As luck would have it I’m in the right place at the right time….
I am spending a few days in Everett, Washington to take in Plane Spotting at Paine Field. This morning, I parked my car a bit before sunrise and within an hour I would be surprised with what came out from behind the ‘curtain’.
So without further rambling, I introduce you (and the world) to the newly completed D-ABYR fresh from the paint booth, including a 2 minute video showing the Push Back. Most of the photos are shot at 600mm with Sigma’s new 150-600. I can’t say I’m disappointed with the sharpness. My love affair with the lens continues!
BTW, pardon the soundtrack on the video. I needed to cover up ‘someone’s’ constant breathing into the microphone! 🙂
Hello World! The very first images of D-ABYR as she is pushed out of the Boeing Paint Booth. Taken at 600mm, cropped 75%, but acceptable…
A bit more of D-ABYR as the push back continues.
Preparing for tow to parking.
Pardon the United 787-9
Now she awaits her inaugural flight in the coming days…..
After a few months of building and rebuilding a website that I wanted for my Plane Spotting photography, I finally ready to formally unveil Aero-Shots.com.
If you’ve noticed, ‘Aero-Shots‘ has been my watermark for my airline photography for a few years. During that time I’ve amassed approximately 11,000 photos of Airliners from airports around the world. It became time to catalog these images and begin putting them on their own dedicated site.
When you visit Aero-Shots, you’ll see a simple home screen with Airline logos that can be clicked to enter their respective galleries. From there, visitors can choose a specific gallery based on the aircraft model (Boeing 747, Airbus A380, etc) and be taken to a screen showing photos of specific registrations or ‘tail numbers’.
Please note that the site only has 100-200 images thus far and the Lufthansa Gallery has the most content (Surprised?). Now that I’ve completed the ‘skeleton’ of the website, I can focus my efforts on populating the galleries with my images. Future updates will include blog posts, enhanced search ability and a few other improvements. To search the website now, please click the ‘magnifying glass’ icon at the top right hand part of the page. You can search by Airline, Aircraft Model, Registration or Tail Number, Airport Name and Airport code by simply typing the info into the Search Box.
Obviously this will be an ongoing project that actually may never be finished, but at least it is started and the hard part is done. To keep up to date on new additions to the galleries, please follow Aero-Shots on twitter: @_AeroShots.
Should you discover any obvious errors or problems, please let me know either by leaving a comment to this post or sending me a tweet @LufthansaFlyer or @_AeroShots. I’d also appreciate your feedback regarding website speed, fluidity and any recommendations that you may have!
After getting my hands on the Sigma 150-600mm lens, I came to the realization that I would need a way to store and transport both camera and lens safely when I travel. The standard Sigma soft-sided cases is OK if you have plenty of room in your luggage since it is quite bulky, but if you’re like me and try to travel only with carry ons, a different solution is needed.
After a few days of ‘Google-ing’ around, I came across a solution from thinkTANK that would turn out to be exactly what I needed. Up until that point, I was not familiar with the brand and their product line so there was a bit of skepticism when deciding to trust their products to protect thousands of dollars of photo gear.
I reached out to the company explaining what I was looking for and after a few quick email exchanges we agreed that they had a solution that would meet my needs which required a case that can store the 150-600mm lens while it is attached to the camera.
As part of our conversations, they offered to provide a complimentary case so that I could test their case in real-world situations while using it with the newly introduced Sigma lens. Apparently, very few have shipped let alone tried and tested so my intel may actually be helpful!
As part of all this, they also provided a promo code that is unique to LufthansaFlyer.com so that readers who order anything from thinkTANK will automatically receive free gear when they spend $50.00 or more through thinkTANKphoto.com. They offer a wide array of storage and travel solutions for photographers and those traveling with electronics. They offer unique solutions that I haven’t seen before…..
Anyway, back to the Case.
Based on the need to carry a Super-telephoto lens that is a bit over 12 inches long while attached to the camera, it was determined that the Digital Holster 50 would be the ideal solution. This case allowed my camera (Nikon D800) to be attached to the lens and stored comfortably in the case. The case is also large enough to fit a camera that has an extended battery grip attached as is the case with my camera.
A few other features of the case includes the ability for the case to be expanded thanks to zippered extension that is built into the case. When the extension is retracted, the case measures 12 inches in length, unzipping the extension gives you 3 inches of additional room for a longer lens. With the D800 and 150/600, the combo fit perfectly as if designed specifically for them. The only issue with this combo is the fact that the lens comes with a very large aluminum ‘hood’ that will not fit into the case. I simply clipped it to the outside of the case. Not a big deal.
Also, there are several pockets in and around the case as well as an integrated rain-cover. The rain cover can be taken out of its storage pocket and they pocket can be used for a small lens. In my case, it was the perfect place to keep my 50mm/1.4 lens when not in use. One minor shortcoming of the case is that there is plenty of unused real-estate on the case that could be used for additional pockets for filters, lens cleaning supplies etc.
The case is well padded and includes a a removable divider that can be used to separate pieces of equipment. The build quality is outstanding with high quality nylon material, and zippers. Additionally, there is a smartly designed velcro belt loop that makes it easy to attach to your waist should the need arise. There are also other components that thinkTANK offers that can be used with this cases such as harnesses and the like.
Should you like to learn more about their products, you can visit their line up at thinkTANKphoto.com. If you use the promo code AP-970 (unique to LufthansaFlyer.com) you’ll get free gear if your order is over $50.00. To qualify for the promo code, you’ll need to order directly from thinkTANKphoto.
Fully closed, the case measures 12 inches in width. It is tapered to accomodate camera and lens. The portion that shelters the camera measures 8 x 8 inches and is approximate 5 inches deep before the taper of the case begins.
This pocket stores the rain cover (removed). It can hold a small lense if you remove the rain cover.
Well padded interior with a padded fold-out flap to protect the top of your camera.
An integrated velcro Belt Strap makes is easy to attach to your waist. The velco is extremely strong and had no problem holding my camera and lens attached to my waist.
The bottom of the case has an integrated zippered extension that adds 3 inches of length to the case. Very handy when it comes to fitting longer lenses!
