Hello Brian, Well, my wife managed to land that job I mentioned. Now if I can only get my grubby hands on a little of that doe she's bringing in, I will invest in that DSLR. First I need to do a bit of research. I will be sure to pass along any interesting tid bits I uncover. regardin
Hi Gilliatt, I agree that the price of digital cameras is a consideration, especially as they are still expensive despite the serious economic downturn. However, if we wait on technological enhancement before deciding what to do, we may wait forever. As one might expect, digital SLR cameras are more expensive than the telescopic lens variety and they lack the portability of the telescopics, but there are some very good models available. As for black and white photography, it is no longer possible to buy B&W film in the UK except maybe through specialist outlets. However, the greatest photos ever taken were in B&W as are the greatest movies. Only the uninitiated believe otherwise.
I’m in a bit of a quandary as well; digital versus film, new technology versus old. My hesitation with investing in a decent higher performance digital camera is two fold. The first hurdle I must overcome regards the cost. My wife has been unemployed for the past few months, but she is slated to begin a new job in December. Secondly, I am hesitant at purchasing a decent SLR due to the seemingly monthly advancement in the technology such as the pixel resolution. What I buy today will be surpassed in technological advancement tomorrow. In the meantime, film photography has that “element” as you mention; a nearly antiquated process that appeals to the nostalgia in us old timers. At the same time, I still believe there are aspects in film photography that, at the moment anyway, can’t be matched by digital, particularly when photographing “black and white”.
Although I have a 35mm Nikon SLR and a host of pictures in photo albums as well as many that have still to be sorted, I haven't used my camera for some time. Coincidentally, someone offered to buy a digital camera as a present and I politely refused because I didn't want to be sidertracked from using the SLR. There is more of an element of actual photography when using non-digital cameras but I am truly impressed with what I have seen of digital photos. I have used a friend's digital and uploaded the results onto the computer and am gradually coming round to the idea of buying one.
Brian, Yes; the photos from the airshow were taken from a simple "point and shoot" type digital. However, you and I share in the fondness for a traditional film camera. Many of my photos, such as the ones in my photo albums, were taken with my old trusty workhoarse; a Pentax ME Super (35mm SLR). The Pentax has been my travel companion for many years including many trips throughout the Southwest U.S. and Europe.
Hi Gilliatt, Great pictures with terrific resolution, presumably you are using a digital camera. Although I recognise the superior technology of digital, I still use my old Nikon which has accompanied me on my travels for thirty years or more. The cloudless blue sky is something we rarely see in the UK and is obviously ideal for flying displays. I think such displays are interesting from the point of view of aircraft that are not specifically passenger orientated which we usually take for granted as mere passenger vehicles. I worked for the Ministry of Defence and attended a visit to Farnborough, a major annual air show in the UK, and was surprised at the size of attack helicopters for example. I'm afraid that drones will herald the end of aireal combat as we have known it from the great days of WW1 until the more recent combat in the MIddle East.
It was impossible to get a clean shot due to the hoards milling about, but here are a few photos: "Slim Pickens" Boeing B-52 Stratofortress bomber: A V-22 osprey tilit rotor aircraft VTOL (vertical take off or landing) : North American T-28 Trojan. A 1950's trainer. My father flew one of these while in the USAF reserves following WW II. Douglas DC-3 - This particular DC-3 is American Airlines flagship. The military designation was C-47.
Brian, Unfortunately, this year’s Alliance air show was a bit disappointing compared to past events. I am particularly fond of WW II aircraft given my father’s flying background. Typically, local air museums will exhibit a few of their aircraft at the air show and one never knows how many or of which type of planes will be present. This year the WW II era aircraft was slim pickens- excuse the pun (Slim Pickens the actor who flew the B-52 in “Dr. Strangelove”) Drones...humm, kind of deflates the romantic notion of "flying by the seat of your pants.
Hi Gilliatt, I do have an interest in military history but only as part of history in general in which the military have always played a major part. It was the Prussian general Karl von Clausewitz who said that "War is the continuation of politics by other means." I think that just about sums it up but I find the politics just as interesting as the warfare, especially Germany's development from the left over remnants of the defunct Holy Roman Empire into the political and military powerhouse of the 20th century. As we know, the resultant world wars were on a scale never before seen and the military endeavours included the air arms of the opposing forces. This new dimension to armed conflict has its own interest as distinct from the age old naval and land methods but my interest is that of a dilettante who occasionally delves into various aspects of aerial warfare.
Incidentally, I was reading an interesting item in Newsweek recently which posited the theory that fighters are already becoming obsolete by the development of drones which do not require a pilot and can deliver a payload by an operator controlling it from another country. Apparently, it has the USAF top brass pretty worried as congress has refused to pay for an increase in the number of fighters that the military have asked for. Anyhow, I would be interested to see what you manage to photograph at the air show.
