Warbird Information Exchange

Hi guys and gals,

after having recently been to the Abbotsford Airshow and not getting the greatest fly-by shots, can someone please suggest what size and power of lens would be good for airshow photography?

I've get what I think are some nice shots, but the airplanes generally take up only a 20th of the picture, and I kind of want to take pictures without having to crop or resize all the time.

I operate a Canon EOS Rebel ES with a 18-55mm lens which is terrific for most close range photography, but lacks in its ability to take good long distance shots.

Can anyone help me find a lens that's good for airshows, and doesn't make me look like perv if I were take the camera to the beach? What are most of you guys using?

Peace,

David M

I said "NOT look like a perv"... and what's with the handle on it?

And... I can't afford it that one. Any other suggestions?

Peace,

David

What's your budget? I have the same camera body as you, and my "big" lens is the Canon 100-400 L zoom with image stabilization. Its about a $1200 lens. I also have a Canon 80-200 L F4.0 zoom with image stabilization, which was about a $500 lens.

With the 1.6 built in zoom factor in the Rebel bodies, these lenses net out at 640mm and 320 mm, either of which is good for airshow work. The bigger lens is generally better, but the 80-200 is easier to work with, less expensive etc.

If I had it to do over again, I might not purchase the 100-400. Its a fine tool, but more than I need.

Thanks for the info Kyle,

My budget is most definitely under the $500.00 mark. Exploring the site Vital Spark sent, I found what look like good and inexpensive lenses. It looks like you can get a 70-300mm for anywhere between $220-$600.

Does the make of the lens mean much, or is a Sigma as good as a Canon, as good as another?

Cheers,

David

500mm is my go to lens for all airshows, but it's over $6,000 now. Trust me, you can never have enough lens, but the 300mm is also at my side on the other camera. 70-200 is good for walking around the statics, along with the 24-70. You will see more 100-400's than any other lens at airshows. I loved mine, but it had to go when I bought the 300 and 500.

_________________
"I love the smell of racing gas in the morning"
www.timadamsphotography.com

Canon is better, especially the L glass. The basic rule of thumb is spend as much money as you can afford on glass, you can get by with a cheap digital Rebel for a body.

_________________
"I love the smell of racing gas in the morning"
www.timadamsphotography.com

Thank you for the input. I cringe at the thought of the prices for the Canon lenses.... but let me go take a look at their website.

Thanks everyone who chimed in. I appreciate it.

Peace,

David

TAMRON makes reasonably priced big lenses and the camera shop can put a bayonet on the camera end of the lens to fit your body. They take pretty fair (but not NAT GEO caliber stuff) and allow you to master shooting big stuff without sinking a ton of bux into a lens that may not be what you really wanted. Also check the camera supply sales papers, sometimes you can hit an incredible deal, also camera swap meets are a good source for some bargains.

_________________
Don't make me go get my flying monkeys-

Cheapest lens you could get that would have a little "reach" is a Canon 75-300 which can be purchased new for approximately $200. It's not the best lens in the world, but better than nothing.

Another option is renting a lens for a weekend. One company is: lensrental.com

Since you have a Canon, I recommend a photography website for Canon users: photography-on-the.net
All sorts of info available there.

Don't forget Craigslist, Ive bought several things there including my 50D.

I shoot with one of the Canon 75-300 EF lenses (until I can get a second mortgage for an L lens or the Sigma)
It does a fair job... you'll always want more...but it does ok. It's soft at times but I have learned it's limitations and how to use the camera and a bit of photoshop to make things better.

http://www.amazon.com/Canon-75-300mm-4- ... B00004THD0

_________________
Zane Adams
There I was at 20,000 ft, upside down and out of ammunition.
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David,

Try KEH Camera Brokers in Atlanta

http://www.KEH.com

They're a very large used equipment dealer, and anything they have rated EX or greater will be in very good shape. I've bought a lot of used Nikon equipment from them, including 3 pro camera bodies. All were in great shape and gave me no problems.

They have listed currently a Canon 55-250mm f4-5.6 EF-S IS lens that will fit the Rebel for $219.00 in LN- condition. The 250mm end at 1.6 factor will give you the equivalent of a 400mm lens. It has image stabilization, which helps for airshow shots. This is an amateur lens, but it sounds like it will fill the bill for you until you can afford something better.

Just saw KYLEB's post , and this lens at $230 new is a better deal, since you will have a new lens with a multi-year warranty.


Walt

_________________
If God had intended airplane engines to have horizontally-opposed cylinders, Pratt & Whitney would have built them that way.

Canon is thought to be better than Sigma. However, the difference isn't *that* big. I would suggest at least 200 MM and would also suggest a lens with image stabilization. For new equipment try www.bhphotovideo.com. B&H is a very good mail order electronics store with great prices and great service. Some of the others are a bit sketchy, but B&H is great.

They have a searchable product list, and if you take a good look, you'll find a Canon 55-250mm lens with IS that's designed for the Rebel at $230(the problem might come when you upgrade to a body with a full size sensor, but you can always sell it on Ebay and buy the *next* lens). Also, there's a nice 70-300 Sigma lens with IS for $399. Probably a better lens than the Canon, but the price reflects that.

KEH is a good option. I've done business with them too. Of course, it's only 20 minutes from my house, so that makes it easy.

Conventional wisdom back in the day when I photographed air shows (using Kodachrome 64) was that a 300mm lens was as long as you could hand hold without movement showing up in your image.

If you're thinking of used lenses, call Tempe Camera Repair, here in Tempe, Arizona. They have a national reputation for being fair and honest, and might be able to help you with good advise, as well as good equipment.

Good luck.

When shooting fighter sized aircraft at typical airshow distances, 400mm on a 35mm-format camera is pretty much the minimum. If using a 1.6x crop DSLR like yours, that means a 300mm is usable. With a lens of that length, WWII will decently fill the frame at their closest point to you, and bombers or jets will overfill it. However, overfilling is good. Most people want front- and rear-quarter shots as well as directly abeam, and that requires the above focal length for bombers and something longer, like 500mm or 600mm in 35mm-format, for fighters. Most people find it impractical to use anything longer than 600.

Image stablization is wonderful but not available on your budget. At your price point, consider adapting an older used manual focus lens to your Canon. You will have to learn to focus by yourself and possibly set the exposure values manually (not a big deal with this kind of shooting), but you will get better image quality than with current lower-end zooms designed for DSLRs. On considerably less than your budget you could get something like a Carl Zeiss 300mm for Contax/Yashica or a Minolta Rokkor 400mm, and add a cheap adapter for use with the EOS. Optical quality will be comparable to Canon's best L lenses, apart from lacking image stabilization. Even an older zoom in the 100-300mm range from a good maker may be noticeably sharper than current low-end glass. Unfortunately, for technical reasons, Canon's own pre-EOS lenses cannot be adapted to the EOS.

August