Build complex toys and simple tools
by Tony Karp

At the Air and Space Museum with a Huawei P30 Pro
< Previous May 31, 2019 Next >

 - At the Air and Space Museum with a Huawei P30 Pro -  - Huawei P30 Pro, Sony RX100 M6, Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum - - Tony Karp, design, art, photography, techno-impressionist, techno-impressionism, aerial photography , drone , drones , dji , mavic pro , video , 3D printing - Books -
The Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum. It's near Dulles Airport, in Sterling, Virginia. (Wide angle)

It's not that often that you get a chance to see into the future. For me, the last time was when I got my first digital camera, about twenty years ago. Auto-everything, 10x zoom, image-stabilized lens. Wow! Only two megapixels, but that was enough to see where things were headed.

My latest digital camera is a Sony RX100 M6. Very good, but not that much different from my first digital camera, as far as excitement goes. It's more evolutionary than revolutionary.

I just got a Huawei P30 Pro smartphone, and it's the future. Here's the bottom line: the P30 Pro can take pictures that the Sony RX100 M6 can't. Yes, the Sony is a fancy-shmancy camera, and the Huawei is a mere smartphone, but its four cameras can, in many ways, outperform a traditional camera.

The Huawei P30 Pro has:

+ A super-wide angle camera - 16mm equivalent. It's the widest lens I've ever used.

+ A main camera with a new type of sensor that can basically see in the dark. You can shoot just about anywhere.

+ A telephoto camera with a 135mm equivalent lens.

+ Enough smarts and AI to make it all work seamlessly together. In all the pictures I took on this venture, only a single one had the exposure wrong. All the others were pretty much dead on.

Without getting bogged down in specifications and pixel-peeping examinations, let's find out the real story. Field trip! Off to the Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum, which is only about 10 miles from us, as the drone flies. It's a really tough photography environment, with things, large and small, crowded together, looking up and looking down. And it's poorly lit, mainly daylight coming through windows.

One other note. All of the pictures here are exactly as they came from the P30 Pro. No cropping or post processing.

