What lens to bring on Helicoptere tour over the Grand Canyon

[yannik_hay]

<p>Hi folks, next week, I am going to Las Vegas and we will have an helicopter tour over the Grand Canyon.<br>

Can you suggest me what lens to bring. <br>

I have the Canon 16-35mm f: 2.8, the Canon 70-200mm 2.8 and the Tamron 28-300 f:3,5-5,6.<br>

I don't want to change lens in the Hilicoptere, I want to keep it light.<br>

Thank you.</p>

 

[marc_batters]

<p>I wouldn't limit myself with just one lens. Not knowing exactly how high the helicopter will be above the rim of the canyon, you may want a longer lens to reach the canyon floor. Many new flight restrictions are in place now, since the days I flew through the canyon, (well below the rim) in the military.</p>

<p>Now, most flight operations in the canyon are well above the rim.</p>

<p>I would take your two fastest lenses, the 16-35, and the 70-200. Helicopters vibrate! Try to keep your shutter speed at/or above 1/250th of a second. You will need the faster lenses in order to maintain a deeper DOF, along with, a reasonably fast shutter speed. You might start with your 70-200 mounted, but have the 16-35 for wider opportunities.</p>

<p>This may be one of those, once in a lifetime moments. Don't limit yourself.</p>

[William Kahn]

<p>I worked briefly for a GC helicopter tour company (Papillon) in 2000, when the minimum altitude for flights over the canyon was 1000 feet above the rim. I don't know if that has changed since then. If you want to go with just one lens, make it the 70-200.</p>

<p>There will be several challenging aspects of the flight. As Marc pointed out, helicopters vibrate. Add to that, the plexiglass side windows in the birds are really not camera-friendly (glare, distortion, etc.) And then, there's the likelihood that at least one person sitting near you will be throwing up in a barf bag (keep yours handy). In short, if you're looking for really, really good landscape shots, get back on the ground and tour the rim. Both rims, actually.</p>

<p>Warning: Photography Heresy Content: If you spend the entire flight with your eye glued to the viewfinder, you will miss experiencing the sight of the Grand Canyon as a whole. A great deal of what makes the GC the wonder that it is, is the mangificent scope of it, and how it fits into the surrounding landscape. Take time to put the camera down and soak it all in, and imagine the feelings of the first Europeans to "discover" it.</p>

<p>We lived for five years in a rural area about 40 miles south of the GC. We could see the north rim from our back porch. I miss that...</p>

[railphotog]

<p>I'd go with the 28-300, it should give you a good range; wider could be better, but being able to use the longer length could come in handy.<br>

<br />Of course everything depends upon where you would be seating in the helicopter, and the type of helicopter. If they sit three abreast and you're stuck in the middle, you won't have many photo opportunites. Also if you do have a window seat, will you be able to shoot through an open window, as it really makes a difference. The Plexiglas windows aren't the greatest to shoot though - often colored/discolored, scratched, reflect the insides, etc.</p>

<p>As has been noted, helicopters vibrate all the time, so try and shoot without touching the door/window/whatever with your arms. I'd pick a higher shutter speed, 1/500 as a minimum, especially when using longer focal lengths. Set your camera on Tv and shoot away, ignoring any thoughts of depth of field as you'll be quite far away from almost anything.</p>

<p>I've never been to the Grand Canyon nor flown in tourist helicopters, but I did fly and shoot from Canadian Coast Guard helicopters for 35 years. Mostly smaller ones - Bell JetRanger, LongRanger, and the MBB BO-105. My choice spot in any of the models was the back seat, preferrably behind the pilot, as I was seeing what he was seeing. JetRangers had sliding windows in the rear, so I shot though them most of the time. The worst shooting position is from the left front seat, beside the pilot, as you'll have to shoot through the curved bubble front windows. The opening window in the front is usuall too low to shoot from, at elbow level.</p>

<p>Have fun and shoot a lot of photos!</p>

<p> </p>

[William Kahn]

<p>Oops! Bob's right about the lens. The 28-300 is the right choice...</p>

[SCL]

<p>In the helicopter tours I've taken in Alaska, Arizona and Hawaii, I've found that a wide lens (for me 28-35mm on film) works just about right for the sweeping panoramas. Rarely did I wish for something longer (usually if we encountered wildlife). Like others said, there is a lot of vibration so high shutter speed is mandatory. Make sure you have a lens hood on your lens, as you may have all sorts of glare and reflections, and you want to minimize them. You will probably be pretty packed in, so remember that and common courtesy as you are trying to get your shots. Since you aren't communicating with the pilot to set up what you want to shoot, be prepared for directional changes when you least expect them...meaning you may want to shoot several shots in rapid succession to hopefully get a keeper. In the end, you may just want to put away the camera and enjoy the scenery and listen to the instructive dialogue on what you are seeing.</p>

