kdrk888 wrote:
Nice Brian. Were the airshow shots handheld? When the airshow season kicks off here in April, I am thinking of trying the following combos:
1. D810+Sigma 150-600 Sport, I need the wider end for some formation shots.
2. D500+500mm VR G for single plane shots.
Can't wait
Douglas
Interesting Combo choice...my 0.02 though would be to rethink it in a different way...150-600 on the D500 gives you an effective reach from 225 - 900mm, you could shrink the size of the gear you're schlepping significantly by going that route, and then adding the 70-200 to the 810. You now cover from 70mm-900mm of effective focal length (missing only from 200-225mm) in a kit that weighs around half of what your suggestion weighs in at, which for a long day of airshow goodness will make a huge difference.
brian_sp wrote:
those 2 sound like the perfect combo, April can't get here fast enough so i can see your shots, i just ordered my tickets for a nearby airshow but not till July, it'll be my first time seeing the Thunderbirds
The Thunderbirds put on a really good show...most would agree that the blues fly a tighter and more consistent show though, if you can only see one...see the blues, but really you have to see both (both shot with the 500)
Steve, these are terrific shots! I agree that the Blue Angels put up a more interesting show. There are 7 or 8 airshows headlined by the Blue Angels or the Thunderbirds in our region every year that I don't need to fly to or stay overnight. I went to 6 of them last year. I never get tired of seeing them. One has to be there to hear the noise to understand the excitement.
Thank you for your sensible recommendation on the gear selection. The only potential issue for ME is sometimes I like to shoot formations with long vapor trails when they do the loops, like the one below. The 150mm short end on a D500 may not be wide enough. I no longer have a Nikon 70-200. However I can bring the Sony A6000+ Sony FE 70-200 to cover similar range (105-300mm equivalent), very very light and very capable AF and FPS. But the slight lag in the EVF bothers me a bit for fast moving subjects. 105mm equivalent on the wide end is good enough.
Go4Long wrote:
The Thunderbirds put on a really good show...most would agree that the blues fly a tighter and more consistent show though, if you can only see one...see the blues, but really you have to see both (both shot with the 500)
Seen the Blue Angels a couple times now,
my problem is catching them during some decent skies.
first time the skies were heavy with clouds, even during practice day, one of the show days even being cancelled because of rain.
"time to buzz the tower"
then last year the whole weekend and again including practice day the heat haze could be cut with a knife
kdrk888 wrote:
There are 7 or 8 airshows headlined by the Blue Angels or the Thunderbirds in our region every year that I don't need to fly to or stay overnight. I went to 6 of them last year. I never get tired of seeing them. One has to be there to hear the noise to understand the excitement.
I've seen them at Fort Worth Alliance, Fort Worth JRB, JRB Pearl Harbor/Hickam, Barksdale AFB, and in St George, Utah...but that was over the course of a few years. lol
Go4Long wrote:
I always just assume that everyone has a 70-200...lol
Have you seen the Breitling Team yet? REALLY impressive for a civilian outfit.
Also shot with the 500
Steve, I did have the Nikon 70-200 f2.8 II and the 70-200 f4 before I sold them and started using the Sony a6000 and a7II for that focal range. Now my Nikon D810 and the future D500 will be strictly for bird and airshows.
I saw the Breitling Team twice last year, they are great, but nothing beats the Blue Angels. . They are something else. I think the F-18s are more photogenic too.
The F-18's are more photogenic as long as you don't get too close to them...the Blue's jets look like they've been parked at the long end of a driving range from up close. They're the oldest F-18's in active service in the American Military...which makes them only slightly newer than the Canadian F-18's...lol
Go4Long wrote:
The F-18's are more photogenic as long as you don't get too close to them...the Blue's jets look like they've been parked at the long end of a driving range from up close. They're the oldest F-18's in active service in the American Military...which makes them only slightly newer than the Canadian F-18's...lol
That's a nice one of the F35 Steve. I saw one last year on the ground but have yet to see one in the air. From some angles the F35 looks like a guppy . The F-22 is one sexy beast!
They're different, that's for sure, but I love em. The opening flight at aviation nation 2014 was an F-35 and F-22 together, it was neat.
Easiest way to see em in the air is at JRB Fort Worth...they usually fly a morning mission and afternoon mission.
kdrk888 wrote:
That's a nice one of the F35 Steve. I saw one last year on the ground but have yet to see one in the air. From some angles the F35 looks like a guppy . The F-22 is one sexy beast!
joefoo wrote:
I joined the club last night, took it for a test drive this morning. I can see it's going to take some work to learn to get the best out of it.
Go4Long wrote:
The F-18's are more photogenic as long as you don't get too close to them...the Blue's jets look like they've been parked at the long end of a driving range from up close.
now that you mention it...i just noticed the patch work on the right wing in the 3rd photo from the BA's that i posted above...kind of reminds me of the old days of patching a hole in an auto body by pop riveting a patch over the hole
Go4Long wrote:
Lol. I'm out owning at the moment so I can't get the bb code, I'll fix it later but here's a link for now https://flic.kr/p/p8ZGpR
sweet!
just checked exchange rates, wow, by the time aviationnation rolls around the canadian dollar won't be worth spit, i should of booked my trip earlier
Incredible stuff as always everyone! Some shots from last weekend, D810+500mm f4D AFS II+TC-14EII. I am still blown away by the IQ of this 15+ year old beast, though VRII prices sure are tempting right now
brian_sp wrote:
now that you mention it...i just noticed the patch work on the right wing in the 3rd photo from the BA's that i posted above...kind of reminds me of the old days of patching a hole in an auto body by pop riveting a patch over the hole
sweet!
just checked exchange rates, wow, by the time aviationnation rolls around the canadian dollar won't be worth spit, i should of booked my trip earlier
The Canadian dollar fell below USD0.70! If not for warranty and potential resale value issues, it would be great for us American to by gears from Canada.
brian_sp wrote:
sweet!
just checked exchange rates, wow, by the time aviationnation rolls around the canadian dollar won't be worth spit, i should of booked my trip earlier
If you want to make yourself feel better, look at the exchange to the Euro and GBP...lol.
kdrk888 wrote:
The Canadian dollar fell below USD0.70! If not for warranty and potential resale value issues, it would be great for us American to by gears from Canada.
yes but, for us canadians that go to the air shows in the states it blows, most of my birding is done in the states also, i was having conversations with Steve about avationnation because he had attended the last show at Nellis and i was going to attend the show this fall
. They are something else. I think the F-18s are more photogenic too. 
