Camera Labs

This section is for people to add their own photographs of commercial airlines and advise what lense was used and what they find the best lenses to use when taking such pictures.

I like to go planespotting at the local airport now and then. We don't get the biggest planes, the biggest planes in regular traffic are 737's and A321's, but it's still good fun. I use my Canon 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS lens for planespotting. It gives me decent telephoto reach, but I still sometimes wish I had a 70-300 for that extra 100mm at the telephoto end. But the place where I spot I'm so close to the planes when they taxi I really need the 18mm to get them in frame, so the 18-200 is actually pretty perfect for the planespotting I do at that airport.

I tried to go planespotting in twilight/dark and it was pretty difficult. I really had to push the ISO to the max and underexpose at least one stop, and even with the help of the IS only a few shots came out good. It's in these situations you wish you had a 70-200 f/2.8 IS! But you can still get some cool pics when the sun's not set completely, like this:



I usually shoot in RAW, but since my buffer fills pretty quickly I tend to switch to jpeg when trying get pics of a touchdown, like this:

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Canon DSLRs: 5D Mark III, 7D
Canon lenses: 17-40/4L, 24-105/4L, 24/1.4L II, 50/1.4, 85/1.8, 100/2.8L Macro, 70-200/2.8L IS, 100-400L
Other stuff: Canon 580 EX II, Canon 430EX II, Velbon Sherpa 600R
Apple: MacBook Pro 15", iMac 27", iPad III, iPhone 4S, Apple TV

My deviantART

That first photo is breathtaking

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Agelshaxe

Yeah, the first pic is amazing, great job!

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Canon 5D Mark II
Canon 24-105mm f/4.0 L

Thanks, guys! Yes, I have to say it's a pretty good pic

I'm wondering whether a CPL would be beneficial when planespotting. The filter cuts a lot of haze, which I should think you would find on any airport.
But it also eats a lot of light and shutter speed is pretty crucial. Even the difference between overcast and sunny has a pretty big effect on it,
so maybe you would only be able to use it in sunny conditions?
Anyone who has any experience using a CPL when planespotting or doing any other kind of photography where quick shutter speed is needed?

Beyond that, will you get any trouble with the effect of the polarizer changing as you pan with the moving plane?

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Canon DSLRs: 5D Mark III, 7D
Canon lenses: 17-40/4L, 24-105/4L, 24/1.4L II, 50/1.4, 85/1.8, 100/2.8L Macro, 70-200/2.8L IS, 100-400L
Other stuff: Canon 580 EX II, Canon 430EX II, Velbon Sherpa 600R
Apple: MacBook Pro 15", iMac 27", iPad III, iPhone 4S, Apple TV

My deviantART

A polarizer works with the reflected light that comes perpendicular to its axis. That means, when using the polarizer, you want to have the sun at a 90 degree angle (not in front of you and not on you back either).

So with plane spotting, as you do the "panning" moves, the effect of the polarizer will change. I don't think it will be a good idea to use it on overcast or dark scenarios. Though my experience with CPL's is mostly limited to landscape photography, I think on plane spotting, the main objective of using a polarizer would be to give a more dramatic look to the sky and more texture to the clouds. If you have enough light (and if the light comes from the right direction), go ahead and try it.

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Canon 5D Mark II
Canon 24-105mm f/4.0 L

Does anyone have any plane photos using a 100-400 similar size?

I haven't had the chance to get on the flightpaths for finals at Dubai Airport yet, but here are a couple from the Emirates Airlines headquarters opposite the new Terminal 3. Common aircraft, but not necessarily common liveries.

The problem we have in Dubai is the sandy atmosphere, which creates a beige mist on some longer focal lengths.

1. Wataniya Airways A320



2. Emirates B777-300ER on pushback, with A340s in the background

Nice shots like always dubaiphil !
I think i can already see the "sandstorm" in picture 2. It`s like the whole picture hada slight sepia effect applied.

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My photostream

Yes, exactly! Not the best weather when I got to the top flor of the car park!!!! I need to find time to get to the flight path for some shots. The weather has been terrible over the last few days, but the torrential rain has cleared the atmosphere nicely....

Nice pics, dubaiphil! You're lucky to be able to see such planes. The biggest that comes to my airport regularly is an A321

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Canon DSLRs: 5D Mark III, 7D
Canon lenses: 17-40/4L, 24-105/4L, 24/1.4L II, 50/1.4, 85/1.8, 100/2.8L Macro, 70-200/2.8L IS, 100-400L
Other stuff: Canon 580 EX II, Canon 430EX II, Velbon Sherpa 600R
Apple: MacBook Pro 15", iMac 27", iPad III, iPhone 4S, Apple TV

My deviantART

I want to bag an Emirates A380 coming over the threshold at Dubai Airport - I might need a very wide angle lens though! On Saturday I will be looking for a good spot....

Wow, you're lucky when you need a wide-angle lens when planespotting!
Well, in that sence I can't complain, cause from my spotting place I need the 18mm on my 18-200 to get the whole plane in frame when they're taxing , which means I'm pretty close to the taxiway
Looking forward to A380 pics

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Canon DSLRs: 5D Mark III, 7D
Canon lenses: 17-40/4L, 24-105/4L, 24/1.4L II, 50/1.4, 85/1.8, 100/2.8L Macro, 70-200/2.8L IS, 100-400L
Other stuff: Canon 580 EX II, Canon 430EX II, Velbon Sherpa 600R
Apple: MacBook Pro 15", iMac 27", iPad III, iPhone 4S, Apple TV

My deviantART

Dubaiphil,

If you get any good pics on saturday please post them on here.

Also anyone else with any good plane pics pls post.

Damn - full of movitation after a couple of photography talks from Bobbi Lane and Joe McNally yesterday, and it's sand soup outside!

Here's a view from my balcony at home, straight out of camera and then with pp....





I'll give it a go later though.....