With the ‘Constrain Crop’ feature off (above) you can see how much image are you are going to loose with the correction.

Here is the off camera image:It’s taken by Matt nh http://www.flickr.com/photos/68177735@N00/6719422123/ of Zoutkamp in the Netherlands and he has asked me how to De-fish it.

In Lightroom the ‘Develop’ panel has a Lens correction sectionand there is no lens profile availabe for GoPro but from the Exif I know the focal length is given as 16mm so by scarabbling through the available profiles I plumped for a Nikkor 16mm AF fisheye- the closest thing.

And the applied correction looks like this:Now I can switch from ‘Profile’ to ‘Manual’ control of the lens correction:and push the ‘Distortion’ slider (+58) to smooth the perspective a bit. Then the corrected image is exported and that’s the job done!

There are a number of other ways discussed here and a good Hugin tutorial on this is here.

Happy fishing!

B

]]> http://billboyheritagesurvey.wordpress.com/2012/01/25/never-mind-the-width-feel-the-quality-de-fish-in-lightroom/feed/ 3 billboyheritagesurvey Lens correction 6719422123_980b7a85d6_b Lens corrn 1 Lens plump 1ST PASS Manual_01 De fished and tweaked http://billboyheritagesurvey.wordpress.com/2012/01/23/what-is-the-best-kite-for-kap/ http://billboyheritagesurvey.wordpress.com/2012/01/23/what-is-the-best-kite-for-kap/#comments Mon, 23 Jan 2012 14:27:26 +0000 billboyheritagesurvey http://billboyheritagesurvey.wordpress.com/?p=3535 Continue reading →]]> I have been adding content to the KAPwiki and I think answers to ‘what is the best kite for KAP?’ is probably the most wanted information. Wicherd has made a start but definitive advice on this is problematic. It’s possible to get good pictures from all manner of kites and one KAPers opinion is very different to another. I have my own preferences and, like all advice I give, I’m loath to make any recommendation I have not tried myself.

One thing is very clear: the relationship between KAPer and  kite is personal, so here is how I see  some KAP personalities expressed by the kites they fly:

Brooks Lefler clearly loves his trusty fled

Ramon Palares is a big fan of the Levi Levitation Light, and a big Rokkaku

Scott Dun keeps a loft full of kites but I see him as a Dopero man.

Christian Becot is a master of many kites but has made the Calomil his own

Hamish Fenton is a flowform flyer but takes to the skies with a mighty Cody when the fancy takes him

Simon Harbord loves his Dan Leigh delta

Ralf  Beutnagel wouldn’t fly anything less than a 8m custom KAPfoil

And me?  It’s easy to characterize others but self-examination reveals a common KAPer trait- we like options!   Although we have our favorite kites we are always looking for a better option, the business of reliably lifting a camera by kite means, like a golfer with a choice of irons, KAPers take a set of kites into the field.

Flying an 800g rig  over the last 3 years I have figured out what works best in Bft 2-4: A CiM Lifter parafoil for Bft2, and two ‘Becotised’ flowforms a Sutton FF30 and an Hq2.0 for Bft 3 and 4. I use a light (150 DaN) line with the big lifter and keep it well away from anything over 7mph. In winds over 10mph (Bft 3 ) I can fly the ff30  on a heavy 250DaN line and the HQ 2.0 takes over at Bft4. So that’s 3 kites and 2 weights of line. Having watched these kites weave about I always fly with a 15cm drogue towed about 5m behind- the drogue slows spins and dampens the weaving tendency.

3m Rokkaku When I’m lucky enough to fly with Clive Hollins I get use of this big custom made kite and as a Bft 2 lifter It can’t be beat. It has snapped its original fiberglass spars and now has carbon fibre replacements. It is much more stable and creates more lift than the Cim Lifter in the same wind.

DSLR KAP I’m tip-toeing my way towards kites that will lift a 1.5 Kg DSLR rig happily. This is a process of seeing if I can push my favorite kites into faster wind-speeds or shaving weight off proven set ups by reducing the weight of line I fly with.  These tactics are risky as I’m in danger of flying an overblown kite or snapping flying line.

The idea of KAP balance is important to me- I like to walk the kite across the landscape I photograph. When Simon speaks of ‘KAP connection’ I know what he means:  KAP is at its most pleasurable when the lift from the kite, the pull on the flier and the mass of the camera are in balance: if I find myself fighting with the kite on a razor tight line or if the lift is erratic the process can become something of a grim struggle between the desire to fly and natural forces.

So what are the basics of a good KAP kite then?

Size: in general large kites are more stable than small ones-I’d say 2m² is a minimum except for the Bft 4/5 stuff where smaller sizes can work.