 - At the Air and Space Museum with a Huawei P30 Pro -  - Huawei P30 Pro, Sony RX100 M6, Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum - - Tony Karp, design, art, photography, techno-impressionist, techno-impressionism, aerial photography , drone , drones , dji , mavic pro , video , 3D printing - Books -
The museum is right next to the airport, so lots of airplanes. (5X tele)
 - At the Air and Space Museum with a Huawei P30 Pro -  - Huawei P30 Pro, Sony RX100 M6, Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum - - Tony Karp, design, art, photography, techno-impressionist, techno-impressionism, aerial photography , drone , drones , dji , mavic pro , video , 3D printing - Books -
The artist's muse waits patiently while I take another shot of the museum.
 - At the Air and Space Museum with a Huawei P30 Pro -  - Huawei P30 Pro, Sony RX100 M6, Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum - - Tony Karp, design, art, photography, techno-impressionist, techno-impressionism, aerial photography , drone , drones , dji , mavic pro , video , 3D printing - Books -
This is the Enola Gay, the Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber that dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan on August 6, 1945. I am old enough to remember listening to news bulletins on the radio that day. The plane in the foreground is a Lockheed P38 Lightning.
 - At the Air and Space Museum with a Huawei P30 Pro -  - Huawei P30 Pro, Sony RX100 M6, Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum - - Tony Karp, design, art, photography, techno-impressionist, techno-impressionism, aerial photography , drone , drones , dji , mavic pro , video , 3D printing - Books -
A three-quarter view of the front of the Enola Gay.
 - At the Air and Space Museum with a Huawei P30 Pro -  - Huawei P30 Pro, Sony RX100 M6, Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum - - Tony Karp, design, art, photography, techno-impressionist, techno-impressionism, aerial photography , drone , drones , dji , mavic pro , video , 3D printing - Books -
The nose of the Enola Gay. Looks a little bit like the Millenium Falcon.
 - At the Air and Space Museum with a Huawei P30 Pro -  - Huawei P30 Pro, Sony RX100 M6, Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum - - Tony Karp, design, art, photography, techno-impressionist, techno-impressionism, aerial photography , drone , drones , dji , mavic pro , video , 3D printing - Books -
This is a Monocoupe 110 Special, an aerobatic stunt plane from the 1940s.
 - At the Air and Space Museum with a Huawei P30 Pro -  - Huawei P30 Pro, Sony RX100 M6, Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum - - Tony Karp, design, art, photography, techno-impressionist, techno-impressionism, aerial photography , drone , drones , dji , mavic pro , video , 3D printing - Books -
A work from the museum's contemporary art collection.
 - At the Air and Space Museum with a Huawei P30 Pro -  - Huawei P30 Pro, Sony RX100 M6, Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum - - Tony Karp, design, art, photography, techno-impressionist, techno-impressionism, aerial photography , drone , drones , dji , mavic pro , video , 3D printing - Books -
This is the hangar where they restore aircraft and make them new again. I wonder where everyone is.
 - At the Air and Space Museum with a Huawei P30 Pro -  - Huawei P30 Pro, Sony RX100 M6, Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum - - Tony Karp, design, art, photography, techno-impressionist, techno-impressionism, aerial photography , drone , drones , dji , mavic pro , video , 3D printing - Books -
This is the space shuttle Discovery, which flew 39 successful missions.
 - At the Air and Space Museum with a Huawei P30 Pro -  - Huawei P30 Pro, Sony RX100 M6, Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum - - Tony Karp, design, art, photography, techno-impressionist, techno-impressionism, aerial photography , drone , drones , dji , mavic pro , video , 3D printing - Books -
A slightly better view of the space shuttle Discovery.
 - At the Air and Space Museum with a Huawei P30 Pro -  - Huawei P30 Pro, Sony RX100 M6, Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum - - Tony Karp, design, art, photography, techno-impressionist, techno-impressionism, aerial photography , drone , drones , dji , mavic pro , video , 3D printing - Books -
A close look at the space shuttle's nose, showing the heat-resistant tiles.
 - At the Air and Space Museum with a Huawei P30 Pro -  - Huawei P30 Pro, Sony RX100 M6, Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum - - Tony Karp, design, art, photography, techno-impressionist, techno-impressionism, aerial photography , drone , drones , dji , mavic pro , video , 3D printing - Books -
A close-up of the tiles on the space shuttle.
 - At the Air and Space Museum with a Huawei P30 Pro -  - Huawei P30 Pro, Sony RX100 M6, Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum - - Tony Karp, design, art, photography, techno-impressionist, techno-impressionism, aerial photography , drone , drones , dji , mavic pro , video , 3D printing - Books -
A tour guide explains the space shuttle for folks too young to remember it.
