Money no object I would suggest 3 lenses.

1: Either the sigma 10-20 or Pentax 12-24 for static shots. I have used the 10-20 a lot in the hangers at Duxford, more recently to take 5 auto bracketed shots for HDR use due to the high contrast lighting conditions in there

2: DA* 16-50 - possibly my least used lens at airshows, but useful for the flight line walk at Duxford.

3: DA* 50-135 - This is good for detail shots of aircraft in the hangers and formation display shots. The temptation with static shots is to try and fit the entire aircraft in, but the engineer in me enjoys focusing in on the piping and rivets for more abstract shots and the 50-135 is very good for this.

The 300mm prime will be good for most things airborne. I use the Sigma 100-300 and that never needs to come off during a display. If you have the 300mm prime and the 50-135, you have a potentially big gap, but I tend to use my 100-300 at either end most of the time and seldom in the middle.

If you want better coverage a 10-20 and 18-200 or 60-250 could possibly be another solution. EDITED because I realised I invented a lens range, doh!

Hope that helps. I am the author of the aforementioned article, but happy to answer any questions that the article does not cover or Qs about Duxford before then.

Neil

Thanks Chris and thanks to iceblinker, Martin & Phil for your comments.

I appreciate this is going to take this thread off topic so the Mods may want to move it, but in response to your request Chris I shall try to outline my air show approach.

I have only been to a few airshows in the last couple of years and still consider myself on a learning curve so I do not have a definitive approach as yet (maybe this year).

Last year I used a K10D and Sigma EX 100-300mm f4 occasionally with the matching 1.4x converter.

In terms of getting the right exposure, I sometimes use manual if lighting is consistent, but find that in the majority of situations centre weighted with between 1-2 stops of over exposure dialled in (depending on the brightness) works fine. If using manual exposure the most reliable way to get the exposure right is to put the camera in spot metering and take a value from the grass along the runway (assuming there is some).

When shooting auto, I use shutter priority to ensure I have the right speed for the aircraft type. 1/500th or above for fast jets and generally the faster the better, unless you are being creative. Prop aircraft shots need that all important prop blur so I shoot around 1/250th. This works in most cases but some warbirds can come out ok at 1/350 due to faster prop speeds. For helicopters, you need to go slower still - around 1/150th if possible.

Due to the slow shutter speeds with prop aircraft I use a mono-pod for all prop shots, but I prefer to hand hold for fast jets as it is easier to track them, especially when they go vertical.

I try to keep the aperture around f8-7.1 and ISO under 400. If push comes to shove I open up the aperture rather than increasing the ISO. (The better ISO performance of the K20D should allow more flexibility in this area).

I know plenty of people swear by manual focus for aircraft, but this has not worked for me in the last couple of years so I have all AF points active and the camera set to continuous focus. It hunts around a bit occasionally, but as long as a focus point stays over the aircraft it should sort itself out.

In terms of specific advice for the RIAT @ Fairford (worth trip) get there early and leave late. That may seem obvious but it amazes me how many people roll up in the afternoon as they left late and ended up in a traffic jam for several hours. I am fortunate enough to live only about 30 minutes away so it easier for me perhaps, but I get there for just after 6 and head for the flight line as soon a I get through the gates. After the flying display finishes I go round the static display aircraft (less people and better light) and head for home at sundown. I have not been stuck in a traffic jam yet.

Hope that is of some use.

Neil

My most used lens, you should have no regrets. Like MX veteran I try to keep it around f8 - f11. Never had any problems with focusing. I use AF as long as there is enough light, but select the focusing point (on K10D).

All of the following are 'touched' - processed in Lightroom and Photoshop CS3. The last image is HDR, processed in Photomatix then PS CS3













Neil

I went on a trip last October to Japan, Oz, Hong Kong and back to UK. Flew BA to Japan and on the return from Hong Kong, Quantas for the other two legs.

Being of a pessimistic nature I phone BA before hand and they told me that as long as it was within the size limits and I could lift it into the over head locker they did not care how much it weighed.

So I would be inclined to get something that meets the size requirements.

I agonised over this a lot, as I did not want to check my kit, but I wanted to be sure that if something happened that meant I had to, that it would be safe.

In the end I went with a Peli 1510 hard case which weighs 6KG empty but is a perfect fit for the size requirements. BA had no problems with it, only problem was that for the Quantas leg of our BA supplied ticket the weight limits were more draconian so I had to check the hard case.

I had my Slingshot 200 in my luggage as well for use when I arrived so I transferred as much as I could to that, but my Sigma 100-300 went in the hold.

It was all a bit of a nightmare as the luggage allowance for our child was less on the Quantas leg as well so we trucked up to Narita about 25kg over our allowance.

Anyway, bottom line is that BA seem to be one of the better ones, but I would check the dimensions of your bag.

Neil

I upgraded from the 135-400 to the 100-300 (+ tc) at the beginning of last year, principally for air show use, and I have never looked back.

The 135-400 is an ok lens, but the 100-300 is superb with very little drop off in IQ when fitted to the sigma 1.4x TC.

Neil

I have never noticed any significant CA with the EX 100-300. It may occur in certain circumstances, but none that I have used it for so far. One of the sharpest lenses I own and one of the easiest to recommend.

Neil

I will be putting these up on ebay, but I thought I would list them here first in case any one is interested.

All are in good working order, they are as follows:

Pentax *istD - with box and instructions

Grip D-BG1 for *istD - with box

Pentax DA 16-45mm - boxed

Pentax FA 80-320mm - silver finish

Pentax FA 28-90mm - silver finish

Sigma EX 180mm Macro - As new, hardly used with lens hood in case and boxed

Sigma 135-400mm f4.5-5.6 APO AF - with lens hood, sigma case and boxed

Kenko 1.5x converter - has all contacts and AF spindle.


I do not log on here often, so best to e-mail me at [email protected] if you are interested in any of the items.

Thanks

Neil

Don't think I used the term Demigod, but he knows his stuff

Well that is not irony, that is downright offensive! Cut yourself often with that tongue George.

Fine I will clear off and leave you to your ivory tower philosophies.

John, if you want to disagree with me fine, but don't try and score points off me by ripping my words to shreds as that makes it a much more personal attack.

You seem to be failing to take into account that I am a pentax user and have been for several years. I own one film and 2 digital Pentax SLR's and several thousand pounds worth of Pentax glass and I did not buy them because everyone I know owns one, because clearly in this canikon dominated era that is not the case. But all you seem to want to do is drum me out of town for suggesting that this forum is not objective and that actually sigma lenses are good as well and perhaps better in some cases or for some budgets. I never said it was wrong to suggest Pentax.

So lets recap...

George pointed out that in his experience the build quality was poor because the lens was stuck together with tape (fair enough, but this was over 10 years ago and their QC has changed a lot since then) and you are saying that for you only pentax will do.

Presumably then you disagree with something other than the facts of my original comment: