The Blue Angels, San Francisco, 2006

[moribundman]

The following pictures were taken from the top of the Fort Baker coastal defense installations (Battery Yates) in Marin County near the Horseshoe Bay Coast Guard station on Saturday, October 7, 2006.

Half an hour to go!

The Blue Angels do their precision routine. This shot shows the scale. The Golden Gate Bridge is truly huge.

When the Blue Angels pass overhead it's a quite impressive sight and sound. Note the city in the background; from left: a bit Bay Bridge, Coit Tower, Transamerica Pyramid, Fort Mason Center

Families are out in force, making a picnic out of the event.

Thunder in the skies above.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Baker
http://www.nps.gov/archive/goga/mahe/foba/project/overview.htm

 

[Laminar Lou]

Great Pics Mori, How do you like your D70? I am looking at the D80 and the Canon XTi

 

[moribundman]

Glad you enjoy those few snapshots. I don't like any digital camera. They all suck. D70 is pretty much garbage. Shutter slap and lag suck big time and my 28 year old mechanical Nikon F2 is far superior. The only reason I use digital cameras for some stuff is due to digital being inexpensive and convenient. I shoot all the the high quality stuff on film.

 

[Laminar Lou]

I know what you mean about the lag, but I am surprised that it is that pronounced on the D70. I have a tired Canon AE1, but I just can't do film anymore. With a small child I really like digital for the archive, Internet sharing, and direct printing to remote locations like Costco for all of our family members. Plus (other than the initial setup cost) it is cheaper in the long run.

 

[moribundman]

As I said, digital is convenient and inexpensive, no bones about it. In a personal, digital photo album, I have zero interest beyond it being a backup.

The shutter lag in the D70 is relatively good, but not up to par compared to that of a good quality 35 mm camera. Mirror slap of the D70 is outright pathetic. Its AF is also not near where it should be. It's like being back in the late '80s. I won't be throwing my 35 mm cameras out until film is gone, which hopefully won't happen for a long time.

 

[bruce381]

Mori nice shots guess who's oil is makeing the smoke?

 

[moribundman]

That was most excellent smoke, Bruce. I notice it's coming only from the port engine, so I guess that's where the oil is injected into the exhaust stream?

 

[bruce381]

Yeah I offerd to make a red and blue also get it red, white, and blue but they only wanted the regular stuff
some kinda specto meet.
bruce

 

[UncleS2]

Nice shots, especially for having to deal with a long shutter lag. Thanks for posting those, Mori.

Bruce- too bad they wouldn't go for it, if you coulda just dosed up some red, white, & blue smoke-oil for 'em & snuck it in there- wow. Two planes streaming each color, it would have looked great!

I've never seen the Navy's Blue Angels in person.

I did see the Air Force Thunderbirds once in '75 or '76 at Tinker AFB. Nothin' like the Sound of Freedom!

 

[huffmuds9320]

Nice pictures, this year the weather is nice. Some years it was foggy and made it hard to see them. I was trying to get pictures of it too. But they didn't seem to fly by my neighborhood. I like the last pic.

I have a Canon AE-1 which gets a bit tricky to use since I'm not an experienced photographer. Canon digital cameras for some reason have a slight shutter lag. My Canon Powershot A540 is much better than my old A70 in terms of lag. I agree with digital camera having its own advantage, since you can view the pics right away, upload them, and save on photo processing.

 

[Papa Bear]

Quote:

---

I shoot all the the high quality stuff on film.

---

Burt Reynolds said the same thing in "Boogie Nights".

 

[moribundman]

P.B. found me out.

lpcmidst128, this year the skies were a lot more hazy and grey than during last year's event. I was also far from the action, because I was over in Marin. I didn't bother bringing a long lens, because I wasn't sure I was even going to get there in time with all the nasty traffic.

By the way, did you see the two F-22 Raptors that passed over the Bay before the Blue Angels showed up? Pretty cool birds!