Airshow photographers

Hello everyone, i've been shooting a few airshows on a budget Canon zoom lens with my t3i with mixed results. The photos can be seen on my flickr. But while at my last show of 2013, I realised that 300mm was actually a bit long in many cases. I also felt distracted by the ability to zoom. I also noticed that the lens was almost continuously focused to infinity. This all got me thinking.

I started thinking about some of the old m42 primes that can be had for peanuts, and how useful such a lens would be for airshows. Much of my shooting was done on the tank bank at DX, where I think something like a 200mm prime would be wonderful. Stick it on infinity, frame the bird, and concentrate on a smooth pan. Hopefully the weight of such a lens would also help to stabilise it.

So, am I completely insane? Does anyone else use an old prime lens for shooting aircraft? Are there any cons that i'm missing, before I start going nuts on ebay, in anticipation of the airshow season?

We used to do that, but our focusing screens were made for visual focusing. Some DSLRs have optional screens, & maybe someone else can make a recommendation, but for now I have to move this to T. Talk.

One of the best lens for airshows is the 100-400 if you are on a budget. I now shoot with my 70-200mm with a 1.4x converter. I can tell the difference in the sharpness between the 100-400 and 70-200mm. Just something to look at.

More: Manual focus screens

20D focus screen

How do I adjust 5D focus screen position?

I recently started shooting with a 300 F4.0 with a 1.4x TC and wouldn't change it for anything except for a 2.8 300 with that same TC.

And that's after using the 100-400.

I think it depends on what you want to shoot. If you are doing formation flying with 4+ planes then the 300mm (480mm on t3i) might be a little tight at times.

The last airshow I shot was with a full frame camera and 600mm at show center and fit a f-16 nicely!

The best long zoom that is affordable is the 100-400mm. It's odd to get use to and clunky but good results can be had.

Shooting real tight while tracking a plane can seem impossible at first but once you get use to it the images are tons better then shooting loose then cropping.

When I shoot airshows I find the 70-200 is great, if I'm not getting close enough I'll chuck the 1.4x on it and that usually works.

I used to shoot airshows with all prime lens on the high end (200mm & 400mm) along with a short zoom when I was only shooting film. Though I got excellent shots, it was difficult to get 'that shot' with a prime if you weren't in that perfect position. I got a digital body last year and I just picked up a 120-400mm zoom recently to go along with it. I'm hoping this will open up some photo options I've lacked previously, I'm going to a airshow in about 5 weeks so I'll see if I'm right or not.