what lens for airshow?

jl1975 · May 15, 2016

There's going to be an airshow at the end of June that I'm going to. It's been a long time since this air force base has hosted a show, so I don't know how close the planes will be to the spectators. My longest lens now is the Nikon 70-200 f4. I'm wondering if this is a long enough lens for getting pictures of the planes in action. I'm shooting with a D7100. I don't think I'll have much use for a longer lens for many other situations, so I have been thinking of getting the 1.7 Nikon teleconverter, which would make my 200 into a 340. Do you think this would be a good focal length for an airshow? I might see about a lens rental of a 200-500 or something similar. Any suggestions?

dannylightning · May 16, 2016

my friend has done a few air shows.. one i know was with a 70-300 nikon and one was with a 150-500 sigma i wold say she got great results with both but she i think the shoot with the 150-500 worked out better for her since she could zoom in closer and she liked the 150-500 better for that shoot... she shoots crop sensor camera...

one other guy i know ran into telling me about shooting a air show with his 150-500mm sigma lens he was saying he could zoom right into the cockpit on some shots and how great it was having that lens for the air show.. i never saw any of the photos but he was glad to have that lens for the event.. not sure if he had a full frame or crop sensor..

going the TC rout would not be a bad idea as long as the lighting was nice that day.. you loose a few stops with a TC so you wont be at f/4 anymore.. probably 2-3 stops less wide so if you are ok with that it would probably work out pretty well..

well i that is my 2 cents..

jl1975 · May 16, 2016

Thanks for the feedback. I was at my local camera store yesterday checking out the sigma 150-600 as well as the new Nikon 200-500. Both look really nice and I think they would work great for the airshow. I just don't know if I can justify the price for the amount of use I think I would get from one. The TC I was thinking of would give me a 1.7 multiplication of the focal length and lose 1.5 stops, so my f4 would be approximately f7.1 max. I think for now I'm going to try and rent a long lens for the weekend and save my money.

dannylightning · May 17, 2016

renting is not a bad idea if its not something you are gonna use all the time.. those new sigma 150-600 lenses and that nikon 200-500 are pretty awesome.. i had the old sigma 150-500 for a while which you can find used for a great price compared to the other lenses, that might be something to check out.

it was a nice lens for sure but the new nikon and sigma lenses are definitely better. i do like my sigma 150-600 sport lens allot but nothing was wrong with the old one, i did need to shoot at f/8 to get nice sharp images on the old noe.. i can shoot the new one wide open and get nice sharp images and over all i think the colors and IQ are better on the new one too.

one plus to renting a lens like that, you will know if you like the lens or not and if you decided you want to get one of those lenses later down the road you will know how you felt about the one you rented..

jl1975 · May 17, 2016

I spoke to someone about a lens rental today and the only lens longer than 200mm that they have available that day is a 300mm f2.8. While I'm sure that is a fantastic lens, I don't know if it is long enough, plus it doesn't zoom so I don't think it will work. I may end up going with the TC and hoping for the best. Worst case scenario, I shoot with my 70-200, get what I can, and just enjoy the show.

Thanks again for the feedback.

waday · May 17, 2016

Search around on here... There were a few threads a while back from an airshow. You might be able to either reach out to that user to get their feedback or check what lenses they used.

Alexander Dingley · May 17, 2016

If your up for it I would also rent a better camera body, like a d810 or d750 and for a lens I suggest a sigma 150-600mm sport. But you really have to know your camera well for an airshow and even minimal gear can give you good images.

I got these images with a t3i and a 55-250mm

crzyfotopeeple · May 17, 2016

Well... looks like that combo worked out for you. Nice.

dannylightning · May 18, 2016

the teleconverter may work out well but if your not sure about it check this link, this lens used in excellent plus condition is not all that much more if your buying the TC brand new. they have a great return policy if you get a lens and you are not happy with it for some reason.. that lens seems to take the best photos at F/8 i had one and ill show you a few photos i got with mine.. i sold it to a friend and she really likes it..

Sigma 150-500mm f/5-6.3 APO DG HSM OS Autofocus Lens For Nikon | KEH Camera

DSC_1387 by Daniel Caldwell, on Flickr

DSC_5611 by Daniel Caldwell, on Flickr

DSC_0413 by Daniel Caldwell, on Flickr

great blue heron DSC_0372 by Daniel Caldwell, on Flickr

Braineack · May 18, 2016

looks at the shots I just posted at a local airshow, I used a 150-600mm.

Scott Francis MXS aerobatics by The Braineack, on Flickr

jl1975 · May 18, 2016

Alexander Dingley said:
I got these images with a t3i and a 55-250mm

Thanks for sharing Alexander. That's a great shot of the Blue Angels. I think maybe I'll just see what I can get with the lens I have and enjoy the show.

Dannylightning, that's a great shot of the great blue heron. I'll take a look into the used lenses, although I don't tend to buy used.

Braineack, I did look at your shots. Thanks for letting me know the lens you used.

This forum is great for help and support. I appreciate everyone's assistance.

Solarflare · May 20, 2016

The advantage of the Nikon 200-500mm over Tamron/Sigma 150-600mm, aside from higher image quality, is that the Nikon 200-500mm is a fixed f5.6 and can be combined with a 1.4x extender to reach f/8, while the 150-600mm are f5-6.3 and will reach f/9.

Reportedly the D750 can actually still handle f/9, but the D7200, D4s and D810 apparently can not.

smoke665 · May 20, 2016

Part of it might depend on the type of aircraft. At just under the speed of sound I was having some difficulty tracking these guys at 300mm.

Braineack · May 20, 2016

you shouldnt need extra reach at an airshow at 500-600mm (even on FX), but being able to shoot faster and thus a lower ISO is a big benefit.

I almost always stop my 150-600 down to f/8, pick my shutter speed, and then use auto-iso to go hog-wild.

smoke665 · May 20, 2016

Another thing I've noticed from going to see the Blue Angels. If I want to watch the show and be comfortable I sit in the stands. If I want to shoot pictures I stand in an area where I can have some space between me and other spectators. Swinging a camera around to lead these guys on a run can be dangerous to others not to mention costly if you break something. :concern: