Todays Boating

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

On more mundane matters.

Great morning at the pond. Park looks stunning.

Lander glitching a bit at distance(??) was ok last time…

Pirate ship (dissed by tot) and Scharnhorst (this one no fault found by, well, really anybody)

DDR thrashed by Trevor, after emergency superglue repair on rudder servo.

The Grey one MAY appear in an issue near you later on (as the first of the quartet to "out".

Need to decide what to do on project Z re motor.. may go with the 600 again but using a smaller brass prop…40 or even 35mm and an Mtronics ESC.

May start work on card prototypes for the Tapestry longboat. Chaps at model soldier show not much help as the consensus appeared to be "build it at 1/32 scale" but this would be much too big to use/play with…I mean, how big does the living room have to be to put a landings worth of ships in…say 5 boats??? not to mention the hundreds of soldiers needed.
No, it will be smaller and look exactly like a tapestry one, however the plan view has to be decided…pointy at both ends and curved all round, or flat sides and a more rounded front/back? I favour the latter, but the card models will decide.

Ashley

Edited By ashley needham on 13/05/2018 17:08:18

[Paul TParticipant @pault84577]

Wheres the plank………..up here int-north we have a very comical reply.

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

We wont go there….

Ashley

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

I have just remembered I have a Graupner speed 600BB which is rated at 12V so I might try this in project Z. on 9.6 or 7.2 it may be tame enough to drive a 40mm brass prop without excess battery consumption. The 555 tried was too feeble on 9.6V and my Lipo is small, and I don't have a 12vNimh.

Pictures now seen of Grey ship and they are stunning, will look great ON THE FRONT COVER cheers Graham. What it is to have a manual focus camera. I had completely forgotten. I have an Olympus OM2N with a full set of lenses and so on at home, unused now for years and worth almost nothing to sell. It may be time I splashed out and bought a DSLR.

Ashley

[Graham Ashby 1Participant @grahamashby1]

Hi Ashley,

Delighted that you like the shots. Personally, the Grey Ship rates as one of my favourite models of the year. It's quirky and fab. I love it.

Since you mentioned your OM2N I thought I'd let you know that I've just bought this little beauty. My first SLR was an OM10 and it was stollen from my car many moons ago by a contemptible low-life kind-of chap. Anyway, I've just picked this up second-hand, cleaned it up, and it's practically mint. Can't wait to use it.

If your OM2N is mint or the lenses in A1 condition do let me have first refusal

Graham

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Graham,

Did you take the grey job shots on manual focus? (Ashley sent me some samples). Must have been quite a matter of judgement when to press the button with the model coming towards you or did you take several shots. What sort of aperture did you use to throw the background out of focus? The images have a huge impact.

Colin

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

I had an OM10 as well, and it was a great camera. When it broke I upgraded to the OM2n, also a great camera. Mine is in good condition (but it depends on what you consider good/mint!).

So long since I did any proper shooting, or I would have asked those questions.
Message sent.

Ashley

[Kev.WParticipant @kev-w]

I'm another Olympus fan, I still use an OM40 now & again.

[Graham Ashby 1Participant @grahamashby1]

Hi Colin,

Oh, I wish it were down to skill and technicality but in truth it's more the equipment that's doing the work. All the moving images were shot on auto focus and to throw the background out I just clipped on a 300mm zoom which has a very shallow depth of field at the distances we were shooting. So, in truth the only tricky bit is framing and hitting the shutter at the right time to lock the focus onto the right bit of the boat (given the shallow DoF). Careful panning helps with the side-on shots. Also, I had the camera on sport mode so that I could machine-gun my way through each pass! Ashley was very patient. It was important to get the head-on shots given the subject. Oh, and the bow wave / wake is lovely. I must go before I start sounding too sad!

Graham

[Graham Ashby 1Participant @grahamashby1]

Hi Ashley,

Got your message, many thanks. Will drop you a line later.

Graham

[Graham Ashby 1Participant @grahamashby1]

Kip, I've just bought two rolls of film for the first time in years. This is going to be fun. I love the build quality of those old Olympus cameras. It's a lovely tactile thing. Looking forward to using it.

Graham

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Graham,

Yes, I thought you might have done something like that. My Canon has similar facilities. I have recently bought their 18-135mm stabilised zoom which does pretty much all I want with the APS-C sensor and gives superb images but I previously used (and still have) a Tamron 18-250mm where I didn't very often need the top end.

I used to have a Canon film SLR too. My late Dad had some lovely Rollei SLR gear and some great lenses he picked up from various sales. I still have the body although it doesn't work now. He also had a square format Rolleiflex twin lens reflex which he liked very much.

Colin

[Graham Ashby 1Participant @grahamashby1]

Well, Colin, there wasn't much wrong with that Farman shot of yours that we used on the March cover. That was a cracking image. I remember how it made my day when I was scratching my head looking for a suitable pic.

Oh, don't start me on cameras, we'll be here all night. I've got 'em all over the place tucked in corners and hidden in cardboard boxes. Everything from a Brownie to a medium format Hasselblad. I love 'em all. Mind you, none of them are as good as the current Canon, although they definitely have more soul.

Graham

Edited By Graham Ashby (Editor) on 18/05/2018 18:06:38

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Which Canon have you got? Mine is an EOS 600D which I bought a while back. I used to have a full size Canon DSLR but it was quite large and heavy and most of my more 'serious' photography is when we are on holiday so the smaller APS-C size is less weight to carry around when admiring and capturing the scenery.

I originally started off with a push button Kodak Brownie 127 when I was a kid. it delivered tiny contact prints until somebody swiped it while slung over a deckchair back on an Isle of Wight.beach.

