60D lens for aerial pics

highonlife510 wrote in post #16663582
thank you so very much..i will look into it.

For the type of photography you want, I'd suggest the EF-S 15-85 IS. That should cover all of your bases and do it well in a single lens, and it's a very good lens at the price. Your 18-55 is an early version and has been improved on a great deal over the years.

Here are some concrete suggestions for air-to-ground photography:

1. Your 18-55mm lens isn't really horrible, but you should consider one of the upgrades suggested above. The 18-55mm IS version of the lens is a big improvement (I use one all the time).
   IS will also help reduce blurring from vibrations.
   
2. You want to have a high enough shutter-speed to "freeze" the vibrations, and an aperture in the range f/8 to f/11 to get the most out of an inexpensive lens.
   You have two options to get that; neither one is fully automatic (i.e. you will need to pay attention to the camera's settings):
   
   
   1. Use "Tv" mode and set the shutter speed to 1/500s or faster.
      Set the ISO so the lens is (more or less) in the magic range of f/8-f/11.
      Keep an eye on the aperture as conditions change to make sure it's still OK; adjust the ISO as needed.
      
   2. Use "Av" mode and set the aperture to f/8.
      Set the ISO so the shutter speed is 1/500s or faster (don't go crazy with the ISO; if the shutter speed gets faster than 1/2000 I would lower the ISO).
   
   
3. Set the "Drive Mode" to multi-shot.
   Shoot bursts of ~3 shots. A fellow photographer put it well, "There's always a sharpest shot in a burst".
   
4. Autofocus is less critical.
   I personally use AF-Servo with the AF-Start put on the "*" button on the back of the camera using "Custom Function 4" set to 1 or 3 (look at the bottom of this page).
   "One Shot" AF would also work OK.
   
5. I would shoot "RAW mode" instead of JPEG.
   My experience is that aerial shots always seem to have a wide dynamic-range and RAW lets you capture it best (although you do have to adjust the photos at the computer - but that becomes pretty easy with a bit of practice).
   
6. Turn on the "blinky" mode for image review (over-exposed highlights will blink when you look at the image on the LCD screen).
   Every now and then check an image or two and see if there are lots of blinking areas. If so, you should set the "Exposure Compensation" a couple of ticks to the negative numbers until there are few/no "blinkies".
   
7. Don't shoot through a window if you can help it.
   Tinted windows are esp. bad; it can be a nightmare to color-correct them.
   Curved windows are also bad.
   If you are shooting through a window, watch for reflections. Keeping the lens close to the window will help. Wearing dark clothes is also good.
   
8. Don't rest or brace the camera or lens on any part of the airframe; use your body to absorb some of the vibrations.
   
9. If you take the door off, double-check your seat-belt/harness.
   Also check the POH for any limitations (ex. the R-44 is limited to 100kn IAS with one or more doors off, IIRC).

Nick_Reading.UK wrote in post #16663765
I suggest you download a Canon Dslr learning tutorial.. This guy is a good place to start http://www.michaelthem​aven.com

Best...

Thank you...will do!!

Preeb wrote in post #16663831
For the type of photography you want, I'd suggest the EF-S 15-85 IS. That should cover all of your bases and do it well in a single lens, and it's a very good lens at the price. Your 18-55 is an early version and has been improved on a great deal over the years.

Yes..that's what someone else suggested so thank u. I've been looking into and they aren't that bad on price. I've looked at a cpl on eBay. Would u advise against a used one?

GeoffSobering wrote in post #16663845
Here are some concrete suggestions for air-to-ground photography:

1. Your 18-55mm lens isn't really horrible, but you should consider one of the upgrades suggested above. The 18-55mm IS version of the lens is a big improvement (I use one all the time).
   IS will also help reduce blurring from vibrations.
   
2. You want to have a high enough shutter-speed to "freeze" the vibrations, and an aperture in the range f/8 to f/11 to get the most out of an inexpensive lens.
   You have two options to get that; neither one is fully automatic (i.e. you will need to pay attention to the camera's settings):
   
   
   1. Use "Tv" mode and set the shutter speed to 1/500s or faster.
      Set the ISO so the lens is (more or less) in the magic range of f/8-f/11.
      Keep an eye on the aperture as conditions change to make sure it's still OK; adjust the ISO as needed.
      
   2. Use "Av" mode and set the aperture to f/8.
      Set the ISO so the shutter speed is 1/500s or faster (don't go crazy with the ISO; if the shutter speed gets faster than 1/2000 I would lower the ISO).
   
   
3. Set the "Drive Mode" to multi-shot.
   Shoot bursts of ~3 shots. A fellow photographer put it well, "There's always a sharpest shot in a burst".
   
4. Autofocus is less critical.
   I personally use AF-Servo with the AF-Start put on the "*" button on the back of the camera using "Custom Function 4" set to 1 or 3 (look at the bottom of this page).
   "One Shot" AF would also work OK.
   
5. I would shoot "RAW mode" instead of JPEG.
   My experience is that aerial shots always seem to have a wide dynamic-range and RAW lets you capture it best (although you do have to adjust the photos at the computer - but that becomes pretty easy with a bit of practice).
   
6. Turn on the "blinky" mode for image review (over-exposed highlights will blink when you look at the image on the LCD screen).
   Every now and then check an image or two and see if there are lots of blinking areas. If so, you should set the "Exposure Compensation" a couple of ticks to the negative numbers until there are few/no "blinkies".
   
7. Don't shoot through a window if you can help it.
   Tinted windows are esp. bad; it can be a nightmare to color-correct them.
   Curved windows are also bad.
   If you are shooting through a window, watch for reflections. Keeping the lens close to the window will help. Wearing dark clothes is also good.
   
8. Don't rest or brace the camera or lens on any part of the airframe; use your body to absorb some of the vibrations.
   
9. If you take the door off, double-check your seat-belt/harness.
   Also check the POH for any limitations (ex. the R-44 is limited to 100kn IAS with one or more doors off, IIRC).

Hey...a fellow pilot I see. Yes I'm aware of the 100 kn ias in the 44 but we always use a 22 to reduce operating costs. During shooting we're normally moving relatively slow just going around the farm equipment and those pesky seat belts sometimes limit my shooting angles . And we always have doors off, at least on the left seat bc since I'm charging for the pics I don't want any kind of glare. Thanks for taking so much time to explain everything in such detail. This forum is great and everyone has been so helpful.