Thanks for the tips. Managed to photograph RaceDay at Shuttelworth yesterday. All prop planes. Vintage and some modern. The most challenging photoshoot ever. Really enjoyed the day out.
You relly need to control aperture and shutter speed because you need to control depth of field to get all the plane in focus what i have found to work well for me is manual with auto ISO (it's daylight and hopefully sunny ISO will be low) this works well for me. What i use for air shows in manual Aperture: f8 (stop down a bit maybe f11 for the slower shutter speed) Shutter speed: Propeller airplane 1/125 to 1/250 Fast jets 1/2000 or faster ISO: Auto And used exposure compensation to help get the level of exposure I was looking for.
Good tips. I will add one thing though: if you are spotting commercial aircraft dependent on which region you are at, test your light first by doing a panning sweep. Meaning that hold your shutter halfway and aim the camera in the path that the aircraft is approaching. What you can tend to realize is that even though you are at Aperture priority, the light changes based on the sun's position. So if you have an aircraft coming from the left with the sun, your shutter speed can drastically drop when it comes in front or just as it goes to the right. This comes more into play if a cloud suddenly covers the sun. So dependent on that sweep, sometimes Shutter priority is more useful.
This made complete sense, im new to DSLR this year and I'm still learning. Had I had seen this before I went to the airshow I'd have understood and made sure to have switched the spot metering and maybe I'd have gotten better exposed images in the air. Never the less now I know for next time... great video
Well done. Cheers ! I've shot 5 air shows with varying levels of success. Here are some other things to consider: Back button focus is something worth investigating (focus and recompose). So the focus mode is always in continuous. Consider bracketing by a stop or two when using burst mode. This is especially important when the sky is partly cloudy. Lastly, a vibration control long lens is especially helpful. There is no replacement for the 3 point technique, but together, having that extra stop or three can make or break a shot. Not everybody can afford that kind of glass, myself included so I always rent what I need. 70-200 f2.8 are also reasonably inexpensive used.
Id agree with all of your points. Renting is the way forward if the cost of a lens is too much. There are some really good deals out there to get some top quality glass for the weekend.
Excellent suggestions! Thank you! Short video, to the point and covered aviation photography very well. I just wish you had included a few more of your photographs on the video! :-)
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I decided to watch some videos to refresh and get top tips for the air show next weekend. The Scottish Airshow would you believe. I live in Ayr lol. So very much looking forward to another Airshow. This was the perfect video with the info I was looking for. Can’t wait for next weekend to give your advice a shot! Really enjoyed this video. It was filled with really helpful info and was just the correct length!
Thanks so much for letting me know. Its great to hear that you found it helpful. Have a great time at the airshow. I was planning to go again this year but can't make it unfortunately.
Well these tips served me well at the weekend. Now got over 800 images to start sorting through. One thing I did discover is that my sd card isn't fast enough I hit the buffer quite a few times when shooting continuous shots. Hopefully get a video up later in the week with my best shots. Thanks again for the tips. ATB Steve
What camera did you use? I find going from a 700D to a 6D2, my buffer went from 3 shots before slowing down to 19 (it's a bit of a different camera though) (Also used 128gb 170mb/s sd)
Cool video Dave - loved the production, really slick. We get a lot of military planes flying over us here in the Lakes. Sometimes when we are walking in the fells they pass below us which is amazing. Of course my camera is never set up to capture the moment; a wide angle lens, manual focus and bulb mode are not really ideal for photographing planes! :)
Beating The Broom Wagon - Dave, we were over near Grasmere yesterday and had some planes fly over. We reckon your best bet to see this is if you get up into the hills that flank the A591 to the north of the village on a weekday. Had a Hawk fly below the summit of Helm Crag. They seem to fly high over Windermere and Loughrigg Fell and drop down as they pass over the lake at Grasmere as they head up the valley to Thirlmere.