 - At the Air and Space Museum with a Huawei P30 Pro -  - Huawei P30 Pro, Sony RX100 M6, Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum - - Tony Karp, design, art, photography, techno-impressionist, techno-impressionism, aerial photography , drone , drones , dji , mavic pro , video , 3D printing - Books -
This hallway is over three stories tall. You really need a super-wide lens to capture it.
 - At the Air and Space Museum with a Huawei P30 Pro -  - Huawei P30 Pro, Sony RX100 M6, Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum - - Tony Karp, design, art, photography, techno-impressionist, techno-impressionism, aerial photography , drone , drones , dji , mavic pro , video , 3D printing - Books -
This is a Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, the world's fastest plane, seen from the side. It was buiult at the Lockheed "Skunk works" and has a skunk logo on its tail.
 - At the Air and Space Museum with a Huawei P30 Pro -  - Huawei P30 Pro, Sony RX100 M6, Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum - - Tony Karp, design, art, photography, techno-impressionist, techno-impressionism, aerial photography , drone , drones , dji , mavic pro , video , 3D printing - Books -
The Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, more from the front, but still hard to photograph, even with the P30 Pro's super-wide camera.
 - At the Air and Space Museum with a Huawei P30 Pro -  - Huawei P30 Pro, Sony RX100 M6, Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum - - Tony Karp, design, art, photography, techno-impressionist, techno-impressionism, aerial photography , drone , drones , dji , mavic pro , video , 3D printing - Books -
This is a US Navy N3N-3 seaplane. This is just one example of how good the color rendering on the P30 Pro is.
 - At the Air and Space Museum with a Huawei P30 Pro -  - Huawei P30 Pro, Sony RX100 M6, Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum - - Tony Karp, design, art, photography, techno-impressionist, techno-impressionism, aerial photography , drone , drones , dji , mavic pro , video , 3D printing - Books -
The Huawei P30 Pro's super-wide camera makes it easy to take shots like this. I probably could have zoomed in a bit, to fill the frame.
 - At the Air and Space Museum with a Huawei P30 Pro -  - Huawei P30 Pro, Sony RX100 M6, Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum - - Tony Karp, design, art, photography, techno-impressionist, techno-impressionism, aerial photography , drone , drones , dji , mavic pro , video , 3D printing - Books -
This is my favorite airplane. It's a Vought F4U Corsair and from this angle you can see its distinctive gull wings. Designed as a carrier-based plane, its wings fold upward so that more planes can be crowded together on a carrier deck.
 - At the Air and Space Museum with a Huawei P30 Pro -  - Huawei P30 Pro, Sony RX100 M6, Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum - - Tony Karp, design, art, photography, techno-impressionist, techno-impressionism, aerial photography , drone , drones , dji , mavic pro , video , 3D printing - Books -
It's the Concorde! The last time I was here, I used a Panasonic FZ5, but I had to shoot it as a panorama to get the whole thing in. Here, it was easy with the P30 Pro's super-wide camera.
 - At the Air and Space Museum with a Huawei P30 Pro -  - Huawei P30 Pro, Sony RX100 M6, Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum - - Tony Karp, design, art, photography, techno-impressionist, techno-impressionism, aerial photography , drone , drones , dji , mavic pro , video , 3D printing - Books -
This is the Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer. In 2006, it made the first solo, nonstop flight around the world.
 - At the Air and Space Museum with a Huawei P30 Pro -  - Huawei P30 Pro, Sony RX100 M6, Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum - - Tony Karp, design, art, photography, techno-impressionist, techno-impressionism, aerial photography , drone , drones , dji , mavic pro , video , 3D printing - Books -
This tiny thing is the result of a bet to build the world's smallest airplane.
 - At the Air and Space Museum with a Huawei P30 Pro -  - Huawei P30 Pro, Sony RX100 M6, Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum - - Tony Karp, design, art, photography, techno-impressionist, techno-impressionism, aerial photography , drone , drones , dji , mavic pro , video , 3D printing - Books -
At the Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum, the sky is full of planes.
 - At the Air and Space Museum with a Huawei P30 Pro -  - Huawei P30 Pro, Sony RX100 M6, Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum - - Tony Karp, design, art, photography, techno-impressionist, techno-impressionism, aerial photography , drone , drones , dji , mavic pro , video , 3D printing - Books -
Another work from the museum's contemporary art collection.
 - At the Air and Space Museum with a Huawei P30 Pro -  - Huawei P30 Pro, Sony RX100 M6, Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum - - Tony Karp, design, art, photography, techno-impressionist, techno-impressionism, aerial photography , drone , drones , dji , mavic pro , video , 3D printing - Books -
When travelling to new places, you should always try the native food.

