Episode 417: Day Trip to Ticonderoga, NY and More…

Show Notes

Greetings, you’re listening to the Liam Photography Podcast, I’m your host Liam Douglas and this is Episode 417 for Thursday August 29th, 2024. First off I want to apologize for not making it with this episode last week but it was a crazy week up in New York. With the grandkids still on Summer vacation from school and an unexpected day trip to upstate New York and then getting ready to come back home I didn’t have time to get an episode out.

So, what happened with the Day Trip, well my best friend from high school Clint Nichols and I had have been wanting to take a trip to Ticonderoga, NY for a few years now as they have a Star Trek The Original Series Set Tour up there. We ended up finally going last Wednesday with my son Alex and another of Clint’s friends.

A gentleman named James Crawley, who is a Star Trek Super Fan decided fourteen years ago to embark on a mission to re-create the sets from the original series just as they were when the series was filming back in the 1960s and produced by Desilu studios.

James’s vision has taken fourteen years and I can only image a ton of money but he has successfully re-created the sets with such painstaking detail that his museum is now officially licensed by Paramount, the new owner’s of the rights to all things Star Trek. Over the years James has hosted many cast and crew members from not only the original series but also Star Trek the Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, Enterprise and even the new series Strange New Worlds!

He also has some sets he is working on specifically from Captain Pike’s time as the commander of the U.S.S. Enterprise and those will allow him to expand the museum even more and has draw the attention of the Strange New Worlds series Captain Pike played by Anson Mount!

While we were at the Set Tour, I took some photos with both my iPhone 15 Pro Max as well as a loaned Fujifilm GFX 100S II with the GF 32-64mm F/4 lens and the sets were amazing to see. If you would like to see some of the images I captured, make sure you follow me on Instagram, Twitter and my Youtube channel as well.

But what sets has Mr Crawley re-created in such detail? Well they have the original transporter room complete with all the controls and details in the room including the transporter pads, which are actually spot light lenses. There’s a replica of the container that the Medusan Ambassador Kollos was in during his time aboard the Enterprise in the third season episode number five titled Is There in Truth No Beauty?

And even though Kollos’ vessel is a replica, the antigravity unit mounted on top of the unit is the actual screen used prop from that very episode!

Next we visited Dr McCoy’s Sick Bay and science labs which were also highly detailed including the examination bed that flipped upright to make it easier for crew members to be examined. There was also the recovery room seen in many episodes including Space Seed with the first appearance of Khan and they even had one of the jellyfish-like creatures from the first Eason episode 29 titled Operation -- Annihilate!,

which makes me wonder if the creators of the Donald Sutherland film the Puppet Masters didn’t steal the aliens from this episode for their movie as the two are incredibly similar.

In addition to the rest of Sick Bay the set also contained a separate room with a perfect replica of the decompression chamber used in the episodes Space Seed and The Lights of Zetar. They even had a replica crew member in the chamber who wasn’t part of either episode but just for display purposes and of course he was a “red shirt”.

After the Sick Bay and science labs we also visited the Briefing Room that was used for many of the shows episodes such as Mudd’s Women as the Briefing Room also doubled as the court room for hearings on board the Enterprise. The props in this room included a replica of the original 3-D chess set used by Spock and Kirk on the show frequently, there were also some other games including a new version of checkers and he even has a replica of Spock’s Vulcan Lute which was signed by the entire cast of the original series as well as some of the crew members.

We also visited the crew quarters for both Kirk and Spock from the original series including all the details, the computers, Kirk’s wall safe and bed as well as his desk from the show, which William Shatner said was so realistic he felt like he was back on the set of the show.

There is also the corridor with the slanted Jefferies tube that Scotty frequently worked in on various episodes when something major had to be repaired. We also got to visit the set for the engine room which all the consoles and controls for the Enterprise’s warp and impulse engines. Throughout the tour the guide pointed out how many of the “lights” etc on the consoles were actually candy molds painted and the set of levers in the engine room were actually popsicle molds painted red and mounted on slider sticks. The three gold orbs mounted in the housing for the Dilithium chamber were actually kickballs painted gold and during filming when the cast was bored between takes they would pull them out and kick them around the set.

