Sony A7R II aerial videography test: in-camera sensor stabilization plus in-lens stabilization = ?

10 thoughts on “Sony A7R II aerial videography test: in-camera sensor stabilization plus in-lens stabilization = ?”

1. I ordered an Osmo *after* reading your post on Osmo and just got it today. Sitting on my desk waiting for me to play with it.

2. Sorry but It’s not very impressive. There is a very noticeable “jello” effect. A drone with well balanced props would do a much better job. There is some info on the net on how to deal with it but I’m not sure how useful it would be for improving a real helicopter footage

3. Hey, I went there (Phillips Academy, not the villa).

   You want a big ass mechanical stabilizer with a DSLR mount, like this one: http://www.4kshooters.net/2014/09/29/allsteady-5pro-a-new-budget-handheld-3-axis-gimbal-for-your-gh4a7s5d-mark-iii-dslr/

   There are also cheaper selfie-stick style gimbal mounts if GoPro-quality video is sufficient: http://www.amazon.com/Feiyu-Ultra-3-Axis-Handheld-Gimbal/dp/B00SUWMIQY/ref=lp_196573011_1_8?s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1445891435&sr=1-8

4. what about a software image/video stabilizer?

5. Hi Philip,

   So would you believe that even 13 years later, your article on flying in Alaska is one of the best accounts I can find of Alaskan flying and essentially a “how to fly Alaska for non-Alaskan Pilots?”

   That’s how I ended up here; I thought about trying to contact via email but since most of the articles over at your philip.greenspun site are fairly well dated, I wasn’t sure if the email was still accurate/valid (especially since this site is affiliated differently than your email on the other site; I’d promise not to tell but I sort of just did)

6. Oops… Hit post a bit too early..

   Anyway, I was reaching out because I am looking at making a grand Alaska adventure summer of 2016 and though its been some time, as the best resource I’ve found on the topic, I’d love to get your opinion on the route Im considering; especially as it sounds like you may have been through some of the airports Im looking at.

   If nothing else, you have certainly spent more time in the air and on the ground in Alaska than I have so your feedback would be awesome.

   The route Im considering is a 2500NM round trip from Anchorage to Anchorage. I tried to keep each “leg” of the journey to less than 100NM or at least have a diversion airport enroute though that wasn’t always possible.

   This is what I was considering:
   Anchorage (PANC), VP Moose Ridge, VP East End of Narrows, VP West End of Narrows, VP Glacier Fork, VP Forks, South side of the ridge at the fork to VP Head of Little Lake Clark. I figured I’d fly around Lake Clark National Park before resuming back on course via Tommy Island to FORAX ending at Iliamna (PAIL)

   From PAIL I’d head to Kulik Lake (PAKL) and fly around Katmai National Park before ending at King Salmon (PAKN)

   From PAKN, I have the first leg extending over 100NM from an airport enroute to

7. Did it again!

   PAKN to Bethel (PABE) via V506 at 198 NM. Ideally, Bethel would be a fuel stop only before continuing up to Nome (PAOM) also via V506 at 242NM.
   Alternates at St Marys [PASM] at 87NM & 10NM off the VOR route and Kotlik [PFKO] at 145NM & 7NM off the VOR route leave the longest part of this route the 99NM over Norton Sound.

   From PAOM, I’d follow T260 to Tin City, round the corner by the ADIZ over Wales (PAIW) and track the coast and NDB up to Shishmaref (PASH) where I’d pick up V401 into Kotzebue (PAOT) for a fuel stop then on to Ambler (PAFM), flying around Kobuk Valley National Park before returning back to Kotzebue

   From Kotzebue, I’d follow V506 up to Barrow (PABR). At 291NM this is the longest stretch in which there are no alternates readily available and radio contact is likely to be sparse but I suspect I could probably report Noatak River/Canyon with Noatak/Kotzebue radio at 75NM, the intersection of T277 at 150NM with Point Lay/Barrow radio. Beyond that, I’d be north of the “significant” ridges and into open tundra if I needed to set it down and I’d report Atqasuk (PATQ) at 240NM with Wainwright/Barrow radio. Atqasuk would be the preferred diversion if Barrow is bad but Wainwright would also be possible (though across the ADIZ). Barrow would ideally be a refueling and short sight-seeing tour to Pt. Barrow (northern most point in the US) before picking up V438 to Deadhorse (PASC) with Lonely AS (AK71) as a mid-route emergency alternate and Nuiqsut (PAQT) as the designated alternate for Deadhorse.

   From PASC, I’d load up with some extra fuel and fly down V504 (keeping the Dalton Highway within range) for 70NM until Kakukturat Mt. where I’d turn south-southwest to enter into Anaktuvuk Pass (PAKP); a route of 145NM with no alternates but tundra and roads for the first 50% of it. Out of PAKP, up the Anatuvuk River Valley, down North Fork Koyukuk River Valley through Delay Pass and Glacier Pass into Wiseman (WSM) and Coldfoot (PACX).

