Taking pictures Aircraft in the Air

[Guest]

Taken video film of aircraft in flight but not from a still camera.

Any advice gratefully received. Got lenses from 35 to 150.

From experience with video found that filming was best with the aircraft coming towards the camera as it gives time to locate & adjust.

What setting are best as there is not time to adjust ?

Laurie

[Ian M]

Basic question, what camera do you have?

Taking photos of Aircraft is a bit like taking them of cars and motorcycles with the added problem of exposure!!!

Try to find a place where you have a clear view (duh!) in a position where you are as close as you can get to where the aircraft turn, This will give you a better chance of panning the camera on target. This works with motor sport as they have a tendance to slow down a bit and are in the frame longer. Aircraft don't slow down but due to the turn it appears that way.

The hard part is getting the exposure sorted. You are in basis shooting a picture of a dark object on a bright background. So you will need to compensate for that by overexposing. If you have auto exposeure bracketing and the ability to shoot several frames you can try setting exposure bracketing to a couple of stops so you get a correct exposure and the next two are over exposed the first by one the second by two stops- The sky will wash out but its the aircraft you want.

If you have a digital camera, you are lucky in that you can see what you are getting and adjust for the next one. No such luck with a film camera!

I have it easy, I set the camera to auto in sport mode with the metering set to spot. That helps a lot.

Are you getting ready for the Vulcan next week?

Ian M

[Guest]

Thanks Ian. Good info.

It is an Olympus E410 digital.

Yes that is what I did with Video got them on the turn.

Yes also have a Sports setting. Goodness me such a lot you can find by looking at the instructions. Even the settings on the camera its self !

Good the instructions found I have centre weighted metering so I am now set. Think perhaps in future I should check on these things first what a nut ?

Vulcan Ian ? Is there something I am not aware of, even perhaps the authorities, as it is not on the agenda ?

Laurie

Ian M

[Ian M]

Probably my befuddled memory playing tricks on me, I thought I read a post where you said it would be flying over....

Then again I could be confusing the issue with a (female) friend that saw it at an airshow in England t'other week and proclaimed; Look a tornado!!! (Now you know why there is female in brackets).

Ian M

[Guest]

Probably my befuddled memory playing tricks on me, I thought I read a post where you said it would be flying over....Then again I could be confusing the issue with a (female) friend that saw it at an airshow in England t'other week and proclaimed; Look a tornado!!! (Now you know why there is female in brackets).

Ian M

O dear another member of this forum going to pot. Colin with his nutty sea plane. Now we have a female in brackets.O dear o dear.

Laurie

[Guest]

150 is going to be a bit short - you could really do with 300mm

Propeller aircraft use tv mode and set the time to 1/250-1/350. This will give you prop blur.

Jets - av mode and set the apperture to wherever the lens works best, usually about F8 Set the ISO to give a decent speed, around 1/1000th

You will need reasonable panning skills, specially with piston settings.

[Guest]

Thanks Roger. I am afraid 150 will have to do. Got my old OM2 in the loft with a 600mm but I think i will leave it there.

What does piston setting mean Roger ?

Laurie

[flyjoe180]

I think Roger is referring to the Time Value (TV) settings used for piston engined aircraft. I have used 1/200 for prop blurs quite successfully.

[Guest]

Yes Joe that's right. you do have to have reasonable panning skills to shoot so slow. For every one keeper I get, several go in the bin.

[Guest]

if you can get away with it use 1/200, unluckily for me theres no way i could hold my big lens steady enough and avoid camera shale.

I wouldnt let the length of lens put you off having a go.

My son took this shot using my spare canon 450D and the kit lens (18-55mm)

[Guest]

Thanks Wayne.

No not detered. Fortunately the show is over the bay so the aircraft have not to avoid any bits & pieces. Also the promenade is about 20 feet up so it is ideal.

Will be using a Manfrotto tripod which has an adjustable friction tilt pan.

Just got to get this B52 thundering across the bay. 15 mins allowed so should get something. Hope.

Laurie

[Ian M]

Another good tip is to set the image quality to the highest and biggest setting, should still give a good resolution even after you have cropped the image to loose some of the sky.

What is that 600mm you have up in the loft? I might be well wrong but cant you get an adapter for it. I'm thinking if its a mirror lens, it wouldnt be to much of a problem as the aperture is fixed and the focus manual anyway. (my OM system is also sitting un used and unsellable in the spare room!)

Ian M

[Guest]

Another good tip is to set the image quality to the highest and biggest setting, should still give a good resolution even after you have cropped the image to loose some of the sky.What is that 600mm you have up in the loft? I might be well wrong but cant you get an adapter for it. I'm thinking if its a mirror lens, it wouldnt be to much of a problem as the aperture is fixed and the focus manual anyway. (my OM system is also sitting un used and unsellable in the spare room!)

Ian M

Yes I was setting image high. Only problem there I have found is it takes a long time then to load the image to the card from the buffer. But you cannot have everything.

Spot on Ian it is a mirror lens. Crackpot thing is it has never been used & just sits there in the attic, poor thing. It is Olympus OM2n compatible. So must see if I can adapt.

Over here the Olympus goes for about £100. Shame one of the best cameras ever produced. A little darling had everything in such a small space. A wedding photographer was using one until about 5 years ago. Then he & camera retired. Think it was the first camera to have TTL metering.

Laurie

[Ian M]

Not sure it was the first but one of the best!

I have tried to sell my "old" film camera system a few times but to be honest I would rather keep it for old times sake, than "sell" it for next to nothing. Some cheeky bugger offered £50 for the camera, three flash heads, a power grip, and five lenses and the two allu cases they are in!

Ian M

[Guest]

same here m8, i got a nikon fe2 with md 12 motor drive plus some other gear better to hang on to for 100 yr+ then it might be worth something...lol.

jeff.