Wish I had a bigger lens ....

[jds9000]

Would a fixed length 'prime' lens help with photos like these, taken at the Jersey Air Show, on Thursday ?









Has anyone tried one before ?

Jay

[coupekid]

Re: Wish I had a bigger lens ....

how much are these cropped Jay?

Awesome shots!

[Pops]

Re: Wish I had a bigger lens ....

I don't see any problem with the lens you have used for these shots.

[jds9000]

Re: Wish I had a bigger lens ....

The first two were fairly close .... 200yards ... but the last two were way further .... hence I fancy I may need a longer lens !!
They're at the absolute limit. My canon 400D, and a Canon 75-300. I took around 850 pics .... 5gb worth, and they mostly feature a lot of sillouettes, as the airshow started at 1pm, so midday sun, and finished at 5pm, so full sun all afternoon, and we had to shoot into it !!
The clearest pics are from the airport in the morning. We were lucky enough to find a small mound next to the airport fence were we could get a couple of shots of them taking off or taxi-ing.

Most of the pics I took will need heavy cropping, and a small miracle to get any detail.

I like bird photography, so thought of a fixed length prime ... 300 or 400 ... just to get that .... edge !!

Jay

[Stephen]

Re: Wish I had a bigger lens ....

Most of the pics I took will need heavy cropping, and a small miracle to get any detail.

I like bird photography, so thought of a fixed length prime ... 300 or 400 ... just to get that .... edge !!

Jay

Hi Jay, as you are no doubt aware, there is a big jump in price for the big primes. Even the zooms are a lot more expensive than what you are using now.

I'm using a 100-400IS which is brilliant, but still not cheap. However still a lot cheaper than a 400mm prime.

Are you thinking in terms of a Canon model? I'll bet you have already got one earmarked

[jds9000]

Re: Wish I had a bigger lens ....

Think I'm 'barking up the wrong tree' ....... I mean a 'Tele-zoom' or .... can't think of the name .....



This sort of thing ...... tele-zoom .... or telescope !!

Jay

[peter]

Re: Wish I had a bigger lens ....

This is what you are after a EF300mm f2.8 L IS USM. I was thinking the same thing. Stick a x2 converter on it and you should be well away. Now for the hard part which one of the kids do I sell.

[Ian]

Re: Wish I had a bigger lens ....

This is what you are after a EF300mm f2.8 L IS USM. I was thinking the same thing. Stick a x2 converter on it and you should be well away. Now for the hard part which one of the kids do I sell.

I currently have a pro-spec Olympus Digital Zuiko 90-250 f/2.8 (180-500 equivalent) and it's quite a revelation as it's a) a big lens (more stable than a small lightweight lens), and b) very bright - and sharp. I can use it wide open and still get sharp pictures - as long as the subject is in the narrow focus range

The brighter then lens the easier to focus, too.

Also, people get out of your way when you're packing one of these on a monopod over your shoulder

Ian

[bigbob]

Re: Wish I had a bigger lens ....

Doubt if a prime would do much better.
The advantage of a long prime is the maximum aperture you can get (F2.8 is normal) so you can blur the background for motor sports , sporting events and animal photography plus others .
As you won't want to blur the background in aerial displays a zoom will do just as good .
Another reason i'd pick a zoom over a prime , is the fact that a lot of the time you won't want to be at 300mm or 400mm but closer , a prime limits that ability .
Best lense i used for airshows , and i've shot dozens ,was the Sigma 50-500 but it's long and heavy .
The airshow pics in my gallery were taken using a Nikon 80-400VR and a Nikon 70-200 +1.7 T/C .
Technique in panning just as important as a long lense , nail the technique and most lenses will do a job .
B..

[peter]

Re: Wish I had a bigger lens ....

I have never used a prime so no clue how I would get on with on.I have been looking around the web today and have found a sigma 120-300mm f2.8. the site I was looking at have lots of guys who use this lens for motor sport with what looks like great results. Because it f2.8 all the way through you can use 1.4 and x2 converters and still have auto focus. At the moment I use a sigma 70-200mm f2.8 with a x2 converter and a sigma 100-300mm f4. The latter will not auto focus with the x2 converter and its no good getting a 1.4 as this will just give me the same range as the 70-200 with the x2 converter on. Now most of the stuff I take photos of is local motor sport of which I wish I could get closer to then I do at the moment so again the 120-300mm with x2 on would really help me fill the frame. I also use a sigma 24-60mm hang on do you see a pattern going on here . I am not how sure how much I would miss the 60mm between that lens and the 120-300mm. Something to think about. So the 70-200 and the 100-300 may have to go to help fund the 120-300.