Can regular tourists book a flight like this with the LAPD?
This particular experience required special arrangement through the Parker Foundation and personal connections. The video emphasizes that this isn't a standard commercial tourist helicopter tour—it's an active law-enforcement aircraft.
At a glance
Length
12 min
Channel
Jason Lanier
Video from
Oct 2016
Rating
⭐⭐ Great video · 2/2
Best for
Photographers, cinematographers, and LA natives curious about aerial filmmaking
What this video answers
Can regular tourists book a flight like this with the LAPD?
How does shooting through plexiglass affect image quality?
What camera settings work best for aerial helicopter filming?
How long does the flight last?
What's the best time of day to fly?
Reads the guide aloud in your browser — free, no account.
Flying Over Los Angeles in a Real LAPD Helicopter
Award-winning photographer Jason Lanier shares an exclusive aerial tour of Los Angeles captured from inside an active LAPD patrol helicopter. This isn't a tourist flight—it's a genuine ride-along with working law-enforcement pilots Adam and Jamie, offering views of Downtown LA, Hollywood, the Hollywood Sign, Griffith Observatory, Dodger Stadium, and the city skyline that few people ever experience. The entire journey is filmed in 4K using professional Sony cameras, with all footage shown ungraded directly from the camera so you see the authentic look of aerial cinematography.
This experience suits photography enthusiasts, cinematographers learning aerial technique, Los Angeles natives wanting to see their city from a new angle, and anyone curious about what LAPD helicopter operations actually look like. The video emphasizes both the technical side of shooting through helicopter plexiglass and the emotional reward of seeing familiar landmarks from hundreds of feet above—from childhood memories of Batman TV show cave locations to iconic buildings used in classic Superman episodes.
Key Moments
Key Sights and Moments from the LAPD Helicopter Ride
The helicopter's takeoff filmed from the control tower, showing the aircraft lifting off Downtown LA
Aerial views of the Hollywood Sign with the pilot circling twice and lighting it with a spotlight
Griffith Observatory from above, compared to the photographer's ground-level visits
Historic landmarks including the old Superman building and the bat cave location from the 1960s TV show
Sunset shots over the LA skyline as evening light creates dramatic reflections in building windows
What to Know Before Booking This Type of Experience
All shooting occurs through plexiglass, not open-door photography—this affects image clarity and requires attention to avoiding reflections
The flight includes waiting time while pilots respond to actual calls or perform beach patrol duties between scenic passes
Lighting changes dramatically during the ride; sunset and golden hour provide the most cinematic results
A6300 cameras performed well at high ISO (6,400) despite lacking image stabilization; A7RII with stabilization produced smoother handheld footage
Wide-angle lenses (16–35mm) and zoom lenses (24–70mm) both proved valuable for capturing varying perspectives
The entire experience requires proper authorization and connections—this specific ride was arranged through personal contacts and the Parker Foundation's partnership with LAPD
Frequently Asked Questions About LAPD Helicopter Rides
Can regular tourists book a flight like this with the LAPD?
This particular experience required special arrangement through the Parker Foundation and personal connections. The video emphasizes that this isn't a standard commercial tourist helicopter tour—it's an active law-enforcement aircraft. Interested photographers or filmmakers should research official LAPD community programs or contact the foundation to inquire about similar opportunities.
How does shooting through plexiglass affect image quality?
The video shows that plexiglass can create reflections and slight optical distortion, particularly visible in moving helicopter rotor blades in the initial footage. Jason compensates by adjusting shutter speed and aperture, and by angling the camera downward to avoid reflections. All footage remains sharp and usable despite this limitation.
What camera settings work best for aerial helicopter filming?
Jason demonstrates success with both the A7RII and A6300 in 4K using different approaches. For the A6300 (without image stabilization), he used 6,400 ISO with an F4 lens and kept framing steady by bracing the camera. The A7RII at 1,600 ISO and F2.8 produced smoother results due to built-in image stabilization, especially when tilting or panning the camera.
How long does the flight last?
The video doesn't specify total flight duration, but Jason's only complaint is that "it just didn't last long enough." The ride includes takeoff, multiple scenic passes over landmarks, waiting periods during patrol duties, and return to the landing zone.
What's the best time of day to fly?
The video shows that sunset and golden hour produce the most beautiful results, with warm light creating striking reflections in downtown buildings and across the skyline. Morning or midday light is usable but less dramatic than evening shooting.
Ultra-high-definition video recording at four times the resolution of standard HD, capturing more detail and allowing for larger prints or digital displays.
Image stabilization
A camera feature that reduces blur and shaking in handheld footage, especially useful in aircraft where the camera cannot be braced against a solid surface.
ISO
A camera sensor's sensitivity to light; higher ISO numbers allow shooting in darker conditions but introduce visible noise or grain in the image.
Plexiglass
A clear plastic material used in helicopter windows that can create reflections and slight optical distortion when shooting through it with a camera lens.
G Master lens
Sony's premium line of autofocus lenses designed for professional photography and videography, known for sharpness and optical performance.
