Aircraft what camera settings?

[Quickpic66]

Just wondering before I go blundering in what settings should I use or is auto going to be fine?

I havent played around much but have been told that I should use Aperture or shutter mode instead of auto and sports mode. The trouble is I am new to this and even though I know where these are on my camera i dont know what to set them to when I get to take pics.

Is there any sort of guide line for taking photos of aircraft?

I would be using a D50 and a 70-300mm lens. I do have shorter lenses but am assuming the reach of them will not be good enough to get to the runway properly.

Any help wouid be great.

Many thanks

[AndyStevens]

Here are a couple I took a while ago - see Red Arrows and Red Arrows 2

I used my 70-200 f/4 L series lens with a 1.4x extender so about the same long end of your lens. I used Av mode, opened the lens quite wide as I would be handholding and wanted a fast shutter speed. I focused on infinity and then set the lens to MF - I didn't want it hunting around for focus.

So, I would suggest trying Av mode, aperture fairly wide open and increase ISO if you're getting camera shake.

Hope that helps!

[silversnapper1]

This is some advice that I was given by a wise old bird when I asked for some advice on shooting an air display. I found it more than useful.

If possible, scout out the location beforehand to find a good vantage point - try to find out where the display line will be and look for a position close to display centre, then try to get there early to claim your 'spot'.

Take the longest lens you have - 300mm is the minimum to get a flying aeroplane at a reasonable size in the frame.

For jets, use aperture priority and open up the aperture to give the fastest shutter speed you can get away with - in bright conditions, f/8 may give you a fast enough shutter, but don't be afraid to open up to f/5.6 if needs must.

For prop driven planes, use shutter priority - you want a slower shutter to get some 'prop blur', otherwise the prop will be frozen and make the aircraft look like an Airfix model - no faster than 1/250. This of course, requires a steady hand and good panning technique - practice if you can. Helicopters are a nightmare as the rotors are so slow that you need to drop your shutter speed below 1/125 to get any motion blur!

If you can, try a few test shots early on to check exposure - I find that centre-weighted usually gives good results, but it depends on what camera you're using.

Don't bother with a tripod - they're impractical for air displays.

Steve.

[amk1977]

One thing I would recommend doing is setting your camera to shoot in RAW mode if it isn't already. In order to get the plane nicely exposed, you run the risk of blowing out the sky (especially if its overcast like today). RAW format will enable you to recover details that would otherwise be lost in a JPEG. Similarly, if your shots come out a little under exposed due to using a fast shutter speed, you will be able to recover the image signifcantly better than if you were just working with a JPEG.

[cosmicma]

went to southport air show a couple of saturdays ago
it was miserable
weather was cold and wet with an overcast sky the wind didn't help much either

at this time of year unless your lucky the chances are it's gonna be at best overcast and wors't raining
you have to account for white clouds and whatever colour the plane is
do you have a steady hand ?
i don't so i tend to go for the fastest shutter speed i can get a way with no less than 400th/s double if i can get away with it

so now your up to 400 iso at around 7/800th of a second at around f6 f7 ( i was on saturday )
the end result is not so good skies but planes with reasonable exposure

example
ISO 400 1/600th F6.4 at 280mm


ISO 400 1/800th F6.4 at 280mm


as you can see on jets a slow shutter speed to preserve propeller blur isn't important what is important is exposure
if you have an overcast sky as we have in the examples letting your camera make the decision is probably going to end up with nice skies and a silhouette for a plane and i have seen some fantastic photographs done that way but most of the time they don't turn out so well so your better off setting your exposure for the plane ( usually 1 - 2 stops over exposed ) and sacrificing the sky

where prop planes are concerned as said above if your hand is steady go for the slowest shutter speed you can get away with to keep the motion blur in the prop
if your as unsteady as me i forget about the blur and concentrate on trying to expose the plane properly

example
ISO 400 1/800th F6,4 at 100mm


have a look at the exif of other plane shots to see how others have done it
it might help you on your travels

good luck....

[karenoliver]

I've photographed at airshows and I just use manual settings. I take a few shots, review them and adjust accordingly. I always shoot in raw so can adjust the images after shooting anyway.
I was going to go to Southport, cosmicma but the weather forcast put me off, sorry you had a miserable day!

Karen

[cosmicma]

Originally Posted by karenoliver

I was going to go to Southport, cosmicma but the weather forcast put me off, sorry you had a miserable day!

Karen

you didn't miss much
the typhoon failed to show one of the main reasons i wen't
the red arrows put a better show on than usual maybe to keep the audience interested as the weather really was poor
ah well with any luck it won't be raining for the musical fireworks this weekend

[Quickpic66]

cosmicma, no idea where you are but if you can get to RAF Conningsby you can see the euro fighter almost every day. Tuesdays seem to be the best time, but this is based on the fact that its the day i normally go on.

http://www.raf.mod.uk/rafconingsby/

both of these pics are at conningsby and i'll try and post some more. There are some nice view points which are very close to the runway. You even get a wave from the co-pilot at some of the view areas which is alway nice for a quick pic. Its also the base for the battle of britian memorial which is worth a walk around.

http://www.photoradar.com/files/imag...er-head-on.jpg
http://www.photoradar.com/files/imag...ado-taking.jpg