Can you advise - airshow

[mph999]

Hi guys,

Just got my first DSLR - Nikon D50, very pleased, but I have a small issue, Fairford and Farnbrough airshows are just around the corner so not much time to practice.

Now, I'm relativly ok at understanding exposure/metering, but I would like advise on the "best settings" for an airshow (in flight pics). I know that no one setting will be perfect as you pan for example as the light may change, but what would be most likley to work ???

I can go for full manual, test shots etc ... but if panning, following a display (eg Red Arrows) not enoough time to make changes when following them all over the sky.

So, I guess that really leaves me with apature or shutter priority, again test shows and dial in some exposure correction - this at least would allow the exposure to change if required and give "more likely to work results".

Also, matrix or spot metering ???

Many thanks,

Martin

[V6GTO]

Why not go to your lacal airport and have a practice?

Martin.

[Gemm]

I'm not an expert on airshow but I wouldn't have thought panning is really effective unless you include something other than the sky in the shot? When I shot Red Arrows at British GP, I think aperture priority worked the best. As for exposure, metering can get confused when there's large area of sky in the shot (especially on a cloudy day), so you'd probably need to dial in exposure compensation to over-expose a bit.

[graham@reading]

Outrageously simplified this but all other things being equal (ie light etc), I tend to go for 800-1000 for fast jets and drop down to 250 for prop aircraft to get some decent rotational blur in on the propellor, then even lower for choppers as their blades are even slower. It's tricky to give the impression of movement with just the plane in the sky - I don't always succeed by any stretch of the imagination.

Prop aircraft and choppers having prop blur helps with that obviously

[graham@reading]

Oh as for exposure - pre-expose on a bit of grass if you can. It's close enough to 18% grey to be accurate enough for the aircraft - bright skies can easily throw the metering and you end up with an underexposed aircraft.

[mph999]

Thanks, nice pics by the way.

OK, if I understand this correctly, I should be ok by pointing the camera at some grass (well lit), then adaping these settings in M and go from there, couple of test shots etc ...

Martin

[graham@reading]

Yup. Or you could use the Program setting (I presume there is a P mode on Nikon as on Canon) and see what settings it chooses then go from there.

[mph999]

graham@reading said:

Yup. Or you could use the Program setting (I presume there is a P mode on Nikon as on Canon) and see what settings it chooses then go from there.

Thanks Graham, yes I have the various auto modes, P,A,S and M.

P, as you will know, will allow me to choose different combinations of shutter speed/ apature, but keep the over all exposure constant, which can be tuned with the exposure control.

Trail and error to an extent, but I'm grateful for the advice as I want as many good pics as possible, and you don't get a second chance with aircraft.

Martin

[graham@reading]

Actually, you do, to a certain extent with airshows, as each display will make multiple passes I forgot something though that should help - get the picture review on the LCD to show the histogram. I assume (again) that the Nikon can show that + the pic so you can review framing AND exposure. The histogram is much better for using for the latter as you can easily make out the graph compared to the exposure of the tiny photo on the screen.

Good little article here :
www.cleanimages.com/Article-UnderstandingYourDigitalCamerasHistogram.asp

[graham@reading]

Oh and shoot RAW if you have the card space or a portable hard drive. Gives you a little latitude for correcton during post processing if the exposure's off.

[mph999]

Yes, I've only got one memory card (1GB High speed), but two batteries (the Nikon and a Jessops) so should be good for few hundred pics. I'll take my laptop so can download if necessary.

True, multiple passes ...

I'll let you know how I get on.

I see (well, presume you're in reading ?, unless that's your surname), are you going to Fairford ?

Martin

Oh, thanks for the link

Edited by mph999 on Sunday 9th July 01:38

[graham@reading]

I am in Reading, yep And yes, Fairford bound next weekend.

[mph999]

Cool, well I hope you have a good time.

Martin