Harry P Loc: United Kingdom

Hi,

I purchased the sigma 150-600mm to use on my Nikon D5100 for RIAT and Airborne in Eastbourne, Great Britain! I have heard in a video review of this lens by Jared Polin whilst he was at a Airshow in Atlantic City, NJ that the optimisation setting number 2 is for panning planes that are flying by! But I am confused, does setting number 2 for OS also help stabilise planes that then start going vertical! I am concerned that I may have to be switching between settings 1 and 2 whilst at the show. Is anyone who uses particular lens at air shows able to confirm or deny this for me?

Look forward to replies!

Thanks,

Harry

r1ch Loc: Colorado

Panning mode stabilized up and down movement, but left to right, if it tried to stabilize for that it would introduce a problem.

If you are stabilized for up and down movement and you are panning up and down, the lens will try and stabilize that movement. Not a good thing. The reason mode 2 exists if because mode 1 will try and stabilize your panning movement and that is not a good thing.

PoppieJ Loc: North Georgia

If you are handheld then turn stabilization off and go with it. You are going to be panning in both directions which will make the stabilization not work very well. You will also be shooting with a very fast shutter speed so stabilization will not make much of a difference. If you are shooting planes that are on the ground then use your stabilization. I have used this lens, contemporary not sport, for the canon and have not had a problem, and I used it on the crop sensor 70D canon.

alx Loc: NJ

Regardless of lens, the best thing unless you frequently shoot airshows is to go to an airport and PRACTICE before the real thing.

rmorrison1116 Loc: Near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania

I own both Sigma 150-600 lenses. A Contemporary with Nikon F mount and a Sport with Canon EF mount. I have shot air shows and boat races and other action events, in full daylight, with both lenses and as I'm shooting at high shutter speeds, I turn stabilization off. When shooting fast action in bright daylight, all stabilization does, for the most part, is run down your battery quicker.

Harry P Loc: United Kingdom

Thank you for everyone's replies! From what I am reading, it sounds like using stabilisation for fast jets is pointless! not just for fast jets but also because of battery life, I did purchase a couple of brand new batteries which are a bit higher capacity than the original two batteries as I had no clue how much power this sigma would consume compared to my Tamron 70-300mm which btw does not have stabilisation and that I used at RIAT 2018!

With this in mind, I think I will still go ahead and use the stabilisation but ONLY for propellor and rotor aircraft at RIAT as I have a goal to capture prop blur so I will most likely be shooting at 1/320th or possibly slower if I feel confident enough! It should help me ensure that the prop/rotor aircraft are sharp and dont get blur in the body of the craft!

Thanks for your help!

Harry

Harry P Loc: United Kingdom

Ok so from what I'm reading, for fast jets; stabilisation is pointless as the really fast shutter speed will freeze them in place, flying by or going vertical! However I think I will go ahead and use it for prop and rotor aircraft as i intent to shoot at 1/320th for blur or possibly slower if i can hold it still enough, maybe 1/80th and slower for the USAF osprey if they choose to hover it still or move it very slowly sown like they did when I was previously there back in 2018!

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

The stabilization also helps to stabilize the view finder, something that is rather useful when panning and trying to keep a fast moving subject in the frame. The battery drain is a non issue. You're more likely to forget adjusting this setting when needed than to run out of battery at a critical moment.

1/320 sec is a good speed, but consider even slower for slower planes / props. I tend to use 1/250 sec for all but the highest high-performance planes like the Extra 330. As you noted, 1/100 sec or slower is needed for the helicopters for dramatic blurred blades.

You can go as slow as 1/1000 sec for most jets, if you need to adjust for low light / aperture. Only the crossing shots need 'really' fast in the 1/2000+ sec to freeze both the plane you're following in the pan and the plane crossing in the other direction. Let your aperture and / or ISO determine if you need 1/1000 sec, or 1250, or 1600, etc.

Finally, shoot the planes coming toward you and don't bother with the from-the-tail view after the plane(s) has passed. All airshows have a center-line. Your long lens will give you options of not having to be there super early for a prime spot. Pay attention to the wind direction. It's more important to be upwind of the smoke so you have clear views, not smoke obscured.

Harry P Loc: United Kingdom

Right, this has reminded from when I watched a tips video on airshow photography, when I was at RIAT in 2018 I shot completely on manual, adjusting the shutter speed, I cant remember if I changed aperture at all but I do think I adjusted ISO at some point when it started to get a bit dark.

I heard that you should shoot in A mode instead of S or M and im thinking "HUH?!?! WHAT?!?!" why would you shoot in A mode, because you need to be able to maintain the same shutter speed for fast jets! if you shot in A for a fast jet, wouldnt the shutter speed then slow down and give you blur on the planes body?

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Agreed. Personally, I shoot all manual, but I'm carefully and continuously checking my parameters and exposure, sometimes even trying to vary my ISO as I pan across the entire L-R (R-L) horizon. Also, I can be out for 4- to 6-hours where the light can change dramatically.

Be sure to expose to right, especially if you have a more blue / less cloud sky. If you don't push the exposure up to nearly blowing the highlights, you end up with a very noisy (underexposed) sky that detracts from the image.

Finally, remember your <quote reply> button to give your comments / follow-up questions a context.

Harry P Loc: United Kingdom

oh this is how you reply to a persons comment, i was wondering why the normal reply button wasnt listing it as a reply to you hahaha

Harry P Loc: United Kingdom

Here is my flickr profile where you can see my RIAT 2018 photos! i used my older tamron 70-300mm for RIAT 2018, im very excited to see what results I get with my new sigma 150-600mm for RIAT 2022!!! https://www.flickr.com/photos/162073713@N02/albums

47greyfox Loc: on the edge of the Colorado front range

Jared Polin did a “real world” review of the Sigma 150-600 at an air show. Give it a look see….

https://youtu.be/F6tCUFXiDws

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

We had the Red Arrows here in Chicago the last time we had a 'full' airshow in Chicago.

You've changed the lens, what body is this year? Consider shooting f/8 to f/11 for more depth of field and sharper focus, as well as a 'zone' if your body has this AF feature. I don't see the focus mode in the Flickr EXIF. AF-Continuous is needed for a Nikon body and will have the camera grab focus with the available AF points in the 9- or 12-box zone if you can just get the box over the plane within the frame.

I try to pick up a plane coming toward me with the AF active and then pan with the plane until the nearest point, when only then I rip a few frames. I'm using a back-button focus configuration.

Harry P Loc: United Kingdom

Watching the Red Arrows is a massive part of British Culture!!! always a thrill to watch them, even at my more local Airshow called Airborne in Eastbourne! I am using the same body that I had used for the first time I went to RIAT, the Nikon D5100 which I inherited from my late grandfather as well as the 70-300mm telephoto. Yes, I was using Continuous servo AF for RIAT, I heard that its a different name for canon DSLR's. What is the back-button focus?? is that the button called 'AE-L/AF-L'??