Few questions about lens and sace shuttle

jowensphoto · Apr 17, 2012

***space, not sace

I work right down the road from Dulles airport and am hoping to catch a glimpse of Discovery today.

I've brought my kit lens, 50mm and 75-300mm as well as a 2x tele-extender.

The plan was to use the 75-300 w the extender, but the Resulting IQ is atrocious. So now I'm thinking that I can probably get by with just the 75-300 given that the 747 with shuttle attached will be considerably low.

Oh yeah, brought tripod as well.

Given my available kit for today, what do you think is my best option?

Anyone else watching the shuttle come in today?

SCraig · Apr 17, 2012

Use manual mode, spot metering, or be prepared to compensate for the sky with your exposure. For shots like that I normally meter on the asphalt and then overexpose about 1/3 stop using manual mode or meter on the palm of my hand and use that value in manual mode. Meter inthe direction you will be shooting, and if you use manual be prepared to adjust a stop or so if you change directions very much.

The tripod may limit you as to mobility. Try a few test shots of arriving airplanes beforehand and see how it works out.

Take note of which way the wind is blowing and keep in mind that the airplane will land into the wind, or close to that direction. Airplanes in flight move with the air mass and something like that they will insure uses the runway as close to the direction of the wind as possible.

The glide path is going to be the same for most all of the arriving airplanes. Watch a few beforehand to get an idea of how high the airplane will be and what buildings and other features will be in your way.

Personally, given your lens choices, I'd go with the 75-300 without the TC. As you said IQ with a 2x TC is frequently terrible and I'd prefer to use the lens without the TC and then crop as necessary.

Be prepared to post some GOOD shots of the event tonight!

jowensphoto · Apr 17, 2012

The last variable is flight pattern. Normally they will circle around which would put the 747/shuttle right above the AOL campus. Would be awesome to go to the airport, but I know it's going to be a zoo (more than normal) over there.

Thanks for the advice! I figured the 75-300 given my limited kit was the best option, sans TC. I borrowed both of them from my mom, and for the life of me can't understand why anyone would by the TC. I'd be using it as a paperweight.

snowbear · Apr 17, 2012

I saw the shuttle (Enterprise?) come through in 1986 as it passed by Andrews AFB. I'm going to pass on this one, though.

Good luck and looking forward to your shots.

SCraig · Apr 17, 2012

jowensphoto said:
The last variable is flight pattern. Normally they will circle around which would put the 747/shuttle right above the AOL campus. Would be awesome to go to the airport, but I know it's going to be a zoo (more than normal) over there.

Flight patterns aren't always that variable, especially around large airports. In fact they are choreographed just as plainly to a pilot as they are a street map to a driver. We follow instrument approach and departure procedures at most large airports that are clearly defined on procedure charts so that the controllers know where each airplane is supposed to be and where it is going at any time.

Of course in the case of a special flight such as this they can always waive procedures and clear it straight in to the runway.

Thanks for the advice! I figured the 75-300 given my limited kit was the best option, sans TC. I borrowed both of them from my mom, and for the life of me can't understand why anyone would by the TC. I'd be using it as a paperweight.

TC's have their place. I have two of them and do use them from time to time. My 1.4x works pretty decently with my 300mm lens but is not that great with my 500. My 2x is pretty much useless on anything about about 50mm. I could be wrong but it seems to me that the longer the focal length the more the IQ suffers when using a teleconverter.

Of course it's a given that lens speed gets ruined. My 1.4x costs 1 f/stop and my 2x costs 2 f/stops. Put that on an already slow lens and the results are normally lousy.