Advice on lens when flying in a bush plane: Space is tight so a long lens won't work, I have a canon 24mm f2.8, 10-18mm f2.8 & 40mm pancake lens. I tried my 18-135mm 5.6, but it was...

duaneweir Loc: Meridian, Idaho

Space is tight so a long lens won't work, I have a canon 24mm f2.8, 10-18mm f2.8 & 40mm pancake lens. I tried my 18-135mm 5.6, but it was too cramped to really work with. Any suggestions are welcomed. I shoot a canon 70d.

rmorrison1116 Loc: Near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania

If the 18-135 was too big then the 18-200 will be just as troublsome. Are you pilot or passenger?
Maybe the 85 1.8 would give you a little reach. There's the EF-S 55-250 IS STM. The 85 1.8 with a kenko teleconverter isn't too large.

jaydoc

This might seem like a crazy idea---- consider a telephoto lens for your iPhone. They can be had for $100-$300 and people are getting good photos with them

Leitz Loc: Solms

duaneweir wrote:

Space is tight so a long lens won't work, I have a canon 24mm f2.8, 10-18mm f2.8 & 40mm pancake lens. I tried my 18-135mm 5.6, but it was too cramped to really work with. Any suggestions are welcomed. I shoot a canon 70d.

Try either a shorter lens, or a larger plane.

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

I used to work for Cessna and a couple other small aircraft manufacturers. I carried a camera a lot and flew as a charter pilot for a few photographers.

Vibration and turbulence are your enemies in a small airplane. Smaller cameras, shorter lenses and higher shutter speeds help. Unlike other situations, use your arms to "suspend" the camera so that it is isolated from vibration and aircraft motion. Do not try to stabilize the camera by holding it against any part of the aircraft. If you can, shoot through an open window. Shoot bursts so that you can find the "sharpest" images on your computer.

Back when I shot film, I got good images with a 105 prime wide open on a full frame Nikon with ASA 400 and the fastest shutter speed it would allow. Any bigger or heavier reduced the success rate. Now I have better success with cameras like a Sony RX100 or a Panasonic LX100 because they are light.

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

I like the idea of the 40 pancake - a sharp prime - shoot at f5.6 with a fast shutter speed for optimum IQ ( no protective filter please) - and crop if necessary - and use pixel enlargement if necessary.

dirtpusher Loc: tulsa oklahoma

I've spent many hrs in the seat of my one seater biplane. Have never had a lens bigger than my fifty. But rarely fly much over 500 ft. Find out what altitudes you will be flying. Just be sure you use a fast shutter speed.

You will be shooting at all different angles. A lens any longer you will be banging the heck out the side window.

duaneweir Loc: Meridian, Idaho

dirtpusher wrote:

I've spent many hrs in the seat of my one seater biplane. Have never had a lens bigger than my fifty. But rarely fly much over 500 ft. Find out what altitudes you will be flying. Just be sure you use a fast shutter speed.

You will be shooting at all different angles. A lens any longer you will be banging the heck out the side window.

Thanks dirtpusher, we flew 8,500-9500 ft. checking out some mountain tops, etc. I don't have a 50mm but a 40mm. I think that maybe it will be ok, I hope. Can't afford more lens at this time.
Thanks for your reply.

dirtpusher Loc: tulsa oklahoma

What was your altitude above the mountains. I took my 55 250 the first time didn't take long to switch to th e fifty.

GPS Phil Loc: Dayton Ohio

bsprague wrote:

I used to work for Cessna and a couple other small... (show quote)

Spot on advice, and don't forget to remove your lens hood or the wind (well over 100 mph) will do it for you!

dirtpusher Loc: tulsa oklahoma

Mountain flying is lot different . He has to be high enough to avoid the turbulence an down drafts or updrafts

MadMikeOne Loc: So. NJ Shore - a bit west of Atlantic City

duaneweir wrote:

Space is tight so a long lens won't work, I have a canon 24mm f2.8, 10-18mm f2.8 & 40mm pancake lens. I tried my 18-135mm 5.6, but it was too cramped to really work with. Any suggestions are welcomed. I shoot a canon 70d.

I carried and used my Sony P&S while on bush planes last summer in Alaska. Got some really beautiful shots even through the windows. Enlarged one coming in over Homer Spit to 20 x 30 and it looks fabulous hanging on my son's wall.

No matter what camera you use, listen to whomever advised NOT to use any part of the plane to stabilize the camera/lens. Hold it away from your body.

I also had my long lenses and 2 bodies in my backpack stowed elsewhere in the plane. The smallest we flew on was a 6 person plane. The largest was not much bigger.

FotoPhreak Loc: Whittier, CA

Two years ago, I took a charter flight on a 4-seater over the Canyonlands NP and Monument Valley and got some really good shots. I set the camera shutter speed to 1/1000 and let the camera figure out the aperture setting. I don't remember what my ISO setting but I fiddled with it by taking a few test shots as soon as the plane took off. One thing to be aware of is glare from the window you are shooting through. I had a few otherwise great shots that were ruined because of the glare from the window. It proved to be a bit tricky - especially when the pilot circled around Monument Valley and the window glare was constantly shifting. The flight was early morning. The lighting was great but the low angle of the sun probably contributed to the glare. I tried to use my body to block out the light from behind me. It helped a lot but it became a bit tricky when trying to frame shots so the airplane wing was excluded from the picture. Hope the plane's wings are topside. I sat in the back since there was less wing to contend with in framing the shots.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Leitz wrote:

Try either a shorter lens, or a larger plane.

..depending on the cost of either.

John Howard Loc: SW Florida and Blue Ridge Mountains of NC.

Last year I did an open door flight over Mount Cook in NZ and a chopper ride. I had two cameras one with an ultra wide and the other with a 24-70. All the good shots were with the later. Too wide and it is difficult to keep the plane out of view and a bit longer gives more detail. Maybe even the 24-120 would be even better. I picked an aperture like 5.6 - 8 and adjusted the ISO to keep my shutter speed faster than 1/1000. I was high so the mountain did not seem to move very fast. If you are Flying low and buzzing the animals you may need to be even faster. The earlier point about vibration is key also. Don't brace off the plane.