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Blue Angels airshow camera settings

LivingLargeLivingLarge Registered Users Posts: 120 Major grins
edited July 29, 2011 in Technique
Looking for any advice on camera settings for Blue Angels airshow.

Equipment is all Canon

50D and 30D

24-70L 2.8
100-400L 4.5-5.4
500L 4

Wimberly sidekick for the 500

Any help at all. Want to make the most of it.
Thanks
“He who works with his hands is a laborer.
He who works with his hands and his head is a craftsman.
He who works with his hands and his head and his heartis an artist.”

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    pathfinderpathfinder Super Moderators Posts: 14,697 moderator
    edited July 29, 2011
    I have never had the luxury of a Wimberley sidekick to shoot airplanes, and I suspect following them overhead with one will be challenging, unless they always remain low to the horizon in front of you. I do own a Sidekick and a Wimberley head as well, but all my air shows have been shot handheld. I move around a lot, and one must frequently walk over 500 yards from the parking lot. A Wimberley with a heavy tripod in summer heat is too much like work for me.

    I use a single AF point with a 50D and Servo AI for autofocus, and I shoot in Manual mode if the planes are staying out in front of me. If they are passing from sunlit to shaded and back and forth, I switch to AV mode, and keep an eye on my histogram.

    I shoot'em in RAW in AWB.

    I will usually shoot 2 stops smaller than maximum aperture which is usually around f8.

    For propeller craft I prefer a shutter speed of 1/250 th or longer. Too fast, and the propellars are not blurred enough. This means you must pan smoothly with the plane as it flies by.


    You can see some of my shots of airplanes ( along with the exif data ) here http://pathfinder.smugmug.com/Airplanes/Indianapolis-Air-Show-Mt/12547630_hezVS#907821090_58b7A
    Pathfinder - www.pathfinder.smugmug.com

    Moderator of the Technique Forum and Finishing School on Dgrin
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