Technical notes. I set the P30 Pro camera into the "Pro" mode in case I wanted to make adjustments to exposure, etc. In the end, I just let the camera do its thing so I would get some baseline of where the P30 Pro overexposed, underexposed, or got the white balance wrong. Surprise! Every shot was pretty much dead on, which also is a new thing for me.

On this trip, I also brought along my Sony RX100 M6 as a backup camera. I didn't use it. If you see the number of shots I made with the P30 Pro's super wide angle camera, you'll understand why.

If you look at the pictures above as the result of a magazine assignment, it's very possible that we've reached the point where this sort of thing can be done with a smartphone instead of a regular camera. I've been hearing this idea for years, but I think we may have reached the point where it's practical.

Add the fact that you now can have a very capable camera that's always with you. For me, it has expanded my photographic universe.

Alas, like any camera, the P30 Pro has its problems and frustrations (sounds like my wife's description of me). But that's for a future discussion. And my Sony RX100 M6 is going to be around for a while because it can do things the P30 Pro can't. Another thing for a future discussion.

Political note: I received my P30 Pro on May 8, 2019. Seven days later, Donald Trump signed an executive order that put Huawei into play as a bargaining chip in an ongoing trade dispute. The P30 Pro is not sold in the United States (I had to buy an "International" version with no warranty), but Huawei has to deal with American companies. No one knows how this lose-lose situation will end.

--

"You can have my Huawei P30 Pro, Mr. Trump, when you take it from my cold, dead hands."

- Paraphrase of a speech by Charlton Heston at the 2000 Republican convention.

