Best focal length for airshows?

ian-83 · 12 Sep 2016

But late in the year to be asking this but what's the best lens focal range to have for air show use on a crop sensor camera?

Went to Duxford yesterday and borrowed my friends 18-270 Tamron but found it to be too short.

Everyone else seemed to be using what looked like something about 120-500?/

Bobsyeruncle · 12 Sep 2016

I use a sigma 150-600.

Mintchocs · 12 Sep 2016

Did you find it too short even after cropping the image?

Bobsyeruncle · 12 Sep 2016

Mintchocs said:
Did you find it too short even after cropping the image?

For some shots, I'd need even more reach, and for others, less reach. I was at the Ayr show recently and it was the first time I'd used it at an air show. The distance shots weren't great when cropped but that was mainly due to the weather being a bit drizzly, so not as clear. The closer shots that I got were much better.

ian-83 · 12 Sep 2016

Mintchocs said:
Did you find it too short even after cropping the image?

Not had a chance to process images yet, but scanning though then initially most will require cropping but a lot seem out of focus. Mostly probably my technique!

goffski · 12 Sep 2016

I've used the Tamron 18-270 at Airshows and found it very hit or miss with focus. The ones that are hit are not too bad but they usually need to be cropped right in. Just got the canon 80D with the 18-130 lens and this produced much better results than the Tamron but again needed to be cropped even more but much sharper focus.

Mintchocs · 12 Sep 2016

Bobsyeruncle said:
For some shots, I'd need even more reach, and for others, less reach. I was at the Ayr show recently and it was the first time I'd used it at an air show. The distance shots weren't great when cropped but that was mainly due to the weather being a bit drizzly, so not as clear. The closer shots that I got were much better.

Sorry I meant the author's post.

Priority1 · 19 Sep 2016

As with most things in life the longer the better (or so the misses says

).

I had a 400mm which was OK but still needed cropping. I now have the 600mm Sigma and although much better you still want more reach. The 270mm will be fine for display teams and heavies but for fast jets 400mm+ will give you improved results.

Matt

ian-83 · 20 Sep 2016

Priority1 said:
As with most things in life the longer the better (or so the misses says).

I had a 400mm which was OK but still needed cropping. I now have the 600mm Sigma and although much better you still want more reach. The 270mm will be fine for display teams and heavies but for fast jets 400mm+ will give you improved results.

Matt

Think I am going to look at possibly a Sigma 120-400 unless I decided to switch to m4/3rds which then i'd get the 100-300 (which would give me full frame equivalent of 200-600)

welshwizard645 · 21 Sep 2016

The Nikkor 80-400 is a good option - how far away the flight path is isn't something you can easily resolve - but my experience with longer lengths is that you spend time trying to look for the planes is your aiming techniques is a bit skew-whiff. The zooming mechanism of the newer Nikkor 80-400 is very smooth allowing you to track the aircraft and keeping the planes as large as possible in the frame...

Jon Chalk · 25 Sep 2016

IMG_5054 by Jon Chalk, on Flickr

Unedited, uncropped jpg straight out of camera.

For large stuff, smaller might be better - this was 70-200 on Canon 7D - in truth this was way sharper than anything I took with 150-500 on same day, but for the fighters the 70-200 just didn't have reach (see Flickr stuff in link in sig)

jockwav · 26 Sep 2016

Nice shot but too fast a shutter speed.

Jon Chalk · 26 Sep 2016

jockwav said:
Nice shot but too fast a shutter speed.

Yeah - not my best framing either, but didn't want to spend hours trawling through hundreds (maybe thousands) from Old Sarum last year - found the first one that showed 70-200 would work. But suspect that changes to display rules will now make this lens a bit less useful - forgot about rule changes when I posted. :-(

Oddshapedoctopus · 27 Sep 2016

Canon 100-400 for me at my last airshow. Was versatile enough to get close in stuff on the runway and aircraft in the air doing fly pasts.

ian-83 · 27 Sep 2016

Jon Chalk said:
IMG_5054 by Jon Chalk, on Flickr

Unedited, uncropped jpg straight out of camera.

For large stuff, smaller might be better - this was 70-200 on Canon 7D - in truth this was way sharper than anything I took with 150-500 on same day, but for the fighters the 70-200 just didn't have reach (see Flickr stuff in link in sig)

Thanks will have a look through your FlickR

Simon Kitt said:
Canon 100-400 for me at my last airshow. Was versatile enough to get close in stuff on the runway and aircraft in the air doing fly pasts.

Seems to be a popular focal length.

Oddshapedoctopus · 27 Sep 2016

For a full frame at an airshow I find it quite versatile.

Scotty Pro · 27 Sep 2016

Jon Chalk said:
Yeah - not my best framing either, but didn't want to spend hours trawling through hundreds (maybe thousands) from Old Sarum last year - found the first one that showed 70-200 would work. But suspect that changes to display rules will now make this lens a bit less useful - forgot about rule changes when I posted. :-(

Have I missed something ???

gremlin16 · 27 Sep 2016

I think he means the post shoreham display rules meaning aircraft are now further away, which may now require longer lenses.

I could be completely off the mark though, (wouldn't be the first time)

Scotty Pro · 27 Sep 2016

gremlin16 said:
I think he means the post shoreham display rules meaning aircraft are now further away, which may now require longer lenses.

I could be completely off the mark though, (wouldn't be the first time)

Ah, I see, and here is me thinking the rule changes were on here

Jon Chalk · 27 Sep 2016

Scotty Pro said:
Have I missed something ???

gremlin16 said:
I think he means the post shoreham display rules meaning aircraft are now further away, which may now require longer lenses.

I could be completely off the mark though, (wouldn't be the first time)

No - spot on.

It seems petty to moan about it given circumstances, but planes will now be further away and less dramatics shots.

It's a shame Old Sarum was cancelled this year for other reasons, but it will be interesting to see how smaller shows manage as it's harder to see how they can be further away and yet "on" a small airfield.