Static stability: a single line kite is better than a high speed stunter, kites designed for traction don’t work well as lifters. The flying angle is important, it’s often an advantage to be able to have the kite a long way down wind without gaining too much height, the ‘soft kites’ do this well.

Durability:  the repeated  bending and flexing of kites can lead to snapped spars or ripped sails so those kites that are put before Bft 3 and 4 need to be well stitched!

Controlability, by this I mean ‘recoverabilty’, for example I know, with luck, I can escape from a spin with the flowforms but not an inversion of the parafoil. Another aspect of this is how manageable a kite is when hauling it down, big parafoils are not for me as they need industrial levels of anchor, flying line and arms of steel to get back on the ground!

Availability: very often the best kite for the job is the one you have to hand, adding a drogue or tail and changing the line weight can help an unpromising kite do better.

Now I hear the question…’So go on then Bill, enough of the chat, tell us which is best for a beginner to start their KAP adventure then?’

Well, so far I have to say, the easiest to fly in the gentlest winds is the Rokkaku, a 3m one might be a bit much for a beginner but a 2m one should do the trick. Failing that the Colours in Motion Lifter is a good light wind lifter provided you take the time to tune it, but once the KAP bug has bitten its very haed to pick just one kite!

The Hq Flowform 2.0 at £99 (on request)  and the CiM Lifter is £105 from EMKay kites in the UK.

A 1.98m Rok is made by Premiere Kites- I’ve not flown it so I won’t recommend it!

So not a simple answer to the question but there a whole lot of fun to be had finding out the answer!

Woe is me! I have just discovered my beloved Sutton Flowform 30 is no longer in production, so I’m on the look out for a replacement! Is the Didak ‘Exlporer 2.7′ the new KAP workhorse?  Given the performance of the Didak Flowform as a KAP lifter have they done a better job with the Explorer?

http://www.kapshop.com/Lifters-Kites-Soft-kites-Sutton-FF/c75_3_54_13/index.html

Happy flying,

B

B

The Chief Signal Officers order number for the manual is suffixed -42 so I geuss this is a 1942 version.

By April 1945 the ‘Handbook of Maintanance Instructions for Radio Set AN/CRT-3′  makes an attempt at a less formal depiction of the desperate scene.  The identity of the model is protected but things look pretty grim in this version of the ‘ditched at sea; day one’ story:The powerful idea that radio is your best hope comes across in these images even though they are purely technical in nature. The visual message is clear: carefuly planned procedure might just get you rescued, there is always a practical step you can take to save yourself!

Here’s hoping I never have to rely on a Bendix box for survival!

B

The most well known is Box Kite M-357-A, made in the thousands by the Bendix Aviation Co. from 1941. The design is of interest as it’s collapsible and ‘idiot proof’. The aluminium frame used an ingenious ‘pop-out spider’ to make assembly easy. It was made to lift 260 feet of stainless steel wire antenna as flying line. So it was a good lifter too.

The instructions are printed on it:The famous emergency radio (from which the ‘Gibson Girl’ nickname is derived- it had an ‘hour glass’ shaped case) and its box kite lifted antenna was developed from a 1941 captured German example which used a winged box (see Louis Meutlstee’s excellent account here). The British adopted the system and it went into mass production in the US.  11,600 sets were ordered to be made as standard issue for all aircraft operating over sea. It was in use as US air force kit up to the 1970s. The complete emergency radio kit included a balloon and hydrogen generator as an alternate to the kite.

A good description of the system is posted on the excellent Carnet deVol website by Patrick and Patricia Mouchague here.

The risks of raising the antenna by hydrogen balloon and kite had to be spelled out in the manual!

It appears that by1943 the RAF antenna raising system was refined further. They seemed happy with the radio but the box kite was superseded by a Conyne design which could be rocket launched from a Very pistol:

I am unsure as to why the RAF went for this, perhaps supply problems with the Bendix kite or a research team gripped by kite fever- who knows? I assume the Very pistol would have been onboard any aircraft so the rocket launched Conyne kite would be less bulky than the box, or perhaps there was a fear of launch failure. Maybe it was felt that downed pilots and crew shouldn’t have to assemble the kite? Here is the kit :Launch procedure was pretty scary but straight forward:

A rocket launched kite seems very appealing, it would be a good method of getting a kite clear of ‘dirty’ airflow at ground level. Mind you I can see some problems,  having to deal with an instant  200′ of line  might create more problems than it solves if the kite swings into the wind and drags the line over the usual obstructions- best used at sea I suppose!

I’m left with a few unanswered questions about the use of kites in WW2 as emergency radio antennae:

• Why did the RAF appear to drop the Bendix box kite so soon after it went into production?
• What was the advantage of the rocket launch system?
• The ‘Rocket’ Conyne  has a full sail, most examples  of the design are open between the cells, why was this?
• How did the rocket launched Conyne work in practice? How does the ‘runner’ work?
• The German winged box kite seems to have a central ‘spacer’ spar as part of its ‘pop-up’ assembly mechanism-how did it work?
• There are 3 kite designs deployed : a winged box, a box and a Conyne: which is best as a Bft4/5 KAP lifter?

