Spotting trip to Trondheim, day 2

Yesterday we had a busy day with a lot of shooting at Trondheim airport. Today was somewhat less busy, but still full of movement.

We got up really early this morning to check the weather and planned arrivals and departures. We were however disappointed by the cloudy sky and dull traffic, so we decided to sleep a few hours more and try again later.
   When we got up again at 10 AM the weather had improved and we decided to head out to shoot the 11:20 KLM arrival.


The first arrival we shot this morning, KLM from Amsterdam.

The fire escape stairs (is that the correct term?) outside our hotel offer a really good view over the apron and runway, so that's where we started out today.


Shortly after KLM arrived SAS and their CRJ 900 where ready to depart to Copenhagen.


Simon taking photos of a departing SAS.


First time either of us captured Wizz air.


Finncom flying for Finnair from Helsinki.

After a couple of landings and take offs had been photographed from the hotel stairs, we decided to head down to the road next to the runway to get real close to the airplanes as they taxi by. However, when we had come half way to the position we heard over the scanner that the active runway was changed from 09 to 27. We would still be able to get photos, but perhaps not as close on all as we might have wanted, so we kept on walking.


This is a somewhat classic angle from Trondheim. From here you are really close to the airplanes and using a wide-angle lens is recommended.


This all white SAS Boeing 737-800 was spotted a couple of times during the day. Both of these close photos were shot with EF 24-70 and EF 24-105 lenses on the wider focal lengths.


Competitors. 


We were glad to find that this Lufthansa flight was flown with a classic Boeing 737-500. Since the active runway was changed we were unfortunately not able to get really close to it.




Wizz air taking of from runway 27 to Gdansk.


The Dash 8 100-series is a very short little machine with impressive STOL performance. If you look at the registration on this airplane you can see that it is LN-ILS. This is because it used to fly as an ILS calibrator in Norway earlier.


The bigger sister, the Q400. 


Jonas waiting for the Estonian Air departure.


Estonian Air heading back to Tallin with a CRJ 900.

Shortly after 2 PM we returned to our hotel room to have something to eat and rest for an hour before we set out to find some of the locations we were suggested by our Norwegian friends yesterday.
   An expedition to find the final to runway 27 was launched and we drove around for a while before we managed to find our way to it. Due to road constructions and poor knowledge of the area, we took a bit of a detour but finally found a good spot to shoot the airplanes on final from.


Before we drove off to find new locations we photographed Danish Air Transport from the hotel stairs. It's a colorful little bugger!


A Wideroe Dash 8 plowing trough the air on final for runway 27.


A SAS Boeing 737 on short final captured by Simon between the houses of a farm located close to the runway.



The light was not always easy or satisfying during the day, but as we stood next to the final to runway 27 it turned out just fine! For once.

SAS on short final.


Sometimes everything falls into place with composition, events and objects. This was not a planned shot, the motorcycle just showed up around the corner.

To round of the day we took the car to the other side of the airport where we were last night to shoot some of the last arrivals and departures from Norweigan and SAS. When most of the sky was covered in clouds the decided to go into Stjørdal to buy some pizza and head back to the hotel.




Another Scandi taking off from runway 27 leaving Trondheim behind.



Tomorrow is our last day in Trondheim and in a couple of days we will publish the vLog episodes from the trip, so make sure not to miss that! While you wait, keep watching our updates on Facebook and Twitter!


Jonas Herjeby
jonasherjeby@osdphoto.com



Simon Brygg
simonbrygg@osdphoto.com

Spotting trip to Trondheim, Boeing 747 day.

For some time now, we have been talking and posting clues about our upcoming trip to a secret location. Today we packed the car and headed west!

Many of you have been guessing on our clues that we have been posting online on Twitter and Facebook. And many of you guessed spot on!
   Today Simon and Jonas reached the secret destination at Trondheim, Norway. Trondheim is located about 250 km west of Östersund and is a very good location to shot not to far away. We will stay here for three days and then post vLogs from the trip a few days after we have come back home. But first things first.
   We left Östersund at 09:00 AM this morning and began our trip on the curvy roads over the mountains and across the Swedish/Norwegian border. Well in Trondheim we met up with Jonas Skaug that we got to know back in 2009 when we last visited. Jonas and his friend Markus stayed with us most of the day and guided us to good locations around the airport.


One of the main reasons for our trip to Trondheim was to get photos of the three Pullmantur Boeing 747 that were scheduled to arrive at the airport during the day. We managed to get all of them, both arrivals and departures, and even all three on one photo!


EC-KSM on short final runway 09.


Jonas, Markus and Jonas standing on stairs outside of our hotel. These stairs are a perfect location.


Pullmantur no two, EC-KXN, landing on runway 09.


TF-LLX taking off to Reykjavik.


Skyteam logo jet of KLM, a Embraer 190 with registration PH-EZX.


Simon is not so happy about all the dust flying around in the air.


The third and last Pullmantur arrival, EC-KOC.


As the last Pullmantur to arrive was taxiing in, the first one in prepared to take off again. Here is EC-KSM on her way to line up at runway 09.


Simon shooting Pullmantur.


KLM logo jet heading back down to Amsterdam.


Jonas taking a break.



Orbest, an airline we know from Östersund, arriving with EC-INZ.


Lufthansa Embraer 190 from Frankfurt.


The last Pullmantur leaving Trondheim again for this time.



Finally, the light we'd been waiting for all day!



Orbest taxxing out to runway 09 again.


Orbest powering up!


Lufthansa returning to Germany.



Turkish Sky Airlines speeding by at the runway.