They also have a perfectly replicated Auxiliary Control room, which was used a lot in the episode The Doomsday Machine when Captain Kirk was on the U.S.S. Constellation, which was the Enterprises’ sister ship as he and the Enterprise battled an ancient doomsday weapon from another galaxy which was a planet killer. The machine would destroy entire worlds and then consume them to keep itself fueled.

The last and best set out of all of them at the museum was of course the Bridge where so much of the action on the show took place! They even allow visitors to sit in the Captain’s chair and look at the controls that were there during the series as well as the Helm and Conn and all the various stations that lined the edges of the room including Mr Spock’s science station, as well as Uhura’s communications station and Scotty’s auxiliary engineering station and of course the large view screen.

Ok, so I shared enough about my day trip to the Star Trek the Original Series Set Tour in Ticonderoga, NY, now let’s move on to the stories for this week.

Large Format F-Zero Camera

Last May, the large-format F-Zero Camera hit Kickstarter, promising to “bend the laws of physics” and enable photographers to shoot at effective apertures of f/0.3-0.6. The campaign proved successful, and its creator, Nick Salazar, says all backers have received their cameras. As a result, the F-Zero is now available to the general public.

The F-Zero Camera works with just about any camera, including smartphones, action cameras, DSLRs, and mirrorless bodies. Using rail mounts and bellows (not included), photographers can mount their camera of choice and create the necessary distance between their camera and the lens to achieve a remarkably shallow depth of field that is otherwise impossible.

The camera kit includes a sensor box with glass elements, two lens carriers, an objective lens and lens plate, a gantry plate, a camera-side lens plate, a rail clamp, and a custom hardshell case. Given the number of components, it should come as little surprise that a bit of assembly is required.

At its most basic level, the F-Zero Camera is a depth-of-field adapter that looks and functions similarly to a traditional large-format camera. A typical large-format camera has two standards, the front lens standard and the rear standard, which is where the film goes. Light travels through the front standard before exposing the film. However, with the F-Zero Camera, there is a third standard further to the rear. Light comes through the front standard and hits the middle standard where the film could go, and the attached digital camera shoots the focused light that would otherwise expose the film.

The specialized objective lens at the front creates a huge image circle, enabling super-shallow field depth, and the attached “taking” camera at the back can shoot the image projected onto the intermediate sensor.

The idea here will be familiar to photographers who have used cameras with different image sensor sizes. All else equal, it’s possible to get a shallower depth of field on a full-frame camera than an APS-C camera, for example. The same principle applies here, although the “sensor” is much larger.

The physics involved are covered exceptionally well in the video below for “The Impossible Lens,” a project created in 2022 that utilized a super-fast 29mm Leitz projector lens and an experimental camera design to achieve a depth of field equivalent to an f/0.3 lens.

Some essential considerations apply to the F-Zero Camera, though. Perhaps most importantly, despite offering a depth of field similar to an f/0.3-f/0.6 lens, the F-Zero Camera system does not have the light-gathering capabilities of such a physics-bending lens. The light-gathering power is more like f/8, so it’s not the ultimate low-light lens. “It’s more than [fast] enough to shoot in most practical environments,” F-Zero Camera explains. “But not in ultra-low light.”

Further, the “camera” is not, in and of itself, a camera. It requires the purchaser to have a camera of their own. It also doesn’t ship with bellows or a sliding rail, which are necessary. Salazar recommends purchasing two specialized 8×10 bellows for the F-Zero Camera from eTone for $179 each. As for rails and additional components, there is parts list on the F-Zero Camera website.