I know many examples of the M357A survive (they were a popular post war toy for many!) but info on the British ‘Rocket Conyne’ and the German winged box is scarce, it would be fun to find and fly these warkites, their designs  have the robust utility of working tools that appeals!

B

So here is Francis Beaufort’s scale with a translation of the commonly used values including the weather chart symbols and colours.

I have added my own kite experiences in the ‘effect on kite’ column: I expect other fliers will have their own so I should point out this is a KAP fliers table.

Hope it’s useful!

B

My GP has referred me to Addenbrooke’s Hospital and I believe my right hand will be out of action for at least 3 weeks…I  suddenly realise in a very personal way what a handicap is like: the terror of not being able struck me today as I try to do all the things that will need a right hand to do and do them before my op. One last thrash on the guitar, one last kite flight…clear the sink, shave, hoover the carpets…you name it I’ve thought of it.In the film ‘Cave of Forgotten Dreams ‘ there is a sequence where Werner Herzog shows us a panel of 30 thousand year old red hand prints in the Chauvet Cave from which the height of the painter (5’10″- I’m 5’11″) was deduced…and that the little finger on the right hand was crooked. In the dark of the cinema at that moment I felt a connection…I have that hand too.

06.01.2012 :12.00 I recall when I was assessed back in November I asked Mr Cormack, the specialist, ‘Why do I have this?’ to which he replied: ‘We don’t really know but there is  a correlation between male middle age, alcohol use and Scandinavian decent, it often occurs after trauma to the hand.’ So I thought back and realised this was the hand I’d got trapped in my kite line and numbed the finger for a week, the feeling returned but a month later the contracture began. My Mother’s maiden name is Scandinavian in origin  …and yes I like a drink too- all 4 boxes ticked! He then took the crooked finger and yanked it straight…the pain was unbelievable. He then told me to flex the finger as much as possible before the op to increase the chance of success- I have obliged him but its still not straighted out. I think I might have gained about 25deg more extension by doing this daily over 8 weeks. How much is this going to hurt?

13.45 I report as directed to Clinic 7 early and to my horror I’m whisked straight to the operating room, there’s no putting this off now!

18.00 So now I’m back home and typing with my left hand…the procedure was almost painless and the discomfort of sitting for 45mins with a mumb arm trying not to think about what Mr Cormack and his team are doing (I overheard requests for unfamiliar tools:  number 5 hook please…pass me the dental syringe…where’s the lead hand?) …until he abruptly asked me to see how the finger now worked..to my amazement I was able to move the finger again! Instant success was not what I was expecting from a hospital visit and sure enough my newly restored finger was bound up securely before I was sent home…suddenly the weeks of nervous anticipation were over and I began the awkwardness of working out how to do life with one hand……and discover I’m pretty well off : sure it hurts but this is temporary. By the next morning I can use my thumb and 2 free fingers to tie my own shoe laces without feeling the stitches pull.

09.01.2012:11.00 My complaint is a common one, I was the 2nd one done that week. 36 hours after the op I was back to get my dressing changed: it’s healing up well and I am advised not to use the finger until the wound is healed.  That’s going to be the hard part: I have photos to shoot, metal to bend and work to do!As a right-hander I’m very aware of the 10% loss of grip my crooked 5th finger caused me: hauling line is a daily task for me not to mention using spanners, tin snips, hammers and the like and of course it is this utility that has put my hand at risk from damage. I have already adopted some safer line handling techniques when flying big kites: always use a fixed point as an anchor and walk the line down when the wind rises- NEVER let a turn around the hand constrict! . As my finger knits back together I feel very privileged to have my hand restored by Mr Cormack and his excellent team, he asked me if I was happy with the proposed procedure back in November and my reply was ‘Well no! I don’t like the whole finger cutting idea at all …but if thats what it takes…’ 13.01.2012 This looks a great deal worse than it is. 2 weeks after the op and I can almost move my finger to touch my palm ..just! Every day that passes it is less painful to move and I find it easy to forget about the injury.  So easy that I made the mistake of accepting a hand shake from a client; it hurt!

24.01. 2012 3 weeks post op. I have almost full use of my right hand now, it’s painful to squeeze my hand in to a fist but I can use a spanner, allen and spoke keys now. The finger is very susceptable to cold and feels oddly numb when it is. The skin feels tight when I try to bend the finger to try touch my palm.

Looking back I had no need to worry, but worry I did!

So, dear reader, why am I sharing this with you?

