Lenses For Aviation Photography
my avatar photo taken with the sigma combo
pentax da*50-135 pentax da*60-250 sigma af 400mm pentax 1.7 af adapter
Pentax af aw 1.4 rear converter and a flash
If you can't there's always the 150-500 Sigma or 50-500 Bigma, both very good.
But both are big, weight and length. I had the problem at one airshow (incidentally Shoreham when the Hunter crashed) found that the problem was people started standing too close to me and found themselves in line of the lens hood as I was panning the shots. I get a dirty look, I ask them why they stand so close to me.
Using the converter with the 55-300 I am not sure how well that will work, as the lens will be f9 and autofocus will struggle. No issue with the DA*60-250 as you will make it an 350f5.6.
If you are happy with the DA55-300, keep it on the K3 then you always have the option of cropping if you want to make an A4 print. 300mm might be the ideal focal length as sometimes a longer lens will just be too long.
Assorted Pentax/Nikon/Mamiya stuff
In the absence of anything else though, the Pentax 55-300 is very competent for a first foray into aviation photography. You may invest heavily in a big fast lens, only to find aviation photography isn't your cup of tea. So I'd suggest have a go with what you have and take it from there.
Good luck.
(Compulsive Obsessive Lens Buying Addiction Syndrome)
What you need are lenses, more lenses, bigger lenses, better lenses, faster lenses, vintage lenses and when you have these, your pictures will be perfect!
I notice you are in Lancashire. Manchester Airport is great for airliner shots. I've used a Tamron 70-300 Di LD very successfully there for years but am now trying out a couple of old film era zooms...the 75-150 f4 SMC M and the 80-200f4.5 SMC M. These are both manual lenses but are a doddle to use and focus and are very compact and light compared to the mega Sigma AF zooms...quality is good enough too for cropping purposes.
As important as choice of lens though is the ability to be able to pan with the moving aircraft. Keeping the aircraft in the viewfinder...keeping pace with it, in effect allows to you choose a lower shutter speed which is useful for aircraft shots that include the ground or significant background other than sky, as you can create blur in the background which gives 'speed' and apparent motion to the aircraft you are photographing. This technique isn't particularly difficult to learn but does take practice and is easier to perfect with smaller and lighter lenses.
Regards
Karlo
Both, the 100 - 300 is superb and my go to lens on the hill, you can still get them used on this forum and fleabay in PK mount.
www.chrismillsphotography.co.uk
" A Hangover is something that occupies the Head you neglected to use the night before".
-------------------------------------------------------------
K1 - Sigma 85mm F1.4, Pentax DFA 150 -450 F4.5 / 5.6, Pentax DFA* 24 - 70 F2.8
Samyang 14mm F2.8, Pentax DFA* 70-200 F2.8
K3iii + K3ii + K5iis converted to IR, Sigma 17 - 70 F2.8, Pentax 55 - 300 F4.5 / F5.6 PLM
Pentax K5, DA 18-55 WR, DA 18-135 WR, DA 55-300 ED, DA 35 f2.8 Macro Limited, A 50 f1.7, DA 50 f1.8
Samsung GX10, D-Xenon 18-55, SEF-36PZF Flash
Sigma 10-20 EX DC f4-5.6
Flickr
Flickr
Gajan
Gajan
Flickr : link
Pentax K-1, D-FA 28-105mm, FA 77mm, D FA 100mm Macro
Pentax K-5, 18-135 mm, 55-300mm
Pentax K100D Super, 18-55mm
As important as choice of lens though is the ability to be able to pan with the moving aircraft. Keeping the aircraft in the viewfinder...keeping pace with it, in effect allows to you choose a lower shutter speed which is useful for aircraft shots that include the ground or significant background other than sky, as you can create blur in the background which gives 'speed' and apparent motion to the aircraft you are photographing. This technique isn't particularly difficult to learn but does take practice and is easier to perfect with smaller and lighter lenses.
As Karlo mentioned, once you have reasonable lens, technique is more important. 300mm is a long lens on APS-C - especially for large aircraft. Something 400mm+ adds weight, bulk and can become a pain to handle if you have to hold it for long periods.
Concentrate on framing - when going for a tight crop you can easily lose the tip of the tail or wingtips out of the frame. Avoid shake, blurred landing lights immediately emphasise shake and ruin a shot. Keeping on top of your technique is more important than your gear.
If using the 'viewing mounds' at Manchester (small raised platforms), keep an eye on your surroundings - be aware that other photographers may be lining their shots up behind you - try to avoid moving across their sight-line. Once you've got your shot(s), consider whether moving out of the way would help them. When framing, watch for the fence across the bottom of the frame.
Hope this helps.
John.
I used that combo for a long time on the GX10 (=K10D) and K-5 until I got my hands on a 100-300 F4 - but that's a lot heavier than the above combo, as are the "larger"150-500 & 50-500 Sigmas (and as for the 150-450 Pentax, that's heavier still!).
Still occasionally use the combo when shooting at small venues like Old Warden (Shuttleworth Trust). However, at most airshows nowadays, as a direct result of the Shoreham crash (was also there on the day of the tragic accident), the display lines are a lot further from the fronts of the crowd lines, and the minimum display altitudes are higher, than they were a few years ago. Therefore I've normally got the 100-300 F4 & 1.4xTC on the K-3 II, and the 150-500 HSM (a very slow-focusing lens by comparison with the 100-300 F4 ) on the K-3.
Having tried it several times, the 55-300 Pentax is not much use at airshows because of the slow focusing (though the very latest PLM version is said to be a lot faster, it won't work on the K-5, and - I don't think - on the original K-3).
Pentax K5, DA 18-55 WR, DA 18-135 WR, DA 55-300 ED, DA 35 f2.8 Macro Limited, A 50 f1.7, DA 50 f1.8
Samsung GX10, D-Xenon 18-55, SEF-36PZF Flash
Sigma 10-20 EX DC f4-5.6
Thanks to everyone for your very kind advice. One lens I have thought at looking eventually at is the Tamron 70-200 f2.8 with the Pentax 1.4x converter. I wonder if that would work or if the AF would be too slow?
Sounds like a potentially pretty good combo - and might be cheaper than the Sigma alternative.
Having tried it several times, the 55-300 Pentax is not much use at airshows because of the slow focusing (though the very latest PLM version is said to be a lot faster, it won't work on the K-5, and - I don't think - on the original K-3).
Quote K-3 Firmware update V.1.30:
"Enable new lens HD PENTAX-DA 55-300mmF4.5-6.3ED PLM WR RE to shoot stable by updating firmware".
Cheers.
Philip
In that case, the 55-300 PLM version might be a good idea for the OP (albeit that it is quite expensive).
Add Comment
To leave a comment - Log in to Pentax User or create a new account.
47 posts
14 years
Nelson,
Lancashire,
England
Pentax K5, DA 18-55 WR, DA 18-135 WR, DA 55-300 ED, DA 35 f2.8 Macro Limited, A 50 f1.7, DA 50 f1.8
Samsung GX10, D-Xenon 18-55, SEF-36PZF Flash
Sigma 10-20 EX DC f4-5.6