What lens for photographing aircraft in flight

Roger Ramjet

Roger Ramjet

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Hi,

I'm looking for suggestions for a lens to photograph full size and model aircraft in flight. The camera is a Canon EOS450D and my budget is up to £300. I hope there's something suitable out there.

Alternatively, is buying a secondhand a good bet with lenses or risky? How long do lenses last anyway?

Sorry for all the questions but I know nothing!
 
Depends how far away the aircraft are ...say if they are about 50ft away then you will get away with a decent 28-200 but if they are further away say 50m then you are going to need something like a 400mm
 
A good used lens is a good lens and thats that.

There are plenty of lenses out there that are over 50 years old and still going strong. In manual focus lenses there are very few moving parts, and they are not moving fast so the rate of wear is minimal.

Modern lenses have benefitted from new glass recipes, new coating technology and ever improving actual glass element designs. Manufacturing has become cheaper with very accurate mechanised grinding and polishing. This level of accuracy and very, very good glass was available in times gone by, but the cost was prohibitive in comparison. Mechanisation has made slight improvements in optical rendition and transmittence, but it is the cost factor that has really been improved. Just look how many people can afford the top end glass these days - because they are more affordable than ever before.

Autofocus lenses are driven by powerful electic motors. They have more moving parts, but again, in the grand scheme of things a used lens, especially from a very keen amateur user, will have only done the equivalent of something like 1 year of professional use. That is nothing for a lens that has probably got something like 15 or 20 years of average professional use built in. Don't be afraid to buy a good used lens. Look for matching papers, box and other evidence of legal ownership, thats all. The outside look of a lens will tell you if it has been well looked after. The faces of the optics will also soon show up any scratches simply by letting light play on them - if there are no scratches it is fine. Smears might simply be grease - try wiping VERY GENTLY with a lens cloth, if it moves it is just something on the surface that can be cleaned off, so don't worry about it.

Repairs are readily available and not necessarily expensive. Optics can be repolished and coated - or replaced. This will be the most expensive kind if repair. Bayonets can be replaced for about £30 (on mine anyway) very easily - 3 watchmakers machine screws. Job's a good'un.

You can get much better lenses by buying used than if you buy new - probably get professional quality makers lens for the price of a new other makers lens.
 
The model planes will typically be between 30m and 60m away and will be typically sized between 1m and 2m wingspan.

In addition I'd like to use the lens for full size planes at airshows, etc. Under those circumstances the plane could be for example about 12m wingspan and I doubt they're allowed to fly closer than 200m to the crowd line any more.

How can I use those figures to work out what lens would be suitable?

2nd hand sounds like the way to go by the way, thanks for your explanation Lensflare.
 
I'd say you're looking at a 400mm zoom lens for model aircraft that far away. Anything less than that and you're going to be cropping massively. I've just got a Sigma 120-400mm lens with optical stabilisation for under £500 brand new. If there are any second hand examples out there then they may be near your budget.
 
That would be the popular choice for your needs. 300mm zooms come in a lot cheaper but I suspect that you will need 400mm

Bob
 
Thanks Bob. I wonder whether I might need to compromise on a 300mm lens for reasons of affordability (and I guess the portability increases too). Still interested to hear what others are using in this application.
 
Thank you very much Eric, you may now collect your commission! :lol:

Seriously, I hope that's a good recommendation as I've just bought it. OMG this hobby is not good for your credit card is it? More than £700 in 2 days..... Where's the passed out smilie?
 
You don't mess about making a decision do you :lol: I'm sure you'll be very happy with it mate. I use mine all the time for motor sport along with my 70-200. I'll have to sell it on at some point though as I'm fighting a losing battle with myself over buying a Sigma 120-300 2.8 :love:

Now you can see why I'm hiding from my credit card bill:lol:
 
Indeed - bit impetuous of me but I'm always paranoid with eBay that someone else will grab something before I get there. I guess that's part of its success as a sales arena - promoting "panic buying".

Someone on another forum said my camera has a x 1.6 multiplier built in, does that mean the 400mm end of the zoom range will actually be equivalent to 640mm? How many times magnification does that equate to anyway, my old point and shoot camera had a 12x zoom lens which was pretty powerful.

Last question, what tests should I be making on the lens when I receive it to make sure it's pukka and undamaged? Obviously taking a few photos might help but is there a more scientific approach, like a calibrated test process?
 
Bargain, I'll get a spare while I'm at it :lol:

Just need to hire a team of assistants to carry it.
 
you'll probably find it easier to use a monopod to stabilise it at 400mm
 
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