It’s a specialized system, to be sure, but one that promises to deliver results unlike anything possible with a typical camera and fast prime lens. For those without any large-format sensor glass, the entire camera kit — which, again, requires separate bellows — is $2,399. If someone has glass elements already, a DIY bundle is available for $999.

Custom 18.7K Cinema Camera

Last month, award-winning Tasmanian filmmaker and inventor Pawel Achtel, ACS, captured extremely high-resolution underwater footage of whales using a custom 18.7K, 9×7 cinema camera that he says is a “remarkable milestone in wildlife cinematography.”

The footage showcases what Achtel claims is the sharpest, highest-resolution, underwater footage of whales ever seen. It was able to be captured thanks to his “innovative” 9×7 digital cinema camera that was paired with custom-designed Vanquish underwater housings and modified Nikonos submersible lenses.

It’s a similar system to what he employed during the capture of James Cameron’s Avatar: The Way of Water.

“Such sharpness is exceptionally challenging to realize on land, even with large multi-camera arrays, and previously deemed unachievable underwater — until now,” Achtel says.

According to Achtel, the footage is unique because of its quality which is vastly higher than modern 4K and 8K standards. It exceeds the IMAX specifiations by a “significant margin” and is meant to be seen on massive 32K LED volume stages such as at Nant Studios in Melbourne, Australia. Achtel’s website says the footage is high enough resolution to work with IMAX, The MSG Sphere, Flying Theater, and other giant screen systems.

Achtel shared a still frame from an unrelated project that was captured with the camera. It measures 18,688 x 14,000 pixels, which is about 261 megapixels, with excellent sharpness.

For reference, this 18.7K camera is very similar to the square format 18K Big Sky camera used to capture footage for the Las Vegas Sphere.

“We’re filming humpback whales using my company’s revolutionary 9×7 Digital Cinema Camera, combined with lightweight titanium underwater housing and purpose-designed optics,” Actel says. “This unprecedented achievement was made possible by overcoming the optical challenges of traditional underwater housings and the cumbersome nature of conventional underwater equipment. With our lightweight, maneuverable, and high-resolution camera systems, we can effortlessly follow the action.”

The footage was captured under a special permit and in collaboration with marine science researcher Professor Rob Harcout. The footage was designed to focus on mother whales — specifically, humpback whales — with newborn calves for what is described as an immersive film project.

“The weather and the whales were mostly cooperative,” Achtel adds. “Occasionally we were with faced heavy rain and strong winds, but the underwater shots we captured were otherworldly. You can see every pore on the humpbacks’ skin, the fine hairs, and every bubble released from their fins—this is a magic that cannot be replicated, even through a diving mask.”

Tonga was chosen as the film destination because humpback whales gather off the coast there annually to give birth and mate, which allowed Acthel to capture the footage.

“We’re filming humpback whales using my company’s revolutionary 9×7 Digital Cinema Camera, combined with lightweight titanium underwater housing and purpose-designed optics,” Achtel says.

“This unprecedented achievement was made possible by overcoming the optical challenges of traditional underwater housings and the cumbersome nature of conventional underwater equipment. With our lightweight, maneuverable, and high-resolution camera systems, we can effortlessly follow the action.”

Indiegogo’s New Shipping Guarantee

Crowdfunding platform Indiegogo wants to ensure backers get what they pay for thanks to a new Shipping Guarantee Program.

The Shipping Guarantee Program promises to reduce the risk of crowdfunding campaigns, at least for some products on Indiegogo.

The Shipping Guarantee Program (SGP) is only available for select campaigns, and Indiegogo must approve applications for the program on a case-by-case basis. For a campaign to be eligible for the program, which conceivably would improve its success on the platform with users who may otherwise be concerned about the risk of crowdfunding, the organizer must have a proven track record of successful Indiegogo crowdfunding and launch with products that are in “the final manufacturing stages.”

