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#4232751 - 02/23/16 11:30 PM I am asking my employer to buy this camera for me  
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While this camera is intended to be used for university events such as awards banquets and guest speakers, I might have an occasional opportunity to take it to a local air show. If that were the case, what advice might come to the minds of experienced photographers here at SimHQ? If I might aspire to post a couple of shots from our annual "Thunder in the Valley" air show, what tips would you give a beginner with a Rebel camera?


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#4232953 - 02/24/16 02:45 PM Re: I am asking my employer to buy this camera for me [Re: letterboy1]  
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I have not been to that venue, but if it is like most air shows, that lens will probably be a bit limited in how close you'll be able to zoom into flying aircraft. I shoot with a 100-400mm lens, and there are times I wish I had a bit more zoom at many air shows.

In general, I shoot in Shutter Priority mode (Tv), and for flying jets, I crank the shutter speed up as high as I can go and still get a decent exposure. I would avoid auto ISO because it might raise the ISO so high that you get a lot of noise (graininess) in the photo. On a bright, sunny day, you should probably be able to go to 1/1000 shutter speed and go no higher than 400 ISO. For prop planes that are flying, you'll want some prop blur, so I would shoot no faster than 1/320.

For either, I frequently shoot at about +1/3 exposure compensation to help keep them from being silhouetted against the bright sky. It might blow out the clouds a little, depending on the lighting.

There's more to think about, like focus mode, user presets, continuous shot speed, etc., but I'll stop now to keep this post from becoming ungainly, and give you a chance to ask any questions that might narrow down the answers you need.


Ken Cartwright

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http://www.techflyer.net

#4233000 - 02/24/16 03:48 PM Re: I am asking my employer to buy this camera for me [Re: letterboy1]  
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Lifer

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Thanks Arthonon. The venue is actually the metropolitan airport in Columbus, Georgia. But it fits the advice you posted so I will take those points to heart.


The issue is not p*ssy. The issue is monkey.
#4233055 - 02/24/16 06:32 PM Re: I am asking my employer to buy this camera for me [Re: letterboy1]  
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I agree with Arthonon – ideally you need at least a 200mm lens unless you can get really close to the flight line (usually safety considerations mean the aircraft will be at least 250m away from you). However, don’t let that stop you having a go smile

Without repeating too much of the good advice Arthonon has already provided, my top tips would be:

• Always, always shoot in RAW format (not JPEG) – this gives you a ‘second chance’ to make fairly significant adjustments to things like exposure at the processing stage (e.g. correcting for under exposure, incorrect white balance etc..).

• Take plenty of batteries and memory cards with you – that way you can get in lots of practise without running out of ‘ammo’ biggrin

• Set camera to ‘Continuous’ shooting mode so you can blast away like a machine gun. This helps with the law of averages – the more you take, the more likely that you’ll get at least one ‘keeper’.

• Set camera to ‘AI Servo AF’ mode (by default it’ll probably be set to ‘One Shot’ AF). With ‘AI Servo AF’ the camera will continuously focus on the subject (as long as you hold the shutter release button down). So as the subject moves towards or away from you, the camera will automatically and continuously adjust focus, even whilst you’re shooting in ‘Continuous’ mode; very useful for fast moving subjects like aircraft! Note that in ‘AI Servo AF’ mode you won’t get the re-assuring ‘bleep’ to tell you the camera has focused on the subject (like you get in ‘One shot’ AF mode); however, you’ll hear the servos in the lens continuously re-adjusting the focus, so you’ll know it’s working. I tend to set White Balance (WB) to ‘Auto’ – generally the camera does a good job, and if you’re shooting in RAW you can make full adjustments later at the processing stage.

• Exposure – I find this can be the hardest part to get right. If you’re letting the camera sort this out for you, I’d suggest setting the metering to ‘Centre weighted average’(by default it’s probably on something like ‘Evaluative’). Although this will place greater emphasis on the centre of your photo when the camera tries to determine the correct exposure, you’ll probably still get a lot of under-exposed silhouettes; to help compensate for this, follow Arthonon’s suggestion of adding +1/3 or +2/3 exposure compensation.

• Planning – airfields are usually big places, so it really helps if you can identify in advance where you want to shoot from. Things I consider include:
- Wind direction: propeller driven aircraft like to take off and land into the wind. Use the wind socks on the airfield or a weather app on your smart phone to help you identify the wind direction. Knowing this will help you guestimate the best spots to get close to the aircraft as they’re taking off / landing. This can be really useful because the aircraft will be flying a slower, more predictable path, making them easier to shoot.
- Position of the sun: if at all possible, choose a location where you won’t be shooting into the sun (otherwise all of your photos will turn out to be silhouettes). Obviously this will change during the course of the day / air show.
- Location of refreshments (and toilets!).

