Tips for Redbull Air Race

I'm excited to say I just purchased a used 100-400L to use at the upcoming air race in Detroit. This will be my first time shooting moving objects with a telephoto and I've got a few basic questions. I will be seated along the Detroit river, shooting towards Windsor. Should have no problem getting right up front. I also just got a design engineering job with a small aircraft manufacturer (Thrush Aircraft) and would like to start using this lens to photograph the planes we build. For now I'm focused on the Air Race...

1. Prop Blur: Did some searching and couldn't find much info on propeller diameter or RPM. Also wasn't able to determine whether these guys are flying fixed pitch or constant speed props. I would assume that the typical shutter speed 1/200 or so would be a good place to start... Any thoughts?

2. Shooting Mode: The review screen has been very misleading in the past and I'm still unable to consistently judge exposure using the histogram. I plan to start with Tv at around 1/200 and will adjust ISO to get my aperture to around F8.0 or more. Thoughts on stopping down more if I can get away with it? I'd like to keep the ISO at 800 or less. I hope this won't be a problem. Most of the racing happens at mid day.

3. Metering Mode: This has me a bit stumped... Spot? Partial? What are you guys using?

4. Focus mode: AI servo seems like the obvious way to go here. Especially with the 1D and 100-400L combo, which is supposed to focus very quickly/accurately. Any to reason to take it out of servo mode and try something else? These things will be going fast.

Thanks in advance for you helpful advice!

1. Look through these:
https://photography-on-the.net …rch.php?searchi​d=17947702
Shooting airshows in Manual

2-3. The light up there will be the same light as you have where you are, so try this: Need an exposure crutch?
Why?
Post #47

4. AI servo for sure.

This thread is "Talk" rather than "Share", so I have to move it. Good luck.

I shot the three Red Bull Air Races in San Diego with the 100-400 and it worked just fine. My normal settings were Tv at a shutter speed of 1/160th to about 1/300th of a second. This way I was able to get adequate prop blur but not have a shutter speed so slow as to cause the aircraft to be blurry. Good panning skills are a benefit here...

I used "partial" metering on the camera and AI Servo AF.

My galleries for the 2007, '08 and '09 events are on THIS page. You can click on the "Photo Info" button in the fly-out menu that appears when you mouse over the image to get basic settings for each shot.

Thank you both so much. Now that I'm in the correct part of the forum, I see a lot of similar threads full of great info. I'll be sure to share my results.

JWright wrote in post #10257354
I shot the three Red Bull Air Races in San Diego with the 100-400 and it worked just fine. My normal settings were Tv at a shutter speed of 1/160th to about 1/300th of a second. This way I was able to get adequate prop blur but not have a shutter speed so slow as to cause the aircraft to be blurry. Good panning skills are a benefit here...

I used "partial" metering on the camera and AI Servo AF.

My galleries for the 2007, '08 and '09 events are on THIS page. You can click on the "Photo Info" button in the fly-out menu that appears when you mouse over the image to get basic settings for each shot.

Great stuff! Question- where were you shooting from? Did you have 'media credentials'?

eric gautier wrote in post #10278683
Great stuff! Question- where were you shooting from? Did you have 'media credentials'?

I did have media credentials so i was shooting from the designated media rea. During the races, Red bull took over a public fishing pier at Embarcadero Marina Park South and set it aside as a shooting area for the media.

http://maps.google.com …um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wl

(The Green Arrow)

PhotosGuy wrote in post #10254881
2-3. The light up there will be the same light as you have where you are, so try this: Need an exposure crutch?
Why?
Post #47

It will not be the same light up there as you have unless it is a totally cloudless day.

If you have sporadic cloud cover the aircraft will pass through different lighting many times and sticking with one exposure could lose you a lot of shots.

Maybe this isn't such an issue in the states but in the UK I have had many times that I have been in the shadow (as has the ground around me and that was visible to meter from) but the aircraft flew through a lovely sunny spot with a dark cloud background. If I had been shooting manual I would have missed the shot.