Cameras are very important for modellers in being able to capture the essence of your work whether afloat or on the bench. They are also vital in taking reference photos of full size vessels or models to support your own modelling projects.

Colin

[Graham Ashby 1Participant @grahamashby1]

Hi Colin,

My go-to camera is a 70D, which is utterly sensational with a good lens. I've toyed with upgrading to an 80D but I'm so comfortable with the 70 that I've decided to wait a while and maybe go for a 90… as and when it turns up! I've not had a 600D but I had a 450D from new and a 700D after that. I couldn't fault either of them and I've heard great things about the 600. I sold the 700 to buy the 70 but even now still use the 450 as a snapping camera. I liken using it to driving an old car which you don't have to worry about.

I have to agree with your general comment on cameras, too.

Graham

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

TOMORROW. Which is going to be sensational, both weather, park and boat-wise. I will have the shiny grey one and project Z. This has been re-motored with a 540/1 and a two blade 35mm prop. This prop should suit the motor and also give me reverse, something the three blade plastic ones don't. In the tool box will be another motor and spare proips for a fiddle if the 540/1 does not deliver.

Yes, contact prints. I have scanned all my, and mum and dads printed pictures with a stand-along photo scanner and the results are fantastic. To be able to see those tiny pictures on the big screen..amazing, and also being able to fiddle with the images. Not that I fiddle much, but the current program allows one-click "enhancing" which fits the bill 8 times out of 10, and cropping, which is also handy on those bordered prints.

All my negatives have been scanned using a negative scanner, so all my photos are fully digitised and ordered into folders…. year by year, holidays, boats, soldiers, band and so on. I can find almost anything specific in about 5 mins easy.

The way to go, besides which it gives you backup (and as previously mentioned I have a separate portable hard-drive for this) and the negatives were starting to stick together and wotnot.

Ashley

[harry smith 1Participant @harrysmith1]

Hi Ashley

Reminding ewe to remove lens cap !!!!

Harry

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Thanks Harry!

Todays boating good turnout…6 1/2 of us.

Diver and shark made reappearance to delight of young mums and benefit of Facebook.

Most boats going very well. Finally Project Z seems happy on a 540/1, 7.2 Nimh and 35mm two blade S prop. Adequate forward speed and a showing of reverse.
Park looked great. Whats not to love??

Ashley

[Andy CParticipant @andyc56856]

Was indeed a wonderful morning. The diver being chased b6bth3 shark was a cool sight on the pond caused quite a stir.

Tom had fun wi5h the fire boat until it blew a fuse. Gotta love the smell of blown fuse wafting on the breeze. We think the little speed 300 is the wrong motor for the job. So going to look at a 385 as recommended b6 Ashley. Pump still causing trouble but not a topic for this thread. Will post in the right place.

Thank you Ashley for letting Tom loose on your spare landin* craft. H3 had @ great morning.

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Its funny but I have observed that young children seem to have more fun playing on other peoples boats than their own!

Yes a 385 and 35mm two blade plastic prop will have the fire boat performing adequately….NOT an X prop by the way.

Pump…I don't understand it at all. I cant believe it should need priming, A fireman at the wheel would not go amiss! Ashley

[Andy CParticipant @andyc56856]

Thanks Ashley, I will investigate the motor and props.

There was a man steering, but he got called away to man the pumps. Only to find they were not actually working. May have to employ the services of a couple more people. He needs a hat too, seems he left his behind in the boat shed.

[Chris FellowsParticipant @chrisfellows72943]

On subject of cameras it is a pity that most of the 35mm stuff has now been assigned to the scrap heap.

I've got two Minolta bodies, a number of lenses, flash guns (could still be used I suppose) and filters etc. all gathering dust in the spare room. Not worth selling as worth virtually nowt.

Have thought about running a roll of film through but no point really apart from nostalgia and I'd have to get some batteries.

Went to Shugborough Hall yesterday and took about 250 photos with the DSLR, couldn't contemplate taking that many with 35mm. I used to use a whole roll/rolls for a special subject but it got expensive.

Chris

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Chris. Exactly. My OM2n is in reasonable nick, have a dedicated flash and 6 lenses (none high end) and filters, its probably not worth selling.

As you say….what's the point of running a film through them? It would only make you aware of the advantages of digital photography once more.

When digital cameras first came along they were below par, but now… My first digital camera was a 1,3 Mp compact, and you were lucky to get 30 pictures off it before the batteries were drained. It cost 3130, and came complete with a postage stamp sized screen and an awkward menu. Compared to the 20Mp Canon I have now, cost £70 and shoots all day on its Lithium battery!

Times they are a changing. I have several "how to build an electronic ESC" articles saved from various MB mags in the past, as commercial ones were very expensive. I never did build any of them!! Funny enough my boating was all self taught , at the time, and I don't recall hearing about Bob`s boards then. I wasn't really into it too much at the time, just fiddling.

Ashley

[Trevor HollowayParticipant @trevorholloway99134]

Dragonfly charged and programmed into the Flysky transmitter.

May try to program another one too.

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Wonderful morning at the park. Water very clear although some floating duckweed and algae blobs These proved to much for Trevor's Draganfly, and were affecting its flying qualities.

Richard down with the Tirpitz, and Noel with two small boys (and an assortment of bump`n`go boats …they are not supposed to be bump`n`go, but small boys will be small boys

Oberon went very well and achieved some decent length runs at an even depth underwater. Pontoon boat ran well for three demonstration runs and Project H also running very well .Missed an opportunity to run the Hydroglisseur, as there was zero wind.

Pontoon boat box infested with ants and I have spent some time de-anting the box. I had a plague of ants last year in three boxes, and I think these were picked up from an unseen anthill on the grassy knoll where we put all the stuff.

Ashley

Edited By ashley needham on 27/05/2018 17:41:45

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