Originally this week I was going to discuss a few different types of cameras, and their differing uses in the field...which I will still get to, however, something that happened this weekend prompted me to discuss the need for certain apps in the course of investigations. Which of course in thinking through led to another consideration that has been mentioned before, but can't be stressed enough! So I'll start off with that first, and ask that you keep it in mind while considering the following tools that might be "useful" while in the field: When was the last time you heard the phrase, "all my equipment and instruments worked perfectly in the presence of the UFO"?
Having said that, let's dive right in to an app for the first thing that will probably quit on you...your phone. I apologize to any Android users, but all of the apps I discuss will be for the iPhone or iPad. I'm sure there are comparable apps out there available through Google Play however. The reason I'm telling you about this first app now is due to the experience I had this weekend with a fellow MUFON member at our State Director's house. Due to the nature of this occurrence, my friend will remain anonymous.
We were discussing weird things that had happened to him at his home, and he mentioned an instance where instead of losing time, his watch actually gained six hours! This prompted me immediately to want to see if I could get any readings off of his watch, so I had him remove it and place it on the table. The first app I tried was Teslameter 11th, by Skypaw, which is a very good tool for measuring gauss units, or magnetic interference. His watch had negative results, so I next tried Gamma Pix, and immediately we knew something was wrong. There was a GIANT spike of dangerous radiation, and we were advised to leave the area of the readings! Of course after that I wanted to get a reading on my friend and see if he was the source of the contamination. To everyone's surprise, he was completely clean! So next my friend got a lanyard with a badge on it that he wears to work every day. Surprise! There was the spike again! Very disturbing. Needless to say my friend ordered a Geiger Counter right there on the spot so he could check other things at home, but had it not been for that Gamma Pix app, we might not ever have known about the potential danger to him! I felt this was important enough to mention to everyone because of the impressive performance of the app. By the way, we also did many control tests, and they all were negative.
So to get back to my original topic of cameras, I would like to briefly mention the GoPro camera, and It's many uses in the field. Besides coming with a rugged, waterproof case, there are many available attachments for the GoPro, so customizing it's mounting is a snap. The resolution of photos taken with the GoPro are extremely good, and the underwater shots one can get with it can't be beat. It also has a "Time-lapse" setting, so one can easily mount it somewhere out in the field, and let it run for the entirety of it's battery life (a little over four hours unless you add the optional battery pack), and have some fantastic time-lapse images. While the GoPro is very useful, and of course the images that I can get with my Nikon are very stunning, neither of them is worth a darn if you are in the presence of a field or craft that makes all your equipment die instantly. So what then? When battling hi-tech, maybe sometimes low-tech can do a better job.
While film cameras are considered by many to be "antiques", the older ones have one obvious advantage; they don't rely on an electric charge of any kind...they are purely mechanical! I'm not saying that a mechanical camera is foolproof...I've heard of photo's that were taken using them that should have turned out, but were instead just a milky-white haze. But then I've also seen some really good ones taken on film, as in the case of my SLO UFO investigation, and Dr. Lynne Kitei's "Phoenix Lights" photographs. Great pictures, all taken with "film" type cameras. So something to keep in mind.
While the use of gadgets can be a great benefit in the field, relying on them can be disastrous. Always try to know how to do something the "old fashioned" way too. These ways survived the tests of time for a reason. Use them.
I hope this weeks installment was useful, and please remember to share with everyone! Come back next week for more!
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