Indiegogo says the SGP can “significantly enhance” a campaign’s credibility while attracting more early adopters and improving conversion rates. There are no additional fees for a campaign to be included in the program, provided that Indiegogo’s Trust and Safety team approves its eligibility.

There is some risk absorbed by an SGP campaign organizer, too. If the company or developer fails to ship their project on time, backing funds will be held to process potential refunds. This means that Indiegogo holds all campaign backing funds until the product has been shipped to backers.

This important consideration relates to Indiegogo’s emphasis on a campaign product being in the late stages of final manufacturing. In some cases, companies use crowdfunding to raise the necessary funds to begin manufacturing a product, or to perform additional research and development work. However, while acceptable as part of crowdfunding, that arrangement will not work with the SGP.

In the event that shipping delays are unavoidable, campaigns can work with Indiegogo to figure out a solution, but transparency with both Indiegogo and campaign backers is expected.

“Indiegogo is dedicated to driving innovation and ensuring the success of our campaigners, while protecting the interests of our backers,” says Becky Center, CEO of Indiegogo. “The Shipping Guarantee program represents a significant milestone in our commitment to fostering trust within the crowdfunding community. By providing a guarantee that backers will receive their products or their money back, we are enhancing the overall crowdfunding experience and encouraging more people to support bringing these innovative products to life.”

Among the first campaigns under the new Shipping Guarantee umbrella is the HoverAir X1 Pro and Pro Max campaign. These new self-flying camera drones, building upon last year’s HoverAir X1, are currently in the funding stage on Indiegogo, having received nearly $1.1 million in funding, shattering the campaign’s $50,000 goal by almost 2,200%. The HoverAir X1 Pro and Pro Max are guaranteed to ship by October 31, 2024, “or your money back.”

“We’re excited to return to Indiegogo and honored to be part of the Shipping Guarantee program,” explains MQ Wang, Founder and CEO of ZeroZero Robotics. “The incredible support from our backers in 2023 has fueled our innovations for HoverAir X1 Pro and Pro Max this year. We’re confident in our ability to ship on time, ensuring backers can support us with peace of mind.”

Formula 1 Gyro Camera

A gyro camera attached to the Formula 1 car of British driver Lando Norris has caught the attention of racing fans at this weekend’s Dutch Grand Prix.

The specialized onboard camera adjusts its orientation to keep the horizon level, compensating for the car’s pitch, roll, and yaw as it moves through corners.

The results are particularly dramatic at the Zandvoort circuit in the Netherlands where the track is undulating and has banking sections similar to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The camera angle has won widespread with one fan calling it the “coolest thing because it feels like I’m watching a POV on a rollercoaster.”

In a video posted to the Formula 1 YouTube channel a couple of weeks ago, on-board camera manager Dino Leone explains that the gyroscopic cameras are still in development.

“It was originally thought of for Zandvoort with the banking,” says Scarborough.

“It has a sensor that allows us to play with the stabilization settings on the fly so we can increase the rate at which the gyroscopic effect happens. We can decrease that rate and we can increase the rate of movement within the camera.”

This means that, unlike some gyroscopic cameras, the ones in F1 aren’t on gimbals and don’t move around — instead staying static.

“It’s all done electronically, so the sensor is much bigger than the lens and it moves around the sensor, as opposed to moving physically. It’s very tricky,” explained F1’s head of onboard Steve Smith in a Motorsport article last year.

Smith revealed that the cameras were present at last year’s Dutch Grand Prix but the pictures weren’t broadcast because due to “the weather conditions and other mitigating circumstances.”

The Sony-made cameras have been used in the elite motorcycle racing series MotoGP where the gyro cameras compensate for riders leaning into corners (seen below). But Scarborough adds that Formula 1 cars provide a particularly hostile environment for the cameras meaning an extra challenge for the manufacturers.

“What works elsewhere doesn’t work on a Formula 1 car so we’re working to make things more robust, more reliable, the same way the teams’ technology goes into road cars, our technology is going into camera development,” says Scarborough.

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