Amateur Lens for Airshows?

Makhaira · 23 Jul 2016 at 09:22

Got my first opportunity to take some airshow pictures recently and absolutely loved it. I did realise though that I was using the wrong tool for the job - the highest zoom I've got at present is a 80-250mm Canon lens, and it just doesn't have the reach to get nice big pictures at any notable distance.

Without resorting to silly money, what sort of lens would you guys pick out for someone with an interest in doing this, but still firmly in an amateur/beginner setting? Body is a 100D.

Thanks!

squerble · 23 Jul 2016 at 09:31

Could try getting a second-hand Sigma/Tamron 150-600mm. I'm not sure what else will be suggested (unless there's any Canon offerings - I'm a Nikon guy), as for aircraft you need reach, reach, and more reach.

Perhaps look at the older Sigma models too, 50-500mm etc.

ov_sjo · 23 Jul 2016 at 09:41

Def want something 400mm+. As long as it's a nice sunny day and you're good with your panning, you don't need a particularly fast lens, so a F4-5.6 type lens should be fine. As above, get a cheaper lens from sigma/tamron and have a play, or rent/borrow one to see how you get on

Makhaira · 23 Jul 2016 at 23:30

Thanks guys. Any tips on where to buy from/what to look for with regards to old lenses? As you can tell I'm very much taking my first steps into this sort of thing, so don't consider myself "savvy" quite yet.

Cheers.

Phal · 24 Jul 2016 at 13:17

My first time at an airshow was with an old borrowed 75-300mm. It's a fairly poor lens overall and it hadn't been looked after but the results were ok considering.

As long as you're near the main display area then you'll get some decent shots with 300mm (imo) but more range is always nice to get some shots at different angles etc. Zoom lenses are nice for when the plans get closer so you don't end up with a close up of 50% of the plane etc.

The newer Sigma/Tamron 150-600mm would be good or the Canon 100-400mm mk2 but these options are a little more expensive.

The old Sigma 50-500 or 150-500mm would be cheaper but with lesser image quality

Your options depend a lot on your budget

Darren555 · 24 Jul 2016 at 18:14

Why don't you hire one from somewhere like Calumet? You can get a Tamron 150mm-600mm for around £30 per day or pay more for something more exotic.

Makhaira · 24 Jul 2016 at 18:15

I had no idea you could do that! Thanks. Might be a good step when I next go to one to see how I get on.

CAT-THE-FIFTH · 26 Jul 2016 at 11:47

I would be more worried about the AF on your camera and the focussing speed of the lens.

What camera do you have OP??

As the OP has an APS-C camera,I would try the Tamron 70-300MM VC first. That should give you roughly a 450MM(equivalent) reach by 35MM standards.

A mate uses one on a D3300 and it seems to be not too bad and is very sharp and has has used it at a few airshows.

I have a D600 with a 420MM(using a TC) lens and it is mostly fine for airshows,and I would suspect at 600MM,the OP would need a decent tripod or a very stable set of hands too - VC won't be so useful for the type of aircraft you are needing a 600MM lenses for(mostly jets).

Most of the people I have seen having 500MM and 600MM zooms at airshows are using them tripod mounted.

BTW,having know a few people using the older Sigma 500MM zooms,they can be a bit on the soft side after 400MM and focussing won't be as quick too and that is going to be the main issue with aircraft.

If I were the OP,I would start with the 70-300MM and get some practice.

Another advantage is that the 300MM zooms tend to be reasonably lightweight to handhold and move about. The larger zooms tend to be quite heavy to lug about,and with a lower end body I find there seems to be less balance to the whole setup as the cameras are much smaller too.

So general photography outings or on holiday you are more likely to carry the lens around with you too.

Makhaira · 26 Jul 2016 at 12:19

Thanks for the replies. Camera itself is a Canon 100D. Will a 300 give me much more over the 250 I've already got?

CAT-THE-FIFTH · 26 Jul 2016 at 12:41

Makhaira said:
Thanks for the replies. Camera itself is a Canon 100D. Will a 300 give me much more over the 250 I've already got?

Well its more the case the Tamron 70-300MM VC will be sharper and focus quicker. AFAIK,even the VR is better.

Edit!!

Here is a post from last year with somebody using it at an airshow:

https://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showpost.php?p=27645722&postcount=3

If you are going for prop blur(using a lower shutter speed),a monopod might be useful(not sure if the VR will be so useful for moving objects though).

Makhaira · 26 Jul 2016 at 19:53

Thanks more reading to be done I think!