Jim_In_Plymouth Loc: Plymouth MN

Thinking of chartering small plane and taking fall pictures from air. Do not want to be juggling lenses from seat of small plane. What focal length is best?

I have zoom lenses that cover from 18mm to 300mm full frame equivalent. One goes from 28 to 300 but does not produce the sharpest results. I am inclined to go for the 28 to 90.

dirtpusher Loc: tulsa oklahoma

i always use pot luck. mostly using a eighteen fifty five. main thing shutter speed. not sure there is. a wide angle is good.

here some samples to expect. most these were at 1800 ft some were at 170 airspeed. fast furious is fun.

in a mustang ll.

showing bank degree.

rjaywallace Loc: Wisconsin

Be sure to recruit a reliable ankle holder (someone to hold your ankles while you are upside down hanging out of the plane to get that great shot). Choppers are even more fun.

PixelStan77 Loc: Vermont/Chicago

Jim, Make sure you rent a high wing plane. Have done that in Vermont. I would use the 18-300. Consider using a polarizing filter

davidrb Loc: Half way there on the 45th Parallel

Make sure you go with a "high-wing" A/C, Cessnas are the most common. Expect to have problems with canopy glare so a CPL might be of use. In a fixed wing A/C you will be too high for an ultra-wide, go with a zoom telephoto. I found a 70-200mm gave me good range in a helo with no doors. We worked between 1000' to 1800' agl. Clouds and wind were no factors. Helos are more versatile than fixed wing but carry a much higher price tag, generally. You might not have enough room in a small plane to carry extra lenses. Find a small airport and locate a/the FBO (fixed base operator). These folks will run air-taxi and charter operations Talk to them and let them know what it is you really want to do. They may or may not know anything about cameras but they will know airplanes and how to get around with them. Good luck and have fun.

SteveR Loc: Michigan

The 28-300 isn't sharp enough for you? That's surprising since so many on UHH swear by it. I assume you were talking about a Nikon 28-300.

Wingpilot Loc: Wasilla. Ak

I took my grandson and a mutual friend on a flight seeing tour of Mt. Denali (McKinley) back in July. We went in a Cessna 206 on floats. The pilot, who has taken thousands on the same flight, recommended a 50mm. I took my D7200 and 18-140 zoom, and the pictures I got were good, although I don't recommend the front seat, as you shoot through the propellor and the front windshield is curved and messes with focus and clarity. I got some that were nice and sharp on one half and the other was fuzzy due to the curvature of the windshield. Side shots managed to get the wing in the way, although for some shots it makes it a bit dramatic. My grandson and our friend, Margie, were in the back seat, and their pictures were nice and clear. My grandson entered one in a country fair photo contest and took a first place in the adult/pro division. On other thing, I think, due to the closeness inside the plane, a long zoom might be difficult to deal with because of the length. I found that the 18-140 was entirely adequate.

I also concur with using as fast a shutter as possible, as even in the smoothest of air, there is enough vibration inside a single engine aircraft that could cause some blurring from inadvertent camera shake.

dirtpusher Loc: tulsa oklahoma

yup that long lense is in the road, banging everything. fifty is nifty

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

I use a 24-105 on an APSc Sensor.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

When I used to do aerial photography for the environmental protection agency we used a Nikon FTN and a 105mm 2.5. We took an incident light meter reading before leaving the ground so our exposure would be correct, shot at least 1000 sec. to take care of plane shake, and kept our lens away from touching anything in the plane. Our lenses were pre focused at infinity.

SteveR Loc: Michigan

I've forgotten the reason why, but back in my film days, I was told when focusing on infinity to back off just a tad. It always worked.

mikegreenwald Loc: Illinois

I've done a lot of that. My best results have come from removing the plastic "windows" from the aircraft, or if in a plane such as a Super Cub or Husky, open the top half of the door. In a Cessna the window can be removed with difficulty, but best is to remove the entire door. The seatbelt is adequate to keep you inside, but I'd be sure the camera has a sturdy attachment to your neck. It's essential to pick a clear (haze free) day, such as just after a cold front moves through.
As for focal length, it depends a great deal on the altitude you're working from, as well as the size of your target. When shooting homes, I've used 85mm from 1500 - 2000 ft effectively. For shooting large areas, 50 mm is fine. If yu're over a city, the regulations for pilots is to stay 1000 ft above the nearest obstacle within a prescribed radius, but 3000 ft above an open air assemblage of persons. There are others restrictions your pilot will be aware of like an upside down "wedding cake" of altitudes near all major airports.
I don't much like wide angle lenses as the angles you may have to shoot at will sometimes produce distortions. Some of the advice above is important too - high shutter speed, don't let the camera touch the airplane when shooting,etc.

DreamWorks

Hi folks I really have enjoyed all the great content in your posts.

Thanks :)

whitewolfowner

All depends on the subject and how high you are flying. You said fall foliage and that could mean a single tree or a huge hillside. You will have to figure out exactly what you are after and go from there. You will need fast glass because there is a lot of vibration in a plane so you will need fast shutter speeds and how fast will determine how high up you are.

SteveR Loc: Michigan

This photo of the new Stillwater (MN) Bridge was taken by a h.s. friend who retired as a Delta pilot. He spends his time these days flying around MN and the rest of the country in his own plane. This is one instance where you can see, upon download, where cell phones just can't hold up to DSLR's. Doug did tell me, though, that when he does have his Canon with him, he usually uses an 18-55 mm lens and occasionally a 200mm.

(Download)