Which lenses for an Air Show?

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FastGlassGuy said:
The Blue Angels always put on a good show. If ever have the opportunity you should check out their practices at El Centro NAS in El Centro, California usually from February through March. They fly their practices over the airfield and you can park at the end of the runway (off the base property) and get some really cool and unique shots. I did not have access to my prop plane shots earlier, but these shots vary from 1/40 sec for the Osprey to 1/80 sec and 1/00 sec. At these slow speeds (even with VR and IBIS) you don't get a ton of keepers, but the ones you get are usually pretty good.View attachment 94489View attachment 94490View attachment 94491View attachment 94492View attachment 94493
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both sets of images are super
 
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My two cents for what it’s worth. If you are going with what you own I’d go with 70-200 and 400 4.5 with both TC’s. This gives you a nice wide option for focal lengths to shoot with. You will use the longer lengths for single acts and wider for teams but that is assuming location is close to flight line.
As for pit for boats I have no experience with that but if it’s anything like statics at Airshow I think your idea about using Plena to isolate boats is your best bet.
 
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Replytoken said:
Did you ever get a chance to see or photograph Sean Tucker when he flew the Oracle stunt plane? What he did with his aircraft was amazing and defied belief. And he was one of a very select few who was allowed to fly wtih the Blue Angles when they performed together. Not sure if he is still flying, but I thought he stole the show from them.

--Ken
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Yes, I have seen the Oracle stunt plane fly. I am not a pilot, but I can only imagine the level of skill and training it takes to fly those planes. I don't even like rollercoasters, so I am always amazed that pilots can maintain the level of awareness and ability to handle all of the controls while pulling like 7-8 G's. I don't believe that I ever saw him fly in formation with the Blue Angels, just at the same airshow with them. That would definitely be cool to see. Ken
 
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as Ken said, with helicopters and prop planes you want a slower shutter speed for prop blur, whatever you are comfy with, expect lot of garbage shots, 1/60 and up

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jets also against a background to show a sense of motion are fun also


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unless you are up against the flight line the bigger the lens the better except for bigger planes or teams, a 70-200 (+ tc) or 100-400 is good
 
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and evening/night time shows is always fun, probably more fun than a day show


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I used my Sigma 100-400mm lens with my D500 at the Abbotsford International Airshow last year. It was a good combo.

It was quite hot that day, so heat plumes seriously affected the sharpness of many photos. The best shots I got were of planes not too close to the ground, and not too far away.

I wouldn’t go out with too much gear. A telephoto for long distance shots, and a wide-to-tele zoom for static displays should work well.
 
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I am going to be shooting in two locations.

For the pit I am just going to bring a couple bodies and probably three lenses to cover 24-200. That will be for the hydrofoil pits.

For the air show I am going back up the hill where I can shoot at my leisure from a private deck. I can bring the whole inventory and use whatever,I choose. This will be a bit higher view and sometimes it may get cut off by trees but it will have its advantages.
 
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FastGlassGuy said:
Yes, I have seen the Oracle stunt plane fly. I am not a pilot, but I can only imagine the level of skill and training it takes to fly those planes. I don't even like rollercoasters, so I am always amazed that pilots can maintain the level of awareness and ability to handle all of the controls while pulling like 7-8 G's. I don't believe that I ever saw him fly in formation with the Blue Angels, just at the same airshow with them. That would definitely be cool to see. Ken
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Agreed. I never saw a plane move through the air sideways until I saw him fly one year. I am not sure he ever did any of the formal show performances with the Blue Angles, but I believe he may have flown in formation with them. It has been a number of years since I saw him fly, so I cannot say for certain, but I will say that he and that plane were quite impressive. Hoping the OP gets a great show tomorrow or Saturday. The weather is supposed to be warm and sunny.

--Ken
 
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Brian_S said:
as Ken said, with helicopters and prop planes you want a slower shutter speed for prop blur, whatever you are comfy with, expect lot of garbage shots, 1/60 and up
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I will repeat once again that sometimes it is worth breaking the rules of photography to have shots different from everyone else :)

Heli and prop with 1/1000
🙂
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Tibor Hrnko said:
A lot of nice pictures here and fine advice.
Here is my gallery to show you the results of my prefered settings.
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I only see a few shots, I don't have an account there. Maybe you could add your favorites to the thread?
It's always a sure experience for those taking photos at an airshow.



Jet on 1/15
300mm
Break the rules 🙂

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I really need to hit an air show one of these days...

Edit: Just checked, the Swiss cancelled their AirSpirit 2024 AND the Axalp 2025. And the spotter tickets for the Red Bull Air Power 2024 are, big suprise, all sold already. Everything else is too far away from my place... Well, now that I know, a Spotter Ticket for the Red Bull event next year seems like a nice birthday present from me for myself! And for training, I can always go hit the local airport!
 
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My two cents for what it’s worth. If you are going with what you own I’d go with 70-200 and 400 4.5 with both TC’s. This gives you a nice wide option for focal lengths to shoot with. As for pit for boats I have no experience with that but if it’s anything like statics at Airshow I think your idea about using Plena to isolate
 
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