Panning with small jets advice?

[SkyBaby]

A Cessna Citation 3 arrived at TSP (Tehachapi muni) and the pilot and owner were very generous and offered to do a low pass for me after departure.  I need some serious practice panning with jets.  The vast majority of my shots of both the take off and pass are a bit soft or down right blurry.  I'll post some of my better ones pretty soon.  Any panning advice for me?  Is it all just practice?  I'm pretty good with slower planes (props), getting both a good amount of prop blur while still keeping the rest of the plane sharp.  A jet is such a rare treat there that when one comes down, I often find either my shutter speed is too slow, or I have trouble focusing while panning so quickly.  I was pretty focused on enjoying the moment, though.  It's not every day when a private jet does a high speed low pass for you. 

In short, I need some advice on panning with jets. 

Thanks, folks!

[rammsteinmatt]

Jets are a luxury, photowise.  You can crank up the shutter speed as fast as you want, which makes things easier.

yes, your thoughts are correct... its all practice.  I've been practicing for at least 4 years and I still am not satisfied with my panning skills - but they are much better.  If airplanes are in short supply, practice at the local highway.  Stay back about as far as you think the airplanes pass by, error on the side of closer though.  Start with a fast shutter speed, maybe 1/1000.  incrementally drop the shutter speed as slow as you can go and get shap-ish photos.

IMO prop planes are more difficult because they demand slow shutter speeds.  jets, just crank it as fast as your f/stop and ISO will allow.

perfect practice makes perfect

[SkyBaby]

Jets are a luxury, photowise.  You can crank up the shutter speed as fast as you want, which makes things easier.

yes, your thoughts are correct... its all practice.  I've been practicing for at least 4 years and I still am not satisfied with my panning skills - but they are much better.  If airplanes are in short supply, practice at the local highway.  Stay back about as far as you think the airplanes pass by, error on the side of closer though.  Start with a fast shutter speed, maybe 1/1000.  incrementally drop the shutter speed as slow as you can go and get shap-ish photos.

IMO prop planes are more difficult because they demand slow shutter speeds.  jets, just crank it as fast as your f/stop and ISO will allow.

perfect practice makes perfect

The highway is a good idea.  I didn't think of that.  I'll experiment next time I'm out shooting.  I was only shooting at around 1/250 for the pass and take off trying to get a good background blur, but I also managed to blur the jet.  He said he'll be back in a few days, so hopefully I'll have a second chance.  I'll try 1/1000 next time. Tehachapi is usually pretty good weather wise in the summer.  It's the winter time things can get a bit ugly, so I was shooting with only a few clouds in the sky today and some of the shots are nicely framed, but very soft. 

I have more practice with props and I'm pretty confident with shooting those.  Not overly so, there's still plenty to learn, but I get more good shots of prop planes than I do of jets.  I have a steady enough hand that I don't even use IS when shooting at 1/100 because it always ends up blurring the shot even when I know I was focused. 

[Realbigtaco]

Like Ram said, if it is jets, go FAST!  I will be the first to admit that i do not have a steady hand at all.  For me when i go out to El Centro to shot the Blues, i crank it up to 1/1250 or even 1/1600.  Just all depends on if you have enough light, but just bump your ISO up a bit.  Most people will probably disagree with me on shooting that fast and that you should get your F-Stop more in the sweet spot, but for me, I really care about sharper pictures more.

I also had another friend give me a couple of other tips.  One make sure to shoot threw the subject.  Just remember to keep panning with the aircraft when you shoot.  Another one, which is more of a trick, is the do a double shot.  What i mean is that sometimes people have a tendency to squeeze they trigger hard which can shake the camera.  So if you click down and hold the trigger so that it will take 2 or more shots you avoid the jerk of pressing the trigger for the subsequent shots.

[rammsteinmatt]

Like Ram said, if it is jets, go FAST!  I will be the first to admit that i do not have a steady hand at all.  For me when i go out to El Centro to shot the Blues, i crank it up to 1/1250 or even 1/1600.  Just all depends on if you have enough light, but just bump your ISO up a bit.  Most people will probably disagree with me on shooting that fast and that you should get your F-Stop more in the sweet spot, but for me, I really care about sharper pictures more.

I also had another friend give me a couple of other tips.  One make sure to shoot threw the subject.  Just remember to keep panning with the aircraft when you shoot.  Another one, which is more of a trick, is the do a double shot.  What i mean is that sometimes people have a tendency to squeeze they trigger hard which can shake the camera.  So if you click down and hold the trigger so that it will take 2 or more shots you avoid the jerk of pressing the trigger for the subsequent shots.

two additional excellent techniques.  dunno about IS, but Nikon VR can detect panning, and therefore I generally leave VR on since it can only help (yes i've read the topic about VR causing loss of sharpness).  my 70-200 is so awesome though, I love it to death.