The last departure of the day, taking off runway 27.



That was some of the photos from today. It has been a long day and tomorrow we actually get to sleep in a bit. But keep watching the website for more photos tomorrow evening and follow our continuos updates on Facebook and Twitter during the day!


Jonas Herjeby
jonasherjeby@osdphoto.com



Simon Brygg
simonbrygg@osdphoto.com

Gear review: Taking a walk on the wide side

It’s time for another gear review, and this time we go wide to compare Canon’s EF 17-40/4 L USM with the sibling EF 16-35/2.8 L USM.

Wide-angle lenses are something that most aviation photographers forget to use as a complement to the more common tele lenses. But a wide-angle lens is always good to have in your camera bag and is very useful when shooting on the apron or in a cockpit.
  As we have said many times before, there are a lot of various lenses to choose from, but we have decided to take a closer look on two of the most popular wide-angle zoom lenses from Canons line up. The EF 17-40/4 compared to the somewhat heavier and faster EF 16-35/2.8.



These two lenses are very similar but yet very different from one another. The most noticeable difference is the widest aperture and the focal length.
  In Ostersund Photography, we have been using the EF 17-40/4 as our primary wide-angle lens in our camera bags since 2008. The reason for this is that it is a high quality L-lens, both in glass and in build, suitable for both full frame and cropped sensor cameras. On the latter, such as a Canon EOS 7D, the equivalent focal length is around 27-64mm and is still considered very wide. Also the price tag is very affordable and significantly smaller than on the EF 16-35.
  The lens is weather sealed (as long as you use a filter) and can handle rain pretty good without letting any moist in and the widest aperture of f/4 is more than enough for shooting outdoors on aprons, or in a cockpit with flash. All this combined makes the EF 17-40 ideal for an aviation photographer.


The EF 17-40 was introduced in 2003 and is a very good substitute for the much more expensive EF 16-35.

But what about the EF 16-35? Can the slightly wider and heavier lens with an extra stop for twice the money be the lens for you?
  Along with the EF 24-70/2.8 L USM and the EF 70-200/2.8 L IS USM, the EF 16-35 is a must have for every professional press photographer. That line up has the advantage that all lenses have the same maximum aperture of f/2.8 and all produce high quality images. I have shot with all these lenses, both on assignments in the field and at home trying out the gear and I must say that it is a collection of lenses that could make even the saddest man on Earth cry out of happiness. However, it is a pricy bunch of glass that might make you and your wallet cry, too. What needs to be considered is whether you need the extra stop and if you are willing to pay the extra money for it.
   Truth to be told, many have had complaints on all of the f/2.8 lenses mentioned above. Many are not as satisfied as one might expect with the sharpness on the widest aperture on some copies and tend to use them on smaller apertures to get the best performance out of them. I myself have encountered this problem on older versions of the EF 16-35, but consider the version two to have improved optical quality. This goes for both the sharpness as well as for chromatic aberration and colour reproduction.


The lens on the photo is actually a EF 16-35 version one, but the lens we tested was the version two.

If we are to compare the EF 16-35 to the cheaper sibling EF 17-40 side by side I honestly can’t motivate the double price of the EF 16-35. ‘Why?!’ I hear you photographers shout at me. Well, to be frank, the only significant difference I can tell by using them is the widest apertures and the focal lengths. And yet again I hear you scream interrogatory, but to me what really matters is how I feel about using the lens. You can sit all day looking and diagrams, reading tables and watching reviews on Youtube, but what it comes down to at the end of the day is whether you can afford a lens or not and if it suits your purposes.
   Both lenses are sharp, they are both marked with the red Canon L and they both get the aviation photography job done. I now that I in previous reviews have stated that I prefer the faster lenses over the f/4 ones, but when it comes to the EF 17-40 I’m really satisfied. I really love shooting wide-angle and with the aperture fully open and a f/2.8 lens is really good in low light situations. Still I can’t motivate why I prefer the f/4 17-40. All I know is that I’m currently on my second EF 17-40 and it hasn’t disappointed me yet. I obviously don’t suffer when I shoot with the EF 16-35, but I certainly don’t crave for it.



Jonas Herjeby
Text/photo
jonasherjeby@osdphoto.com

Skyways and City Airline files for bankruptcy

The aviation business is a very unstable being and the economic insecurity that is moving all over Europe is not helping. Today yet another airline announced they will file for bankruptcy.

On the morning of Tuesday, May 22, Skyways announced they will file for bankruptcy and all their flights were held, causing the stranding of many passengers. The bankruptcy also affects City Airline, that was bought by Skyways a year ago.
   Skyways is a well-known regional airline in Sweden and operates to over 20 destinations here and in Europe. Both Skyways and City Airline have visited Åre Östersund Airport, and especially the latter was a frequent visitor from Gothenburg during the ski seasons. They have been here every winter since 2008.

Over the last six months Skyways have been struggling with financial problems, and according to the CEO Mikael Wångdahl it has been hard to keep it all up after Cimber ceased their operations a few weeks ago.
   The bankcruptcy was unexpected to many and it's still unknown how many passengers that will be affected by today's events. More information will probably follow from the airlines and Swedavia, that handles many of the airports in Sweden.


SE-LEA visited Åre Östersund Airport in 2009 and the airline have been back here as chartered flights many times after that.


SE-DZB was one of the City Airline machines that used to fly Gothenburg-Östersund during the ski seasons. This was shot in 2010.


Source: Swedish Radio SR (http://bit.ly/JBlrS9)


Jonas Herjeby
Text
jonasherjeby@osdphoto.com