AF100 ready for shuttle launch

F

filmfan222

Well-known member
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Novoflex M43 --> Canon 2XB 2X Telextender --> Tokina ATX 80-200mm f2.8


shooting 800mm @ around F11 F16

Hope my tripod holds up
 
mcgeedigital said:
I hope both the camera and the lens are well supported!
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They are, using rails and lense support.

Surpisingly though, the Tokina is very small and lightweight compared to its AF enabled friends. It's actually lighter than my 14-35mm zuiko...but longer out front.
 
Cool! Do you know where you're shooting from?

I shot Endeavour's last launch from the NASA Causeway with a Canon EF 70-200 2.8L + 2X (no aperture control, unfortunately).
I considered going to shoot the Atlantis launch from the park or beach, but between the weather/floating launch date/traffic and crowds, (and lack of aperture control) decided to stay home.

A good head and legs are vital!
Good luck, have a great shoot!

Here's what I got before Endeavour disappeared into the clouds...
 
I was there for STS-134 too. Those pesky clouds! I couldn't believe they showed up, what, about 40 minutes before launch?
Headed up tomorrow for Atlantis. Weather may delay the planned 7/8 launch but, at least if it goes, I've got Causeway tickets this time.
I'll do what I can but only have the 100-300mm for my AF-100.

Man I hate to see this thing come to an end (the shuttle).
 
dregenthal said:
I've got Causeway tickets this time.
I'll do what I can but only have the 100-300mm for my AF-100.
Man I hate to see this thing come to an end (the shuttle).
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Yeah, d@mn clouds!!!
Don't know if you've shot from the Causeway before, but pack light, get in the (hellaciously long snaking) line for the buses at the Visitor's Center as early as possible, try to sit at/near the front of the bus, sprint off the bus (with hundreds of others as other buses park), eyeballing a spot by the shore, and make sure there's not an island between you and the launch pad.
I had a practice run doing the above for the scrubbed launch.

I hate to see it end, too!
Which 100-300 do you have?
Enjoy,and good luck, have a great shoot!!!
 
Right now, they're stuck in a massive traffic jam with 750,000- 1,000,000 people... (better be editing in the passenger seat, dammit! :) )
 
Would be quite interested to see what filmfan222 got. We shot it from Titusville, which is about 11 miles away, and it was tough to get much of an image because of the weather and 11 miles of atmosphere. Even the tracking truck with the Phantom struggled to get a sharp image through all that haze.

On a lark, I brought along a GH2 and threw on the 100-300 lens, and shot in 720p ETC mode, so it got surprisingly close.
 
Very nice, Barry- especially shooting through all that damp air! How crowded was the beach?
Were you busy with something else (or watching), so you did a lockdown shot rather than follow it?
I can't believe that magnification factor- impressive!
 
Barry_Green said:
Would be quite interested to see what filmfan222 got. We shot it from Titusville, which is about 11 miles away, and it was tough to get much of an image because of the weather and 11 miles of atmosphere. Even the tracking truck with the Phantom struggled to get a sharp image through all that haze.

On a lark, I brought along a GH2 and threw on the 100-300 lens, and shot in 720p ETC mode, so it got surprisingly close.
Click to expand...

Hey guys!
bad news. My car was sideswiped by a big rig on 77 in NC heading to the launch. I had to watch it on a laptop wifi at Dennys :(

Good news. I'm going to shoot an airshow coming up in Richmond. Ill post aerials from there!
 
groveChuck said:
Very nice, Barry- especially shooting through all that damp air! How crowded was the beach?
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Wall to wall, as you'd expect.

Were you busy with something else (or watching), so you did a lockdown shot rather than follow it?
Click to expand...
Yeah, FlightLine was covering it for real, with the tracker truck, so we were all busy. I just threw the GH2 up to see what it could get, so yeah, it was on a tripod off to the side.

I can't believe that magnification factor- impressive!
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That's the thing ... almost twelve miles!
 
Nice Barry! Nothing like having a specialized tool when you need it, huh? :) Thanks for sharing!
 
filmfan222 said:
Hey guys!
bad news. My car was sideswiped by a big rig on 77 in NC heading to the launch. I had to watch it on a laptop wifi at Dennys :(

Good news. I'm going to shoot an airshow coming up in Richmond. Ill post aerials from there!
Click to expand...
Whoa! D@mn, man! Glad you're OK, but... how's the AF and the big lens??? :)
 
I shot from the causeway—problems from the start . . . like Barry said, a lot of haze!
The Panasonic Lumix 100-300mm malfunctioned (would not focus manually . . . so much for focus by wire).
Too far away to risk the shot trying automatic focus (which did appear to be functioning properly).

That left my 14-140mm. Better than nothing, but just barely. Had a TM-700 laying in the bottom of my bag (sure wish I’d had a clamp with me).
Anyhow, just took and slapped it up against the AF-100, framed and forgot about it as I needed to keep the shuttle in frame with the AF-100.
Naturally I only got about 10 seconds . . .

Wind wasloud and blowing away from the causeway so I decided to borrow NASA’s sound.
ATLANTIS disappears into the clouds at 40 seconds but then re-appears briefly at a minute, forty.
It’s embarrassing to post video like this but with so much interest in the final launch . . . here goes:



But just being there to see, listen to (and feel) that thing fly was worth the experience!
 
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