A Better Airshow Set-up

N

neil_kman

Suspended / Banned
Messages
142
Edit My Images
Yes
Hi guys

Went to RIAT on saturday and i must say i struggled with getting good sharp images. My equipment for airshows is my D300 with a sigma 100-300 f4 and and 1.7 t/c. I got some decent shots but most are too soft and i am wondering if it is because of the set up or just poor photography from me

4812065468_9487fca6c4.jpg


Great capture just soft

Although i was happy with a few like this one

4811440597_bdd5dc6832.jpg


Just dont know whether to invest in better glass but dont want to spend £4500 -5000 on a lens. What should i do?:shrug:
 
If you are shooting with an f4 lens and a 1.7x converter then you will be shooting at a max aperture of f6.3 I think. With this kind of aperture you may struggle to get the kind of shutter speeds you need to shoot fast moving aircraft.

The AF on the D300 is great and certainly capable of shooting airshows. I've never used the sigma lens though so I've no idea what the focus speed is like but if it's not fast then it could explain why you've not got sharp images.

BTW, were you using the 3D tracking focussing on the D300? If not then I'd recommend you give it a try.
 
I don't see much wrong with them,... ? :thinking: Perhaps the first one is cropped heavily? The second has good sharpness. Hard to really tell on such small samples though.
 
I made an error its actually a 1.4x teleconvertor all hsm motor driven so focus is fast, max aperture is f5.6 with this set up but aperture should have nothing to do with shutterspeed right? I am talking about sharpness here of glass for fast jets i want a shutterspeed between 1000-2000 of a second ideal ideal f8-f11 aperture would anyone agree or disagree on this for fast jets. Can anyone recommend an alternative lens?
 
first one is a 100% crop and looks soft as sh!t up close im gutted cos that could of been a fantastic image guess i need longer reach don't i?
 
neil_kman said:
I made an error its actually a 1.4x teleconvertor all hsm motor driven so focus is fast, max aperture is f5.6 with this set up but aperture should have nothing to do with shutterspeed right? I am talking about sharpness here of glass for fast jets i want a shutterspeed between 1000-2000 of a second ideal ideal f8-f11 aperture would anyone agree or disagree on this for fast jets. Can anyone recommend an alternative lens?
Click to expand...

Your lens is fine. I used to use one for airshows with the TC.

General rule of thumb on a sunny day is 1/500 f/8 ISO 100. 1/1000 to 1/2000 is very high indeed.
 
1/500 for fast jets passing at nearly mach 1 you must be the best panner in the world lol fair play if you can do it though.
 
The difference between your two shots... the first you are shooting at shadow, with a f5.6 maximum aperture your focus accuracy is going to be poor.

See how the second one is better... because it actually could see enough to focus on it.
 
-Rob- said:
The link between aperture and shutter speed is pretty much the first thing you should learn about in photography. They are intrinsically linked.
Click to expand...

Of course i understand they are linked as in the faster the shutterspeed the more light is required hence lower aperture number:lol:, however in this situation my lens is sharpest at around f8 to f10 and on a bright day and iso 200 i can easily use fast shutterspeeds with that set up if i was down at f4 the dof would be all wrong anyway if the aircraft was close enough to fill the frame i feel:cuckoo:
 
Why did I get invloved in this? I don't shoot aircraft so I don't really have any relevant advice to give. If you can shoot at f10 to give sufficient DoF and still get the necessary shutter speed for fast moving aircraft then shutter speed and aperture obviously aren't causing your soft focus issues.
 
-Rob- said:
Why did I get invloved in this? I don't shoot aircraft so I don't really have any relevant advice to give. If you can shoot at f10 to give sufficient DoF and still get the necessary shutter speed for fast moving aircraft then shutter speed and aperture obviously aren't causing your soft focus issues.
Click to expand...

Apologies Rob didnt mean to come across rude mate, if thats how it seemed, appreciate your advice :thumbs:
 
I use a 70-200 f2.8 plus 1.4 extender giving me f4. i use F4 for everything as i want a fast sharp image, f8 - f11 are fine when the planes are stood still on the ground, in the air when they are flying at god knows what speed you need as fast as poss even up the ISO if needed to increase speed..

If i had the cash my lens of choice would be a Sigma 100-300 f2.8 plus 1.4 extender.
 
my usual airshow set up is 40d and 300 2.8 + 1.4x tc if i need it. Shutter priority @ 1/1000th, then experiment with between + 1/3rd exp comp to + 1 1/3rd.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top