Right place. Right time. Very expensive camera with a very expensive telephoto lens. ;)
I recently upgraded to a Single Lens Reflex Canon SX530HS and while I’m still learning to use it, it’s already blowing my mind! Do I NEED to see every little hair on a bee’s bottom? Why, yes! Yes I do!
It gets great ratings anywhere you want to look. About $350.00. It was a Birthday Gift from Beau this year, though I’ve been ‘shopping’ for it for about 5 years, not wanting to give up my Canon PowerShot A590, which is losing it’s zip and eating batteries, weekly. ;)
I have had a Canon 5Ti (SLR) for the last 6 years. Love it. I was in DC on the Mall with my daughter and her husband. We were across from the White House South Lawn and the police pull up and stopped all traffic on Constitution Avenue. That’s when I noticed Marine One sitting on the lawn and a rope line of people on either side. The former President was departing. I started taking some pics (using a 200mm lens).
[Side note: Interesting to note the accompanying Marine look-a-like helicopters and a Black Hawk doing circles around DC until it was time for Marine One to lift off at which time they swooped in and escorted Marine One away.]
I continued snapping all the way until after Marine One lifted off and passed directly overhead.
When we got back, I downloaded the pics to my computer and started going through them. I could see every secret service agent on the roof of the White House (I’d wager they probably saw me as well). I could even see what looked like White House staff parting the curtains to look out of the windows. I was able to see a figure in the rear compartment window of Marine One who bore a resemblance to the President but just not enough to say yes or no.
Anyhow, the last few pics were when Marine One was passing directly overhead. I zoomed up and I could see the distinctive red stripe and blue pants of the pilot through the lower window in the cockpit and I could see the water bottle (Evian, I believe) he had in a little holder by his leg. In one of the shots, I zoomed in to his face and even with the aviator shades, I could pick him out of a line up if push came to shove.
Also have a few great shots of the eclipse from a couple of years ago and the lunar eclipse from last year. Amazing camera for a relatively low price.