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Aircraft in flight
- Thread starter deek10
- Start date
Deleted1929
Forum Pro
You'll need to be more specific about your location, distance, etc.
Is it for an air show, at airports, or just passing overhead ? Things like that.
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StephenG
Pentax K100D
Fuji S3 Pro
Fuji S9600
Is it for an air show, at airports, or just passing overhead ? Things like that.
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StephenG
Pentax K100D
Fuji S3 Pro
Fuji S9600
dad_of_four
Veteran Member
maddogmd11
Senior Member
First off if youre shooting prop aircraft you have to decide if you want to basically stop the prop. I hate that kind of shot so if you want to keep the prop in motion you need to make sure your not shooting at 1/2000. I like about 1/500.
If your shooting jets then 1/1000 or higher if possible.
Since you will usually be shooting a long lens I like to have it at F9 or above so you have deep depth of field.
Shooting much below 1/500 (unless its a slow aircraft) will not get good results. However you can shoot below 1/500 fine if you are panning with the aircraft and get some pretty cool shots. REMEMBER to turn IS OFF or put it in panning mode if you have it or you going to screw up all your shots when panning.
Also having a good CP lens would be helpful. And by good I don't mean one you got off Ebay for 9.95. If possible be sure to take a monopod because holding a camera and a long lens will kill you after a while and don't forget sunscreen!!
Good luck.
Jim
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Olympus E-1 and E-30 and a bunch of stuff to hang on it.
If your shooting jets then 1/1000 or higher if possible.
Since you will usually be shooting a long lens I like to have it at F9 or above so you have deep depth of field.
Shooting much below 1/500 (unless its a slow aircraft) will not get good results. However you can shoot below 1/500 fine if you are panning with the aircraft and get some pretty cool shots. REMEMBER to turn IS OFF or put it in panning mode if you have it or you going to screw up all your shots when panning.
Also having a good CP lens would be helpful. And by good I don't mean one you got off Ebay for 9.95. If possible be sure to take a monopod because holding a camera and a long lens will kill you after a while and don't forget sunscreen!!
Good luck.
Jim
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Olympus E-1 and E-30 and a bunch of stuff to hang on it.
acsmith
Senior Member
1) Take a short lens as well for the static displays.
2) Get as close to the front (fence line) as you can and as close to show center as you can.
3) Take enough spare batteries and memory cards for 1500-2000 shots, more if you use continuous. Note: super-zoom P&S users should plan on at least 800.
4) Use shutter priority with 1/200 - 1/250 for propeller aircraft and > 1/500 for jets (you don't have worry about propeller blur w/them.)
5) Adjust ISO as needed to get f/11-f/16 with desired shutter speed.
6) I'd suggest metering either multiple-weighted or center-weighted. Spot hasn't worked that well for me. Since you're shooting against the sky I'd suggest +.7 compensation but YMMV depending on angle of sun in relation to the flight path.
7) Many suggest shooting continuous as they believe it ups the odds of getting a shot in focus and properly exposed. I haven't had that result.
8) Set IS for panning then pan, pan, pan.
9) While I have a monopod I've never been tempted to use it as it seems to restrict both mobility and framing.
A. C.
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I've taken a vow of poverty. To annoy me send money.
2) Get as close to the front (fence line) as you can and as close to show center as you can.
3) Take enough spare batteries and memory cards for 1500-2000 shots, more if you use continuous. Note: super-zoom P&S users should plan on at least 800.
4) Use shutter priority with 1/200 - 1/250 for propeller aircraft and > 1/500 for jets (you don't have worry about propeller blur w/them.)
5) Adjust ISO as needed to get f/11-f/16 with desired shutter speed.
6) I'd suggest metering either multiple-weighted or center-weighted. Spot hasn't worked that well for me. Since you're shooting against the sky I'd suggest +.7 compensation but YMMV depending on angle of sun in relation to the flight path.
7) Many suggest shooting continuous as they believe it ups the odds of getting a shot in focus and properly exposed. I haven't had that result.
8) Set IS for panning then pan, pan, pan.
9) While I have a monopod I've never been tempted to use it as it seems to restrict both mobility and framing.
A. C.
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I've taken a vow of poverty. To annoy me send money.
Guidenet
Forum Pro
I think it's really pretty easy. Shoot at around 500th of a second for prop planes if you want the prop to blue.
For exposure, figure out if the plaines side that you're looking at is sunny or not. Remember, this is the side of the plane or bottom. It's usually not in the sun. So, take a picture of some nearby grass in the shade and use that exposure, adjusting for the shutter speed, of course.
Let's say you're shooting prop planes. Set the camera on Aperture Priority and 500th of a second. Take a test image of shady grass. Note the aperture the camera chose. If it's f/5.6, that's what you use. If you want f/8, set the ISO to double what you had. IF it was 200, put it at 400 and set your camera at 500th and f/8 with ISO 400. Shoot manually. Look at the first one. Note if the plane is properly exposed. If it isn't, adjust the ISO if you can.
I don't really care about aperture. I know others have suggested small apertures for depth of field, but I've found with distance, it's not important. Just get the focus correct.
