Did you ever think of getting into drones?

Sirius Glass · Jan 26, 2019

It's amazing how some drone pilots just don't seem to care about the rules, never mind common sense and courtesy. Unfortunately their antics lead to a lot of people just not liking drones and I totally get that. Just like stills, some of us have the "Leave no trace" mentality, others don't seem to care.[/QUOTE]

Ultimately, the non-aviation public just don't know about the rules, and I can't blame them for that really. It's a murky world of rules when it
comes to aviation, and your average person wouldn't likely even know where to go for answers.
2019 FAA CFR FAR/AIM[/QUOTE]

Except that for over a year the drone limitations and restrictions have been on radio, TV, internet and news. One has to be truly stupid to miss it, so it is malicious and willful.

wy2l · Jan 26, 2019

Please advise what kind of drone I should use to lift my 8x10 view camera.

Sirius Glass · Jan 26, 2019

wy2l said:
Please advise what kind of drone I should use to lift my 8x10 view camera.

And my Hasselblad with the 500mm lens.

4season · Jan 26, 2019

slackercrurster said:
That is no good for me. I'm not a pixel pepper, but would like something decent, like 24mp FF or more.

So far as I know, flying one of those things well still requires a non-zero amount of skill. I'm at the point where I can keep a beginner-level r/c helicopter or airplane in the air pretty well. But a larger, heavier rig costing thousands of dollars? Not until I'm thoroughly comfy operating smaller and lighter ones!

DDTJRAC · Jan 26, 2019

faberryman said:
For about 15 minutes. Then I realized it was playing with flying machines and shooting video, neither of which I had any real interest in.

I agree about the flying. OK, would be fun a little, but am not into flying that much and have to stay focused on the photography. The drone is just an extension of the camera. Video is not of interest to me wither except with the historical films preservation in my archive.

DDTJRAC · Jan 26, 2019

CropDusterMan said:
Drones are pretty cool tools for photography, but the problem is the payload capacity.
It takes a large and powerful drone to carry a decent SLR, but their are options out there for smaller cameras.
I fly actual helicopters for a living, and one thing that is important to understand is the legal and safety aspect of operating
a drone...ultimately, you become part of the Federal airspace system, depending on altitudes and your proximity to airports.
When I flew tours in Vegas, one of our pilots almost hit a drone over the city doing 140mph. It would likely have been fatal.
I believe newer drones have safeguards preventing their use in close proximity to Controlled airports and in areas covered
by FAA TFR's (Temporary Flight Restrictions). For instance, if their is a wildfire, a TFR goes up preventing the flight of drones
and non-essential aircraft into that area, but their are still morons who manage to do it, causing potential risks to aerial firefighting and police traffic.

The FAA has been cracking down heavily on drone use. https://www.faa.gov/uas/ is a link that is provided by the FAA here in
the U.S to explain drone use and req's.

It is just a matter of time before a drone gets sucked through a Commercial jet engine or takes out a tour helicopter. Surprised it hasn't happened yet.

Would not think a drone would take a copter down. Jet, OK, but can't the jet fly on the remaining engines if one is gone?

DDTJRAC · Jan 26, 2019

rorye said:
[QUOTE="

The FAA has been cracking down heavily on drone use. https://www.faa.gov/uas/ is a link that is provided by the FAA here in
the U.S to explain drone use and req's.

It's amazing how some drone pilots just don't seem to care about the rules, never mind common sense and courtesy. Unfortunately their antics lead to a lot of people just not liking drones and I totally get that. Just like stills, some of us have the "Leave no trace" mentality, others don't seem to care.[/QUOTE]

I should not get into it then. Street photogs, good ones, don't follow rules well. While I posted this in landscapes, if you know my work, you know what I shoot...it is urban...it is in your face. I was interested in aerial shots over crowded urban areas and as close as is reasonable. It sounds like it would be a problem. Especially since my view of reasonable is not the normally accepted view in most cases.

DDTJRAC · Jan 26, 2019

jim10219 said:
I'd be afraid to invest much money into a drone at this time. Right now, it's kind of the wild west. I'm betting we'll see heavy regulations surrounding them in the near future.

I have a friend who's a forester and uses them for work often. They make some cool videos and are very useful for jobs like his. But I dont think they'll ever be taken seriously for landscape still photography. It's hard to get anything in the foreground and the perspectives often seem unnatural. They make cool videos, but don't often impress me for stills. Like anything, it's a tool, and a tool is only as good as the person using it. But it's not a tool whose usefulness justifies the price, in my opinion. Plus my father owns a small airplane and I've shot enough stills from that thing and various helicopter tours I've taken to know that it makes for a much better personal experience than photographic tool.