I agree with most of that, but there are a few points worth noting: Firstly - Helicopters. These pose problems by the nature of the rotors that spin on them. Like with propeller aircraft, you need to have "blur" in those rotor images, but because these rotate so much slower than conventional propellers, you need a shutter speed of 1/50 or slower. Shooting at 1/50 with a long lens takes a lot of practice as it runs completely against the "reciprocal" rule. Did I mention practice? Yeah, plenty of practice. Get some "training sessions" in beforehand, like at the roadside, taking pics of passing cars. Learn the lessons before it matters too much and you will come away with much better photos when it does matter. Secondly - if your camera allows, preset your customisation options. My camera gives me C1 C2 & C3 options. I have C1 set up for fast jets, C2 for propeller aircraft and C3 for helicopters. Thirdly - know your aircraft. Some aircraft have unique characteristics. Examples - The A400 transport plane has contra rotating propellers, so too much blur and you miss it. You want a shutter speed that hints at the fact that the propellers spin in different directions but don't mask it out completely. Also, the Osprey, is a plane but is powered by rotors. You need to treat it like a helicopter. You can use a faster shutter speed for side-on shots but you need to drop the speed down way lower for head-on shots.
Thanks for the tips. They'll come in very useful this weekend. I'll be attending the 30th Sunderland international air show. I've been many times over the years but not with decent camera. I got back into photography back in November when I got a d3200 initially for 're ordering video for my channel but it's 're ignited my interest in photography. Hopefully I'll get some decent shots this year and do a video for my channel. ATB Steve
Beating The Broom Wagon Thanks. I did a video of the tall ship's that were in Sunderland the other week. Photos didn't turn out great. Didn't pay attention to camera settings had it set to normal jpeg so couldn't do a lot with the badly expose images. Got to be more prepared in future.
I brought a canon R7 and i havent got one sharp picture and i wonder what im doing wrong then i had a idea it wasn't my camera setting but it could be my lens so i wonder if i was using the wrong stabilisation which should have been 2 or maybe i should turn it off altogeather.
I see no-one has replied! Well, here's my opinion: Small aircraft, say Spitfire size, will require a telephoto lens. Big ones like airliners, military transports etc will require a standard or even wide-angle lens. If you have only one camera body, as most people have, you might consider zoom lenses in the 18-250 or 18-300 range for cameras with the smaller APS-C sensor, ie 24×16mm. Full frame ie 36×24mm would need a lens around 28 to as long as you can find/afford. They're "all-purpose" lenses, and produce satisfactory pictures for enlargement to maybe A5 or A4 size. Having two different lenses (short zoom and long zoom) and one body just isn't practical as you'd be having to change them frequently. I have always preferred to have two bodies, obviously of the same lens mount, and have somewhat better quality zoom lenses on each, in my case 18-125mm and 100-300, but there are many combinations possible. If you go the two-camera route, it's well worth investing in a two-camera harness so you can wear them both simultaneously without them clashing together. Of course, a lot depends on your approach to aircraft photography and your intended budget. At airshows you see some folk with phones, some with point-and-shoot compacts, right through to expensive equipment costing several thousand pounds. Some of these last ones actually have full frame cameras with FIXED focal length lenses maybe 200 f2.8. They look a bit like small, grey buckets, but if properly managed produce excellent results of course. If you would like more detailed information, feel free to reply on this site. I have been taking aircraft pictures since early 1980's Farnborough with two manual focus film cameras and two lenses, up to last year with two DSLR's and two AF lenses. This year.......well, we'll have to see! Dear "Broom Wagon" admits he hadn't been to an airshow previously - but nonetheless chooses to advise us. In fairness, I agree with all he says, as far as it goes. Stay well! Regards, Clive
Thanks for the tips They are really helpful, there will be an Airshow in my country next month and these tips will help me to get a very good shots But I have question Which mode is more helpful M or TV
Sorry for my late reply. Thanks for you comment. I think that TV would be the best way, especially to start with. You can let the camera do as much work as possible for you that way.
I use back button focus and it seems to let my 80D do slightly quicker bursts. One query about IS - my EF 70-300 IS II USM doesn't ignore panning motion so it can add blur. I have to turn IS off. Photographing anything without props is OK - use 1/2000 with f8+ and ISO=auto - but blurring props at, say, 1/100th needs good panning technique without IS.