[SkyBaby]

RealBigTaco-  Thanks for the tips!  I'll probably have another chance with the Citation 3 as the pilot said he'll be back at Tehachapi this Wed.  I'll boost shutter speed for all those shots. 

Rammsteinmatt-  I have a Canon 50D and 28-135mm IS lens.  Some of Canon's lenses have two separate modes of IS where Mode 1 is the usual IS and Mode 2 is the one for panning.  My kit lens only has one mode of IS.  I'm saving up for Canon's 100-400mm L.  I believe that lens has two modes of IS. 

[Dragonskiss]

I'm saving up for Canon's 100-400mm L.  

You won't regret it.

I believe that lens has two modes of IS.  

Correct.

As mentioned already, it'll all really come down to just mastering the technique(s) and plenty of practice. Just as a side note, I usually disable the IS with anything over 1/500th of a second. The sensor isn't exposed long enough at that point and the mechanics of the IS become relatively insignificant.

[SkyBaby]

You won't regret it.

Correct.

As mentioned already, it'll all really come down to just mastering the technique(s) and plenty of practice. Just as a side note, I usually disable the IS with anything over 1/500th of a second. The sensor isn't exposed long enough at that point and the mechanics of the IS become relatively insignificant.

The IS is rarely on nowadays.  It seems to me it causes some camera-shake looking blur when it is on, because my hand is steady enough, even when I'm shooting slow.  Sometimes I'll flick it on while panning with a Cessna 172 or something at 1/125.  I'll remember to majorly bump up my shutter speed the next time I shoot a jet.  That Citation 3 and its Pilot said he was coming back tomorrow (wed) when I saw him a few days ago.  I'm working on planning a day to go out and shoot and plane spot at LAX with my dad who is also into aviation. 

What about turning off the IS on a long lens like your 100-400?  As steady as I am, I haven't ever experimented with anything longer than 250mm (55-250 IS).  I didn't really use the IS when zoomed out all the way even while shooting birds.  Thanks for your advice!

[Dragonskiss]

The IS is rarely on nowadays.  It seems to me it causes some camera-shake looking blur when it is on, because my hand is steady enough, even when I'm shooting slow.  

It's a possibility. The whole point of the IS is counteract the shake caused by movements in your hands/body. If you're steady enough or have the camera mounted on a tripod with the IS on, it could introduce errors into your image which may be the blur you're describing. I've learned this the hard way, doing night captures with the IS accidentally on, and the errors are magnified with longer exposures.

What about turning off the IS on a long lens like your 100-400?  As steady as I am, I haven't ever experimented with anything longer than 250mm (55-250 IS).  I didn't really use the IS when zoomed out all the way even while shooting birds.  Thanks for your advice!

I don't have any experience with the 55-250 IS lens, but a quick search revealed that the 100-400 weighs over 3 times as much. I have pretty steady hands as well; however, the longer the focal length used, the more effective the IS becomes. In low lighting conditions, it's a godsend! Canon claims up to a 3-stop advantage with it on; your miles may vary. During the daytime, I'll usually switch it off. It does soften up the image very slightly with it on, but I'll let your eyes be the judge. You should be able to "see" your IS work, as well as even hear it.

[SkyBaby]

It's a possibility. The whole point of the IS is counteract the shake caused by movements in your hands/body. If you're steady enough or have the camera mounted on a tripod with the IS on, it could introduce errors into your image which may be the blur you're describing. I've learned this the hard way, doing night captures with the IS accidentally on, and the errors are magnified with longer exposures.

I don't have any experience with the 55-250 IS lens, but a quick search revealed that the 100-400 weighs over 3 times as much. I have pretty steady hands as well; however, the longer the focal length used, the more effective the IS becomes. In low lighting conditions, it's a godsend! Canon claims up to a 3-stop advantage with it on; your miles may vary. During the daytime, I'll usually switch it off. It does soften up the image very slightly with it on, but I'll let your eyes be the judge. You should be able to "see" your IS work, as well as even hear it.

I will certainly experiment.  One thing I'm looking forward to on the Canon lens is the 2 mode IS.  One is the usual IS, and the other mode is the IS designed for panning.  I'll probably keep it on the panning mode for the most part.  Thanks so much for all the very helpful advice!