Airshow advice (Final question)

[machineman9]

(Final question on second page)


So I've never taken my DSLR to an airshow before but in a few weeks I'll be heading down to Cosford and I'll be using it then.

I'm just wondering if there's anything in particular I should try to bring which would be useful, or if you have any advice about what kind of settings to use.

Canon EOS 1000D
Tamron 70-300mm (not the best lens, but I can't go changing it right now)
Canon 18-55 (in the process of saving up to upgrade it to something like the 28-135 IS USM)
8GB SDHC Sandisk Ultra II
One Canon LP-E5 battery (1080mAh)
Canon 430EXII Speedlite (any point bringing this? I can only think of needing it when shooting towards the sun when very close up)


So is there anything else I could do with getting? I'll have to keep the lenses and the camera body of course, but other things like batteries and memory cards. It estimates I have 2073 photo slots available. Reckon that will be enough? How about batteries? I'd like to get a battery grip at some point but will I need a second battery?

As for general shooting is it popular to shoot props with Time Priority and jets with Aperture Priority? On a good day is 1/160th good for props or what would you suggest? I'm used to shooting fully manual but I am sure I've read people using those two modes for those two uses.

Any other info would be splendid.


Cheers.

[RaptorF22]

Well, I don't have anything that fancy, but I find that I always need extra batteries when I go to an air show.

[beaky]

Bring platform shoes, or better yet, stilts. Your most amazing shots will include the head of someone who popped out of nowhere, or some kid who was just hoisted onto a parent's shoulders. 

As for batteries, you can't bring too many.

[machineman9]

Well I've got a 2 metre tall photography light stand and rotating mounting bracket which I can screw my camera onto. Even has umbrella mounting in case it gets too hot. Perfect

[BAW0343]

I think you have the idea down for taking the photos.

I've never used more then one battery at an airshow, but 2 is a good bet, just in case.

Room for 2000 images should be fine. I generally shoot about 1500 (in RAW) but am fairly trigger happy when it comes to burst mode.

Enjoy yourself! If you can, make 2 trips to the show. One day for Static displays and one day for the Air displays. I always find it a hassle to try and to both in one day 

[-Crossfire-]

I would suggest at least 2 batteries.  I have a Nikon D40X and my battery always dies with 2 or so hours left in the day....

[Hagar]

Canon EOS 1000D
Tamron 70-300mm (not the best lens, but I can't go changing it right now)
Canon 18-55 (in the process of saving up to upgrade it to something like the 28-135 IS USM)
8GB SDHC Sandisk Ultra II
One Canon LP-E5 battery (1080mAh)
Canon 430EXII Speedlite (any point bringing this? I can only think of needing it when shooting towards the sun when very close up)

The 8 Gb memory card should be plenty unless you're shooting in RAW format. I agree that a spare battery is a good idea. A battery grip would be even better. Have a look round. Some manufacturers do them much cheaper than Canon, including one or two batteries. Forget the flash unless you intend shooting inside the museum. I've never used one at an air show yet.

As for general shooting is it popular to shoot props with Time Priority and jets with Aperture Priority? On a good day is 1/160th good for props or what would you suggest? I'm used to shooting fully manual but I am sure I've read people using those two modes for those two uses.

I've never considered myself an expert photographer & can only go by my own experience. As a general rule I use Shutter Priority (Tv) for props & Aperture Priority (Av) for jets. Settings will obviously depend on the conditions & your equipment. Also how good you are at panning. It will also depend on things like number of prop blades & engine revs. For aerial shots against the sky I would err on the safe side & use a faster shutter speed for the props. A nice blurred prop disc is no use if the aircraft is also blurred or out of focus. Anything up to 1/320th should still give you prop blur.

Always take plenty of shots & don't be too disappointed with the results. If you get one or two decent ones during the show you're doing OK.

[expat]

Take as little as possible, remember, what seems light when you arrive, will weigh a ton by the end of the day.

Matt

[machineman9]

I may or may not shoot RAW. I'd get about 800 shots on one card (plenty more than I've ever taken at an event before) but that would take an 8GB chunk out of my hard drive. I suppose I can just go through and clear up the naff images and it will help when developing the images further if they are in RAW. I'll see.

