Strange RAF roundel and camo

[mimithem]

Hi guys,

I got a photo of a Swordfish (of which I do not own the copyrights) taken in March - April 1941 in Greece belonging to 815 SQN (s/n P4071) which shows a really weird kind of RAF roundel type:



After some tests I did in photoshop, I ended up having the following sample:



which in Black&White looks like this:



I think it's quite similar to that shown on the pic.

I'm not sure whether the RAF used to have such roundels but the additional strange thing on the photo is that if you notice carefully you may see that the underside of the outer cycle on the roundel (which is supposed to be the blue cycle) looks like cut-off following the fuselage line as someone just put it over the main roundel.

What is going on?

As for the camouflage, does anybody have any idea?

Thank you!

[wwrsimon]

I think it's due to the film used - orthochromatic I think it's called.

It makes yellow appear really dark, so it's a standard roundel with red centre, then white, then blue and with a yellow outer.

Simon

[mimithem]

Thank you Simon, it was something that I would never think of! What about the camouflage?

[Graham Boak]

Ortho film can also have this curious effect on the camouflage, possibly because it misses out on the blue in the Extra Dark Sea Grey (which is never extra dark for long anyway). There is a photo of a Skua on Ark Royal which shows a very similar effect, and appeared in several articles puzzling over its curious appearance.

Not all pictures taken in ortho are quite so dramatic, so possibly it is an effect of combining this with a particular filter?

[Pilot]

This is effect of type of film, where yellow look dark as red.

[mimithem]

Thank you very much guys!

[Pilot]

You are welcome Similar look have also here:

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fb...5.308234397758