This video is invaluable for anyone considering aerial photography or cinematography. Jason pulls back the curtain on actual technical challenges—plexiglass reflections, ISO performance, image stabilization trade-offs—that you won't see in polished commercial videos. He shows the ungraded 4K footage side-by-side with quick fixes, making it a genuine learning experience rather than just a sightseeing highlight reel.
What stands out most is the authenticity: you're watching real LAPD pilots doing their job while accommodating a photographer, not a staged tour. The mix of childhood nostalgia (seeing the Batman cave location and Superman building from above) with professional camera testing makes this feel both personal and educational. If you're serious about aerial cinematography or dream of flying over LA, this is essential viewing.
Years on the front lines of helicopter tour coordination — not as a travel blogger, but as the person responsible for making every guest experience go right. Managed 2,000+ cruise guests weekly as Shore Excursions staff aboard the Pride of America in Hawaii
Personally coordinated with helicopter tour operators to confirm age, weight, and safety requirements.
Join award winning photographer Jason Lanier for a truly unique experience as he gets to ride along with the LAPD in their patrol helicopter for some truly stunning views of Los Angeles that very few people get to see! PLEASE THUMBS UP, SHARE, LEAVE A COMMENT AND SUBSCRIBE!
Please note: the LAPD was very kind and generous to allow this ride along. To support their cause please visit: www.lapdonline.org/support_lapd
*Sony 24-70 G Master lens- http://www.adorama.com/iso2470gm.html?KBID=912653
*Sony 16-35 FE Zeiss lens-http://www.adorama.com/iso16354egc.html?KBID=912653
*Sony 85mm G Master lens-http://www.adorama.com/iso8514gm.html?KBID=912653
This entire video was shot using the A7Rii and the A6300 in 4k. All the footage is completely straight out of the camera with no grading applied so viewers can see what the footage looks like untouched.
All images are edited using Lightroom only.
We thank you for watching and invite you to stick around and watch a few more while you're here!
Thanks,
Jason Lanier Photography
Video transcript for “FLYING over Los Angeles in 4K w/ the LAPD using-Sony A6300, A7Rii and G Master Lenses!” Accessibility
A full written transcript of this video, provided for accessibility. Select any timestamp to jump the video to that moment.
yeah it does dude wa you see the camera oh my go hi my name is Jason L
we're here in Downtown LA we're going up in an LAPD helicopter today and we're going to share it with you guys couple A7 r2s a7s2 and I have an a6300 we're going to go up get some great shots thanks to Oscar for hooking me up with this opportunity we're going to go up above the Skies of LA and Hollywood and
show you guys what it looks like so uh get ready to go guys it's going to be an awesome ride hopefully I don't throw up we are getting ready to take off so they're going to burn off a since they're taking us as extra passengers they got to burn off a little fuel real quick but we've been
given exclusive access to the control tower up here so we're up here shooting and we're going to get first we're going to get an amazing view of this Chopper taking off and we're going to shoot it this is with the a7r I with the 24 to 70g master lens filming in 4k and we're going to shoot it and hope you guys like
it this footage here was filmed with the uh a7r I with the 85g master and you're going to notice that the blades of the helicopter kind of look warped there so you're going to notice I left this footage in so you guys can see me change my settings and what I did is increase the shutter
speed and then uh narrow down my aperture and then you're going to see how it uh even those out there so was really a neat experience to be able to uh do all of this and you guys are going to love the footage that we got uh we got up into the air it's just such a crazy opportunity then I slowed it down again
so you guys can see it flying away just give you a little bit of different look with the shutter speeds and what I can do with helicopters I was born in Hollywood at senor SI hospital and uh you know I've driven these highways my whole life to actually be standing here where they're
flying the helicopters now I get to see my hometown Los Angeles from an entirely different perspective it's it's pretty surreal it's pretty awesome very very excited so thanks to my brother Oscar for uh making all this happen and thanks to you guys for watching now keep one thing in mind we are are filming through
plexiglass there is no opening in the helicopter it's not a this isn't a tourist helicopter it's a LAPD helicopter so um whatever footage you're seeing whatever pictures you're seeing keep that in mind we're shooting through plexiglass and hopefully it's pretty clear but those are limitations as it
relates to uh what we're doing there thank you we're good thank you guys all right I'm going have this next footage here was done on the a7r I with the 2470 G master and that was a really beautiful mix I mean you guys just look at the footage there zoom in zoom out it it really did
great uh you're doing it [Music] perfect that is amazing guys yes thank you thank you W yeah awesome this is so awesome the cave and Road you see down
there is from the old Batman TV show and that's where the car would pour out of from the bat cave so another Historic Landmark coming up here at the Griffith Observatory um been there many times on foot but never in the sky oh my gosh that was so awesome the way you swung it man that
was fantastic now you grew up in a the city and you would think you know it but you really don't know it and you haven't really seen it until you've seen it from this level I mean I've flown in and out of LAX so many times but it's nothing like going up in a helicopter swung out over the beach to uh just do a little
beach Patrol which the LAPD does so what you guys are seeing is what we did when we weren't responding to uh calls for the helicopter to come out and give surveillance and help had to stay in the air so they just showed us the until they got a call but here's Dodger Stadium then it got really fun when the