I am looking at a battery grip as a future investment too. I'm a bit obsessive when it comes to buying Canon brand equipment. With lenses I can get away with buying from other companies, but I like to make sure things on camera (and in it) are Canon built. Sadly the battery grip which is for my camera is the one which fits the 450D as well... and they matched the styling of the grip to the 450D and not the 1000D, but it'll be fine I'm sure. I could get some cheapy batteries for now,

[Hagar]

I may or may not shoot RAW. I'd get about 800 shots on one card (plenty more than I've ever taken at an event before) but that would take an 8GB chunk out of my hard drive. I suppose I can just go through and clear up the naff images and it will help when developing the images further if they are in RAW. I'll see.

I am looking at a battery grip as a future investment too. I'm a bit obsessive when it comes to buying Canon brand equipment. With lenses I can get away with buying from other companies, but I like to make sure things on camera (and in it) are Canon built. Sadly the battery grip which is for my camera is the one which fits the 450D as well... and they matched the styling of the grip to the 450D and not the 1000D, but it'll be fine I'm sure.

I can't be bothered with all the post-processing involved with RAW images so always shoot in JPEG format.

I got a Hahnel battery grip for my 400D complete with two batteries at less than half the price of the Canon version without the batteries. It's always worked perfectly & I consider it a bargain. Opteka claim that their version is made at the same factory using the same moulds as the Canon & has excellent reviews. This also includes two batteries. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Opteka-Battery-Vertical-Shutter-Batteries/dp/B001LQ5X1S/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1274949313&sr=8-4

My camerabag is a shoulder one which usually drags me down on one side. It's not too bad and I can sling it around on my back,

I wouldn't worry too much about that. The camera is the heaviest item & you will have that slung round your neck.

[Craig.]

For Cosford you dont need to worry too much about Statics, there isn't a great deal in terms of visitors, helicopters mainly, and the aircraft are generally what you'd be able to see on a trip round the museum anyway. It's worth visiting the Jaguars though.
As for the display, its usually from about 10:30 through till 5, it cant be quite difficult as you'll be shooting into the sun all day. 2 batteries will be fine, Also your photo estimate will actually be slightly higher, because there is less in the way of all round detail in aircraft pictures. 4gig's is pleanty.

[machineman9]

I changed my last post just then to mention that I could get two batteries for

[beaky]

Well I've got a 2 metre tall photography light stand and rotating mounting bracket which I can screw my camera onto. Even has umbrella mounting in case it gets too hot. Perfect  8-)


Any idea on what a good number would be for batteries? I don't want to buy 100 knowing I only need 5, and likewise I don't want to buy 2 more knowing that they just won't last me.

As for memory, is that alright? I was thinking of upgrading to 8GB SHDC Ultra III cards which are 5mb/s faster and are quite cheap actually. At previous airshows I took around 200-300 photos, but then again the camera back then took a photo every few months it was so slow to autofocus... Now I have 3fps which will make things easier.

You can't have too much batteries or memory. Seriously. The more you bring, of course, the more you'll shoot, so in the end you won't have enough no mater what you do.

As for the umbrella- another nuisance for airshow spectators/photographers! Consider the folks behind you...

[Omag 2.0]

Little tip... use the AI servo setting when shooting flying planes! This will help getting more succesful shots. As Hagar said, don't be disappointed with the results, especially those of the flight displays.

I've struggled a lot with getting sharp results of flying planes. I used to use a 400D and that camera hasn't got the fastest focus system. My 50D is better, but still it required skill.

Also set the center focus point as only focus point. Ideal to get the plane in focus and not something else... ;-)

Oh, and if it's hot... sunscreen!  8-)

Enjoy the trip!

[machineman9]

I usually keep the center point for focusing and I'll stick it in AI servo. One shot works, and AI focus never seems to work, but servo is better at moving subjects.

How about metering? Shall I try and keep that on partial metering ensuring the sky is quite bright? Any need to go to the other metering types at all?