Gear Talk > Lenses

Lens choices for airshow

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GuyF:
Should be going to the Leuchars airshow on Sept 15th here in Scotland and, since it's the first airshow I'll have been to in over 20yrs, wondered about the best choice of lenses.

Main gear will be 5D3 plus 300mm 2.8 IS (and Kenko 1.4x TC) (without monopod as I think it would be too restrictive).

However now the problem starts - do I also take:

24-105mm for static stuff (B-52!!) and wider field of view flying shots (Red Arrows/Patrouille de France)

or

17-40mm for static aircraft and 70-200mm f4 IS for Red Arrows/Patrouille de France?

No doubt some will say take it all but I want to travel as light as possible but not miss shots by leaving stuff at home. Bearing in mind I'll also be carrying food and water for a long day.

Next part of the question is: to ensure razor sharp shots of the flying displays am I better shooting at, say, f8 and let the 5d3 take care of the rest or shoot close to wide open to maintain high shutter speed and rely on the focus tracking of the 5D3 to keep up with fast jets?

Any opinions and airshow example shots would be appreciated.

Guy.

charlesa:
Would take the ultrawide and the 70-200 mm, although that might create issues by having to keep changing lenses constantly. For airshows I usually take fisheye, tilt-shift, 70-200 and 400 mm prime +/- 2x III TC.

Moody Blues:
I have had good success with the 70-200 and 1.4 ext. Airahows would be the perfect venue for the new 200-400!

rwmson:
I'm no pro, and the subjects are backlit, but there are some in-flight air show photos on my site:
http://spiritstudios.smugmug.com/Other/JBMDL-Air-Show/24572381_jbvWvZ
5D MK3, 70-200 IS USM II, Canon 2x TC, shot handheld

IIIHobbs:

--- Quote from: GuyF on August 16, 2012, 01:53:08 PM ---Main gear will be 5D3 plus 300mm 2.8 IS and 1.4x TC

However - do I also take: 24-105mm for static stuff (B-52!!) and wider field of view flying shots or 17-40mm for static aircraft and 70-200mm f4 IS

Next question: to ensure razor sharp shots of the flying displays am I better shooting at, say, f8 and let the 5d3 take care of the rest or shoot close to wide open to maintain high shutter speed and rely on the focus tracking of the 5D3 to keep up with fast jets?
--- End quote ---

I am heading to an Air Show here in NJ this weekend (weather permitting). I am taking the 300 f2.8 IS and will have the 1.4xII with me (not sure if I will need it though). The other lenses in my bag will be my 24 f1.4 and 135 f2 (I have no zoom lenses).

Based on past experiences I do not think you will need your 17-40 with the 5DIII. The 24-105 will get you plenty wide enough and also get you near enough to whatever is on the ground. The 70-200 is also not needed, you can always use the 300 for tight detail on the ground if you like.

The 300 alone will get you close enough to most of the air action; adding the 1.4x will allow you to get tighter on the smaller aircraft and skydivers, but tracking will become a bit more difficult.

As for aperture, on the ground, be as creative as you want, things are static. In the air, I think you will be better served by allowing the camera to decide for you, especially with the faster moving objects, the lighting and background conditions can change quickly. Being able to concentrate on the subject and allowing the camera to do the rest will increase the number of keepers.

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