Tested

How to photograph a NASA rocket launch with remote cameras

May 16, 2018 by John Aldred Add Comment

Under the pre-dawn skies of Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on May 5th, 2018, NASA launched InSight. Destined for Mars, InSight launched on the back of an Atlas V-401 rocket, one of the biggest rockets available for interplanetary flight. It’s the first mission to leave Vandenberg Air Force Base that is destined for another planet and it gave Tested’s Norman Chan an opportunity to document it.

The video goes over Norman’s process for shooting the event. And he wasn’t entirely sure what gear he’d used to photograph the launch, so he took a variety of kit to the launch, to make the decision on-site. Ultimately he chose a Canon 5D Mark IV, Sigma 50mm lens, Manfrotto 290 tripod, MIOPS trigger, sandbags and trash bags.

How a Mythbuster removes a stuck on filter with a bandsaw

Oct 31, 2016 by John Aldred 6 Comments

We’ve all come across a situation where we’ve had a filter on a lens that just wouldn’t come off. If you haven’t, you will one day. Switching environments, or just leaving your filter on there for too long can cause it to pretty much become embedded into the front lens element. At other times, cheap filters, or the wearing down of coatings on the metal lens ring or filter itself can lead to galvanic corrosion.

In a recent podcast at Tested, former Mythbuster Adam Savage recounts the story of how he removed a shattered filter. How did it become shattered? Well, Norm’s Canon 24-70mm f/2.8II lens fell to the ground along with his shiny new Canon 5D Mark IV after his hand got knocked walking into The Cave. After much panic to determine whether it was just the filter or the lens elements had cracked, the plan began to get it off. A task which turned out to be easier said than done.

Dave Williams is an accomplished travel photographer, writer, and best-selling author from the UK. He is also a photography educator and published Aurora expert. Dave has traveled extensively in recent years, capturing stunning images from around the world in a modified van. His work has been featured in various publications and he has worked with notable brands such as Skoda, EE, Boeing, Huawei, Microsoft, BMW, Conde Nast, Electronic Arts, Discovery, BBC, The Guardian, ESPN, NBC, and many others.

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