< Previous May 31, 2019 Next >

Copyright 1957-2023 Tony & Marilyn Karp
Web Site Design
Systems Design
The Future
About
Recent Entries
Cine-Simulator Samples * T-Zoom
Cine-Simulator Samples * The Muse's Eyes
Geeks vs Gurus * The cinematography edition
The Zen of Zooming
Why smartwatches failed, and how to fix it - Part 3
Why smartwatches failed, and how to fix it - Part 2
Why smartwatches failed, and how to fix it - Part 1
Some pictures from my smartphone
My fix for bird strikes on my window
Goodbye, Columbus
At an old curiosity shop in Purcellville
Smartphone vs camera -- Why you need both
Raw vs JPEG with the P30 Pro's super-wide camera
At the Air and Space Museum with a Huawei P30 Pro
A tribute to the architect, I.M. Pei
A blast from the past - Music's golden age
Green eggs and ham. And onions. And cheddar.
A blast from the past
Hidden views -- Discoveries from my drone
Will the FAA stop regulating hobby drones?
Here's a panorama from my Mavic, and two more
A quadcopter is a totally new kind of aircraft
Taking to the air -- First flights
Let's talk about the Mavic Pro's camera
A different viewpoint
The value of time in the creative process
Variations on a skink
Andy shoots raw. Ann always shoots JPEG
A butterfly in Havana -- From start to finish
Recovering highlight detail in JPEG images
A tribute to Paris on November 14, 2015
Some black and white pictures from long ago
Panasonic DMC-ZS40 pictures - Part 2
Panasonic DMC-ZS40 pictures - Part 1
Art in the 3rd Dimension -- A butterfly takes wing
Shooting for NBC
What's new at the zoo?
On being a photojournalist
Some pictures of Manassas
Finishing a picture
Watching the sunset in Adams Morgan
A night at the circus - 1966
Fortune Qwerkies (tm) -- Fortune cookies for the smartphone user
Art in the 3rd Dimension -- The evolution from flat to solid
Art in the 3rd Dimension -- Showing how the pieces fit together
Getting a grip on the Panasonic DMC-LF1
Some random thoughts about the Panasonic DMC-LF1
The Panasonic DMC-LF1 is a game-changer
Art and the Zen of QR Codes -- Making QaRt
A new process for printing art in the 3rd dimension
Bubbles! Bubbles! Bubbles!
Photographing the Perry Como Show
Hiking at Sky Meadows with my Panasonic DMC-ZS20
Working for the union
A new take on JPEG vs raw - Panasonic DMC-ZS20
Some pictures from my Panasonic DMC-ZS20 - Part 2
Some pictures from my Panasonic DMC-ZS20 - Part 1
My new go-everywhere camera - Panasonic DMC-ZS20
My brief life in the studio
Shooting Shakespeare - The Tempest - NBC, 1960
Impressionist bees
In the studio with Roz Kelly
At the Peppermint Lounge - 1962
An evening with Gene Kelly
A portrait of Donna Mitchell - Variations on a theme
The "Sky Dream Ultimate" plug-in from Wilkington-Smythe
Post-processing: Going from good to great
Winter pictures from my Panasonic DMC-FZ150
Using the Panasonic DMC-FZ150's "Photo Style" Menu
A valentine for the Artist's Muse
The Panasonic DMC-FZ150's controls
Some thoughts on the Panasonic DMC-FZ150 - Part 2
The Panasonic DMC-FZ150 - A cure for DSLR envy?
Some thoughts about my Panasonic DMC-FZ150 - Part 1
The Panasonic DMC-FZ150 -- Best camera ever?
Sunglasses - What can you add to a picture?
Hey, camera makers. If my smartphone can do this
The Artmuse Variations - a look inside my new book
A tribute to George Washington on Veterans Day
A visit to the White House
The little farmhouse, the tractor, and the interesting tree
Buckminster, the baby buckeye butterfly
Memories of September 11
Happy Corporation Day!
A trip to Monterey and San Francisco
The first battle of the American Civil War -- 150 years ago
The end of an era -- The last American manned mission
Growing an Italian stone pine tree
Random thoughts on art and other stuff - From my new book
Playing with a classic - Sony DSC-R1 - Part 3, Warrenton
Playing with a classic - Sony DSC-R1 - Part 2, In the house
Playing with a classic - Sony DSC-R1 - Part 1, Winter
Some recent pictures
Fixing a Panasonic DMC-FZ18/FZ28/FZ35 problem
Into the world of shadows
Snowbound!
A walk through Warrenton
Partly moony with my Panasonic DMC-FZ35
My new Panasonic DMC-FZ35 - Part 3 - Video
Some pictures from my Panasonic DMC-FZ35 - Part 2
Happy birthday to muse...
Pixels and parking lots -- The Panasonic FZ35
Some pictures from my Panasonic DMC-FZ35
My new Panasonic DMC-FZ35 - Part 2
My new Panasonic DMC-FZ35 - Part 1
On our way to Warrenton
Evolution of an Iris
A new feature in Adobe Camera Raw 5.4
A tribute to the Apollo 11 astronauts
The pole dancer - Variations on a theme
Restoring lost highlight detail in JPEG images
A short course in photography in ten easy lessons
Kodachrome memories
A walk in the woods on my birthday
Mythbusters - More raw vs JPEG myths
Restoring lost shadow detail in JPEG images
Action!!
Expose for the highlights, develop for the shadows
Something new -- Interchangeable cameras
Honey, I shrunk the newspaper - The "Nano" NY Times
Mistaking evolution for revolution
Some pictures from the artist's muse
Photography becomes art -- Daibutsu Buddha at Kamakura
Happy House-i-versary
25 random things about the artist's muse
It happened at the Met
Some pictures and some settings - Part 4 - DMC-FZ28
Some pictures and some settings - Part 3 - DMC-FZ28
Some pictures and some settings - Part 2 - DMC-FZ28
Some pictures and some settings - Panasonic DMC-FZ28
Noiseography -- A new photographic technique
Shooting infrared with the Panasonic DMC-FZ28
You're never too young
One month with the Panasonic DMC-FZ28
A trip to Berryville - Panasonic DMC-FZ28
It's the Hobbitt's birthday
On September 11th
Shooting Tri-X with the Panasonic DMC-FZ28
A shot in the dark - Panasonic DMC-FZ28
Sunset and the far-up lens -- Panasonic DMC-FZ18
Further musings on the Panasonic DMC-FZ28
Customizing your camera for high-ISO photography
Panasonic DMC-FZ28 vs DMC-FZ18 at high ISO
Some musings about the Panasonic DMC-FZ28
Hummers, SUVs, DSLRs, and my DMC-FZ28
Panasonic DMC-FZ28 -- At the Flying Circus
Panasonic DMC-FZ28 -- The journey begins
Farewell, my Panasonic DMC-FZ18
More about the settings for the DMC-FZ18
Dealing with the modes and settings of the DMC-FZ18
Photography becomes art - Bird on a wire
The artist's muse at sunset -- DMC-FZ18
Do you need fancy equipment?
Now here's my plan
Good cookie, bad cookie
But seriously, folks...
Post-processing Mr. Squirrel
A museum of one's own
We need new words to describe what's happening
Going over to the dark side
Shooting the moon
Happy Anniversary, Hobbitt
The view from my window - DMC-FZ18
My favorite museum
A toast to the artist's muse
The DMC-FZ18, a sunset, and a glass of beer
Remembering Herbert Keppler
Shooting abstracts with the Panasonic DMC-FZ18
Fixing a Panasonic DMC-FZ18 problem
More pictures from my Panasonic DMC-FZ18
The journey of a thousand Melvins
Stairway to the stars -- Extreme post processing
DMC-FZ18 - Raw vs JPEG - The JPEG Manifesto
Chromatic aberration and the DMC-FZ18
Raw vs JPEG, the DMC-FZ18, and a mystery
Some pictures from my Kodak P880 - Part 2
Some pictures from my Panasonic DMC-FZ18
Some pictures from my Kodak P880 - Part 1
DMC-FZ18 - Don't be afraid of the dark
Shooting in "Medium" - DMC-FZ18 - The right exposure
Shooting in "Medium" and the Panasonic DMC-FZ18
In-use review -- Panasonic DMC-FZ18 - Part 2
In-use review -- Panasonic DMC-FZ18 - Part 1
Photography becomes art - Fantasy at Ida Lee
Photography becomes art - The chefs at Little Washington
My new old camera - the Kodak Easyshare P880
Photography becomes art - Variations on a theme
All the (art) news that's fit to print
The museum becomes art - #1
Photography becomes art - Making an angel
How to test a camera
Hitting the wall
Extreme post-processing - Working with infrared
Blogging 2.0 - A new interface
A funny thing happened on my way to the blog
In the beginning...