Lens For Spotting In St.Maarten — Aviation Photography Forum

Sponsor Message:


My Starred Topics \| Profile \| New Topic \| Forum Index \| Help \| Search

Lens For Spotting In St.Maarten

yerbol From Kazakhstan, joined Feb 2010, 188 posts, RR: 0
Posted (11 months 4 weeks 1 day 13 hours ago) and read 4936 times:

Dear Spotters,
Please advise if 18-105mm kit lens wide-long good enough for spotting in St.Maarten.
Would be nice to see some photos taken at 18mm wide from the famous "Macho Beach" spot.
Thanks!

With best regards from Almaty

11 replies: All unread, jump to last

JakTrax From United Kingdom, joined Jun 2005, 4780 posts, RR: 8
Reply 1, posted (11 months 4 weeks 1 day 13 hours ago) and read 4935 times:

Will be fine Yerbol - I used a 24-105 out there and didn't miss a single shot!

Karl

Fly-K From Germany, joined May 2000, 3120 posts, RR: 53
Reply 2, posted (11 months 4 weeks 1 day 13 hours ago) and read 4932 times:

Support Airliners.net - become a First Class Member!

If you want to be creative (for example very close underneath the aircraft), even a fisheye could be fun. But 18mm should be enough in most cases (unless the 747 comes in too low LOL).

Once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been...

jlunddk From Denmark, joined Feb 2012, 11 posts, RR: 0
Reply 3, posted (11 months 4 weeks 1 day 9 hours ago) and read 4897 times:

I only used my 17-55mm all the time, so your 18-105 will be just fine. If you check my site (JLPhoto.dk under St.Maarten 2012) you can see the pictures. They're all taken with the 17-55 even the ones taken from a barstool at sunset bar

yerbol From Kazakhstan, joined Feb 2010, 188 posts, RR: 0
Reply 4, posted (11 months 4 weeks 10 hours ago) and read 4777 times:

Dear All,
Thanks for advise!
I hope to visit Macho soon and share my photos with you.
What is the best time for spotting there? Assume it is morning hours and evenings as it seems a very hot place and day time temperature can cause a heat haze. Am I right?

With best regards from Almaty

jlunddk From Denmark, joined Feb 2012, 11 posts, RR: 0
Reply 5, posted (11 months 4 weeks 4 hours ago) and read 4741 times:

The best time is somewhere between noon and 18.00 because that's when the "heavies" come and go. There's traffic all day long, but mostly smaller planes in the morning and evening.

JakTrax From United Kingdom, joined Jun 2005, 4780 posts, RR: 8
Reply 6, posted (11 months 4 weeks 4 hours ago) and read 4739 times:

Yerbol,

Heat-haze is a problem for ground shots after about 08:00 and before around 16:00, unless the aircraft come right down to the fence (some do). Mornings are good from the Sunset Beach Bar side from 07:00 (when the airport opens) until about 11:00, but you can get away with a few hours after if you want the heavies and don't mind the light a little tail-end on. If you shoot the aircraft over the water there's no issue with haze.

After 16:00 you can shoot aircraft as they line up on runway 10, and after about 17:30 you can move to the Driftwood Boat Bar side of the beach for evening arrivals if you wish.

Karl

yerbol From Kazakhstan, joined Feb 2010, 188 posts, RR: 0
Reply 7, posted (11 months 4 weeks 3 hours ago) and read 4729 times:

Dear Karl, Konstantin, Jorn,
Thanks for help. I look forward to see that place and do some spotting.

With best regards from Almaty

kl692 From Canada, joined Feb 2006, 651 posts, RR: 0
Reply 8, posted (11 months 3 weeks 6 days 17 hours ago) and read 4683 times:

Quoting Fly-K (Reply 2):
unless the 747 comes in too low LOL).

Don't they always comes in too low? For the love of me, I don't know how a 747 can land and takeoff from that single runway.

A310, A330,A346,B73H, B747,B772,B77W,CRJ

Fly-K From Germany, joined May 2000, 3120 posts, RR: 53
Reply 9, posted (11 months 3 weeks 6 days 17 hours ago) and read 4680 times:

Quoting kl692 (Reply 8):
Don't they always comes in too low

What's low, what's too low LOL Too low in this case meaning too close for having 18mm as the lower end of your lens.

Once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been...

coninpa From Luxembourg, joined May 2005, 233 posts, RR: 6
Reply 10, posted (11 months 3 weeks 5 days 11 hours ago) and read 4579 times:

AIRLINERS.NET CREW
PHOTO SCREENER

From around the Sunset Bar (the wooden terrace on the right of the attached), I used 24-70mm for the big ones, 70-200mm for the smaller ones, 14 mm for the wide angle shots closer to the center line or on the beach.

View Large View Medium
Click here for bigger photo!

Patrick De Coninck

JRowson From United Kingdom, joined May 2004, 345 posts, RR: 13
Reply 11, posted (11 months 3 weeks 2 days 4 hours ago) and read 4411 times:

Quoting JakTrax (Reply 6):
). Mornings are good from the Sunset Beach Bar side from 07:00 (when the airport opens) until about 11:00, but you can get away with a few hours after if you want the heavies and don't mind the light a little tail-end on

It does depend what time of year you go. If you go during high season (northern hemisphere winter) then the light at the beach bar is good pretty much all day long. It's during the middle of the year that it becomes backlit during the middle of the day.

James Rowson. Canonite and lover of all things L. JAR Photography.

Top Of Page

Forum Index

This topic is archived and can not be replied to any more.

Printer friendly format

Similar topics: