aircraft configuration, which can be seen on the model stand to the right, in 1/48 scale. The Gnat which was actually built is shown in flight in the second picture.

[Dartmoor Dave]

The Gnat which was actually built is shown in flight in the second picture.

The Folland Gnat! A true classic. As a little kid in the late sixties/early seventies I remember seeing some great Red Arrows displays when they were using those planes. In those days they could display right over the crowd's heads, and the effect was mindblowing. But unfortunately, with modern-day ultra-paranoid safety regulations, they have to fly so far away that the displays aren't anywhere near as spectacular. My longest lens is the F 100-300mm, which I'll be using at the weekend, and even at 300mm I know I'll have to crop heavily.

Here's a curious camera discovery though. It turns out that at ISO settings up to 400, my GX-10 cropped from 10MP to 5MP has less noise than my K-S1 cropped from 20MP to 10MP. So effectively, at lower ISO and as long as I'm not cropping more than 50%, the 10MP sensor is better than the 20MP. It's only above ISO 400 that the K-S1 starts to have a real advantage.


Edit:
I thought I'd better add that this was not a scientific test under controlled conditions. It's based on similar airshow shots with both cameras with the same lens in similar light conditions (clear blue sky). I made straight raw to jpeg conversions of various shots in camera raw, cropped them all by the same percentage, and compared the amount of visible noise at full screen on my monitor. It's the noise at full screen on my monitor or in a 12"x18" print that I'm personally interested in. I'm not a 100% crop kinda guy.

[paulh]

I remember seeing some great Red Arrows displays when they were using those planes. In those days they could display right over the crowd's heads, and the effect was mindblowing.

I remember those days as well. The Red Arrows, along with the Blue Angels and Thunderbirds, would pass directly overhead. My most memorable fly-by was the SR-71 Blackbird doing a high-speed pass right over us - wow. That image and the shockwave are forever etched in my brain!


Meanwhile....
Walking thru the woods with Jeannie after sunset. Pushing the old K10D & kit lens at iso800 and 1/6 sec .



Taken the same evening as my airplane-in-the-sun photo above - DA18-55:

[ChristianRock]

I'm getting a little more adventurous processing the K10D files in Darktable... the modules are of very high quality.

M 50 1.4






Incredibly, this A 24 2.8 picture required the least processing. The lens brings out a LOT of contrast and saturation! This was more of my basic workflow of just applying my initial basic settings.

[rayallen]

I'm getting a little more adventurous processing the K10D files in Darktable... the modules are of very high quality.

M 50 1.4

Incredibly, this A 24 2.8 picture required the least processing. The lens brings out a LOT of contrast and saturation! This was more of my basic workflow of just applying my initial basic settings.

Wow, CR! They are all outstanding. Especially "So Yellow".

[ChristianRock]

Wow, CR! They are all outstanding. Especially "So Yellow".

I have to say that it is more the lens and camera than the photographer... it was basically like that when I opened up the file!
I got several pictures on that walk where the rendering, colors and contrast were incredible but my composition was horrible. I processed them anyway just to see what could have been. The K10D/A 24 2.8 combination seems quite magical and I think if I spend time with it then I will become a better photographer!