Do the same thing at 1000th if shooting jets. If the side and bottom of the craft is lit by the sun, then do this with sunny grass. It's really quite easy to learn this.
What you really need to do is to understand the relationship between shutter and aperture and ISO. You need to learn how to determine exposure and then how to adjust those three things to get what you want. Otherwise, you're just snap shooting with an SLR.
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Cheers, Craig
Equipment in Plan via Profile
For exposure, figure out if the plaines side that you're looking at is sunny or not. Remember, this is the side of the plane or bottom. It's usually not in the sun. So, take a picture of some nearby grass in the shade and use that exposure, adjusting for the shutter speed, of course.
Let's say you're shooting prop planes. Set the camera on Aperture Priority and 500th of a second. Take a test image of shady grass. Note the aperture the camera chose. If it's f/5.6, that's what you use. If you want f/8, set the ISO to double what you had. IF it was 200, put it at 400 and set your camera at 500th and f/8 with ISO 400. Shoot manually. Look at the first one. Note if the plane is properly exposed. If it isn't, adjust the ISO if you can.
I don't really care about aperture. I know others have suggested small apertures for depth of field, but I've found with distance, it's not important. Just get the focus correct.
Do the same thing at 1000th if shooting jets. If the side and bottom of the craft is lit by the sun, then do this with sunny grass. It's really quite easy to learn this.
What you really need to do is to understand the relationship between shutter and aperture and ISO. You need to learn how to determine exposure and then how to adjust those three things to get what you want. Otherwise, you're just snap shooting with an SLR.
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Cheers, Craig
Equipment in Plan via Profile
Chris R-UK
Forum Pro
A few of mine:
Bristol Boxkite
Avro Triplane
Blackburn Monoplane
Since these three fly at about 30mph, tracking isn't too difficult!
Something a little more modern:
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Chris R
Bristol Boxkite
Avro Triplane
Blackburn Monoplane
Since these three fly at about 30mph, tracking isn't too difficult!
Something a little more modern:
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Chris R
N
NewsyL
Guest
Great lens, maybe a little short but focuses faster than what I use and sharp end to end. I shoot with Sigma 50-500.
With my Sony A700 I leave the SteadyShot ON when panning prop planes due the 1/250th shutter speed I have used - will have to try it off with higher shutter speeds.
Definitely experiment with adding +0.7 to +1.0 exposure compensation for sky shots. This is a key point for exposing the plane correctly.
As others have said, shutter priority mode or manual mode with shutter speed at 1/250th to 1/500th sec for prop planes. With jets, go with aperture mode and use ISO to get you over 1/1000th sec.
You may want to experiment with center focus mode versus area mode. I've tried area in the past and felt it wasn't working but I used it in conjunction with AF-C mode to have the focus continuously follow the moving aircraft. I need to sort this out.
One of my recent shots at 230mm, 1/250th sec, cropped a bit.
There is more on my site - see sig.
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Newsy http://newsy.smugmug.com
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acsmith
Senior Member
Prop blur and how much is required for a pleasing shot is somewhat a matter of taste but I have noticed a somewhat unexplained phenomina that accounts for some of the vareance in shutter speed recommendations. I have found that 1/250 in a CMOS sensor DSLR and 1/650 in a CCD sensor super-zoom P&S deliver about the same prop blur. I think this may be as the result of the way the image is assembled from the sensor or the type of shutter employed.
There are a number other variables that affect prop blur including lighting, reflectivity of the prop, rpm of the prop and diameter of the prop (since we're really talking about the linear speed of the prop.)
A. C.
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I've taken a vow of poverty. To annoy me send money.
Guidenet
Forum Pro
Really nice Chris.
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Cheers, Craig
Equipment in Plan via Profile
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Cheers, Craig
Equipment in Plan via Profile
Guidenet
Forum Pro
Wow,, Nice shot. Love the P51
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Cheers, Craig
Equipment in Plan via Profile
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Cheers, Craig
Equipment in Plan via Profile
Chris R-UK
Forum Pro
Thanks, Craig.
Taken at a Shuttleworth Collection sunset display near Bedford in the UK. They have a large collection of flying aircraft dating from 1909 up to WW2. It's a grass airstrip and everything is very, very close.
The Blackburn Monoplane is the oldest flying British aircraft dating from 1911. The Bristol Boxkite and Avro Triplane are reproductions made for the 1965 film "Those Magnificant Men in their Flying Machines".
The F86 Sabre was taken at one of their afternoon shows when they have a lot of guest aircraft. I am told that it is the oldest flying jet in the world but has now left the UK and has gone back to the US.
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Chris R
Taken at a Shuttleworth Collection sunset display near Bedford in the UK. They have a large collection of flying aircraft dating from 1909 up to WW2. It's a grass airstrip and everything is very, very close.
The Blackburn Monoplane is the oldest flying British aircraft dating from 1911. The Bristol Boxkite and Avro Triplane are reproductions made for the 1965 film "Those Magnificant Men in their Flying Machines".
The F86 Sabre was taken at one of their afternoon shows when they have a lot of guest aircraft. I am told that it is the oldest flying jet in the world but has now left the UK and has gone back to the US.
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Chris R
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