UKC

I'm off to Wales in the next few days to take a punt at the Mach Loop. I've never done this before and I'd really appreciate some last minute tips.

Stuff like useful focal lengths and what shutter speed to use please.

Some say low shutter speeds of 500th a second or less and some say 1,000th a second and higher.

I understand the desire to get a low shutter speed but I'd be afraid of wielding my camera around and getting too much camera shake to spoil my day, provided the military makes an appearance.

To be honest I'd be over the moon with something as sharp as this. Even though it was at an air-show and hung around for the cameras, rather than whipping past me in a few seconds.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/the1lemming/53119515657/in/dateposted/

Couple of weeks ago I went to Troutbeck on the half-lookout for jets and all I got was this monstrous Atlas above a fence under a very wiry ash (@1/1000).

It had actually been lumbering around for a while so I should have been better prepared. I wonder if that's the Blackpool Tower in the distance?

Ask the person with the most comfortable folding chair, biggest flask and drabbest anorak when you get there. They'll tell you everything you need to know. And an hour or so of stuff you didn't.

I too will be taking a compfy chair and trusty Trangia for moral purposes.

Hmm... I'm presuming that you're shooting digital, not film... First step is to set your ISO as high as you can bear - taking into account noise and desire for giant prints afterwards.

Given that you'll be at least 100m from the plane, aperture will be irrelevant. So set your to aperture priority, the aperture to maximum eg f2.8 and the camera will choose the highest possible shutter speed.

Set focus at infinity.

The plane might be darker against a bright sky, but you can fix that in post.

You can practice panning the camera without a plane, just be smooth and squeeze the shutter, rather than press/jab/etc.

Hope this helps.

''You can practice panning the camera without a plane, just be smooth and squeeze the shutter, rather than press/jab/etc''

All this ......and remember to keep them elbows in!!!!!

That first photo is impressive. The framing make it look like the pilot was either really good, or had his brown trousers on.

Check out local photographer Rory Trappe on Flickr and study his settings. https://www.flickr.com/photos/roryt/with/53476099268

This one possibly even more so:

 Maybe also take a good book, maybe a canvas and some oils, and enjoy the peace and tranquility...

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/operational-low-flying-training-...

With regards shutter speed, it depends what you want. If you want or frozen background then go fast. If you want that nice blurred background that suggests speed then go slower. You’ll want 1/100 or so for props, so that the props actually look like they’re spinning.. if you go for 1/1000 then they’ll look still and like it’s about to drop out of the air. Jets you can obviously get away with a higher lowest speed as there’s no visible moving parts to them, but the desire for a motion blur background still comes in to play. 
 

Focal lengths will vary depending on size of the aircraft, position you’re in and how good you are. Getting a sharp aircraft with a 400mm requires much more precise panning than it does with say 200mm. But again, it depends what you want artistically, a wider shot encompassing some of the environment? Or a tight shot of the cockpit? 
 

Most of the skill is in keeping patient and keeping a watchful eye out. You don’t always hear them coming until literally the last couple of seconds sometimes. The hawks are easier to spot as they tend to have their front light on so you can see them against the landscape. Don’t always assume that if a jet passes it’s the only one.. often they’ll be in a 2 or 3 and again it’s not always obvious until another whizzes past as you’re admiring your handiwork from the first. 
 

Mostly though, be prepared to be amazed, but be ready to be disappointed 😂

That's a brave thing to do and I've never tried.

I may try for another day.

I have two lenses to take on the hill a Prime 200mm f2.8 and a zoom 100-400mm f4-6.

These are for a MFT camera so the Full Frame rough equivalent is 400mm and 200-800mm.

Hopefully these focal ranges will get me close to the action.

It was the end of the display. The pilot pointed the nose up and took off like a rocket. No Dutch angle required here.

Good advice.

I'm hoping that the pilots will have held back until tomorrow when viability will be at its best before all the snow kicks in this weekend.

From the link that Longsufferingropeholder posted at 13.05, I fear you might be disappointed...

I saw f35s over the lakes last year and there was nothing scheduled.

You’ll want 1/100 or so for props, so that the props actually look like they’re spinning.. if you go for 1/1000 then they’ll look still and like it’s about to drop out of the air

Good point ! I'd presumed the images would be of jets, remembering the shenanigans I've seen in Snowdonia with RAF pilots tearing around.

If folks are hesitant about just focusing at infinity, one can also use the hyperfocal distance, if one's lens barrel has the right markings. Set the infinity point on the lens barrel against the mark for the aperture used and the effective depth of field will be as good as it can be.

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Largely yes, but you do also get USAF C130, RAF A400, Tucano, various helicopters.. 🙂

If your camera supports it then worth trying Auto ISO while in Manual, so you can set the shutter speed and aperture values and avoid having to keep re-adjusting ISO as the light varies. It gives you peace of mind that ISO will always be as low as it can be and saves you having to check light level just as a jet comes through.

So far seen 3 Texans and one Hawk.

Maybe an hour left

Have you seen any planes yet?

You funny😄

I genuinely thought you meant trangia of this parish . I would imagine they / them / thier would have a comfy chair and be good at moral support , thats if they are still around ?

A couple of what sounded like F-35s came over Trawsfynydd about 6 o'clock. They were heading south. Were you still there then?😂

I heard tell of night time flights in the area, but I'd gone by then. It was too dark to get anything.

would be interested to see your results once you have gone through your pics

The hard part is the crop to decide.

As they were moving so fast, you can appreciate that for a first time, out playing, the aircraft were hard to keep in the viewfinder.

I think dread-i was addressing me and referring to the A400, but I appreciate the new technical term.

My bad.

😁