Personal Launch Report - ROC - 2014-01-11

[gdjsky01]

I am not an expert, but here's my guess:
I tell the camera it must use 1/3200
I tell the camera it must use ISO320
So I am pointed at the bright ground/sand/clay/dirt.
The camera says no problem, "I'll set the lens to f/7" ) or whatever
Now the rocket heads skyward and all that bright sand/dirt/clay is gone.
But the lens at the zoom I am using can not open wider than f/5.6
Since it can not vary anything else, its stuck and under-exposes.
Hence darker blue skies.
If my lens were faster at that zoom level, it would have more choices.
Just a guess...

 

[kelltym88]

Guess, 3 bdrm 2 bath, 2500 sq ft, $150-200,000. How far off am I.

A house that size and for that price would be far away from any "major metropolis" area... My house, which is in Fullerton, about 7 miles or so from Disneyland, is 3 bed/ 2 bath but only about 1300 sf. It is valued around $414,000. I am 102 miles from my house to the Lucerne launch site......

Jeff,

Another great report. That F75 pic is awesome..... thanks.

 

[DizWolf]

I am not an expert, but here's my guess:
I tell the camera it must use 1/3200
I tell the camera it must use ISO320
So I am pointed at the bright ground/sand/clay/dirt.
The camera says no problem, "I'll set the lens to f/7" ) or whatever
Now the rocket heads skyward and all that bright sand/dirt/clay is gone.
But the lens at the zoom I am using can not open wider than f/5.6
Since it can not vary anything else, its stuck and under-exposes.
Hence darker blue skies.
If my lens were faster at that zoom level, it would have more choices.
Just a guess...

I have the opposite problem. To get a decent liftoff I've got all the dark trees and dirt around and as soon as I hit sky its all washed out. If only auto exposure was better/faster.

 

[CarVac]

I have the opposite problem. To get a decent liftoff I've got all the dark trees and dirt around and as soon as I hit sky its all washed out. If only auto exposure was better/faster.

Metering is hard.

You may want to try manual exposure because the rocket won't get any brighter or darker as the background changes.

 

[majordude]

Metering is hard. You may want to try manual exposure because the rocket won't get any brighter or darker as the background changes.

Manual exposure?

Do you mean manual everything? (Shutter speed, aperture, ISO?)

For rocketry, I set my OM-D to a shutter speed of 4000 and let it do the rest. Fairly good results so far.

For many other photos I am an old OM-1 guy where I am "aperture priority".

 

[gdjsky01]

A house that size and for that price would be far away from any "major metropolis" area... My house, which is in Fullerton, about 7 miles or so from Disneyland, is 3 bed/ 2 bath but only about 1300 sf. It is valued around $414,000. I am 102 miles from my house to the Lucerne launch site......

Jeff,

Another great report. That F75 pic is awesome..... thanks.

True. But he mentioned looking in Palmdale. I think it's doable in the Antelope Valley. Or out in Hesperia / Apple Valley.
200k in L.A. proper or OC is out of the question unless maybe a small condo.

 

[CarVac]

Manual exposure?

Do you mean manual everything? (Shutter speed, aperture, ISO?)

For rocketry, I set my OM-D to a shutter speed of 4000 and let it do the rest. Fairly good results so far.

For many other photos I am an old OM-1 guy where I am "aperture priority".

Actually, I am an aperture-priority kinda guy. I shoot old Zeiss lenses adapted to Canon: stop-down metering and all.

However, what I really mean is: lock the exposure. Usually that's easier to do by just copying your settings from shutter speed priority into manual, and just clicking things up or down a stop depending on your results.


Which OM-D do you have? E-M1 or E-M5? How is the EVF with respect to tracking rockets? How is the EVF compared to the glorious OM-1 viewfinder? (just curious, I'm not in the market---I just got a new Ricoh GR)

 

[kelltym88]

True. But he mentioned looking in Palmdale. I think it's doable in the Antelope Valley. Or out in Hesperia / Apple Valley.
200k in L.A. proper or OC is out of the question unless maybe a small condo.

I know, I was just doing a comparison......

 

[qquake2k]

Dang Jeff, I'm jealous! We haven't had a launch here since last spring. I wish I could drive down there and launch with you! Great launches and photos, as always!

 

[majordude]

Which OM-D do you have? E-M1 or E-M5? How is the EVF with respect to tracking rockets? How is the EVF compared to the glorious OM-1 viewfinder? (just curious, I'm not in the market---I just got a new Ricoh GR)

I have the E-M5. Which may be better than the more expensive E-M1.

For years I've been using small point and shoot cameras so getting a SLR was a different experience. I hardly ever use the screen on the back now! I use the viewfinder and indeed it is nice. It's been decades since I sold my OM-1n and OM-4T's so I don't remember how their viewfinders were but I am very happy with the one on the OM-D.

The only "issue" I have had with the OM-D and with just about every other camera is the autofocus. If I point it at the sky it sometimes wants to hunt for what it thinks I want a photo of. So I resort to manual focusing like my old OM-1/4 days!

 

[Verna]

Awesome! Great report, great photos, especially the mach diamonds and sparkies!



Verna
www.vernarockets.com
https://www.facebook.com/RocketBabeDustStorm

 

[majordude]

Fantastic shot! (https://www.rocketryforum.com/showt...nch-Report-ROC-2014-01-11&p=653489#post653489)

 

[CarVac]

I have the E-M5. Which may be better than the more expensive E-M1.

The only things I know of that the E-M5 has over the E-M1 are size, long exposure noise, and price. And appearance, in my opinion. Not that it's a bad camera---in some ways it's much better than my 60D.

Don't go comparing spec-sheets; it's counterproductive and misleading.

 

[gdjsky01]

Our own kelltym88's rocket is featured on the NAR Facebook page. A photo I took at ROCStock 37 IIRC (maybe 38).
Cool!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/2255560886/

 

[kelltym88]

That's pretty cool!