Dented Lens Filter Ring Repair

Several months ago, I was out with my daughter and I had the camera on a tripod. She was minding the camera while I climbed a hill. I asked her to put the camera/tripod down, make sure it's stable, then join me. She didn't make sure it was stable. It went over and I watched the camera hit the pavement, lens first. It was my 300mm lens. A quick inspection showed the glass intact. I thought I'd dodged a bullet.

Months later, I was shooting aircraft with that lens. It was a mid-day flyover on a hot, humid day. It was so bright and hazy that I could barely get the exposure right; it was too bright. I decided I needed a polarizing filter for that lens, so I ordered one.

The filter came in and I discovered that I couldn't mount it to the lens because the ring was dented from the fall. This sent me looking for information of fixing the dent. Some sites recommended a solution involving creating a wooden cradle for the lens, then using a wooden dowel and a hammer to tap the ring while it rests in the cradle. I didn't like that idea. Others recommended using pliers to bend it back. I didn't like that idea either. Others recommend getting it professionally repaired. I decided that would be my last resort.

The solution that I did like, and tried, was to get a tool that is designed for the job. The $36 turned out to be well worth it.

Neewer Camera Lens Vise

I ordered the tool from Amazon and tried it out. I was afraid to use too much force; I might ruin the lens, which still works, just to get to use a filter. So I used it a little at a time, with a lens cloth on the glass to protect it from the hard metal of the vice, which can touch the glass while moving the vice around. Eventually I was able to get a filter seated. It doesn't screw on very far, but all I care about is getting it seated enough to not fall off.

OBNWR

For a change of pace, I went to the refuge at the end of the day instead of at dawn. I saw rabbits, deer, muskrats, and I botched all three because I was set up to shoot birds. The deer were in the shade and I didn't get the ISO boosted before they ran away. My fuzzy shots show they were two bucks with budding antlers. The muskrat was too close and I didn't get it focused before it swam away. The rabbits, I didn't even try to shoot.

There's an osprey platform near the parking lot. I usually don't bother shooting it, but today I grabbed a couple of shots because the juveniles were clearly visible.

Osprey with Nestlings

I went to the shoreside nest, saw an eagle perched, and it flew away before I could get it focused. There were branches in the foreground that confused the autofocus, and as I was trying to get it dialed in manually, off it went. As I walked farther, I saw a juvenile eagle approaching. I rushed through the bushes to the beach (the tide was out) and it abruptly changed direction as I tried to shoot right over my head.Here's the only usable shot from that sequence.

Juvenile Bald Eagle

As an aside, there are several places in the refuge near the shoreline road that are swampy. The Potomac/Occoquan rivers are tidal at this location. When the tide is high, water flows into the swamps. When the tide is low, the swamps turn into mud holes and it's possible to walk on the beach where the view of the bay is unobstructed by vegetation. More than once, I've seen one of these swampy areas full of dead fish, with a flock of buzzards feasting. This happened yesterday. I mention this because I flushed a bunch of them when I walked around a bend in the road. They are big and ugly. Their wings are especially noisy as they flap. And I still haven't figured out what kills so many fish.

Four Eagles

My visit to the refuge today was pretty uneventful. However, I was able to photograph an eagle nest with two eaglets and two parents. A shot of the whole family is worth posting, so here it is.

Four Eagles

Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge

I went to the refuge this morning hoping for a look at the eaglets that I knew must be pretty large by now. The nest by the water was disappointing. The leaves are in and they obscure the nest enough to make it very difficult to see much of it. There was an eagle perched in a tree nearby, too far away and too still to be interesting.

The other nest also had an eagle perched nearby, still and obscured. I was about to give up when I noticed movement within the nest. There are (at least) two eaglets in that nest. I was unable to get clear shots of any of these birds. Here's what this tree looked like.

Parent Eagle Babysitting Juvenile in Nest

 The ospreys were also there, and much more active. I have so many osprey shots that I only shoot when I get something pretty close and clear.

Osprey

Arsenal of Democracy Flyover

In celebration of the 70th anniversary of the end of WWII in Europe, there was a warbird flyover yesterday. I went to the Washington Monument, picked my spot among the photographers and tourists, and waited for the first aircraft to come over.

Flyover Crowd

Photographers waiting for Airplanes

The aircraft were sequenced in roughly the order in which they played important roles in the war. The trainers started off.

Boeing Stearman

North American AT-6/SN

I'm skipping some of the smaller airplanes that I didn't get good shots of. Along came a PBY Catalina flying boat. The rear window is full of photographers.

PBY Catalina

The announcer highlighted the role of the P-38 in the Yamamoto shootdown.

P-38 Lightning

I think I liked the bombers best, maybe because they are so much bigger than the fighters and easier to photograph.

B-24 Liberator

B-17 Flying Fortress

B-17 Flying Fortress

I did get some decent shots of the Mustangs.

P-51 Mustang

I went to US Army parachutist school while I was in ROTC. I made my five jumps and got my badge and I remember being more scared than I have ever been in my life. And I jumped into smooth air, with no flak going off around me. And no one was shooting at me when I landed. I can't imagine what it must have been like for the jumpers who dropped into Normandy the night before the major invasion. I can't let this post go by without including a Skytrain like the ones that the Normandy jumpers used.

CH-47 Skytrain

And I'll end it with the bomber type that ended the war.

B-29 Superfortress

It was a hot, humid day with crappy skies for backgrounds. I did my homework ahead of time to find out what camera settings to use. The consensus is, use shutter priority and try for about f8. To avoid stopping the propellers, slower is better, 1/125 to 1/250. Well I knew that wasn't going to work. I was using a 300mm lens; there's no way I was going to hand hold that and get sharp shots. So I had to settle for a little propeller blur, shooting mostly at about 1/500. Because it was so bright at noon when the planes came over, I was getting f22 in the meter. I dropped the ISO to 100 and hoped for the best. In the end, all of the shots have enough propeller blur to show motion, barely. I also dialed in +1 exposure compensation to deal with the bright skies and dark aircraft.

My lessons for my next aircraft shoot: bring a polarizer, and maybe a neutral density filter too. If I'm shooting jets, then I'll just crank the shutter speed up to get sharpness. Propellers should be shot below 1/500, but at least those aircraft are slower.