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RIAT pt.2


Bennygman

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I hope you Brits realize how lucky you are to have shows with the types of aircraft you get!! All we get here in the states are the usual suspects. :(

Thanks Mike; we like to keep you entertained on the BM 'night shift' :winkgrin:

I hear what you're saying about the Brit' shows, but when one of your 'usual suspects' is the Raptor you've got something of a trump card there. I was with a group of shall we say 'hardened' airshow goers on Friday and we were all grinning like a bunch of school kids, with shouts of "wow", "Jeezus", "did you see what he did", etc. It will take a long time for that display to get old, just hope we can tempt them back so that they can perform for the audience they deserve.

Steve.

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Thanks guys, I think those who were there will say they had a great couple of days, even with the soakings. It was just the growing bad feeling about the weekend that took the edge off of a couple of days great picture opportunities :( .

Kev, I'm still using the Canon 20D and 300mm f4 with 1.4 converter for these. Backup is a Dynax 7D with a kit zoom, which is handy for the big stuff. It can take a great sharp pic' but it's developing the annoying habit of not focusing properly on occasion. It's very intermittent, but so far it's chosen the Vulcan take-off and yesterday's departure by the Pakistani Orion. A man could lose confidence in something like that, so as soon as funds allow I'll be after another good condition 20D and a 70-200 zoom. That said, everyone I've chatted to over the last few days has had the Canon 100-400 (f4-5.6, I think). It looks like a very compact lens for what it does, so that's another possibility.

Steve.

Edited by Bennygman
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Steve.

Did you get any pics of the departures yesterday mate?

Yes mate, it was a bit gloomy for part of the day, but I managed a few decent ones. A lot of the pilots seemed to be trying a bit harder with their take-offs to give us a bit of a show. We even got a barrel-roll from one of the MB 339's, which could land him in hot water. I left just after the F-22 departed for Farnboro. He arrived back as I was driving away, but I couldn't see if he displayed (as was rumored) or just landed.

Just editing the pics now, so I'll try and post a few this afternoon.

Steve.

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Thanks Benny, I always assumed that professional airshow pics required really expensive equipment, esp lenses.

Also, I guess IS and USM would be almost mandatory if you want crisp sharp hand help shots.

What about shutter speed and Auto,Manual, Tv, P,etc modes for stationary and moving targets?

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Thanks Benny, I always assumed that professional airshow pics required really expensive equipment, esp lenses.

Also, I guess IS and USM would be almost mandatory if you want crisp sharp hand help shots.

What about shutter speed and Auto,Manual, Tv, P,etc modes for stationary and moving targets?

Yeah, I'd say the lens is more important than the camera, though an EOS 1D wouldn't go amiss! My 300 f4 is a bit of a luxury, but I figured it'd last forever and pay me back over time. Even if it only lasts five or six years then it'll have been less than the costs of renting one for a couple of weeks each year, plus I also use it for animal shots on zoo visits, so it was a good long term investment.

For me, IS is essential; I just can't hand-hold big lenses effectively without it. A fault in my technique for sure, but fortunately the technology exists to get around it.

The settings I use are basically for jets; Aperture priority (f8 - should give the sharpest result on most lenses), on a dull day I over expose by around 1/3 of a stop, on a bright sunny day I go under by the same as I find it gives a more contrasty, saturated look. For props/choppers I use Shutter priority 1/250 to get 'banker' shots , then if I'm feeling brave/stupid I try slowing it down more to get more blur, usually with dodgy results :D . The beauty of the EOS (and I imagine other models too) is that you can set your AV and TV values and just switch between them using the mode dial depending on what you're shooting. It's not foolproof though as I found at Waddo when the bomb-laden typhoon came in and I left the camera set up for props. Fortunately one of the five shots was sharp or I'd have looked a right Charlie!

For stationary stuff I just use AV (f8) again as camera shake seems to be less of an issue.

Steve.

PS usually use ISO 200 unless the light gets really bad.

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Great explanation Steve, virtually the same set up as me, the only difference is i will try to stick to 100asa as much as possible.

The AV / TV thing always catches me out after shooting a prop or helicopter, forever forgetting to switch back. It's good practice though, just not on something rare!

Marcus :)

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