Need Shooting info - Cannon 40D 70-200MM L 2.8

[BigO]

Im going to the memorial day air show at Jones beach again this year and am renting a 70-200mm L from adorama.

The issue is i dont really know how to mess with manual settings to much and i would like some recommended settings from the local masters.

So if anyone can help me out with some settings that would be awesome, i would like to be able to shoot in burst mode and still get some good pics. Last year we tried to use the Auto speed mode and the pics came out wack. Single shots came out better but we missed out on alot of shoots due to all the work the camera was trying to do.

Hook me up guys, Justin and Eli lol, others can comment too

[Hickeydog]

I'm no camera guru. I'm going off of what I know (or more to the point, what I think I know).

You're going to want a fast shutter speed, so that means opening the iris up or raising the ISO. Probably either focus at infinity, or focus the camera on a spot on the runway, as most of the acrobatics are performed over and beyond the runway.

However, I'd wait for the camera masters to come along.

[BigO]

Yeah thats kinda what i was thinking too, decent ISO like 800-1000. Ill need a faster shutter speed so ill have to open up the aperture as well but im so noob to alot of this stuff i just need some more info.

This show isnt on an airport but over the beach so i wont be able to use the runway as a reference.

[vai0]

Based on "all the work the camera was trying to do" your main issue was focusing. You can try setting the focus to a specific point instead of the general area then putting the plane on that point or try manual focus. Id also read about the different focus modes one is probably better then the other.

You wont need crazy ISO if its a sunny day. Both of these (from an airshow on Daytona Beach) were at 1/800, ISO-200. Of course you can just figure out what you need when you get there.


IMG_3168 by andreweales, on Flickr


IMG_3061 by andreweales, on Flickr

[JustinThyme]

Focus is the hardest thing to keep up withj regardless of what you are using.
First things first is you will want to set focus to AI servo, you will never be able to manual focus that and focusing a point and waiting for the subject to enter that focal plane wont happed either, at least not in focus. So AI servo and burst mode, set up for center point focus. You will also want to maintain a larger DOF to keep the entire aircraft in focus so aperture should be around f8 whcih should not present an issue unless it overcast really horribly on that day. Shooting it full manual would be best but challenging if you are not accustomed to it as one part of the sky will yeild different results than others so I would recommend Av or aperture priority. Also with this being in the sky with a lot of bright reflections I would bump up the exposure compensation 1/3 stop to start, might need more. You will want to keep the shutter speed at least at 1/800 so Adjust your ISO as needed to keep that minimum. You can go faster on the shutter but dont want to go slower.

With all this in mind the initial setup as follows.
Av with aperture at f8
AI servo
Continous burst
+1/3Ev exposure compensation
ISO 200
center point focus selected

If shutter speed is too slow bump up ISO
If exposures are coming out dark bump up Ev, it too bright bump it down (I dont think you will be bumping down though)

[BigO]

Originally Posted by JustinThyme

Focus is the hardest thing to keep up withj regardless of what you are using.
First things first is you will want to set focus to AI servo, you will never be able to manual focus that and focusing a point and waiting for the subject to enter that focal plane wont happed either, at least not in focus. So AI servo and burst mode, set up for center point focus. You will also want to maintain a larger DOF to keep the entire aircraft in focus so aperture should be around f8 whcih should not present an issue unless it overcast really horribly on that day. Shooting it full manual would be best but challenging if you are not accustomed to it as one part of the sky will yeild different results than others so I would recommend Av or aperture priority. Also with this being in the sky with a lot of bright reflections I would bump up the exposure compensation 1/3 stop to start, might need more. You will want to keep the shutter speed at least at 1/800 so Adjust your ISO as needed to keep that minimum. You can go faster on the shutter but dont want to go slower.

With all this in mind the initial setup as follows.
Av with aperture at f8
AI servo
Continous burst
+1/3Ev exposure compensation
ISO 200
center point focus selected

If shutter speed is too slow bump up ISO
If exposures are coming out dark bump up Ev, it too bright bump it down (I dont think you will be bumping down though)

Thanks man, this is exactly the type of info i was looking for. Im going to have the lens for the weekend so ill do some other shooting too and see how well i can manage with my own settings but i wanted a good starting point for the actual show.

[ELItheICEman]

I've never been to an airshow but I'm not so sure a 70-200 will be long enough if you want a tight framing without having to crop much. I've read threads where others have used a 300 or 400mm prime, even longer sometimes. Maybe you could bring a 1.4x or 2x TC along just in case?

As far as everything else goes, the metering is what will determine how your settings should be. If it were me and I weren't using manual, I'd probably shoot Tv mode at or around 1/1000 and set a manual ISO, leaving the camera to determine the aperture. In varying light conditions I may even go so far as to set auto ISO as well, but that's only in extreme cases. I've never done airshows so I don't know if you need a specific aperture - JT seems to advise f/8 but I guess I'm just not sure why. The 70-200 is plenty sharp even stopped down to f/4, but probably improves some more to f/5.6 and f/8. That's why I suggest Tv mode instead - that way you'll definitely have a fast enough shutter speed, which is my top priority with moving targets.

As far as metering, I'd stick with evaluative. No need to change that to anything else.

And as mentioned, AF is going to be the real challenge. I'd advise AI Servo focusing on a single point - center is definitely a cross-type point, so I'd choose that. I wouldn't shoot in high-speed burst mode myself, but that may be something to use if it'll help you focus on tracking the subject. I just find it never allows for enough time to properly re-focus between actuations. I tend to get more keepers manually clicking the shutter at pseudo-burst speed.

[BigO]

Eli thanks for your input, im going to try both stlyes out and see what works out best for me. I know im not going to get as many keepers as i would like but well do our best.

As fot eh reac, you are right, the main reason im renting this lens is because its actually the one i want to get for my wife for other types of shooting so it would give her some time to use it to see how much she really likes it.

I know ill have to do some cropping and thats ok with me since this is all for fun and i really just want her to get some time with this specific lens.

Additional Comment:

Ok turns out the wife would like some more reach so im thinking of going with this combo:

CANON EXTENDER 1.4X II
and
Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L

[Nagoshi]

Do some test around before shooting the planes (teehee), like, try to aim for far away posts and stuff that is well-lit with a sky background.

If you dont feel comfortable going for full manual, if the 40D is anything like my XTi, Id advice you use Av mode and set the camera to somewhere around f5.6 - f8, then use bracketing to tune up and down the shutter speed to your liking.

[ELItheICEman]

I don't know specifics, but the 100-400 doesn't play well with TCs. You can tape some/all the contact pins to maintain AF, but I think it's only the center point. Might wanna do a bit of research to find out more info.

[BigO]

Ahh ok thanks for the info, if anything ill just get it without the Tc

Additional Comment:

Thanks for all your advice guys, i had a blast and took over 6k pics lol. They didnt come out as nice as i would have liked but its mostly my fault i dont think i compensated for the low light cause of the over cast well but all in all i had fun and got some nice shots.

Ill try to pic atleast a few to post up soon but its going to take me a while to go through them lol.