Photos of aeroplanes - HOW ??? HELP !!

[dee]

Another difficult session at the local Biggin Hill Air Show .
My favourite Leica Digilux 3 + lightweight 135mm f3.5 Rokkor [270 with crop factor ] out of action it was down to the Sony A290 and 55-200 .
The MD adapter is so thin that another is out of the question unless I dedicate another 4/3rds camera to fixed adapter - i.e. have it screwed/stuck on .
Now the Dig3/135 is accurate on infinity, so , exposure checked and no messing about.

Not so the Sony - it focuses PAST infinity and auto focus shunts like crazy against clouds etc. But on manual focus needs constant checking or it snaps out of focus or the focus ring gets knocked out .
I could have used the L1 with Olypus zoom but it's even heavier/more bulky than the Sony and no steady shot .

I tried the constant shot setting , but , as previously , it was just another opportunity to miss the crucial crossing point etc and waste more frames .
There were several OK shots against an overcast sky [ my preference ] but I would love more consistency !
Maybe it's just the camera/lens combination, if it focused perfectly on infinity maybe there would be fewer problems.
The other Sony is the A35 - I have no idea how people use an EVF because I could see little on the screen !!!
I am thinking of a Zuilko OM adapter which is more substantial and a Zuiko OM 135mm f 3.5 for next time ... I guess I live in hope .

dee

 

[Wulfthari]

Leica Digilux? Rokkor 135 mm? Mate, you need something serious to shoot planes, something more pro..like this:

😉

 

[dee]

O.K.
I guess I just have to accept a 50 % failure rate and stick with any DSLR .
maybe a Pentax autofocus longer zoom for the retired K10D.

 

[Vics]

Why not switch to manual focus on the a290 and tape it to infinity?

 

[David Hughes]

Hi,

I'll second that about manual focus. At displays the planes usually follow a set path and seldom deviate. Plus you want to use a slow speed to get the air screw blurred, otherwise they look like toys in a static display. So you can use a smaller aperture and gain DoF.

The most important bit, as I see it, is positioning yourself to get a decent chance of lining up the shot before squeezing the shutter.

Regards, David

 

[sevo]

For that purpose anything fixed to infinity and manual exposure will do better than even the best kit with AF and AE - distance and light are barely variable, but the timing is critical! Add a 400-600mm lens, and you are set...

 

[David Hughes]

Hi,

Is that wooden shed cum cafe "The Saltbox" still at the top of that steep hill at the T junction?

I've not been there for a long, long time.

Regards, David