Need Air Show Tips

Hey all,
I'm heading to an Air Show and decided to bring the 70D and a 100-400mm with the 70-200 2.8. My question is camera settings. Never shot anything like this b4. I'm guessing shoot in manual at F8 on the 100-400. I assume try to shoot shutter speeds around 1250. Do I use AI servo? Do I use single center point or use the multi center focus? All advice would be great.

Thanks,
Ralph

Shooting airshows in Manual

I have to move this to T. Talk.

This may help answer some of your questions:
Some Ground-To-Air Photography Basics. Before That First Airshow

I posted a few tips here.

https://photography-on-the.net …/showthread.php​?t=1375772

Thanks everyone and sorry for posting in wrong place.

Put your settings in C mode and use you back focus AF-ON button to focus.

- High speed continious mode
- AI servo
- Jets on 1/1250 sec prop and helicopters 125/200 (rotor or prop movement)
- Auto ISO
- RAW
- AF method Tracking mode
- Metering mode = Evaluative metering
- Auto selection19 pt AF or Manual select: Zone AF depens on the subject.
- Apeture f/8 and f/9-11 (sunlight)

On the autofocus menu C.Fn II Autofocus you have to find your way what works best for
you.

Shot with the 70D and sigma 150-500

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/muya​TF

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/muA3​Y3

Nice shots!! I can't wait to give it a whirl this weekend.

Your 100-400 is a go-to air show lens and you might want to leave the 70-200 in favor of something wide for statics and sky/smoke trails.

the lack of major difference between 70mm & 100mm would make me leave the 70-200mm at home...

Lots of good advice above. Evelake's settings are a good start, though I have a few suggestions geared towards your first time out shooting props. I use a 50D with a 100-400, and also a 'walkaround' lens for statics and wide shots.

Unless you have lots of panning practice (eg, birds in flight or motorsports) for props I suggest you start at 1/320 and then try 1/250. This will up your keeper rate, and will still give you enough prop blur so the plane is flying, and not 'levitating'.

Use AI Servo and the center focus point, to help lock onto the plane and not things in the background.

JWOL mentions ISO 100 in his blog. I use this lots for props so I can slow the shutter down.

I use Camera User Settings with C1 set up for props in TV mode with my other settings, and C2 set up in AV and auto iso for jets and other things.

Hope this helps. Have fun, and I hope you get some great shots.

(This is my first post. I've been following this forum for a few years and have learned a ton from it. Thought it was time I started giving something back!)

Great advice on leaving the 70-200 home and just Bring the 17-50 and the 100-400. New to panning but from what I read its just try to track it nice and steady, lol. Bet its more difficult then that But willing to try my Hardest to get some good shots.

yeah spray and pray than after some time you'll see the compositions.
Don't shoot to much on the belly of the planes in air, wait for the turns and that
they are close enough. Try to focus on the cockpit to get the pilot sharp in focus.
Try to avoid the direct sunlight .
And earplugs..

Well I'm back from the show and had a good time. I have 1500 pic's to go threw but one of my first shots was the Black Diamond Team and looked good so I figured I would share.

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/nErA​Xw

I checked out your stuff on flicker. Looks like you did a pretty good job. Nice rotor blur on the CH-53 with the Hummer slung under it. Keep practicing the panning and you'll become more confident with dropping the shutter speed down.

Hey;I was there! Totally jealous you had a 100-400 to use. Great pics!

At least one guy wants more threads from that section, sopost up over here if you feel like it.