Sigma 150 - 600 Poor Airshow Results

trev864

Senior Member
I recently bought the contemporary version of the Sigma 150 - 600 lens to use for airshows on my D7100 I have done a lot of airshow photography previously using my Nikon 70 - 300 with excellent results.

I used the lens yesterday at an airshow for the first time and was very disappointed with the results. I shot handheld and on a monopod and the majority of my shots were blurred and out of focus,

I used the same settings as normal on my camera (continuous autofocus, dynamic focus mode). Whether using a slower shutter speed e.g. 1/250 (to blur propellers) or a high shutter speed e.g. 1/1250, I struggled to get sharp shots.

Could anyone advise please on the best lens settings for airshow photography. For both handheld use and use on a monopod?

I suspect it's me!
 

hans.v.leen

Senior Member
I dont know which F number you use try a lower one say F8 or F9, this is only possible when the light is good because otherwise you have to work with higher iso.
It could that you have back or front focus, you have to correct that with usb dock or in camera.
Greets Hans

Verstuurd vanaf mijn SM-G920F met Tapatalk
 

nickt

Senior Member
Well, you could be having front or back focus issues. Give it a check. I'm betting more on technique though, it takes some time to get comfortable with this lens. It is probably slower to focus than your previous lens. I'm not sure I like dynamic mode for this. If your pics are still on the card, you can see the chosen focus point in camera, if not, use Nikon's software to see the focus point. I've been trying d9 focus just recently and not doing so good. I'm more comfortable with single point for now, still learning. Another thing to check is are you in release priority or focus priority. Since you are in continuous servo mode, having release priority set will allow you to snap away without ever achieving focus. Not unworkable, but something to be aware of. Also menu a3 affects behavior here. It adds a delay to the camera correcting focus. I can argue both ways whether this is a good or bad thing.
If you have the dock, you can play with focus speed vs accuracy. I cant remember how mine is set, I need to hook it up and check.
I mostly shoot this lens on my d7100 in manual. 1/1250, f8, auto iso. Single point continuous w/release priority using back button focus.
 

Horoscope Fish

Senior Member
I recently bought the contemporary version of the Sigma 150 - 600 lens to use for airshows on my D7100 I have done a lot of airshow photography previously using my Nikon 70 - 300 with excellent results.

I used the lens yesterday at an airshow for the first time and was very disappointed with the results. I shot handheld and on a monopod and the majority of my shots were blurred and out of focus,

I used the same settings as normal on my camera (continuous autofocus, dynamic focus mode). Whether using a slower shutter speed e.g. 1/250 (to blur propellers) or a high shutter speed e.g. 1/1250, I struggled to get sharp shots.

Could anyone advise please on the best lens settings for airshow photography. For both handheld use and use on a monopod?

I suspect it's me!
Some example shots would be very helpful in determining the problem.

When you say your shots were blurred and out of focus, do you mean to say your subject was out of focus, or was the whole shot blurry? Were you keeping your shutter at twice the focal focal length (e.g. if shooting at 200mm was your shutter speed at least 1/400)?

Once again, posting up some examples would be huge help.
 

trev864

Senior Member
I do not believe I have issues with back of front focus
I have used the lens on more static subjects and the results were fine. I do have the USB dock and the firmware is up to date.
I was using the custom mode 1 which was set for fast focus and dynamic OS.
My camera is set to release prioity. I used this previously with no problems.
I have already checked the focus point.
I also used OS setting number 1. Is this the best setting for an airshow?
It could be me I suppose with poor technique but even with the monopod oil struggled.
Will try and post an example later
 

BackdoorArts

Senior Member
1/1250s sounds fast, but at 600mm with a moving target it's not as fast as you think. 1/250s is cross your fingers speeds.

Shooting moving objects takes time and practice. 1/(focal length x 2) is my minimum shutter speed on a DX camera of over 20MP's which is right where you're at. Anything slower for me is a crap shoot if either it or I am moving, and the longer the lens the more the adjustment. Birds in flight with my 150-600mm Sport (heavier and longer) requires a minimum of 1/1600s handheld and 1/2000s if I'm panning if I want a good hit ratio.

