Extra EA 330SC

I've been processing some images of an Extra EA 330SC, and it's been driving me nuts!!!! I finally realised why I was struggling to get photos what didn't seem to suffer from camera shake/missed panning. The 330SC has a 580 Cubic Inch flat six fule injected engine producing 320HP! Add to this that it can roll at a rate of 420 degrees/second, thats 70 rpm! The pilot, who has won the world aerobatic championships, flies it in anything other than straight lines during the display. When it is reasonably straight it's rolling. I usually shoot prop planes at 1/160 and in that time the plane rolls through 2º 37' 30". If it were to rotate around the long axis, and most of the time it seems it dosen't, it would mean that each wing tip would move through around 7"!

Even using a faster shutter speed, and the engine runs at 2700 rpm which is pretty fast for an aircraft engine/prop combination so I could go a little faster, my 50D's sync speed is 1/200. So even if I shot at 1/8000 the moving slit is going to see some significant movement between each wingtip, probably about a foot worths.

Still I did manage to get one stunner of an image, and I am glad that one of the labs I use has a 1/3rd off special on 30×20 Fuji Pearl (Metallic) prints until Friday, only £9.99!

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Yeah, those things are tough! Give me a low & slow B-17 anytime! ; D

Well I went and got that first picture printed at 30×20 on Fuji Pearl (metallic) paper. I am absolutely gobsmacked by the result! Viewing it up close, well as close as I can get without absolutely needing the reading glasses (less than 12") and it looks like I would expect a 10×8 to look. Not to mention the shimmer from the sky areas. The aircraft is finished in a pearl/metallic paint, so that matches reality, and the print just has this great real life 3D feel.

For those interested this is where I had the work done: DS Colour Labs, the option I had was the Pearl. The 1/3rd off offer they had running made it even better, only £9.99. Standard postage is only £5.99 and is usually next day anyway via Royal Mail. I had 9× 16×12's, a 24×12 panoramic, and the big 30×20 done, and including P&P and taxes it was only £29.99! Ordered Thursday evening, shipped Friday, arrived here 7am Monday. RM don't seem to do Saturday deliveries for packages anymore though.

Please note I have no relationship with the lab, other than as a happy customer.

Alan

That 1st shot has a very nice feel to it. The 2nd pic is too blurred for my taste, though I understand the eason why

Michiel>=-

The second shot isn't on the normal "publish" list. I used it to demonstate the problems. I think you could get some interesting images at around 1/60 - 1/30. That should get a lot of rotational blur, but you would really need to nail the panning, you would not want any longtitudinal blur. It woud be better in that case as well if the axis was down the certline of the AC not out on the wing.

Alan

Excellent image! I can see why you made a print.

These small aerobatic planes are hard to capture at slow shutter speeds, especially the
way they gyrate about. You did good.

I curious if you're using an ND filter on your lens. I also have the Sigma C, and some of
my images - at slow shutter speeds - are resulting in f16 or numerically higher. I suppose
that could result in decreased IQ, although I have not done any testing to confirm that.

Btw, next month is another air show, and I hope to rent the Sigma S lens.
I'd like to see if there is any noticeable difference in IQ between the two lenses.