[mbkissel]

<p>It has been several years since I was on a canyon flight (plane, not helicopter). I was disappointed in how high over the rim we were. I would guess a minimum of 1000 feet. Might as well have been in an airliner. So, like William Kahn says, sit back and enjoy the view. Take a tour to the rim for the photographic views.</p>

[marc_batters]

<p>Yannik, something I forgot to ask earlier; are you using film, or digital camera?</p>

<p>If film, shoot a faster speed film, maybe 400 ASA. If digital, then bump-up your ISO speed. This will help to keep your shutter speeds faster, while simultaneously allowing higher f-stop numbers (smaller aperture), for better DOF.</p>

<p>Also, with either camera, a polarizing filter might be a good addition, if you already have one.</p>

[sarah_fox]

<p>+1 for setting down the camera and enjoying the view. Not everything has to be photographed. Sometimes cameras ruin the experience, and the photos you get aren't that exciting anyway.</p>

[angkordave]

<p>Also, with either camera, a polarizing filter might be a good addition, if you already have one.<br /> If you have ever tried photography from an aircraft window with a polorizer you might get unwanted rainbow effects from coating on the Plexiglas. Having said that a colleague of mine did some helicopter video with a poloriser with no probs.<br /> If you can, try and sit on the opposite side to the sun.</p>

[yannik_hay]

<p>Thank you everyone for your response, it is very useful.<br>

Mark, I am using a digital camera, Canon 1D 4 and each of those lenses have a polarizer filter on. <br>

I do pretty well with shooting throught the window glass, look at this photo: </p>

<p>http://www.photo.net/photo/11773114</p>

<p>I know it is not always easy though.<br>

And it will be Papillon tour for William's reply. And apparently, they have panoramic windows.<br>

Also, I don't know yet where we will be seated. The helicopter tour is reserved but the places will be assigned according on our weight. Let's hope that I get to be seated in the best place.<br>

And I don't know yet if we will be flying over the north rim or the south rim. </p>

<p>Personnally, I would not bring the Tamron 28-300mm for it's flexibility, because this lens is not as sharp as the Canon L series 16-35 and 70-200 that I have. I think that a compromise on the sharpness for the flexibility is not the best idea for this tour. </p>

<p>So I still have to decide which one of the 16-36mm and 70-200mm L series I must bring. </p>

<p>Also, I will follow your advice not to keep my eye glued on the view finder to enjoy the scenery. I agree with you, I must appreciate the pure beauty of it.</p>

<p>Thank you very much!</p>

[William Kahn]

<p>"The helicopter tour is reserved but the places will be assigned according on our weight."<br />They try to put the heaviest passengers in the center seats to maintain balance. So, unless you're a heavyweight, you'lll have a good shot at getting a window seat.</p>

<p>"And I don't know yet if we will be flying over the north rim or the south rim."<br />There are different tours that cover different areas, but if you're flying from Las Vegas, you'll be starting from the North Rim, which is actually about 1200 feet higher than the South Rim.</p>

<p>"And apparently, they have panoramic windows."<br />My info may be out of date here, but: Papillon flies (or flew) two different Bell 212 helicopter models. The "A" model carries more passengers and has panoramic windows which are slightly curved (which is why I mentioned distortion). The "B" model is smaller and does not have panoramic windows. If they're still flying the "B" model, try to avoid it.</p>

<p>Good luck, and have a great trip...</p>

[steven_f1]

<p>I would go with the 70-200mm and if you need a wide image I would take several images and later comibne them on the computer. You are going to be well above the rim during the entire flight so you will need the magnification. While there are some nice wide panaramas your position in the helicoptor and the size of the window will probably limit your view. </p>

[mark_e3]

<p>My wife just did the Papillon tour that lands on the canyon bottom a few weeks ago. She had a P&S, and the FOV was good since it had a general range, but the harsh desert sun washed out a lot of the pics.<br>

Some "secret" advice though: the other four people on the tour were non-English-speaking foreign tourists, so the tour operator gave my wife the paperwork for the group, which basically entitled her to board first in the front seat. So try to act like you're in charge of the group and maybe you can swing the same deal :)</p>