Taking my first shots

[Vortexwake]

Hi folks,

Got an airshow on this weekend and will be taking my first shots with my
Canon 10D, there will be some static aircraft to view and aircraft flying in/out
to the seafront were to main display will take place.

We have access to a field that has clear views of the approach and touch down area, aircraft will approach and land in close view to were we stand
so some panning will be used.

What is the best method to use with my camera, I would think full auto would not be a good choice, perhaps shutter priority....?

Lens is a Sigma 28-300.

any help to get me started would be most welcome.

kind regards,

Steve / UK

[wrxflyer]

I always use shutter priority.
Keep in mind :focal length = max. shutterspeed (250mm= 1/250sec at least).

Depending light conditions is Av priority also a good one. f8 is very common to get nice shots with a good overall sharpness.
It's al up to you, the light conditions and your distance and angle to the aircraft you want to catch.

Good luck

Freek

[Vortexwake]

Hi Freek,

Many thanks for the reply, appreciate it, been studying the manual how to switch for 'xyz' and will try shutter priority, I am really looking forward into getting the most from my 10D, lots to learn tho, 'small steps' as they say ..!

Got the camera of eBay, it is in mint condition, not even a sign of a mark anywhere, has a grip as well which really gives it a solid feel, I wonder how many folks use a grip, better for long lenses I would think to balance the unit out...?

kind regards,

Steve / UK

[Andrew McLaughlin]

...has a grip as well which really gives it a solid feel, I wonder how many folks use a grip, better for long lenses I would think to balance the unit out...?

I've got grips on both my 30D and 40D...They offer a much more solid feel, a portrait shutter switch and scroll wheel, plus twice the battery life!

Keep in mind :focal length = max. shutterspeed (250mm= 1/250sec at least).

A query on this - so if I'm shooting at 70mm with my 70-200 f2.8L, my shutter speed should be no more than 1/80sec??? That can't be right!? Or did you mean "minimum" rather than maximum?

In bright sunshine, I usually set my 40D/70-200 combo to Av, an f-stop of about f8 for depth of field, ISO at 100, brightness bar at 0 or even -1/3, and let the camera work out the shutter speed itself. It usually shoots at about 1/250 to 1/500sec depending on distances and aircraft/foreground colours/reflections.

Not sure if the 10D can do this, but if aircraft are coming towards or going away from you, set the camera's AF mode to 'AI Servo', rather than 'One Shot'.

If you're shooting fast jets or will be close to moving subjects, you may want to switch back to Tv and crank up your shutter speed a little more (to >1/400sec) otherwise you'll be wasting alot of pics due to blurs etc.

[Vortexwake]

Hi Andrew,

Many thanks for replying, appreciate it. I have written down your info to take with me, my lens, if I getting this right, has f 3.5-6.3 avalible, although last evening I was learning the control functions and noted in the manual mode I could set f8, this would be beyond the lenses funtion would it not..?
MY 10D can go AI servo " Continuous Drive mode captures up to 9 frames at 3 fps (1/250 second or faster)" have already tried it out, it did not sound like 3fps, LOL, although I admit I did not notice if it was 1/250 or faster

kind regards,

Steve / UK

PS wx looks foul for the airshow, heavy rain and low cloud, this happened last year, good ole UK better today tho and we should see more aircraft arrive and some doing a bit of practice.

[B7772ADL]

Hi Andrew,

Many thanks for replying, appreciate it. I have written down your info to take with me, my lens, if I getting this right, has f 3.5-6.3 avalible, although last evening I was learning the control functions and noted in the manual mode I could set f8, this would be beyond the lenses funtion would it not..?

Steve / UK

PS wx looks foul for the airshow, heavy rain and low cloud, this happened last year, good ole UK better today tho and we should see more aircraft arrive and some doing a bit of practice.

The f3.5-6.3 is refering to the largest aperture you'll get out of your lens according to which part of the zoom range you are using. At 28mm your widest apperture is f3.5 but this decreases to 6.3 when you are fully zoomed to 300mm. This means that f8 is no problem for your lens at all. You kind of have to think backwards with appertures....the smaller the f number the wider the lens will open up, letting more light in., allowing better shutter speeds in darker conditions.
If you put the camera in Av it will let you select f8.

For the fastest jets, you'll need a highest shutter speeds possible that you can get, otherwise you'll end up with a bunch of blurry pics.
I've always found airshows a challenge to shoot, so don't be too disheartened if they all end up a blurry mess.....I know most of mine did when I first went to shoot an airshow!

[Vortexwake]

Hi James,

Many thanks for the reply, great information for me there, yes most of my shots came out blurred, I expected this tho, getting the feel of the camera and settings, fighting against a horrid gusting wind and trying to stand on a small pair of steps whilst stabbing my elbows on barbed wire ... LOL :rolleyes: As it turned out there were not many aircraft in the airport at all.

Practice and practice, with reference to manual and web and hopefully I will
start to see some good results in time.

kind regards,

Steve / UK

[Vortexwake]

Hi folks,

I am trying to insert a picture from my first day using the 10D but cannot
see the picture, only an x , I would like to get some input for a shot of a Dakota, can someone assist me please..?

kind regards,

Steve / UK

[B7772ADL]

Today's wind was terrible. I was out at MAN today and although it was 18degrees and sunny, it felt really cold and the wind made taking photos very difficult!

[Vortexwake]

Hi folks,

Well had another day down at the airport, wx started not to bad, but the cloud base soon came down to 300 feet :rolleyes:

Still got a few shots, one of which, a RAF Tucano T1, I have uploaded, see how I go re quality / composition etc ..!

kind regards,

Steve / UK