And above all of this, make sure you have the right focus mode and your settings within the mode are right.
 

trev864

Senior Member
I have never had an issue taking sharp shots at 1/250 with my 70 - 300 lens. Perhaps I haven't got the ability with this heavier lens to handhold it and get a sharp shot. I would post an example but I cant work out how to upload images to this site
 
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trev864

Senior Member
Thank you Bikerbrent!

The below is an example

Taken on a monopod 270mm ISO 250 F16 1/250s

I have cropped it to show the blur




DSC_0619.jpg
 

Danno

Senior Member
I have the Nikon 200-500 f/5.6 and I will tell you it took me quite a bit of practice to use it correctly. I ended up putting it on a tripod with a gimbal head. I struggled with the weight.

I did get to the point that I can do handheld for a short time but I have to be at 1.5 times the focal length minimum to get a decent shot and I usually do a 3 or 4 shot burst to let the camera and my grip settle in, ( a friend suggested the burst and it really helped).

As for uploading files. It is best if you resize your photos to 1000 pixels on the long edge and a resolution of 72 ppi. There is a framed icon in the toolbar that looks like a photo and you click on that and you can import the photos.

By the way, welcome to the forum.
 

Bikerbrent

Senior Member

VC is Sigma speak for Vibration Control, which equals Nikon speak for VR (Vibration Reduction), which equals Tamron VC (Vibration Control), which equals Canon IS (Image Stabilization). Aren't you glad most camera terms were standardized before the days of marketing and legal experts! Everyone calls them a shutter, lens, aperture, ISO, film, etc. rather than everyone having their own terms!
 

Horoscope Fish

Senior Member
Vibration Control. I forgot Sigma calls it "OS" (Optical Stablization), my bad.

In my experience it can cause as many problems as it solves.

And if you had it on while using a mechanical stabilizer (e.g. a monopod or tripod) you were definitely asking for problems.
 
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nickt

Senior Member
I agree, looks like motion blur. I wonder too if the OS contributed to the problem. You said you had OS1 on. OS1 corrects for up and down and side to side. OS2 is for panning. On my Sigma, OS causes very obvious problems on a tripod. I know instantly when I forget to turn it off because the viewfinder image starts moving around when I activate focus. OS seems to do the job handheld, but I haven't done much panning to say for sure how it behaves.
Here's an article by a Sigma guy:
https://blog.sigmaphoto.com/2011/understanding-optical-stabilization-by-jack-howard/

Half way down the page he talks about os1 vs os2.
 

trev864

Senior Member
Thank you nickt, I will look at that article.

Yes the OS was on. I normally switch off OS on my lenses if using a tripod, but i left it on using the monopod
 

Woodyg3

Senior Member
Contributor
Yep, that shot shows motion blur. If you are panning with the plane and using relatively slow shutter speeds to get nice prop blur, you will probably want to turn OS off. On my Nikon 70-300 I use VR "active" and that seems to work when panning. I don't know if Sigma has a similar setting.

Aviation photography is tough, and the longer the lens, the more any motion blur is magnified. I always shoot in continuous high mode and pan as smoothly as my shaky old hands will let me. That way I usually get a few that are pretty sharp and still have nice prop blur. I will also admit that I chicken out and use higher shutter speeds at times, a sharp shot is sometimes more important to me than having artistic prop blur. :)
 

Horoscope Fish

Senior Member
Thank you nickt, I will look at that article.

Yes the OS was on. I normally switch off OS on my lenses if using a tripod, but i left it on using the monopod
Then I think the blur-issue is probably technique related. Generally speaking I don't use OS/VR/VC unless I'm certain it's needed for a particular situation and once the situation no longer requires it, I shut it off again. I find it much better to simply keep my shutter speed at well above the focal length. Not that I don't like OS/VR/VC, it's that I think of it as a very specific tool for a very specific problem.
 
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