Aircraft Photography?

[Jared]

Hey all, I've got the Canon Rebel 1000D and I'll be using the kit 18-55MM kit lense and their cheaper version of the 70-300MM tele this weekend at a local fly-in...

My question for the photographers out there is this....

I need to find some good typical settings, ie settings which should help point me in the right direction and I can experiment from there. Should I put the camera into Tv mode to capture shots quickly or should I put it into manual and adjust ALL of the settings?

I understand that the settings will vary greatly with the amount of sunlight, distance to the aircraft, etc.  

Another issue may be the focusing, would one recommend using the ai focus? Or would it be better to be in manual focus mode as well?

As always I appreciate all of the information you may be able to provide

[skoker]

I would do manual, its just way easier to fine tune the settings the way you like it.

[BAW0343]

Manual takes some practice to get used to, but it does make things easier.

For you to BEGIN with use Tv mode so that you have control over high shutter speeds for jets and slower shutter speeds for Props and helicopters.  Let the camera deal with the aperture. Also remember that the camera takes a fairly average metering of the entire frame so you will have to use the exposure compensation feature to get a proper exposure on the aircraft.

Take some time in the future and learn more about the Shutter / aperture relationship as it will certianly help your photography.  8-)

I look forward to seeing some shots  :D

[Omag 2.0]

I always use Tv mode when shooting aircraft, because it allows you to control the shutterspeed without having to worry about the aperature... lighting circumstances may vary quickly and it, as do the liveries if the planes. Dark colors and white colors can result in different settings...

Quick planes, go for 1/500 or faster

Props and choppers 1/200 or slower, to see the movement of the propellor.

ALWAYS use autofocus, lol... I never work manually, unless I'd start macro photography...

AI-focus is also a good bet when you can see the planes come from a distance, though on my 400D it struggles to keep up with fast planes ( ex. spitfire flyby), but practice will get better results after a while...

Good luck and if you need help... shoot! ;-)

[61_OTU]

At airshows I use a mix of Av for jets at f8 and Tv set at 1/250th or 1/320th for props. That way I can quickly switch between them as required.

Steve