Im New Here :D Looking To Start Aviation Photography
 

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, 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.

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).

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

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 ;)

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.

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.

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

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

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