Im New Here :D Looking To Start Aviation Photography

[Joshua Bowden]

Hey guys,

Im new to the forums and im looking to start Aviation Photography as a hobby,

Im getting some gear soon so im all set, I have been into photography for a while but never owned an SLR,

One of my next door neighbours is a member of the forum and loves planes aswell, so that works out well,

So here is my gear that im going to get:

1 x Canon EOS 40D Digital SLR
1 x Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L USM
1 x Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Lens
1 x SanDisk Ultra II 4GB CF Card
1 x Sanyo Eneloops + Charger
1 x Pelican 1454 With Dividers
1 x Velbon CX-Mini Ball Tripod
1 x Velbon UP-400 Monopod
1 x Canon 430EXII Flash
1 x Canon 75-300mm

Obviously the 430EX II Flash and the 50 f/1.8 won't be for this type of photography,

So im getting the 70-200 f/4L I would love to get the f/2.8 IS version but that's a bit out of my budget,

So my question is, will the 200mm be far enough from the 'Beach' At YSSY?

I can't use a X2 TC (Teleconverter) Because the 40D is a Crop Body, and it only works on the Pro Bodys (1DMKIII, 5DII) and not the 40D,

Luckly I won't be shooting at night, so I probably won't need to use a tripod or monopod, and the f/4 would suck in Lowlight Situations,

Also, what software for PP do you guys use? I have Photoshop Elements 7, Photoshop Extended CS4, and Lightroom,

So im pretty much all set right?

What else do I need as an good 'Kit', Also, the front element of the 70-200mm Does not rotate, so it is sutable for a Polarising filter,

So would you reccomend a P filter? Or should I just fix it up in Photoshop later?

I Plan to shoot in RAW becuase of the ability in Post Processing,

Btw, im only 14 :D

Joshh

[Andrew McLaughlin]

Andrew, Please refrain from quoting the whole previous post in your post, it is not necessary, thank you - mod

Nice kit to kick off with.

Instead of the 2x why not get the 1.4x. I use a 40D, 70-200 f2.8L and a 1.4x and can get in pretty close on most aircraft from the beach except those flaring right down at the 34L threshold.

Good luck.

[Nigel C]

Don't worry about the polarising filter, but use a UV filter to start with. Polarisers come in handy if you do shots through glass and don't want any reflection, or if you're dealing with a lot of glare (like after rain or when you're out at sea on a boat).

[Joshua Bowden]

Nice kit to kick off with.

Instead of the 2x why not get the 1.4x. I use a 40D, 70-200 f2.8L and a 1.4x and can get in pretty close on most aircraft from the beach except those flaring right down at the 34L threshold.

Good luck.

Does your 1.4TC work on your 40D?

I read somewhere they only work on the 5DII and the 1DIII,

Apparently its manual focus only on any other body,

If the 1.4 works then I think I will get that for sure :D

Joshh

[Joshua Bowden]

Don't worry about the polarising filter, but use a UV filter to start with. Polarisers come in handy if you do shots through glass and don't want any reflection, or if you're dealing with a lot of glare (like after rain or when you're out at sea on a boat).

Yeah, I am getting U.V filters for all my lenses, Im pretty sure I would rather have the filter break rather then the front element if it got a knock,

Plus, a 62MM Polarizing filter aint cheap either ;)

[Andrew McLaughlin]

Does your 1.4TC work on your 40D?

I read somewhere they only work on the 5DII and the 1DIII,

Apparently its manual focus only on any other body,

If the 1.4 works then I think I will get that for sure :D

Joshh

Yep, the 1.4 works fine - check out my JetPhotos link - the majority of pics taken on there, especially at the beach, have been with the 1.4. No problems with autofocus as well.

[David M]

Does your 1.4TC work on your 40D?

I read somewhere they only work on the 5DII and the 1DIII,

Apparently its manual focus only on any other body,

If the 1.4 works then I think I will get that for sure

I discovered by means of a post somewhere, that if you cover over the first three pins on the converter with a small piece of sticky tape, the autofocus should work on nearly every camera body. I tried it and Presto!

David.M.

[Mick F]

I have used a 2X teleconverter with a Canon 70-200 F2.8 with a Canon EOS 40D and had no problems at all.

The autofocus worked fine.

How on earth are you affording all that? :confused:

Mick

[Nigel C]

He's can't, but mum and dad can;)

[Joshua Bowden]

Nah, I have been saving for a long time :D

I have a job, well sorta three, I have a propper job at the local corner shop, packing shelves, cleaning ect,

And I also wash cars (I know, I know :D) But I earn some cash from that,

And lastly, I do Web/Graphics design, I make quite a bit from that, here is my latest:

Http://zoble.info/Clients/Backup/Buzz/flash

If its slow, its becuase my server sucks,

So yeah, I guess I do pretty good for a 14 year old ;)

Haha and my dad hates cameras for some reason, so no money from him :D

[Steve V]

G'Day
My understanding is that the autofocus is reliant on the aperture of the lens. During focus the lens is wide open and so at the lowest F number for the lens. The 1D series of cameras will autofocus up to f8 while others only autofocus up to f5.6. Therefore a f2.8 and f4 lens should autofocus on a non 1D series camera with a 1.4 converter but only the f2.8 will still autofocus with a 2x converter (The 2x will still autofocus on the 1D series though).
Of course, as David has said you can tape over the pins (but this has been known to burn out the AF motors).
Steve

[Tim Bowrey]

One of my next door neighbours is a member of the forum and loves planes aswell, so that works out well,

Who? Mystery spotter?

[Joshua Bowden]

Yeah, im not sure of his name, all I know is his initials are T.B and he takes great shots :D

[Gerard M]

Im stumped? Who is it? ;)

I'm clearly in the wrong profession and should be moving to car washing if i ever want to buy a nice set of gear like the stuff you mentioned!
Good stuff mate and hope to see the final products!

[Joshua Bowden]

Im stumped? Who is it? ;)

I'm clearly in the wrong profession and should be moving to car washing if i ever want to buy a nice set of gear like the stuff you mentioned!
Good stuff mate and hope to see the final products!

I dont know much about planes at all :) but im sure i will catch on quickly :D

[Gerard M]

Im sure you will catch on pretty quick. I caught on quick and gotta say i'm still learning heaps!!
I thought about spending my Dudd bonus, when it comes, on a camera but not sure which one and even if the 900 will enough!! I'm a struggling student so the camera has been put on the back burner for the mean time!

[Joshua Bowden]

Hi Joshue, please refrain from quoting the whole previous post in your post, it's not necessary, thank you. Welcome to the forums - mod

Yeah, i stoped developing the actuall site (zoble.info) and i uploaded a code screenshot to test,

i rarley use MX2004 now, i have Expression web :D