Thanks back! Have fun at the Air Show! David C

Being an Air Force veteran and one who enjoys Air Shows, I would suggest ground shots with 28 to 35mm lens options, unfortunately most 16 to 25mm lenses offer edge distortion. Unless you want the special effects don't use any lens wider than 16mm because of the "fish eye" effect. Shots in the air call for 55 normal or the 85 to 135mm when hand held. With a monopod or tripod by all means go full telephoto 135 to 400mm. I have a Topcon 300mm f2.8 lens with an adaptor for my Canon 40D it works well. David C.

Yes, Many Japanese brands and some that were the collaborations of German and Japanese manufactures.
My collection includes: Topcon, Leotax's, Canon's, Yashica Electro 35 and my favorite the Leica IIIc, all range finders. The SLR's include: Topcon B & C, R, RE, D and DM, Pentax K1000, Minolta XE7, Nikon FG, F and Nikkormat FTN but my favorites include the Topcon RE, Exakta 500, and Leica R3. Much of my camera use was in the military and what was issued which led me to try brands in my effort to find the best in my opinion. The in hand feel, weight and function location were factors, I often shared my comments with Military departments, friends and photography enthusiast and sometimes with club members and collectors. I have used and owned many other Japanese brands but do not have them in my present collection. David C.

That is fine with me, did not want/intend any confusion with names, and yes it was a spelling error...sorry! David

If you want I can use E David in the future or will continue with David C if it is not a problem???
Never caught the common name use, on the site.

Since the early days of photography it has been used to record death/funerals. It became as common as the death mask which were still used in Eastern European cultures during and post WWII. A photo was quick, cheap and accepted as the last image and often is posted in the Family Bible.
Oh...and don't forget the death photos of outlaws and criminals which became common place. Morbid...maybe, historical record... defiantly.
David C.

Filters of red, yellow, green, blue, are intended for the development of contrast in black and white photography. The UV, Sky, Haze/Flash, and Polarizing filters are commonly used with color print/slide films and now the digital format. The UV is most common for lens protection, it is cheap insurance for any lens.
If you are into or have any questions about filter use pick up a copy of Amphoto Guide to Filters ($4 to 5.00 avg. at on-line used book sellers) or the publications by Hoya or your camera brand. David C.

TriX has made a good point. A black and white image is often more desirable when you control the contrast with filters and their effects. The medium red or #25 series would have darkened the sky and offered a dramatic background for your row of trees. Cropping out the side images truck, house etc. would be your option. It all comes back to what was your intended angle of view. Note: it always helps to keep the sun at 90 degrees to your image or further behind you if possible...but then what are your attempting to capture?David C. "If you are happy with the photo it good no matter what anyone says!"

If this was your intended angle of view I would have used a polarization filter. This would have defused
the glare from the sun and sharpened the line of trees. Just my suggestion David C.

On the topic of exposure, has anyone used or heard anything about a company that has a digital housing to convert a film type SLR to digital format. I was sent an email by a friend, he mentioned my Leica R3 as a candidate in his notes. a company "I'm Back GmbH" (?), is marketing this conversion with a camera back that fits the camera selected and then you connect the digital back almost like you would a motor drive. The email indicates the cost is about $350.00 and you get to use the vintage glass and accessories from your film camera system. I look forward to any and all comments. David C.

Wow! sounds like something out of a Stephen King novel...but where I live we have simular wildlife. I would suspect a Coopers Hawk. They tend to spred out their kill and carry off the most desired parts...after a little on site snack. They are amazing to watch in the air and on the ground. One other reason I lean toward the Hawk is they tend to use shrubs and tall grass as camouflage for their time on the ground. Just a speculation on my part it would be very interesting to find out the real culprit in this "hare-or" story. David

