Fred wrote:
Hi. I'll be attending my first ever air show in a couple of weeks (Sept.
24), and I've got a couple of questions for air show veterans:
1. What's a good shutter speed for showing "blurred but visible prop
blades" in a "fly-by"? I'd like the blades to show a little (not just be a
total blur), but not to "stand still" in the photos either (I've already
got some of those pictures from previous airplane attempts on film, and
1/250 sec just doesn't do it - <g>.) I'll be using my new DS, so I guess I
should be able to adjust the speed when I view the first shots in the DS's
display window, but "Murphy's Law" would probably have my first botched
attempts be of one of the two planes that I really want the photos of the
most - <g>, so knowing a little ahead of time might be very helpful to me.
1/125 -ish.
This is the effect at 1/125
http://www.fotocommunity.com/pc/pc/mypics/529253/display/2593328
You will get more blade "show" in the air.
2. What sort of focal length range would be most useful for a "fly-by"? I
could use a 70-210 zoom, or a 100-300 zoom, as some examples. I also could
use a 500mm mirror, say. Using the DS, of course, means that these would
approximate 100-300, 150-450, and 750mm "effective focal lengths" (35mm
format). (I could probably carry 3 or 4 lenses, I suppose.)
Depends how close you will get. Find out, then try some practice on
similar sized objects to the planes you will be seeing to see what the
framing will be. You can also use a shorter lens to get a shot of
planes against picturesque clouds. Add up to two stops overexposure,
depending on the type of sky. You will be able to evaluate this in real
time, you lucky person, you.
Thanks for any advice offered.
Fred
