Ryan
03-07-2009, 05:15 PM
I may do a more in-depth guide when I am healthier but for now just a few quick tips that may help :)
I generally shoot in "M" mode as my camera seems to give me some trouble otherwise, but you may want to start out in Av (aperture value) or Tv (time value) modes as you only need to set the ISO and aperture or shutter speed and the camera will take care of the rest. If you find your camera under or over exposing, use the Ev option to get the right exposure. On Canon's this is the button that has a "+/-" on it, go to the right to brighten the photo and to the left to darken it. I am usually around the second dot to the right (2/3). Good guide for this here (http://www.photoxels.com/tutorial-exposure-compensation.html).
1: Shoot RAW if you can, it gives a lot more leeway for recovering photos and since it is 12 or 14bit instead of 8bit as JPEGs are, it will hold more data and will provide a bit better print and color and contrast accuracy.
2: Keep the ISO as low as possible, I generally shoot around 100-200 during the day. I may go as high as 320 if I am shooting something that is going really fast like the Thunderbird sneak pass because it is much faster and my wrists aren't that good so I need to some extra leeway by increasing my shutter speed. other than that though I am either at ISO100 or 200 depending on plane type. If it is a prop I am at 100 so I can slow my shutter and get some prop blur. I use 200 for jets so I can get a slightly faster shutter for not much extra noise. For ISO 200 I usually get a exposure of around 1/400th or 1/500th with an F/8 aperture for ISO100 I get around 1/320th with F/8 also.
3: Use the right aperture, I generally use an aperture of F7.1-F10, but usually I stay at F/8 as that seems to give the best results with my setup. It provides good depth-of-field so most of the plane stays sharp. I will go lower if I want to blur the background more or higher to keep the background a bit sharper.
4: Blur those props!!! I generally use a shutter speed of 1/320 with an aperture of F/8 and ISO of 100. Of course this is just a good starting point as different planes and different parts of flight will require different speeds. A C172 landing will need a slower speed than a PC-12 at take-off. If the plane is standing still and it isn't windy I have been able to get good shots as low as 1/60th but that will create a lot of trash shots for maybe one good shot.
4.1: If you want those cool "blurred" background photos, slow the shutter speed down. I find that anything below 1/200th usually gives the best results.
For Canon EOS shooters: Use custom function 4 and choose option 1, this will put the button to activate the focus on the * button on the back of the camera: http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=46965.
I find this feels more natural and helps me pan smoother.
Also, put the focus drive on Ai-Servo, this is the best for action and fast moving objects. When you take the shot, squeeze the shutter button, don't slam it down, this will also help in panning shots.
That's it for now, I will be revising this as I have the time and will probably be adding examples. If you have any questions just ask!:coolthumb:
I generally shoot in "M" mode as my camera seems to give me some trouble otherwise, but you may want to start out in Av (aperture value) or Tv (time value) modes as you only need to set the ISO and aperture or shutter speed and the camera will take care of the rest. If you find your camera under or over exposing, use the Ev option to get the right exposure. On Canon's this is the button that has a "+/-" on it, go to the right to brighten the photo and to the left to darken it. I am usually around the second dot to the right (2/3). Good guide for this here (http://www.photoxels.com/tutorial-exposure-compensation.html).
1: Shoot RAW if you can, it gives a lot more leeway for recovering photos and since it is 12 or 14bit instead of 8bit as JPEGs are, it will hold more data and will provide a bit better print and color and contrast accuracy.
2: Keep the ISO as low as possible, I generally shoot around 100-200 during the day. I may go as high as 320 if I am shooting something that is going really fast like the Thunderbird sneak pass because it is much faster and my wrists aren't that good so I need to some extra leeway by increasing my shutter speed. other than that though I am either at ISO100 or 200 depending on plane type. If it is a prop I am at 100 so I can slow my shutter and get some prop blur. I use 200 for jets so I can get a slightly faster shutter for not much extra noise. For ISO 200 I usually get a exposure of around 1/400th or 1/500th with an F/8 aperture for ISO100 I get around 1/320th with F/8 also.
3: Use the right aperture, I generally use an aperture of F7.1-F10, but usually I stay at F/8 as that seems to give the best results with my setup. It provides good depth-of-field so most of the plane stays sharp. I will go lower if I want to blur the background more or higher to keep the background a bit sharper.
4: Blur those props!!! I generally use a shutter speed of 1/320 with an aperture of F/8 and ISO of 100. Of course this is just a good starting point as different planes and different parts of flight will require different speeds. A C172 landing will need a slower speed than a PC-12 at take-off. If the plane is standing still and it isn't windy I have been able to get good shots as low as 1/60th but that will create a lot of trash shots for maybe one good shot.
4.1: If you want those cool "blurred" background photos, slow the shutter speed down. I find that anything below 1/200th usually gives the best results.
For Canon EOS shooters: Use custom function 4 and choose option 1, this will put the button to activate the focus on the * button on the back of the camera: http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=46965.
I find this feels more natural and helps me pan smoother.
Also, put the focus drive on Ai-Servo, this is the best for action and fast moving objects. When you take the shot, squeeze the shutter button, don't slam it down, this will also help in panning shots.
That's it for now, I will be revising this as I have the time and will probably be adding examples. If you have any questions just ask!:coolthumb: