Model Boat Mayhem
Mess Deck: General Section => Full Scale Ships => Topic started by: nsa66 on July 19, 2010, 03:00:34 pm
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I'm planning a trip to Hythe next Monday (on holiday in Dorset) to watch Queen Mary 2 leave Southampton. Does anyone have any idea what sort of lens would be needed to best capture the event?
Cheers
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Get yourself along to the end of Hythe Pier. If at all possible you may be able to take a trip on the Hythe ferry while the QM2 departs.
The end of the pier is around 400m from the centre of the main shipping channel so you won't need a super zoom!
Colin
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It really works well if the Sheildhall is going out on a run at the same time. Get a ride on her and photograph QM2, you get the best of all worlds.
John
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Cheers. Should be OK with my 40-200mm (80-400mm 35mm equivalent) then?
Not sure what Shieldhall's doing. No programme for July on their website. Was hoping for a Jurassic cruise from Weymouth but she doesn't seem to be visiting there this year which is unusual. Any idea why there's a gap in her schedule? Film work? Maintenance? Seems a bit odd at this time of year.
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Cheers. Should be OK with my 40-200mm (80-400mm 35mm equivalent) then?
Not sure what Shieldhall's doing. No programme for July on their website. Was hoping for a Jurassic cruise from Weymouth but she doesn't seem to be visiting there this year which is unusual. Any idea why there's a gap in her schedule? Film work? Maintenance? Seems a bit odd at this time of year.
Your 40 - 200 should work well.
Don't about Sheildhall's current schedule though.
John
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Well, I made the trip to the end of Hythe Pier. Very blowy and my little travel tripod was not up to the task. Easier to hand-hold and brace aginst pier buildings, using high ISO for faster shutter speeds. Blew the haze away though!
Here are three views:
STARBOARD PROFILE - Taken whilst she was turning after coming astern from her berth.
(http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af50/nsa66/Shipping/StbdProfile2_Enhanced-1.jpg)
STARBOARD BOW - Approaching the pier
(http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af50/nsa66/Shipping/P7261044-1.jpg)
STARBOARD QUARTER - Sailing away into the (near) sunset.
(http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af50/nsa66/Shipping/StbdQuarter_Enhanced-1.jpg)
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Great photos, you've managed to almost make her look attractive! They really should have fitted her with a retractable funnel though.
Well worth the trip to get those pics.
Also, notice how the waterline is not level but curves up at the bow for aesthetic reasons.
Colin
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I think it's true to say that she's not a classical beauty!
Within the constraints imposed by current technical and market demands, however, I think the designers have made a pretty good compromise. She is a product of her age and compared to many (most?) of her contemporaries she is a bit of a looker - even the stern (from some angles) is a valiant attempt to make the best of a tricky situation.
I'm sure that a little more cosmetic attention would have been worthwhile though. Folding/retracting mast extensions, with the right amount of rake, would make a world of difference to her appearance at little additional cost, except maybe to the sensibilities of the architects. Even sloping the black top of the funnel to make it parallel to the red section would be an improvement, though I think almost any amidships funnel is preferable to other, more practical arrangements (I never particularly liked the look of Canberra for that reason). I think the lack of genuine fore-and-aft sheer plays a big part in making her look less glamorous than her predecessors. Look at pictures of the former Caronia (ex Vistafjord) and you'll see what I mean.
All-in-all I think she's okay.
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What about these modifications at the next refit? OK might need to bodge in a bit of ducting to shift the funnel forward but shouldn't be too big a deal. ok2
Apologies for the rough photoshopping but if Cunard come asking I'll tidy it up a bit !
(http://s4.postimage.org/5TJtA.jpg) (http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=aV5TJtA)
(http://s4.postimage.org/5TOsS.jpg) (http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=aV5TOsS)
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The reason why the funnel is short in proportion is so that the ship can get under the bridge at the entrance to New York harbour so there doesn't seem to be any prospect of improving her appearance.
Colin
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Stephen Payne is a customer of ours. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPv2TlyzH44 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPv2TlyzH44). Would I lie to you all?
Would you like me to point him in the direction of this thread as feedback? 8)
FLJ
(My old headmaster always said that if you're going to drop a name make sure it's a big one and in the right place.....)
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I had heard that the QM2 is experiencing ongoing problems with her propulsion pods but I hadn't realised that a P94 might be viewed as the solution.....
The ship is a technical tour de force but the need to squeeze in all those tiers of balconies left no room for a proper chimney.
QM2 is a proper liner and not your standard cruise ship, cut off by the quarter mile or so, but, hard as I have tried, I find it difficult to warm to her exterior appearance although she is indeed a paragon when compared with the Norwegian Epic.
Colin
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I think that QM2 is the pick of the bunch as far as modern ships go. While she's not a patch on the QE2, or the old Queens, she at least looks like a ship. Perhaps the Cunard colours and rounded stern have something to do with that perception.
Peter.
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Sorry but i think she looks like a car ferry ;)
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Missed this thread earlier. Friends have a beach hut on Calshot Spit. The deep channel there brings ships very close inshore. A good viewing place.
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I think it's true to say that she's not a classical beauty!
Within the constraints imposed by current technical and market demands, however, I think the designers have made a pretty good compromise. She is a product of her age and compared to many (most?) of her contemporaries she is a bit of a looker - even the stern (from some angles) is a valiant attempt to make the best of a tricky situation.
I'm sure that a little more cosmetic attention would have been worthwhile though. Folding/retracting mast extensions, with the right amount of rake, would make a world of difference to her appearance at little additional cost, except maybe to the sensibilities of the architects. Even sloping the black top of the funnel to make it parallel to the red section would be an improvement, though I think almost any amidships funnel is preferable to other, more practical arrangements (I never particularly liked the look of Canberra for that reason). I think the lack of genuine fore-and-aft sheer plays a big part in making her look less glamorous than her predecessors. Look at pictures of the former Caronia (ex Vistafjord) and you'll see what I mean.
All-in-all I think she's okay.
agreed, not a beauty at all....just a bunch of floating balconies...but thats todays ship building for you!