Which Lens and what settings

[Icemann]

Once again I come to the pro's for advice.I have been given a chance to take some pictures from 1200ft in a 4 seater airplane.We will be flying over areas of houses,wildlife areas The Gulf of Mexico shore line.What would be a starting point for a lens and camera settings.May get a chance to shoot a few brush fires if they arise and I can go,Would love to do this but not crazy about brush fires as one got to close for comfort a few years back.Nikon D40 and a D3000 35mm1.8/18-270/17-50mm2.8/kit lenses 18-55/50-200.I really like the Tamron 17-50.As always Thank You

 

[zackiedawg]

Personally I'd be most tempted to bring the 18-270, assuming you can only be bringing one lens on body. I'd be thinking of the ability to be ready for most any shot opportunity, from wide landscape vistas to closeups of something very cool from a new perspective. The 17-50 is a fine lens, but what happens if you see something farther away that looks extremely cool, and the pilot can't fly closer? The 18-270 may not be as great as the other lenses in a direct comparison at a particular focal length, but it has the jack-of-all-trades versatility to cover all your bases.

As for settings, I'd imagine you'll be in good daylight - so low ISO should be fine. I'd probably stick with middling apertures - you don't need to worry about DOF, and won't need wide open, but you want good detail without diffraction losses. Remember that you might get some atmospheric issues - haze, cloud, smog, fog, etc that could fade your colors or lose details. Post processing to restore contrast should help quite a bit, but I'd probably consider dialing in a little underexposure, like -.3 or .7 to help keep a little more depth in the shadows and control whites and highlights which will blow out more easily in haze.

 

[handicap18]

I too would probably go with the 18-270mm. During the day time hours that lens should be perfectly fine. The long focal length would be its biggest asset from the planes vantage point. Allowing you to go wide to close up instantly with no lens changing.

For settings, I'd probably want no lower than ISO400. I'd think you'd want to be sure to get a fast shutter speed and also have a sharp aperture (I'm thinking f/8 at least, maybe f/11). Since your shooting from the air and moving, a shutter speed of no less than proably 1/400th depending on the weather conditions. If its the middle of the day with no clouds in the sky, then drop it down to ISO200. But at least its a good place to start.

 

[JoeDif]

George....you lucky dog!! I am really jealous

I also agree with the lens choice of 18-270mm but if you can take the Tamron as well. You may not use it but it will be nice to have just in case. As for aperture, again I agree about the f/8 to f/11 range as a good starting point and adjusting to get acceptable shutter speeds.


FYI - Terry and I will be in Ava Maria on May 7 - 10 visiting my brother and his family. Maybe we can catch up.

 

[Frantasmic]

Something to consider. Glass wipes. If you have time, make sure and clean the inside and outside of the aircraft windows before you go.

 

[Icemann]

Something to consider. Glass wipes. If you have time, make sure and clean the inside and outside of the aircraft windows before you go.

This never crossed my mind Thank You Thank You Thank you I will be taking windex and paper towels now

 

[Icemann]

I too would probably go with the 18-270mm. During the day time hours that lens should be perfectly fine. The long focal length would be its biggest asset from the planes vantage point. Allowing you to go wide to close up instantly with no lens changing.

For settings, I'd probably want no lower than ISO400. I'd think you'd want to be sure to get a fast shutter speed and also have a sharp aperture (I'm thinking f/8 at least, maybe f/11). Since your shooting from the air and moving, a shutter speed of no less than proably 1/400th depending on the weather conditions. If its the middle of the day with no clouds in the sky, then drop it down to ISO200. But at least its a good place to start.

I will writing these settings down Thanks

 

[Icemann]

Personally I'd be most tempted to bring the 18-270, assuming you can only be bringing one lens on body. I'd be thinking of the ability to be ready for most any shot opportunity, from wide landscape vistas to closeups of something very cool from a new perspective. The 17-50 is a fine lens, but what happens if you see something farther away that looks extremely cool, and the pilot can't fly closer? The 18-270 may not be as great as the other lenses in a direct comparison at a particular focal length, but it has the jack-of-all-trades versatility to cover all your bases.

As for settings, I'd imagine you'll be in good daylight - so low ISO should be fine. I'd probably stick with middling apertures - you don't need to worry about DOF, and won't need wide open, but you want good detail without diffraction losses. Remember that you might get some atmospheric issues - haze, cloud, smog, fog, etc that could fade your colors or lose details. Post processing to restore contrast should help quite a bit, but I'd probably consider dialing in a little underexposure, like -.3 or .7 to help keep a little more depth in the shadows and control whites and highlights which will blow out more easily in haze.

I will add these settings to my notes also Thanks