Another note: Some long lenses will have filter option that fit the image side of the lens, others are attached
internally or at the viewing end of the lens. The internal or slip in filters are rare and very limited in application. The viewing or rear mounting filters are very small diameter and also can be rare but offer more variety. So if you experiment with filters or shoot black and white and use filters for effect, know up front that telephoto lenses can have limited options. I do suggest that you always purchase a UV or Sky
filter for the image end glass. It offers a level of low cost insurance for protection. And don't forget front and rear lens caps/covers. Some more cheap protection for your camera and lens...if you ever come across
a heavy weight optic clear plastic bag or in my case a high quality plastic zipper case from a new bedding
purchase. Use the plastic as a cover for your camera and lens when out in the elements. In most cases you can use the camera functions with no hinderance, just cut a hole to photograph through and position it correctly when you are using the camera. Some photographers will set up an umbrella this works as well and should have no effect on your shot when using the long lens. You get to stay dry as well. Enjoy the outdoors
no matter the weather...life goes on in the rain! David C

I love using long view optics. I lived in Alaska for a while and saw some of the most spectacular wildlife on earth, through a telephoto lens. Here are my suggestions for you and the long lens. 1st. If you have a camera system you will keep for the duration build you lens options around that system. This does not mean you must buy only that name brand's lens offering. 2nd. Don't be afraid to use adaptors, they are inexpensive and often offer access to high quality but vintage glass at a loser cost. 3rd. My example for you is the Canon 40D which is now a vintage camera by most standards. I will once again state that I am relatively new to the digital format. I have many film cameras and have always loved the Topcon Brand. I purchased a Topcon R to Canon adaptor for $32.00. It fits correctly and works in manual mode as well as it did on the Topcon R, RE and DM cameras. My lens is the very impressive 300mm f2.8 telephoto. It loves light and works well even though it is still experimental in my case. I also have the Topcon R adaptor for my Leica R3 and an adaptor to use the Leica R lenses on my Canon 40D the 75 to 200 f4.5 is a working option for the Canon 28-135 mm f3.5-f5.6 that came with the camera. There is no distortion or change to image quality. If you have a friend or camera shop owner that has some telephoto lens options purchase or use an adaptor and see if the long lens is one you can work with and if the price, (new or used), fits in your budget. Don't be afraid of vintage glass but check if an adaptor is available "first" to make the purchase worth while. Have fun! David

I am also new to digital photography even though I have been exposed to it for some time. I used it because it was easy to email site repair photos to customers. My I phone camera which boasts a 20 mega pixel quality produces a clear photo image as a digital reference. I also have a Canon 40D (10 mpix), Fuji A201 (2 mpix) and my Leica Digilux 3 converted to Leica R Lenses w/ (7.2 mpix). their photo quality is excellent however unless you print the photo on good photo paper with a photo printer they do not compare with a real film photo. The digital equipment I have is all experimental to me. I am just getting exposed to the format as a hobby and hope to understand and use it more often. ...but will still use a film camera as a back up. David Note: I always prefered my Topcon RE and DM over the Nikon but still go back to the Leica IIIc
often, it is just a fun camera to use.

Wow, thanks to all of you for your good wishes and your welcoming back to the UHH group.
Just as an update from my end of the world. I have started the purge of my office and shop. It is amazing what you can find that has long been forgotten. Last Summer my daughter and family went to Austria to visit my son / brother. He works there and has offered an open house to all family and friends. I plan to go there in May, 2019. Anyway, in an effort to get my grand daughter interested in photography I gave her my old Werra 35mm camera. this is a compact Zeiss RF camera. Tucked away in my file cabinet was my history of ownership, manual and some brochures. Has anyone else ever owned or used a Werra IV? What do you think of it as an introductory camera, for a 10 year old? David

Use your lens as the starting point / reference
If the lens is the smaller diameter and the filter larger you use step up. If the lens is larger and your filter is smaller in size you use step down. With step the down options you will lose some field of view. The idea of down or up
is going to be determined by what you use as your starting reference. Lens w/screw in filter 62 mm to begin then you figure the size of the filter 72 mm you add rings as needed to get the 72 mm ring size to fit the filter.
Going the other way, 62 mm lens but filter is 49 mm you will have to step down several sizes to reach the 49 mm filter ring size.
NOTE: You can purchase ring / filter adaptors with a preset range in size. I have several adaptors 49 mm to 52 and 55 mm. This way I can use the same filters on 52 and 55 mm Nikon lenses and then on 49 mm Topcon RE and Exakta lenses. I often take different cameras out at the same time each set up with my desired lens options. David