Airliners.net

Let me preface this by saying I am in no way a photographer (yet) I don't even own a camera. So my knowledge is quite limited. But I've been surrounded by aviation my whole life and I would love to get into aviation photography. I attend multiple airshows each year so I figured that would be a good place to start. If any of you guys would be willing to share any tips on buying a camera, the different models, editing, photography beginner tips, or if any of you actually shoot aircraft, that would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance!

Each individual is of course just that — individual — so what camera gear you need for a particular type of aircraft photography will vary depending on your preferences. Those who prefer their airshow photography will use similar gear but by no means the same. A good base is a fast APS-C (crop sensor) camera, such as Canon's 7D series, with an ultra-telephoto zoom lens (you'll find the Canon EF 100-400L features heavily in airshow photographers' kit bags, plus offerings from Sigma and Tamron, such as the 150-600mm biggies). What you really need to determine is what sort of maximum reach you'll need, and what sort of quality you want to get out of your gear. Full-frame (old 35mm format equivalent) cameras offer better image quality overall but they are more expensive (especially if you want a sports/action one, which you will for airshows) and you lose effective reach with your lenses (key word there, effective). The Canon EF 100-400L MkII is the benchmark for airshow photography and offers unrivalled image quality... but for some it doesn't quite have the reach (particularly when mounted on a full-frame body). Those people will therefore typically prefer the Sigma or Tamron 150-600s, and despite their image quality being slightly inferior they are favourable due to their extra reach. Other people use exorbitantly-priced ultra-telephoto prime lenses but they are less versatile. What you get for the loss of versatility is, however, even better image quality.