First of all I want anyone else who suffers from this to have no fear of the surgery. If you are like me and feel faint watching medical procedures on TV, value the use of your hands or is simply interested in how the National Health Service (NHS) deals with non urgent minor surgery: take it from me it’s ok- I have received the best possible attention from the best possible professionals  and my National Insurance payments  are worth every self employed penny I pay.

Second I want to share how lucky I am to live at a time and place when public service extends to looking after me like this. To date since 1948 the NHS has supported 4 generations of my family and I wouldn’t have it any other way. The NHS has been there for us : births and deaths with calm, dental care, broken bones at all hours, chronic asthma episodes .. and now fixing my hand. The spirit of public duty embodied in NHS is something I can remember from my mother’s pride at working as a State Registered Nurse (she trained at Addenbrooke’s in the ’50s). As an institution it can seem vast and uncaring; all desolate linoleum lined corridors and hours of desperate waiting for news or impenetrable paperwork but I have always found that the front line staff are calm, well informed, professional, considerate and caring.

I grew up in a world where there seemed to be a public institution for every aspect of life:  the Post Office, British Railways, the Gas Board, the Water Board, the Public Library, the Milk Marketing Board, The National Coal Board. They all stood for reliable, safe, good services and a source of pride in achieving a society where the basics of life were provided at a universally affordable cost because public ownership was seen as a public benefit. A healthy society is a productive one. As a principle it seemed to work pretty well, yes there were mistakes made (trying to save failing manufacturing by ‘nationalisation’ for one and a false sense of world excellence in home grown technology like the ‘Advanced Gas Cooled Reactor’ (AGR) for another)  and yes, the nation was in transition from wartime but somewhere, in the pursuit of profit, we have lost the value we once placed in public service.

At a time when public services are being cut to pay for the bank bailouts it’s easy to be nostalgic for a post-war idyll where the fear of unemployment and the insecurity of a debt-laden housing market was far away but it seems madness to expect a society without basic support for the weakest to have a stable and productive future.

FDR declared his second bill of rights on January 11th 1944:

The world listened and, although at war, Britain voted for the idea when peace came in 1945. On 11th January 2012 it seems we are just about delivering on 4, 5 (although my state pension seems to be ever smaller and ever more remote now) & 6 (with further education getting very expensive all of a sudden)  and the first 3 have been left to chance. My experience of ‘socialised’ medical care has left me reminded of just how good public services can be and just how threatened they are, I might be lucky to suffer a minor complaint and live in a post code with good provision but the basic idea of paying National Insurance at £220 per year for health care free at the point of provision seems good value to me. We don’t want to loose this!

The control of the shutter cannot be achieved by scripting (there is no CHDK for it!) and it will only shoot in single frame mode by IR remote. A hot-shoe mounted servo is a good method to get it working remotely and get the benefit of burst mode.

A robust shutter servo mount can be made from 2 pieces of stock alluminium ‘L’ section.

The 1st part is the hot-shoe plate, just take a peice of 20mm x20mm L section ally and cut down to size:You can check the size against the hot-shoe, a nice tight fit is best. Next is the servo mounting plate. I used a mini servo: Futaba s3513 MG. This servo is going to take a pasting so get a good high torque one. The hole in the mounting plate will be cut to fit your servo and the cut out in front of it is needed to get to the camera’s ‘on’ switch:The 2 pieces fit to gether with a single rivet. The gap is important but you can shim with tape if its too wide. Once you are happy with the fit clamp the peices together in a vice and drill the hole through both pieces together. I used a 3mm snap rivet: Check the fit on the hot-shoe, it should slde in easily, it might rock a little on the rivet (it’s useful if it does as this can act as buffer for excess travel) but it needs to be a positive fit.  The servo is held in place with 2 screws and should be a tight fit, it must not move as the arm is thrown. The servo arm is cut down to hit the shutter button well before its limit of throw.It fits on the camera like this: Now the camera can be tripped by radio control. The servo and mount together weigh in at 35g. A lighter method may be possible but this set-up ensures use of burst mode and a long life for the mount both on and off the camera, it’s ready to fly!

I have been keeping this is my pocket for a while now:I have not solved the pan movement yet so I fixed the rig with rubberbands, set the intervalometer to 3s  and let it go: the kite is really a handful as the wind builds in gusts to over 20mph and I’m glad to let the camera look after itself. This is the best I got before the SD card filled up:It’s a long way short of the quality I wanted but after another escape from the rotor I thought enough was enough and headed home.  I was very keen to keep the kite from overflying the busy road and consequently kept it on a shorter line than the ‘bounce’ of the wind off the trees warranted. I’m not sure I could say AutoKAP ‘saved the day’  but the light weight option meant flying a camera was possible…just!

Here’s an excerpt:

The concert hall at the Syndey Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 13,000 times in 2011. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 5 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.