looking for lens for airshows

[a.s.photography]

<p>If you are interested, I have 100-400 lIS mint condition for sale+clean guaranty card <br>

asphoto@verizon.net</p>

[k5083]

<p>If you are just a casual ground-to-air shooter, try a Zeiss Tele-Tessar 300mm f4 for Contax-Yashica mount. You can get one in like-new condition for about $400, it won't make you look like a pro, and it will give you equal or better image quality to any lens named here so far. You will, of course, have to get along without IS and even focus by yourself.</p>

 

[michael_notar1]

<p>all photos taken w/1d3 and 300/2.8 <br>

http://shutterworksphoto.com/portshow.asp?portfolioid={C7347596-59B1-469F-91A3-2543D8050AD7}</p>

<p>i also brought my 600/4 and barely used it. the 300 was very usefull. you might also want like a 50mm on a backup camera for it there is a sudden fly by really low, designed to scare the living bejesus out of you and see what their raw power is really like, put it on auto, iso 800 and motor drive and just point and blast away.</p>

<p>airshows usually have weird rules...no large purses or camera bags but photo backpacks ok- at the last one it was that way. i carried all that equipment and a HD tripod, you will most likely be in for a long walk, you can be certain of that.</p>

[alin_daju]

<p>Michael N, fantastic shots given that you used a 300mm lens. Did you crop them though?</p>

[JDMvW]

<p>I don't think that 200mm maximum is going to do the job.The 70-300mm IS is a fine lens, if a little softer than some at the long end. There are at least two reasons not to get the DO version : 1. Cost ($,£,€) and 2. flare is more of a problem in shooting into the sky than it is on the non-DO lens. Reasons to get include its weight and size compared to its larger cousins.</p>

<p>FWIW, the Reflex-Nikkor 500mm f/8 mirror lens works just fine on a Canon body with an inexpensive adapter. I got a fine copy of it for under $200.<br /> Just set it on aperture priority (it's JUST f/8), focus, and shoot. Like John Crosley and like generations of sports and event shooters, you need to preset focus to make it faster to use. Non-AI lenses of this kind are cheaper than their AI successors, and work fine on Canons as manual lenses.</p>

[robin_sibson1]

<p>Terry, JDMvW has given some reasons for not getting the DO version, but if you've got it and are happy with it, that's fine. Incidentally, although more compact than the non-DO version when closed up, it is actually heavier, although of course nowhere near as heavy as the 100~400.</p>

[terry_laurencelle]

<p>Robin,<br>

Thanks for the feedback. The cost of the DO is indeed pretty high, but as I mentioned, I picked one up used for $810, which included shipping, the Canon lends hood, and six different filters (IR - ND - UV - PL, etc.) that he didn't want. Not the highest quality filters, but acceptable, or I can sell them off. Anyway, your right; the lens is not that light, but not over the top either in terms of weight. I did read about the tendency for flare on the DO, but between the lens hood (2 1/2 inches deep) and trying to avoid shooting into the sun, maybe I'll be OK. I do have another question though, for you or anyone else. What are your thoughts about using the circular PL at an air show? I'm thinking that once I rotate the filter glass to the ideal position, most of the shots should show some nice blue sky and aircraft colors. I do realize that as I "pan" the camera, I could get some variance in the polarizing aspect, and would also have to deal will some f/stop issues perhaps. Just curious, and thanks again.</p>

[erikadams]

<p>I'm guessing that you're not going to be doing aerial photography but will be photographing from the ground. Most air shows won't allow a photo plane to be up in the air (that's what aerial photography means, a photo taken from in the air) at the same time, although I saw a nice shot of one of the airshows at AirVenture that was from above. I agree with everyone's recommendation for a zoom. The 70-200 IS 2.8L is a great lens, and with a 2x teleconverter, you have all the focal length you need. Max aperture with the 2x tele wil be f 5.6, but that's fine on a sunny day. Without the teleconverter, 70 mm gives you a good focal length for some shots of static displays, although you'll probably want a much wider focal length as well. I have not noticed a problem with focusing using the teleconverters.</p>

[geoffm]

<p>I'd have thought that there would be so many white lenses at an airshow that you'd stand out if you DIDN'T have one!</p>

<p>:-)</p>

[kerry_grim]

<p>If a white L lens is what you want, get it. As long as you are not annoying someone with your photography, why care what someone else thinks about your equipment? Having a lens that draws attention is not being disrespectful to anyone. I have a 70-200 2.8 L and it does attract attention and I am one to keep a low profile. Concentrate on your photography and ignore others!</p>