   From PACX on to Bettles (PABT) and on to Fairbanks (PAFA)

   From PAFA, fly V480 to Nenana (PANN) and continue past to Kantishna (5Z5) where I’d turn around (no landing but good waypoint for backside of Denali) on to witha possible stop in Stampede (Z90) and sticking to the river valley just north of Healy River (PAHV) on to a stop in Denail (PAIN). Follow the road down past Cantwell (PATW) and Honolulu following Georg Parks Highway to Ruth Glacier, than on to Nugget Bench with a wide u-turn near Kahiltna Glacier and heading into Talkeetna (PATK)

   And for the last hop, PATK to Big Lake VOR and back into PANC

   Total Flight Distance 2535NM + VFR non-routed National Park time
   Leg 1.1 – PANC-PAIL – 182NM + NP; minimal options for alternates enroute
   Leg 2.1 – PAIL-PAKN – 106NM + NP; multiple alternates at intervals <60NM
   Leg 3.1 – PAKN-PABE – 202NM; minimal options for alternates enroute
   Leg 3.2 – PABE-PAOM – 247NM; alternates at 92NM and 143NM
   Leg 4.1 – PAOM-PAOT – 251NM; alternates at 60NM, 100NM, 165NM
   Leg 4.2 – PAOT-PAFM – 112NM + NP; alternate at 50NM
   Leg 4.3 – PAFM-PAOT – 112NM; alternate at 62NM
   Leg 5.1 – PAOT-PABR – 292NM; No alternates first 150NM past 150NM tundra and 2 airports within 50NM of destination
   Leg 5.2 – PABR-PASC – 177NM; alternates at 72NM & approx. 140NM
   Leg 6.1 – PASC-PAKP – 145NM; RD/Tundra Alt 1-70NM PAGB after 70NM
   Leg 6.2 – PAKP-PACX – 90NM; No immediate alt. Option to fly in from S or Direct to PABT
   Leg 7.1 – PACX-PAFA – 196NM; Alt. at 38NM & 149NM, Rd at 65-149NM
   Leg 8.1 – PAFA-PATK – 322NM; includes NP, multiple alt. at intervals <50NM
   Leg 9.1 – PATK-PANC – 69NM

   Or I could reverse the path flying north through Fairbanks first…

   I could also then use one of the tour companies out of Fairbanks to do Barrows/Deadhorse/Anaktuvuk Pass/Wiseman/Coldfoot… I want to see the arctic circle sign on Dalton Highway so a tour of some sort would be required.

8. Thanks, Tony, for your question. The moderators will probably remove both your question and my answer since the discussion would fit a lot better at http://philip.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a.tcl?topic_id=21&topic=Aviation (or just email me).

   I haven’t been doing any flight planning in Alaska lately so I don’t have a thoughtful opinion about the specific route. Unless you are flying an unrestored unoverhauled plane from the 1930s I don’t think your concern about having to “set it down” should be foremost. A standard four-seat airplane can certainly fly this entire distance without any significant risk of mechanical failure. Your real enemy is weather, in which case the option to land on the tundra is not as useful as the patience to wait a week or two if necessary for clear skies. Alaska is easy in a simple airplane if you have infinite time and patience. Alaska is also easy in an airplane that is certified for flight into known icing conditions and has enough altitude capability to climb out of the ice into clear air/non-icing conditions (instrument flying in Alaska requires flying high and therefore it is always below freezing and therefore there is always the potential for ice). Where Alaska gets challenging is if you try to keep to a schedule in a simple airplane.

9. Careful, you appear to be flying a helicopter in drone airspace. 🙂

10. Thanks for the feedback.

    My distances/tundra landings were not motivated by a mechanical failure but rather weather and fuel exhaustion.

    The weather was my primary concern and from what I’ve read it can change very quickly (even more quickly than the random Texas and California coastal weather I’m used to flying in) which is why I tried to keep airports/alternates to 100NM or less from any one point; while not looking to head out into predicted bad conditions, I also didn’t want to be caught without an out for a more rapid change. As for Tundra in this situation, particularly leg 5, in a rapidly deteriorating weather condition at or beyond the 150NM midway point between Kotzebue/Barrows depending on the location/direction of the front it would seem likely to be safer to press on and force a landing into descending/flat terrain with 1000 ft MEFs on Tundra and/or the 100NM to Atqasuk (or 150NM to barrows) than to turn back and travel the 150NM through the ascending forested and mountainous terrain to the south or the 75-100NM to an alternate on the coast.

    Fuel exhaustion was the next major concern and each of my non-alternates (and some of my alternates) in leg 1-4.1, 4.3-5.2 and 8-9 have fuel. Only legs 5.1, 6-7 total greater than 250NM between airports with fuel… Leg 5.1 at 300NM is perfectly doable but also just far enough with just the right terrain type (S->N route, E->W mountain ridge; granted they’re 5k peaks not the 8-9k peaks further into the Brooks range or the 20k peak of Denali but that’s still 4-5k above the surrounding terrain on either side) that a reduced speed with a higher burn could put me into reserves landing in Barrows or even short.

    Leg 6 & 7 at 431 NM between available fuel will definitely require additional fuel taken on in Deadhorse as “baggage” and close monitoring of fuel burn and ground speed hence the tracking along Dalton Highway.

    From there its back to civilization and “easy” (for Alaska anyway) alternates with fuel (or easy enough to get fuel to the alternate via the highway)… Leg 8 at 322NM between fuel stops is only over open wilderness for the first 170NM, the next 90NM have multiple non-fueled airports along the Anchorage-Fairbanks highway and the last 62NM can be cut back to 22NM if needed by cutting off the u-turn at Kahiltna Glacier and going direct to TKA

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