• Review your shots – try to review at least a sample of your shots immediately after taking them to check that your technique / settings are working for you, and make adjustments as required. Use the ‘histogram’ and the ‘over exposure warning’ (enable it in the menu section) to help you get the correct exposure. Be prepared to accept some over-exposed backgrounds in order to achieve good exposure of your main subject. [At the processing stage you really get to see how good or bad your shots are. Typically I’ll discard about two thirds to three quarters of the shots I take at an air show, for one reason or another. As long as you learn from mistakes, you’re making progressing :D]

• Shutter speed – pretty much what Arthonon says. 1/250th or 1/320th will give you reasonable prop blur for propeller driven planes; 1/640 or 1/800th can work well for ‘sedate’ jets, and 1/1000ths + for the really fast and noisy types!

• Processing - if you take the advice to shoot in RAW, you’ll need to process your pictures to make them really shine (straight out of the camera, RAW photos will look rather soft, flat and uninspiring). With your camera you’ll get a free RAW processing package from Canon called ‘Digital Photo Professional’ – you’ll find plenty of video tutorials on the web explaining how to use it .

Hope this helps – good luck thumbsup

Last edited by FlatEric; 02/24/16 06:41 PM.
#4233099 - 02/24/16 07:59 PM Re: I am asking my employer to buy this camera for me [Re: letterboy1]  
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Lifer

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Dang, I am loving these tips. Unfortunately my boss changed her mind and my request was shot down until "year-end" spending funds are available. I am tempted to buy my own, but my tax return is going to a new monitor.

But while we are om the subject, approximately how many 18 MP RAW images will fit on a 16 GB card?


The issue is not p*ssy. The issue is monkey.
#4233117 - 02/24/16 08:21 PM Re: I am asking my employer to buy this camera for me [Re: letterboy1]  
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FlatEric Offline
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My Canon 7D has an 18 MP sensor and the average RAW file size is about 23 Mbs, so that's approximately 695 pictures on a 16 GB card (in reality the formating on the card will reduce this to about 650). If you're in 'machine gun' mode, 32 GB+ can be handy smile

#4233175 - 02/24/16 11:03 PM Re: I am asking my employer to buy this camera for me [Re: letterboy1]  
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Lifer

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Thanks FlatEric. Even though my employer request bombed, I might consider a point-and-shoot alternative under $300 (for myself) to get me started. But I had better wait until I am sober before considering that. smile


The issue is not p*ssy. The issue is monkey.
#4233358 - 02/25/16 01:40 PM Re: I am asking my employer to buy this camera for me [Re: letterboy1]  
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SD cards are much cheaper than CF cards that old camera's use. You'll want a bigger SD card for sure, at least 32mb and 2 of them if you can. My GF forgot to empty her 1 SD card on our trip to AZ/UT and 2 days in she filled her card. Luckily our cameras take the same kind and I always keep a few extra so she could use one.

I also keep 2 batteries, never want to have a battery die on you on a photo shoot. A few weekends ago when I was shooting in -4 degree temps my battery got so cold I had to keep switching them to shoot a sunrise. Not that you'll see temps like this in GA ;-)


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#4234278 - 02/27/16 07:51 PM Re: I am asking my employer to buy this camera for me [Re: letterboy1]  
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Originally Posted By: letterboy1
Thanks FlatEric. Even though my employer request bombed, I might consider a point-and-shoot alternative under $300 (for myself) to get me started. But I had better wait until I am sober before considering that. smile


Inarguable Counter Point: Life is too short to be sober and not have cool toys biggrin

Plus, why buy a Point and shoot for $300 when you can get a great camera with both casual shooting and decent zoom glass for a tad over that. Go MIL smile

I shoot Olympus Micro Four thirds Mirror-less Interchangeable Lens (MIL) myself. MIL is the same idea as SLR where you can swap lenses, but there's no mechanical mirror that physically moves up and out of the way to control the exposure. Among other things, this means the camera shoots much better in "live view"mode, where you can compose the image using the big screen on the back, vs. the view finder. Olympus's PEN line of MIL cameras doesn't even have a view finder because of this smile

Dollar for Dollar, SLRs tend to be a bit bigger, but have a slight edge (and just a slight edge, IMO) on focus speed and high end feature set. MIL generally tops off at "Prosumer" cameras that cost just north of $2000, but as a trade off feature lots of models that are priced to compete with Point and shoots. The point being, you can get a more affordable entry MIL model now (still better than post of the power zooms or PnS models out there, IMO) and know that lenses (which can be $$$$$ as you start cranking the quality) will be able to serve you through many, many camera upgrades.

