What lens to get?

[gryshnak]

I'll very soon be getting a digital SLR, most likely a Canon EOS350D which comes with an 18-55mm lens.  Very useful for general photos but a bit short for flying shots at airshows.

Can anyone suggest a suitable lens for this sort of thing?  70-300mm?  100-400mm?

Gryshnak

[BAW0343]

Its pretty simple to find a lens that will fit right on the end of the camera. Im getting a 2x lens for mine and i will be posting some before and after once i get it if you want to wait.

rember google is your friend

[Tweek]

rember google is your friend

But not always accurate in terms of opinion.

As I don't have a high end dSLR, I'm not sure on which lenses are the best, in terms of quality. Your best bet, from what I have read, is a Canon or Sigma lens, but I don't know the specifics!

[lilley91]

hey man

i have a 75-300mm lens, and i can tell you some of my tricks if you want, anyways, you can see the results in my RIAT threads somewhere around here

cheers
james

[gryshnak]

What I mean is, what length lens is good for airshows?  Is the 300mm long enough?  I have an old SLR with a 75-150mm zoom and a 2x converter, that gives me 300mm but I want to get closer.  But a 500mm lens would be good for airshows and pretty much useless for anything else!

In an ideal world I would buy an 18-500mm zoom with no distortion that worked well in low light, but I don't think that's about to happen any time soon.

Gryshnak

[lilley91]

check your PMs gryshnak

[BAW0343]

But a 500mm lens would be good for airshows and pretty much useless for anything else!

get that, who cares if you can only use it for airshows  ;D

[Theis]

get that, who cares if you can only use it for airshows  ;D

Or to look into your neighbour girls bedroom, while she is dripping wet from the shower and.. Ups! not the "Secret fantasy stories" room I guess..

[BAW0343]

Or to look into your neighbour girls bedroom, while she is dripping wet from the shower and.. Ups! not the "Secret fantasy stories" room I guess.. ;D ;D ;D

You've been reading my diary!!!!  >:( >:(


oh  :-[

[Craig.]

my advice, dont go for the highest mm you can find and just expect these great shots.
Research, because there are huge gaps between quality of various lenses.
For instance my sigma lense is 300mm, suits me fine and can get in as close as I need. But unless the weather is absolutly perfect, you can forget a sharp shot above 200mm, thus wasting 100mm anyway.
Remember, lense's are what make the DSLR and SLR camera's either good or average. You want results that are stunning expect to pay the price of a used car for them. and in some cases a new car.

[Hagar]

Remember, lense's are what make the DSLR and SLR camera's either good or average. You want results that are stunning expect to pay the price of a used car for them. and in some cases a new car.

Indeed.

[Rifleman]

It's not just about lens focal length...........if you want the ability to get the shots on less than optimum days, you're going to need to look for lens speed !

[gryshnak]

I'm learning lots about this already, thanks for the advice everyone.  Is there a "Digital SLR for Dummies" website anywhere?

Gryshnak

[Boss_BlueAngels]

Gryshnak--  

I was in your exact position back in March.  Last summer I shot 50 rolls of film at only a few airshows and decided to stop wasting my money on processing and get a new camera...


So I got myself a shiny new RebelXT (350D).  I've never been happier!  I got a cheap Sigma 100-300mmF4-6.3 lens off ebay just for something with some reach and just to practice with.  (note I said cheap... I paid $50 for it but didn't have that good of quality--which I expected) It did served its purpoise and then I moved on to something with longer reach.



The shortest focal lenght I'd go for is 300.  Anything higher is better, but usually also more expensive.  

I recently purchased the Sigma 50-500mm F/4-6.3 about 4 weeks ago and used it at my first airshow while using DSLR and got GREAT results!  This lens set me back $1,200 including two different filters.  

And just for bragging rights, I shot as low as 1/30 second and got a couple of really SHARP shots at the 500mm end.  That is 100% proof that ANYTHING is possible!! haha  And I also have probably a dozen sharp shots at 1/60 sec.  And no, it wasn't on a tripod, and not even on my monopod, completely hand-held shooting a gorgeous Boeing Stearman bi-plane at dusk!

And with the lens being slow... if you're shooting props you should never use anything slower than 1/200 anyway.  Jets are another story, but unless you're shootoing after the sun has set, you'll always be able to get over 1/200.  

Here is one pic I got from last weekend shot at 1/200 all the way in at the 500mm end:


The absolute BEST resource I found during my research was www.dpreview.com  Check out the forums there.  This place also has some great lessons and is where I learned all the photography lingo that I know.  


Also if you're planing on shooting aircraft mostly, go over to the www.fencecheck.com forums.   That place has some of the most well-know professional AVIATION photographers around the world.  


Umm... a lot also depends upon what youre inteding to do with the lens.  My goal is to start selling prints right away and upgrade my equipment over the next couple of years.  

If you have any other questions feel free to PM me.  :)  Good luck with your search.

[Craig.]

no offense, but for what you paid, you could have probably picked up an L glass lense or whatever they are called. Would have been a much better choice.