Bear2 Loc: Southeast,, MI

Our kids gave us this private flight for our 50th Anniversary.
I was primarily interest in landscape and waterfalls.
Our pilot pretty much stayed around 1000' except when going over "mountain ridges". Most of my images were taken from 24-140mm.
Have fun
Duane

Kuzano

The OP should keep in mind that your Pana 14-140 has a 2X AOV for the 4/3 sensor, and would equate to AOF 28x280, or much closer result to his 70x300...

Just converting Squash to Yams.

:D

David Kay Loc: Arlington Heights IL

:thumbup: :thumbup:

davidrb Loc: Half way there on the 45th Parallel

Last June we hired a helo for local, "door off" flying. Don't worry about the wind blast, if it exists you won't notice it. We rode between 500' agl to 3000'agl. I used a 70-200mm f/2.8 wide open with no problems. Your 24-105 is just a little bit "short", I tried that lens in a fixed wing A/C and was disappointed. We flew the helo about 2 1/2 hrs. before sunset, we were over water most of the time and I found a CPL to be very useful. It is helpful to be able to shoot with both eyes open. What I mean is this; being in a helo may be a first for you and it is an eye-opener, you will get to see the world from a new perspective, you will be a "tourist". Don't get lost in sight seeing and forget to compose and shoot. Rides like this can be a real blast. Hope you enjoy your's as much as we did. We wait to see your results. :lol: :lol: :lol:

SSam Loc: Sierra Vista, AZ

Our local Photo Club had a talk recently about taking photos from a Helicopter. She said make certain that you have TWO straps on your camera and don't ever unhook the one strapped to your body when in the helicopter! 'Things' happen!

davidrb Loc: Half way there on the 45th Parallel

Wide angles are not the lens of choice from the air. They tend to expand the image too much. Lots of "area", no details. They lose all depth perception from above.

LFingar Loc: Claverack, NY

Thanks for the info. I had originally leaned towards the 24-105 but now I've pretty much decided it will be the 70-300. Not worried about wind blast or playing "tourist". Got plenty of experience with open doors and hanging out in the sky. Looking forward to posting some interesting shots!

LFingar Loc: Claverack, NY

Thank You.

windshoppe Loc: Arizona

Very true. Before our doors off helicopter tour in Kauai I did a lot of research. Best advice I got was from two pro photogs who spend a lot of time in helicopters. Their advice was to use a wide angle lens (I used my 24-105) and set the shutter speed no less than 1/1600. Also to use burst mode to ensure getting at least one shot of each burst that would not include the blades. Excellent advice and I came away with some really great photos.

Zonker Loc: Leesburg, FL

Don't forget a tether for the camera.

twowindsbear

RENT a 24-300 just for the flight. Have the BEST of both worlds!

Jim Peters Loc: Pittsburgh

In A Chopper,Your Moving Much Faster Than You Realize. We Shot At A 1/500 Of A Second. I Shot From Choppers In Viet Nam And On Maui. We Shot For The News In 1980s.We Had Also To Shoot Artillery Projectiles From The Air. Slower Speeds Will Blur.

Maui Volcano Crater

LFingar Loc: Claverack, NY

Thank You.

LFingar Loc: Claverack, NY

It will be on my Black Rapid. Actually, most of the time it will be in my hand whether I am shooting or not. Having a strap is a requirement for the ride anyway.

Arca

LFingar,

I hope you have a wonderful time on Oahu. I have flown the doorless helicopters on Kauai twice. Things I have learned include (based on Nikon F100 film camera) do not use a polarizing filter as it will slow down shutter speed too much, since I like to keep the F-stop at the very sharp F8. Remember the adage, "F8 and be there." So I prefer to use F8 because of that.

The helicopter rides I have taken have brought me close to waterfalls only about 100 feet away. This is much too close for anything close to a 200 mm lens to encompass. You get no perspective, but you can visualize the insects on the moss.

I strongly recommend your lens similar to my 24-120 mm for versatility.

I needed to change film during my 1st flight. Through the intercom I requested a "hold" in the flight and the pilot complied. I don't recommend doing this for fun, but it can be done. I had to put the film(s) in my jacket pocket to keep the 1st roll from getting lost and the canister from the 2nd roll in the same pocket for the same reason. If you have a large enough pocket, you could put your lens in there. It won't be loose and it won't be floating around the cabin. The wind in the cabin is not very much, but the wind just outside the cabin will prevent you from shooting beyond the safety of the cabin. In other words, I recall there being a tremendous amount of air drag on the barrel of the lens if you stick it out too far from the cabin of the helicopter.

Since you are probably using digital, you can choose the highest ISO which provides you with the least noise at F8 (or whatever is the sharpest point in your lens).

IMHO

Arca