Shooting large helicopter?

Lightsped · Sep 10, 2015

The rotors on a large helicopter turn at a slower speed than the propellers on an aircraft. If you were shooting a large helicopter in flight and wanted the slower turning rotors to appear as if they are turning (not stopped), exactly how would you shoot it?

Today I shot some helicopters and I had my shutter speed anywhere from 1/60 - 1/200. I was shooting them at 300mm. Needless to say, while I did capture the turning rotors, the helicopters didn't turn out as sharp as hoped due to camera shake and shooting less than 1/300 with my 300mm lens.

Question is, how to shoot the slower moving rotors (showing motion) while keeping the helicopter itself sharp?

Any ideas?
Thanks

tecboy · Sep 10, 2015

It is more like a panning shot. It takes time and practice. Set IS or VC to on, and it can helps.

Lightsped · Sep 10, 2015

Yes, VR is on. Its like I can get a sharp shot with rotor blades "stopped", but the helicopter has no motion. Or I can get the rotor blades moving showing motion but the helicopter is not sharp.

Braineack · Sep 10, 2015

I'd get in another helicopter, match the speed travelled by the first, and shoot at a slower shutter speed.

or since possible, I'd ask the helicopter pilot to hover.

If you want to pan at a slow shutter and get sharp images, have them do about 1000 passes and hopefully nail it once.

robbins.photo · Sep 10, 2015

Lightsped said:
Yes, VR is on. Its like I can get a sharp shot with rotor blades "stopped", but the helicopter has no motion. Or I can get the rotor blades moving showing motion but the helicopter is not sharp.

Ok, couple of tricks here.. you can lower the shutter speed and pan - move the camera with the chopper to reduce motion blur, but as mentioned it takes some practice.

Method two.. we'll it's a bit sneakier but it's easier to do, take one shot at a high shutter speed with the blades stopped, then a second shot hopefully very quickly afterwards at a much lower shutter speed and composite the two in photoshop.

astroNikon · Sep 10, 2015

It totally varies. I have military helicopters that practice landing/taking off in an airport near me and they normally fly right over my house.

On a military Chinooks the blades seem to be rotating slower than on the Blackhawksm news choppers, Coast Guard, etc that fly by. Just like airplanes, it's how fast the propellor is going.
You'll have to experiment as it varies then get used to the particular helicopter and take a guess based on how fast you think they are going.

Panning helps unless they are at an angle.

petrochemist · Sep 10, 2015

Helicopters are definitely more difficult than prop airplanes. 1/250s will just show some movement, IMO 1/125 gives acceptable blur but tends to be really pushing the limits for steady shots at typical aircraft focal lengths.
Practice your sniper techniques, keep between these shutter speeds & take plenty of shots and some should be OK.

IMGP5540small by Mike Kanssen, on Flickr

No hands! by Mike Kanssen, on Flickr

Of course the rotor speed (RPM) is inversely related to the length of the rotor - the tips must avoid going supersonic.