So I'd say buy a drone if you want to fly a drone. But dont buy a drone if you're looking for a serious photography tool. On the rare chance that you actually have an idea for a photograph that requires a drone, search for someone that already owns a drone and rent their services. Craigslist in my area is often littered with people wanting to rent out their drones to help them recoup some of their costs.

Thanks for the thoughtful options.

DDTJRAC · Jan 26, 2019

It's amazing how some drone pilots just don't seem to care about the rules, never mind common sense and courtesy. Unfortunately their antics lead to a lot of people just not liking drones and I totally get that. Just like stills, some of us have the "Leave no trace" mentality, others don't seem to care.[/QUOTE]

Ultimately, the non-aviation public just don't know about the rules, and I can't blame them for that really. It's a murky world of rules when it
comes to aviation, and your average person wouldn't likely even know where to go for answers.
2019 FAA CFR FAR/AIM...this book is a thick as War & Peace and breaks it down completely.[/QUOTE]

I guess if you want to be a successful (alive) pilot you learn to follow rules or else. As someone once told me about mushroom hunters. There are bold mushroom hunters and there are old mushroom hunters, but there are no old, bold mushroom hunters.

silveror0 · Jan 26, 2019

Did you ever think of getting into drones?
I suspect there's not been one designed yet that's big enough to accommodate me.

ic-racer · Jan 26, 2019

I'd like a drone to send into neighborhoods that are too dangerous to walk around in.

According to this guy, any neighborhood will become dangerous once a drone comes down.

Kilgallb · Jan 26, 2019

wy2l said:
Please advise what kind of drone I should use to lift my 8x10 view camera.

A Bell 206 with an ex Vietnam war pilot.

jtk · Jan 27, 2019

Drones provide targets for hikers who would never have carried a firearm previously. That's true in NM therefore probably true everywhere else.

If you love drones you wjll eventually be opposed to gun controls.

Sirius Glass · Jan 27, 2019

jtk said:
Drones provide targets for hikers who would never have carried a firearm previously. That's true in NM therefore probably true everywhere else.

If you love drones you wjll eventually be opposed to gun controls.

In the past I considered buying a fire arm, but never did. Now I am thinking of buying the biggest shotgun I can carry and accurately aim.

CropDusterMan · Jan 27, 2019

/QUOTE]

Except that for over a year the drone limitations and restrictions have been on radio, TV, internet and news. One has to be truly stupid to miss it, so it is malicious and willful.[/QUOTE]

Remember what country we live in. (See my signature).

CropDusterMan · Jan 27, 2019

Kilgallb said:
A Bell 206 with an ex Vietnam war pilot.

Ha!
Actually, the Bell 206 (I have 4000 hours+ in) is not as good as a well tracked and balanced MD 500.
Now that's a good camera platform. Still, you'll need to be at 250th of a sec to prevent vibration with
the old 8x10! LOL

Jason

CropDusterMan · Jan 27, 2019

slackercrurster said:
Would not think a drone would take a copter down. Jet, OK, but can't the jet fly on the remaining engines if one is gone?

I was almost killed last year when a dove came through my windshield while cropdusting at only 70 mph. Your average tour
helicopter cruises at close to 120mph. A drone through a windshield or into he control tubes area or tail-rotor of a helicopter
would be fatal.

DDTJRAC · Jan 29, 2019

I checked with some helicopter companies. They average about $400 an hour for a small one. That is timed from the time left to the time they land. Seems like that is the best option over a drone. They said the closest they can get to the ground is 500 feet.

For any of you aerial shooters, what lens did you use for 500 feet to get some detail in?I'm not interested in horizon types of photos. I am looking for a 2 to 4 blocks of city action.

removed account4 · Jan 29, 2019

rorye said:
It's amazing how some drone pilots just don't seem to care about the rules, never mind common sense and courtesy. Unfortunately their antics lead to a lot of people just not liking drones and I totally get that. Just like stills, some of us have the "Leave no trace" mentality, others don't seem to care.

I know, the bad apples ruin things for the rest of us. Like the obnoxious people who give regular people a bad rep. I think someone said it is better to be known for being notorious than not known at all, or something like that. Like that guy who lit the fires under the arch in the park, or the people cutting down the Joshua Trees... People can be kind of pathetic.

Did you ever think of getting into drones?

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