Steven D Thanks for your comment. In my experience you shouldn’t need to worry. Set the shutter speed to the desired value and let the camera worry about the rest. If you keep your ISO on auto you should be fine :)
The most important of the three is Shutter Speed I use 1/1200 sec for jets in TV or shutter priority mode depending on what brand of camera you have. I use Auto ISO but if you can't use Auto ISO 400 or lower is good but newer cameras can handle higher ISO without getting noise or grainy.The camera figures out the right F-Stop in Shutter Priority mode . If you are taking pictures of prop planes I use TV or shutter priority at 1/350th of a sec to blur the prop a little but still be fast enough to get sharp pictures of the plane. Some people use 1/125 for props to get the blur on the prop but you run the risk of getting motion blur of the rest of the plane. Experiment that is the nice thing about digital cameras you can try different settings and you can always delete the pics if you don't like the results.
Great tips. I am shooting an air show soon. I have a couple of questions camera shake. When the Shutter Speed ( Tamron 16-300 mm) is lower then 300 shutter speed and I am panning with the plane. Will this show up? What is your feeling about Back Button focus. Last time I shot an air show. My focusing was on Manual. Shutter speed servo and it was center weighted for meter.
Hi Dan, thanks for the comment. When you are using a slower shutter speed camera shake can be an issue sometimes. The best way to overcome it is plenty of practise with your panning technique and take multiple shots. As for the back button focus, I don't personally use that method but I have heard good things from other people. If i was you I would try both ways and see what you are more comfortable with.
I'll be off to the austrian AirPower around this time next year. I'll most likely use a d5300. Is a 70-300mm lens enough, or should I invest in something bigger?
Hello, 300mm is long enough to get some good shots and you can definitely get started with that. To get some nice close up shots that fill the frame (without cropping) I would say 400mm is the sweet spot though.
I've just picked up a Sigma 150-600mm Sports for a bargain price strictly for Airshows, its quite heavy though so wondering what supports (tripod/monopod/Gimbal/ball head) people use, its usable for short periods but can't see me managing a whole airshow, really appreciate any pointers from Airshow enthusiasts and yourself :-)
I have the same lens and Yes it is heavy but with practice you can hand hold it . Tripods and even Monopod poles are USELESS at airshows. The planes move too much and are too high up for you to ever use a Tripod to track an airplane from one end of the runway to the other and maybe even from behind you. If you are taking pictures of Airliners at an airport where they are all landing the same direction at the same altitude and angle it might be helpful. You also don't have room in the middle of a crowd to put up a big tripod and even a monopod that might smack other people when you follow the planes. The Sport lens takes good pictures and is good for accidentally hitting someone with it that crowds in front of you at an airshow.
You can shoot in any mode - it just depends on what you want to control. Auto ISO settings on some cameras have a min shutter speed for Aperture mode, so you can get the camera doing the exposure work if the light is changing and still get a lot of control. You have to accept a very high rate of missed shots if you want prop blur. I prefer tack sharp images and a frozen prop but everyone seems to think that is "wrong". Meh. I shoot for me.
Thanks for the great tips. Would you have any recommendations for a decent lens to capture aircraft in flight? I live 2 miles from Heathrow airport and the planes fly over my house at about 3,000 feet. I don't want a massive telephoto lens as I don't use a tripod but would like to get as close up images as possible. Thanks so much.
Because you don't necessarily need a fast lens (f2.8 or something similar) you will definitely be able to get some good shots with the 10-300. However, 300mm might not be long enough to get shots that fill the frame so you will probably need to crop in post to get the classic looking images. Good luck
I've got a Coolpix P600 and it's probably the same controls and menu. Press the menu button and select the "Continuous" section there you can select "Continuous H" which is high speed continuous. Just keep the shutter pressed to capture multiple shots. Beware, this setting may require several seconds or even a few minutes to process multiple shots. In the dial in the back (next to the LCD) press it down to bring the Focus mode menu and chose AF (Autofocus). Then press Menu button to select the "AF area mode" and then select "subject tracking" this will try to identify the moving subject and then try to focus on it. Another option is to select "Manual (spot)" go back to menu and select "Auto focus mode" section and then "AF-F Full-time AF". I discovered my camera is no good for aircraft photography as it has a real hard time focusing on the planes if it's cloudy or if I'm zooming all the way in. And if it's way out of focus it's next to impossible to track the subject because your eyes can't see it. I will upgrade to a camera with interchangeable lens.
