About a year and a half ago, I was photographing a fire department helicopter on an incident near where I live, and when viewing the photos on the computer, I noticed a strange object or artifact in the frame, to the right of the helicopter. It's not dust on the lens or sensor. Looks like it is something that is "out there". There were no other aircraft in the air at that time, other than this helicopter.
Here is a crop of the original photo, to see what object/artifact more clearly.
You did check the back of the lens for dust also, correct?
Longshadow wrote:
You did check the back of the lens for dust also, correct?
Of course. But, even if I hadn't, then this "artifact" would show in all of the other images taken with that lens on that same day. This is the ONLY image in which this thing appears. Not in the images immediately before or after. Other than a few sensor spots, there is nothing else like this on any of the other images I shot that day.
It looks like a saucer shaped object or rod trailing from the chopper. Put a straightedge below it and follow it back to the left wheel base on the craft. I cannot find any wire or connector there, however.
You might consider calling the FD and ask them.
kb6kgx wrote:
About a year and a half ago, I was photographing a fire department helicopter on an incident near where I live, and when viewing the photos on the computer, I noticed a strange object or artifact in the frame, to the right of the helicopter. It's not dust on the lens or sensor. Looks like it is something that is "out there". There were no other aircraft in the air at that time, other than this helicopter.
Something fell off the chopper or was thrown out?
kb6kgx wrote:
Of course. But, even if I hadn't, then this "artifact" would show in all of the other images taken with that lens on that same day. This is the ONLY image in which this thing appears. Not in the images immediately before or after. Other than a few sensor spots, there is nothing else like this on any of the other images I shot that day.
Lens internal reflection?????
Longshadow wrote:
Lens internal reflection?????
Don't know. Nothing like any "internal reflection" or lens flair I've ever seen.
Seem easy to me. Anything you can't identify in the air is by definition a Unidentified Flying Object.
DirtFarmer
Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA
The object looks blurry along its length. That means it's traveling at a speed different than the chopper, which is doesn't show motion blur (other than the blades). So either something got dropped out of the chopper or there's something trying to intercept it.
I assume there is only one photo in the sequence so you can't look for it in another shot?
Shutter is 1/160 second. Could it be something going the other way? Nearby insect or bird?
Curmudgeon wrote:
Seem easy to me. Anything you can't identify in the air is by definition a Unidentified Flying Object.
Not being funny, here, at all, but… that was my first thought. This "thing" looks like what many over the last 70 years have described when they saw something that they couldn't identify. The usual description was "cigar-shaped". Again, if it was dust or an artifact on the lens, it would be in every other image. It's only in THIS one. No, it did NOT fall off or was thrown out from the helicopter.
DirtFarmer wrote:
The object looks blurry along its length. That means it's traveling at a speed different than the chopper, which is doesn't show motion blur (other than the blades). So either something got dropped out of the chopper or there's something trying to intercept it.
Nothing was dropped or thrown out.
[quote=DirtFarmerI assume there is only one photo in the sequence so you can't look for it in another shot?[/quote]
I thought I had taken several in sequence but apparently not. I tend not to use continuous shutter. In this case, though, I wish I had. But, again, in no other image, of the roughly 30-40 others I shot at this incident, does this "object" show in the frame.
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