F111 jet camera settings

[tom thumb]

Hi folks,
Have just purchased a nikon d3100 18-55mm. My problem is in 3 days the F111 fighter jets (Australia) are haveing their final flight before retirement. So its my only chance to get a photo of them. So i dont really have luxery of being able to play around wiith the camera to familurise myself with it before hand. i would like to get any advice on the relevent settings for the best results
Situation and conditions- I will be on a beach which the jets will fly low over about 50-100 m. around midday i expect it to be fairly sunny although there is a possibility of a dull day. if there is any other info i need to supply please let me know.
Thankyou Dave.

 

[fokker]

You will find it hard to get anything but a speck in the sky with that lens, you won't be able to get in close on any of the jets at all. You could still do some nice wide compositions if they fly quite low and leave trails etc.

My advice would be to just not worry too much about the settings - set the camera on P mode - and just think about what you're actually seeing in the viewfinder before you take each picture. In the next 3 days you should learn how to focus the camera properly (read the manual) and think about what you want to actually focus on.

Unfortunately mid-day is about the worst time for picture taking as the light is very harsh, but you should still be able to get some decent shots. If you have any spare cash look at getting a circular polarizing filter for your lens, they make they sky in most shots looks better.

 

[tom thumb]

thanks fokker they do fly quite low over the beach. what i may do is head down there the day before and practice on the dozens of helicopters and light aircraft that fly up and down the beach daily. hope fully i can get some good shots and i will post results for critique.:razz:
Thanks