Lens Recommendations & Comments

[Jeff D. Welker]

Would appreciate comments and recommendations regarding a lens.

As I mentioned in my recent intro post (http://azaerophoto.com/forum/index.php?topic=133.msg16460#msg16460), I've got significant experience with film photography; however, I'm somewhat new to digital. I'm getting ready to pull the trigger on some equipment and would appreciate AzAP members sharing their thoughts on lenses for aviation photography. I'm a committed Canon addict (a genetic defect) and am currently finishing my hair-splitting analysis between the 1DMkIV, 5DMkII, and 7D platforms. Once I choose the body (leaning to the MkIV at the moment), I will need to get a good lens for aviation captures.

I've done plenty of wedding, portrait, and landscape photography in the past - even a few aerial shoots with my dad. Accordingly, I'm comfortable choosing lenses for those pursuits. Nevertheless, chasing planes and helicopters from ladders and on tarmacs is another matter - beyond my life experiences to date. While I'm sure to accumulate multiple lenses as time goes on, what single lens would you recommend as my first?

Zooms versus primes, I'm open to all thoughts and ideas. I'd also like comments about using extenders like Canon's EF1.4x & EF2x models and how they could be used to my advantage. I don't mind saying I have a serious gap in my experience with telephoto lenses and am ready to be educated.

Many thanks.

[Stephen Marshall]

I don't have much experience with different lenses, but I can give you an idea what to shoot (ZING!) for.

In aviation photography reach is everything. The 5D is a full frame sensor so your going to loose some zoom right there. Lets say for example you get a 100mm prime lens. (easy math) Stick it on the 5d and you have a 100mm lens. However, put that exact same lens on the 7D, which has a crop factor of 1.6 or 1.7, and you will effectively have a 160mm lens. I don't mean to try and push you away from the camera you like, just keep this in mind.

Additionally, unless your starting a photography business the 1D is overkill and the 5D isn't far behind. You could save some money and look at a 50D or even the Rebel series for that matter and have some extra cash for the lens.

On to the real business here. Because you just want one lens I'm going to suggest you stay away from prime lenses for now. Sure the quality you get is great, but you'll find you'll be limited by that fixed focal length. What you'll want instead is the flexibility of the zoom lens. Now, there are lenses that go from 18-200mm+ but keep in mind that the more zoom there is in the lens the larger the hit on quality. All the glass and optics needed inside that lens will distort the light coming through and distort the final image. I know what I would look for is lots of zoom on the top end. Many say that 300mm is enough for aviation photography and indeed it is 90% of the time. However, I've found that even a 300mm lens on a 1.6 crop body still wont be able to reach out as far as you'll want sometimes. I've heard good things about the Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS USM Lens and it has a great range for aviation. The only issue I see is the 100mm low end. The problem you'll find is that it's too much zoom for static displays at airshow. I had a 75-300mm myself and found that was the case even with 75mm. So if your looking for an all around general purpose lens, make sure you cover the ranges you want.

As I said before, my lens experience is limited. So I'll share one of my favourite websites with you. http://www.the-digital-picture.com/ This website has reviews on almost all of Canon's active line, some of their discontinued, Tamron lenses, Sigma Lenses, and even Nikon. The reviews are VERY detailed, very helpful, and even include images to compare to similar lenses. Don't forget to take a look at Tamron and Sigma lenses as well. Even though they are 3rd party companies they make some quality lenses.

A couple other things to note real quick as well. First, IS or Image Stabilization. It's a very handy feature when things get dark or when shutter speeds get low. However, and others may disagree with this, it's not a necessity. I have successfully taken sharp photos at 1/60 shutter speed without IS. Sure, the keeper rate is low, but it's possible. For example: (Shameless self promotion) http://www.flickr.com/photos/14565546@N03/4748160035/ was taken at 270mm at 1/60th and it's pretty dang sharp WITHOUT Image stabilization. Anyway, its fairly hard to find a good lens without IS now so this may not even come up when you look at lenses you want.

Second, the teleconverter. Excellent little tool for aviation. I know Jay Beckman uses one on his 500mm at times so it must be worth it to have one. Just keep in mind that its more glass in front of the image. Its generally recommended to only use them on Canon L series lenses. I'm sure they work on others but I've heard of issues with focusing and the minimum F/stop being affected. The digital picture has some reviews on TC's so take a look at that as well.

I hope this long winded post was helpful is some way. It's probably not as cut and dry and you would have liked.. but oh well! 

[Jeff D. Welker]

Stephan - Thanks much for your comments and suggestions. I've got a Jones for Canon's "L" glass and would likely start with one of those beauties.

I'll be interested to see what others may have to say.

[Joe Copalman]

If you're committed to Canon L glass, the 100-400 is the way to go.  It'll give you more flexibility (and a hell of lot more money left in your wallet) than primes, though obviously the IQ won't quite measure up. 

A few of us shoot with the Sigma 150-500 and do fairly well with it, and I've heard and read really good things about their new stabilized 50-500.  That would pretty much give you full coverage of the entire spectrum of useful focal lengths for aviation photography.  

[Jeff D. Welker]

Hey Joe, thank you for the comments and suggestions.

Interestingly, I got a chance to play with the 100-400 L this morning - great fun. Unbeknownst to me, an acquaintance of my son had this bad boy and (to make a long story short) let me fondle it for a few minutes. He uses it for wildlife photography when he is scouting for elk hunts. I'm hoping to convince him to let me borrow it for a test drive at Willy in the near future.



I've got to do some more research on alternative lenses (i.e. Sigma, etc) and become more informed how the 100-400 L would work with an extender. To add to my original inquiry, regardless of what particular long glass I would purchase for chasing planes, I would also buy a Canon's EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM lens with the new camera body. My wife insists I have a lens for shooting photos of my grandson's. Since I enjoy chasing my grandson's with a camera, that was a no brainer. I'm hoping the 24-70 L would also do a good job on static display work.

[Stephen Marshall]

24-70 should be perfect for statics. And for the grandkids!

[Jay Beckman]

I prefer the 24-70 for statics over a true "wide angle" lens because you get less distortion of aircraft features.

Although wide angle can be fun in some cases:

EF 10-22mm on a EOS 20D (equivalent to 16mm in 35mm speak)

[Jeff D. Welker]

I prefer the 24-70 for statics over a true "wide angle" lens because you get less distortion of aircraft features.

Although wide angle can be fun in some cases:

EF 10-22mm on a EOS 20D (equivalent to 16mm in 35mm speak)

Man Jay - the depth of field on this photo is tremendous. Great detail from wing tip to cockpit - great shot!

[Jay Beckman]

That's pretty much how wide angle works (especially with the 10-22 since it's a fairly "slow" lens in terms of maximum aperture)

You can still shoot fairly wide with the 24-70 and get very shallow DOF as well:

[jslugman]

There's more than a couple of us with the 100-400mm monster. It's a decent lens but has some quirks. The push-pull zoom takes getting used to if you're used to the ring zoom of the other Canon teles and it will get more dust inside than others simply because you can hear the woosh when you move it in and out. Additionally it gets a little slow on the long end but with both those in mind it's the lens I use the most when shooting from a fence line. The teleconverter will work on it if you use a "big boy" Canon 1-series camera, otherwise you'll lose the autofocus capability unless you feel like taping a terminal or two.

Second choice for me is the 24-105 f4 L IS, when combined with the above I have pretty much both ends of the spectrum covered. When I'm traveling and only taking one lens this is the one I take: light, sharp, versatile, IS and L-glass quality. I have others but these are the two that get the most work, hope it helps in some small way.