Tag: drone

What’s the Matter?

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Or… Feeling Horny? Or… ok. Let’s not.

Superduper 4k (and beyond) ascent of the Matterhorn in Switzerland via the Hörnli Ridge.

Oh – and in just a few seconds – thanks to a being a FPV drone.

Beautiful footage, with amazing views and crystal clear clarity:

FPV drone flight up the Matterhorn’s epic Hornli ridge. I’ve wanted to try this flight for a while and finally went for it during my month in Switzerland this winter (2022). I flew an Iflight Chimera 7 with DJI air unit and crossfire. The video was shot on a GoPro Hero 10 in 5K 30 and stabilized in Realsteadygo.

I only brought 1500mah batteries so the only way to assure that I reached the summit was to get closer. I decided to leave my skis at the top of the lift and hike the rest of the way to the Hörnli Hut with crampons and ice axe as the path was covered in snow and ice. I launched the drone from the Hörnli Hut and I was able to fly the remaining 4000ft (1,200m) vertical and 1 mile (1.6km) distance to the summit and surf down the ridgeline. It was extremely windy and the wind just got stronger as I neared the summit but the chimera 7 performed very well.

It’s nothing short of incredible what even basic consumer drones are capable of. It still feels like we’re in the future when it comes to some of the stuff that is available off the shelf right now. Of course, you still need an iconic mountain to get the full effect, but…

Please also note the handy AirB&B at 2:03 on the way down. “Rare Find” “Superhost” etc etc.

Drone sunset

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I’ve sat in my car park many, many times this year. In all sorts of weather (but mainly wet):

And I was there again last night for the team’s final practice session before the World Cup.
Last week when I was up North, I wished that I had brought my drone along. The sunset was incredible, but I was surrounded by ugly buildings and tall trees, which didn’t make for any decent photography.

So this week, rather than miss out again, I did take my drone along. And predictably, the sunset was completely rubbish.

Initially…

I’d actually packed the drone away and was settling down in the back of the car to watch an episode of Only Connect when I spotted the first tinge of pink in the sky. And while I didn’t think it was going anywhere, I knew I’d be pissed off if it did and I missed it, so I unpacked and set up again and by the time I got flying… well…

First things first: this is a stacked image of 5 bracketed shots, given that the sky was BRIGHT and the mountain was DARK. I’ve already been accused of RBOSSery by someone on the family Whatsapp group (wow – et tu, Brute?), but in fact, it’s actually UN-RBOSSed:

Look at that! And that’s just because there was far too much going on in the sky for the teeny, tiny sensor on my aging drone to handle. So no, definitely no RBOSS or hypocrisy here*.

I think this image would have been better with a bit more Table Bay in the mid-ground, but I was just down the road from Blouberg (aka “Blow”berg), and the South Easter was pumping. I was getting wind warnings even just up at 30m, so I decided not to risk much above 50. A bit irritating, but there are some things that you just can’t control, and hey, I still have a drone this morning, so that’s nice.
Always look for the positives.

Because the World Cup is coming up, I’m not going to be in my car park for a while now, and when practices do start again, they will likely not be 4 or 5 times a week, so I think this was a really good way to sign off for a while.

* Add a bit of Whatsapp compression and I can maybe kind of see where he was coming from, but I’m still rather hurt.

Day 594 – Yes, it’s a promo video, but…

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My goodness. It’s a very good promo video for what looks like a very good product.

Namibia’s Skeleton Coast, the Dolomites (all of them), Iceland’s waterfalls and volcanoes, Lake Moraine (I think), some (or more) Alps, maybe a bit of Thailand in there. Wow.

I guess that if you’re going to punt just what amazing images and footage your device can take, then you need to chuck it into some of the most incredible scenery that you are able to. And they have.

I’d advise you watch this at the highest possible resolution that your output can manage.

Right. Better start saving.

Day 589 – Light trails on the IOM

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Quick and easy blog fodder for 6000 miles… – it’s got Isle of Man photos, drones and at least a lighthouse, so why wouldn’t you expect to see it on here? Something of a magnificent trifecta for the site.

Here’s where you need to be.

That little light is called “The Winkie” (stoppit already!) and is right at the very top of the Isle of Man. Photographer Glenn Whorrall has attached a big light to his drone and flown it around the lighthouse in a circle while taking a long exposure image on his camera. Like a more high tech, controlled version of this.

Very effective.

There are more photos similar to this one above castles, forts (must have got airport permission for this one) and cottages on the link above. It’s a wild new way of photographing at very traditional buildings and I’m here for it.

Nice.

Day 508 – Birds solution

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I posted yesterday about my issue with the local Egyptian Geese. They weren’t around this morning, but then it’s a school day, so I had to be up early anyway. They only like to mess up your (potential) lie-in days.

Bastards.

Anyway… today, amongst my suggested videos on Youtube was this 1 minute gem:

I’m not saying that Google is reading my mind, but if it is, it’s doing a damn good job and yes, I’m hugely tempted.

The TF-19 attachment allows user to “remotely ignite targets from up to several miles away”…

I don’t need the several miles range. The issue is that the geese are close to the house. But as a solution to my problem, this is definitely a good idea and I can’t see any down sides.