Would 70-300 on a FF be too short for an airshow? I'm debating renting a 150-600 for my a77 (too long??) or biting the bullet and renting an a99ii and using my current lens. The tammy...

planepics Loc: St. Louis burbs, but originally Chicago burbs

I'm debating renting a 150-600 for my a77 (too long??) or biting the bullet and renting an a99ii and using my current lens. The tammy gets me to 450 equivalent on the crop a77 (if I rented both it would run slightly over $300 for a week including insurance...not sure if I want to spend that much). Any thoughts? I will be using it/them for a week-long aviation convention in July.

Imagemine Loc: St. Louis USA

rent the long tele & take 2 shorter lens 3 lens is more than enough

planepics Loc: St. Louis burbs, but originally Chicago burbs

Imagemine wrote:

rent the long tele & take 2 shorter lens 3 lens is more than enough

What side of the river are you on?

GalaxyCat Loc: Boston, MA

I would rent the 150-600mm and take a wide angle, and a medium variable zoom lens. I live south of the Charles River in Massachusetts!

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

planepics wrote:

I'm debating renting a 150-600 for my a77 (too long??) or biting the bullet and renting an a99ii and using my current lens. The tammy gets me to 450 equivalent on the crop a77 (if I rented both it would run slightly over $300 for a week including insurance...not sure if I want to spend that much). Any thoughts? I will be using it/them for a week-long aviation convention in July.

Yes, 70-300 is too short for full frame - BUT- you can shoot JPEG and use 1.5X Clear Image Zoom to take you to 450mm ! No problem at all on the A99II !
.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

planepics wrote:

I'm debating renting a 150-600 for my a77 (too long??) or biting the bullet and renting an a99ii and using my current lens. The tammy gets me to 450 equivalent on the crop a77 (if I rented both it would run slightly over $300 for a week including insurance...not sure if I want to spend that much). Any thoughts? I will be using it/them for a week-long aviation convention in July.

It really depends where you are. I have shot the airshow at Jones Beach, and found that a sharp 300mm on a full frame camera is sufficient, but only if I get there early enough to get a good vantage point. I have brought my 600mm F4 and found it too long - to get good composition, the planes were far away, and the atmospheric haze usually reduced image quality.

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

planepics wrote:

I'm debating renting a 150-600 for my a77 (too long??) or biting the bullet and renting an a99ii and using my current lens. The tammy gets me to 450 equivalent on the crop a77 (if I rented both it would run slightly over $300 for a week including insurance...not sure if I want to spend that much). Any thoughts? I will be using it/them for a week-long aviation convention in July.

Looks like, from your cover shot next to your name, you already have some experience shooting planes in flight.
It depends a lot on how low the aircraft are going to be flying. I like using a zoom, and my favorite is my 200-500 mounted on my D500 which, gives me the equivalent field of view of 300-750 mm. I have found that this focal length covers about everything I need.

gvarner Loc: Central Oregon Coast

Tawbaware has a photo calculator where you can plug in your parameters and compute the field of view at a given distance, focal length, and sensor size. Or use a friend's rule of thumb. At arms length, his thumb covers the field of view of his 600mm lens.

camerapapi Loc: Miami, Fl.

I guess your lens selection depends on your distance to those planes.

planepics Loc: St. Louis burbs, but originally Chicago burbs

billnikon wrote:

Looks like, from your cover shot next to your name, you already have some experience shooting planes in flight.
It depends a lot on how low the aircraft are going to be flying. I like using a zoom, and my favorite is my 200-500 mounted on my D500 which, gives me the equivalent field of view of 300-750 mm. I have found that this focal length covers about everything I need.

If you have FB, check out my Oshkosh pics form years past. I've been going to the show off and on since about '89. I used to fly when I had lots more money to play with and my health was better. Now a Cessna 172 or even a modern Light Sport aircraft (Tecnam, whatever) is going to run you well over $100/hr to rent. Last year I spend, IMO, big bucks to go on a B-17 ride. I don't want to spend that much this time around! My brother is a 1/3 partner in a C182...we usually meet up during the show for lunch or dinner with a friend of his who also flies. My favorite spot is show center within a few rows of the flight line, but that's not always possible.

planepics Loc: St. Louis burbs, but originally Chicago burbs

Imagemine wrote:

rent the long tele & take 2 shorter lens 3 lens is more than enough

Last year I ran into a guy on the flightline almost right next to me who has 3 cameras in a little wagon, each with it's own lens of a different length. He said it was faster to grab a camera than to change a lens...seems like he had too much money burning a hole in his wallet.

GeneS Loc: Glendale,AZ

What's wrong with using the A77 and the built in 2x telephoto feature that gets you 900mm with the 70-300mm
The SONY G lens is a good lens and mounted on the A77 an excellent lens
You can get a used one for what it will cost you to rent the A99 for a week

cambriaman Loc: Central CA Coast

planepics wrote:

Last year I ran into a guy on the flightline almost right next to me who has 3 cameras in a little wagon, each with it's own lens of a different length. He said it was faster to grab a camera than to change a lens...seems like he had too much money burning a hole in his wallet.

I don't see how you need have too much available cash to set up like the guy with the wagon. The cameras can be his last good one and one previous to that DSLRs plus the current best DSLR each with a lens appropriate to the body and activity. Yes, they all cost a lot at original list price (and there are used and refurbished sources as well) but usually, the first one is 10 years ago (and is close to worthless now) and the newer one is 5 years old (and worth maybe a few hundred) and the best one is last year's choice which did cost 2-3 thousand. The lenses are all from his arsenal gathered over the years. I doubt anyone except a very successful pro would be out there with 3 D850 Nikons or equivalent and all new lenses. And he needs that set-up to satisfy his clients so they pay for themselves. Just sayin'. Please don't turn my comment into a thread of anger retorts by one and all.

Bill P

The guy with the wagon must have been or is a pro, that's a great pro trick.

I've shot many airshows, from the ones in Harlingen in the seventies to more recent time in Oshkosh, and have never used a lens over 300mm, most of the time it lived in my bag, sad and lonely. My last trip to Oshkosh was two years ago, and the longest lens I use was 100mm. The 150-600 will guarantee many bad shots and few good ones., not to mention a big Chiropracter's bill.

You position on the filght line is more important, and good photos are to be had at each end as well as in the center.

planepics Loc: St. Louis burbs, but originally Chicago burbs

imagemeister wrote:

Yes, 70-300 is too short for full frame - BUT- you can shoot JPEG and use 1.5X Clear Image Zoom to take you to 450mm ! No problem at all on the A99II !
.

I hadn't thought about the CIZ. I've used a few times either by accident or to experiment. The 2x I tried when attempting to take pics of uncooperative bald eagles just North of St. Louis and they turned out terrible...way too much graininess. Maybe the higher res a99ii would be the difference maker. Another respondent mentioned the weight of a 150-600...didn't really think about that. I've tried using a monopod before with a rented 70-400 g2, but kept ending up picking up the whole shebang and gave up trying.