What gear for Airtattoo air show?

[Ladislav]

I'm going to Airtattoo air show next weekend: http://www.airtattoo.com/
It is my first air show ever so I have no idea what gear I should use. There will be both static and flying display.

I have 6D. The longest lens I have is 70-300 L IS. I expect that it will not be long enough for flying display. For static display I can go pretty wide - 16-35 L IS or 17 and 24 TS-E lenses. Is that too wide? Is 24-70 enough?

What would you recommend for flying display? I initially wanted to rent Sigma 150-600 Sport but it was already gone (I haven't found Contemporary option for rental in UK) - there is F1 Silverstone Grand Prix same weekend so most rental options are already gone.

I'm currently considering one of these options:

• Rent Canon 100-400 L IS Mk.II but I'm not sure if that is really that much benefit over 70-300 L IS.
• Rent 80D or 7D Mk.II and use it with 70-300 L IS while using 24-70 or 70-200 on 6D
• Buy Sigma 150-600 OS Contemporary - I don't like the weight of Sport model and I have mixed experience with my Tamron 24-70 lens

There is in theory option to buy Canon 100-400 L IS Mk.II - I considered so many times to buy it and sell my 70-300 but I always turned that down. I like my 70-300 and its compact size for my more common photo trips (landscape, architecture, cities) and I feel that in case where I want something longer (mostly Zoos and sometimes birds in garden), 400mm is not enough anyway.

It is of course questionable how well will last minute rental work. Mentioned options are still available. I will also have to rent for at least 4 days because I can't collect it on Friday and return on Monday.

 

[bholliman]

I'm hardly an expert, I've only photographed one air show last summer. My longest lens is a 300 f/2.8 II, but I left it at home since I didn't want to carry that weight around all day and went with my 70-200 f/2.8 II and extenders on my 5DsR. I found that 280mm/400mm (with extenders) was generally enough reach since the planes were all making passes close to the crowd. I also took my 16-35 f/4 for shots of planes on the ground and that worked pretty well.

Personally, I think the 100-400 II would be an ideal air show lens. If I owned one, I would take that with a 1.4x extender and 16-35 and wouldn't miss much.

Of course, not all air shows are created equal, the shows I've attended have been smaller ones where you could get pretty close to the runway. In a large show where you were well back, you would definitely need a longer lens.

 

[Ladislav]

Of course, not all air shows are created equal, the shows I've attended have been smaller ones where you could get pretty close to the runway. In a large show where you were well back, you would definitely need a longer lens.

My understanding is that this air show should be huge.

 

[Roo]

That would be a great airshow to visit and I'm pretty happy to see the RAAF Wedgetail will be on display

I use the Tamron 150-600 and that is good enough for the show but, if you get close to the flightline, a 100-400 will be enough. I carry 2 bodies so I'm not swapping out lenses all the time. The last one I was at, I was using the 24-70 and there were only a few times I wished I'd gone with the 16-35 instead.

 

[GlynH]

Well I've been to RIAT many times in the past although sadly not in the last few years.

My favourite airshow lens is the Canon 100-400mm and judging by the number seen there it seems to be a huge favourite!

The first year I bought my MKI I was feeling pretty special...almost unique in a way with my 'huge super-zoom' until I saw that most Canon shooters had one as well!

It seemed to be the most widely used lens at Fairford so I guess that speaks for itself.

I used mine on the original 5D...you know the camera that people say is useless for taking photos of anything that moves because of its poor AF but looking back on some of my pics I can count the rivets on the fuselage of the Red Arrows as they perform!

Not sure if this link will work;

https://www.flickr.com/photos/glynh/albums/72157606056212172/with/2650189675/

For static displays I used my all-time favourite 'walk round' lens the 24-105mm f/4L IS so covered every focal length from 24-400mm with just the two lenses.

Can't vouch for the other lenses you suggest as I haven't used them at an airshow although I think the 16-35mm f/4L IS would be a good choice for static displays.

Hope that helps? Enjoy your visit!

-=Glyn=-

PS. Actually I just looked at some of those RIAT photos and noticed that it wasn't the 24-105mm I used for static aircraft but the 17-40mm f/4L so your 16-35mm f/4L IS should be good to go!

 

[alvarow]

For static depends on your shooting style I guess. Likely you'll have more than enough light so even slow lens are ok.

For Flying one I used an 80D and 100-400 II, and I did not always was on 400mm... I think your 70-300 is appropriate. It is a good lens as well. Don't forget to slow the shutter speed for propeller planes and blur the props. Jets it is ok to freeze (1/1250 or plus). I use shutter priority and auto iso, it never went above ISO 250 for the real fast clicks.

The 6D is great, but you need to master panning and that center point autofocus. If you don't, I recommend renting an 80D or 7DmkII ... Practice panning, as those will yield the coolest shots, and try to get close to the tarmac.

Attached are a couple of samples... the properller one is Mike Wiskus, it was 1/125 and it is very sharp. Good panning. The Blue Angels one is 1/1000 and it is ok shot, not the best, that's poor panning. Panning jets is hard, so practice, as that will give you better results than gear better than you already have.

Don't forget sunscreen and water. Dehydration is a huge problem on air shows.

Enjoy!

 

[Ladislav]

Thanks for all replies. At the end, I purchased Sigma 150-600 C and got it yesterday. It was too late to do rental and I always wanted some lens going beyond 400mm. I tried some panning shots yesterday with my dog chasing frisbee. Yeah, combination of this lens with 6D AF, fast moving planes and panning will be a challenge.

The lens has programable custom functions - I configured one to be AF priority, dynamic OS and 30m-infinity focus limiter. That will hopefully help a bit.