sun started dipping and we got the sunet and you're seeing these shots here these are all with the a7r I again with the uh 247g master and uh just just absolutely beautiful I just love the results that I got out of this and don't worry we have footage and pictures coming up from the
6300 as well you're going to see here I got that reflection back in the plexiglass so I actually angled the camera down down and this footage in both cameras is ungraded so it's not been processed at all I just wanted to show you guys 4K out of the camera and now we finally have some a6300 footage so this is with
the 16 to35 Zeiss and I just shooted at a higher ISO this is about 6,400 ISO because it was with an F4 lens but I still think it turned out really well again there's been no noise reduction done to this it's just uh really fun but what they're doing here is the helicopter was taking
us up to this building and I just love this oh just looks so beautiful shooting up there but he wanted to get us the reflection of the helicopter in the building and you see our lights blinking there so it's it's pretty cool just this was such a surreal experience and here's one of the most
iconic buildings in all of Los Angeles uh this is the old building uh it's has something to do with city government now but this is what they would use in the old Superman black and white uh TV show I remember watching reruns with my dad when I was a tiny kid and watch this bump you see
that that's where I think the uh image stabilization on the a6500 is going to help it when I able to hold the camera super still like this it works but anytime I have to shift my hands handheld uh the image stabilization comes into play and I notice a difference so here are some of the shots
uh taken with the a6300 I was pretty impressed with it uh these are about 6,400 ISO no noise reduction and these are all just edited via Lightroom and it did really well again this is with the 16 to 35 Zeiss and uh just some gorgeous shots I mean the the view out there was just unparalleled how do you get better than
that guys so uh just beautiful now we go back to the a7r I you'll notice that this footage again I'm going to move it down and Pan the camera down or tilt the camera down to show the bottom of the building here and you'll notice it's a lot smoother than when I did it with the A6 6300 cuz a6300 doesn't have image
stabilization this footage and stills were shot at 24 mm with uh 1600 ISO and f2.8 and uh just pretty astonishing results if you can do both and I'll do one of each what you heard me saying to the pilot there was that if he could go by this sign twice cuz he offered to take me back to the Hollywood sign I
would do one of it with video and one of it with steals yeah as close as you can that is amazing are you kidding me and when he lit it up with his big Spotlight it felt like it was straight out of a Hollywood movie really did tell you one thing guys they can see it from up in the helicopter don't make any
mistakes that was so awesome my only complaint it just didn't last long enough it was such an amazing experience the officers those eyes in the sky making sure that we're safe and taking care of uh us people out there it it's it's very reassuring and go and support their Foundation guys I'm going
to put a link up here go to the golf tournament but support them so they can continue to help us and take care of us as a community and do the good things that they do I I do really appreciate our officers and everything they do for us as we headed back to the station we're able to catch this nice pan of uh
of the skyline there and it's just I mean the city just looks so beautiful and it's amazing I love that we're able to capture it in 4k love our cameras that can now shoot in 4k and um the cameras did awesome the lenses did awesome I had no complaints at all uh we came in for our Landing here and I was
honestly sad it was over I really was thanks to my buddy Oscar for hooking all of this up and making this opportunity possible uh and of course a big huge thank you to Adam and Jamie the pilots of this helicopter who are two of the coolest people I've ever met and could not have been more
accommodating enjoyed it I really really did I think I got it you want me to just leave this here or take it in it's a souvenir fantastic even better so it is finished up on a helicopter right along that was just for real it was amazing the shots that I got out of the uh a7r I with the Sony G
Master 204 to 70 were amazing and I also shot with the a6300 which was just epic I can't thank the pilot and his TFO right yeah uh enough for being so kind you guys want to say hello you want to introduce yourself I'm Adam Jamie Jamie and uh they they were absolutely
phenomenal and gave us just true Professionals in every sense of the word so thanks for watching guys until next time shoot and never give up on your dreams find the rec year that works for you and remember you only have one chance to get it right talk to you later bye I want to thank uh couple people for
making this possible first and foremost the Parker foundation for who uh their Foundation that works with LAPD who have enabled me to uh come down here and shoot and uh I'm very very grateful and I would love to do more work with them so thank you guys we hope that this video helps toh get the word out about
the great work that you guys do and uh just how dedicated you are to serving the people of Los Angeles a big thank you to Oscar for making this opportunity possible Guys these opportunities come through hard work and through knowing people and doing what you're supposed to do and uh
get out there and make these opportunities for yourself get out there there and get yourself known get your work known get followers get people who help you to achieve these dreams you guys still here hello talking to you hey guys if you want to learn online with me go to patreon.com joner photography and you
will be able to continue this craziness online from anywhere on planet Earth with me if you want to join me live go to Jason ler.com workshops and you'll get to see me in my full Glory live and in person guys I think there's a smudge on there yeah I got it talk to you later
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