Also, shop refurb and/or used gear. lots of guys dump $6k into a new 'system', decide they don't like it, and dump the gear online or at a camera store. Let their loss be your gain.

to wit, via Olys outlet, the PEN E-PL5 with 14-42 lens:

http://www.getolympus.com/us/en/outlet/r...onditioned.html

In that configuration alone, it's basically a point and shoot camera. and frankly you could use it just like that and be happy. But come airshow season, you want something with a tad more reach:
Drop $100 on this little wonder, which I can personally vouch shoots better than a $100 lens has any right too! That's the price for a BRAND NEW one btw!

http://smile.amazon.com/Olympus-40-150mm...rds=Olympus+150
Did I mention it's only $100?
biggrin

Buy them together and you've got two lenses and you're only a tad over $300 invested.

Finally, this is it. The big one. You've booked tickets and been given departure clearance to RIAT where the Thunderbirds and Blue Angles will be partaking in a once in a life time airshow dogfight with the Russian Knights.
Time to rent this bad boy!

http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01A6..._dp_o_pC_nS_ttl

Yup, it's a Panasonic! Oly and Pany teamed up on the Micro Four Thirds format, and lenses are cross compatible. There's actually a great selection out there now.

So, your welcome for removing an excuse you have to not post awesome pictures here smile



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#4237642 - 03/07/16 11:28 PM Re: I am asking my employer to buy this camera for me [Re: letterboy1]  
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Lifer

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Well, it just so happens that someone in my department has a Canon Rebel T2i version with 18-55mm lens, 70-300mm lens, and Speedlite 430EX II external flash. This person is willing to hand it over to me until I get my own gear. As soon as I get the time I will take advantage of this opportunity and get acquainted with the basic functionality of this camera just in case I end up getting my own! smile


The issue is not p*ssy. The issue is monkey.
#4237661 - 03/08/16 12:44 AM Re: I am asking my employer to buy this camera for me [Re: letterboy1]  
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You really can't go wrong with the micro 4/3 format.


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#4237878 - 03/08/16 04:49 PM Re: I am asking my employer to buy this camera for me [Re: letterboy1]  
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Originally Posted By: letterboy1
Well, it just so happens that someone in my department has a Canon Rebel T2i version with 18-55mm lens, 70-300mm lens, and Speedlite 430EX II external flash. This person is willing to hand it over to me until I get my own gear. As soon as I get the time I will take advantage of this opportunity and get acquainted with the basic functionality of this camera just in case I end up getting my own! smile


that's a very good camera, can't go wrong starting out with something like that. thumbsup

#4239839 - 03/14/16 09:59 PM Re: I am asking my employer to buy this camera for me [Re: letterboy1]  
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Lifer

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Okay, I am currently trying to get my employer to get me this online training:
Link

I can do a lot with Canon's auto functions, but I want to gain some understanding of basic DSLR functions. Has anyone here used Lynda.com or similar online training?


The issue is not p*ssy. The issue is monkey.
#4240039 - 03/15/16 12:51 PM Re: I am asking my employer to buy this camera for me [Re: letterboy1]  
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I haven't, I found a local photographer who gave a course out of his house. My GF who just got her camera last year did the same thing but found a guy who offered one on ones for teaching which helped her a lot. I would look that route.


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#4310591 - 11/09/16 08:41 PM Re: I am asking my employer to buy this camera for me [Re: Arthonon]  
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Originally Posted By: Arthonon
..and go no higher than 400 ISO.

name that ISO

Last edited by Yojimbo; 11/09/16 08:41 PM.
#4311244 - 11/11/16 08:15 PM Re: I am asking my employer to buy this camera for me [Re: Yojimbo]  
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Gorgeous picture Yojimbo.

Might try painting that if you don't mind.


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#4311279 - 11/11/16 09:57 PM Re: I am asking my employer to buy this camera for me [Re: Yojimbo]  
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Originally Posted By: Yojimbo
Originally Posted By: Arthonon
..and go no higher than 400 ISO.

name that ISO

Well, I'm not sure looking at a down-sized, and most likely edited photo is the best way to determine that much about the shooting conditions, but I'll guess it was pretty high based on the context you mention.

I know good results can be obtained when using high ISO, but it is more difficult in many circumstances. Nature photos, such as this one, are generally easier to work with at high ISOs because they are already somewhat irregular. The background does look noisy, which has more solid color areas, and that's where I'd expect to see it most.

My advice was a general guideline, and I've found that the grays in aircraft seem to show more noise than other things, which is why I recommended what I did, particularly to someone starting out with a new-to-them camera. As familiarity with the camera and its files grows, I think more options open up.


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#4311594 - 11/12/16 11:55 PM Re: I am asking my employer to buy this camera for me [Re: Nixer]  
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Originally Posted By: Nixer
Gorgeous picture Yojimbo.

Might try painting that if you don't mind.

If you like, would be interested to see the finished piece smile

#4311731 - 11/13/16 05:03 PM Re: I am asking my employer to buy this camera for me [Re: Yojimbo]  
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Thanks....

Won't forget where I got it from.


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