C100: Any advice on shooting from a plane?
- Thread starter mtnski
- Start date
If you can give it a try without too much jeopardy, try it with the IS lens - I think you'll most likely struggle with vibration on the Tokina.
Totally depends on the aircraft - but if you want a forward facing shot, the wing and/or wing struts on a small fixed wing will usually be in the way (the zoom on the 24-105 might help you get past this, though.)
Best solution is a proper aerial gimbal mount - but I'm guessing that, if that was an option, you probably wouldn't be asking here.
I've shot with various mounts from various helicopters and a fixed wing Cessna with varying degrees of success. I guess I'd just say that shooting with an IS lens, rather than something like a Schwem GyroZoom, is unorthodox and could result in anything from refreshingly brilliant to absolute crap.
Bottom line - if your reputation and income depend on it, fork out for a proper mount rental and possibly an aerial camera op who does it day in, day out, with the same pilot (comms between them are crucial to getting good shots and, if your pilot is not familiar with aerial filming, you will probably find it intensely frustrating.)
Hope that's vaguely useful.
Ben.
Totally depends on the aircraft - but if you want a forward facing shot, the wing and/or wing struts on a small fixed wing will usually be in the way (the zoom on the 24-105 might help you get past this, though.)
Best solution is a proper aerial gimbal mount - but I'm guessing that, if that was an option, you probably wouldn't be asking here.
I've shot with various mounts from various helicopters and a fixed wing Cessna with varying degrees of success. I guess I'd just say that shooting with an IS lens, rather than something like a Schwem GyroZoom, is unorthodox and could result in anything from refreshingly brilliant to absolute crap.
Bottom line - if your reputation and income depend on it, fork out for a proper mount rental and possibly an aerial camera op who does it day in, day out, with the same pilot (comms between them are crucial to getting good shots and, if your pilot is not familiar with aerial filming, you will probably find it intensely frustrating.)
Hope that's vaguely useful.
Ben.
Shooting from a plane
Shooting from a plane
Keep your camera free-floating rather than bracing against the window or side of the plane, shoulder rigs can help, bring both lenses, watch out for window reflections, and if you're getting audio, place a lav mic inside the noise-cancelling headphones to capture pilot speech. Good luck!
Shooting from a plane
Keep your camera free-floating rather than bracing against the window or side of the plane, shoulder rigs can help, bring both lenses, watch out for window reflections, and if you're getting audio, place a lav mic inside the noise-cancelling headphones to capture pilot speech. Good luck!
Nate Haustein
Well-known member
Use the 24-105mm and set your C100 to 1/500 shutter speed. Sounds weird, but the motion looks totally natural from that far up and you make it much easier to stabilize in post later without motion blur. Speaking of, the "Lock and Load X" plugin worked much better for me than the FCPX stabilizer. DaVinci Resolve also did a nice job stabilizing the footage. Also, shoot 30p and conform to 24p later. You get 20% more frames to play with. So your 4 second shot stretches to 5 seconds. Besides that, turn on your zebras, don't let the sky blow out, keep your horizon level and set a nice deep aperture. Good luck!
dustylense
Veteran
Rent a Kenyon Gyro. Problem solved.
traviswears
Well-known member
telecam
Active member
I got some great aerials of the Mojave desert flying on a Cessna 172, handholding my C300 with Canon's 11-22 and 17-55 looking out of an open window right through the open right wing and strut. Note, i just stuck the lens out of the window, not the all camera... As slavikb mentioned above, keep the camera free flowing to avoid vibrations, it's light enough to be comfortable doing this. I have shot with more complicated and clumsy devices (tyler mounts and all...) and unless you need to go tight or zoom in, this simplistic and lightweight approach yield very good results.
Mike Fizer
Member
mtnski,
Go with the suggestion on the KenLab gyro, try to get the KS-6 which I use on the C100. If you're flying in a Cessna 172/182 I would make a couple of suggestions. IF it's an older model, (no shoulder harness belt tracks in the ceiling) sit in the back on take off. Once in flight, fold the copilot seatback forward (make sure it clears the yolk prior to takeoff) and try sitting on the back of the seatback facing the rear, it's much more comfortable, but harder to shoot forward. I would caution to keep the camera out of the slip stream. The other option is to see if they can remove the copilot seat for you, Cessna seats come out very easily. (Wear knee pads or bring a blanket, the seat rails will destroy your kneecaps)
Try either of these suggestions on the ground with the pilot sitting next to you to get a feel, it may be a tight fit.
Again, if it's the above mentioned aircraft, the windows can open in flight. If you remove the screw on the window latch, a common practice, the window will open all the way up. Depending on a number of variables, the window will "float" in the open position, but often droops, which can be quite frustrating. But with the screw removed, you can open/close the window in flight.
To prevent the drooping, I typically will take gaffers tape and tape the window open prior to the flight by running many strips from the leading edge of the window up around the leading edge of the wing. It may seem to be a shaky setup, but the airflow will do most of the work, and prevent the drooping. It does make for a breezy/noisy flight and makes that right door inoperable, so all egress will be out the pilot's door. Obviously the pilot may have something to say about this, but I do it often and have yet to have pilot object.
Absolutely have a good headset with a "mic muff", the little foam that covers the mic for the wind. With the window open, it's going to get real noisy.
Please brief your flight with the pilot, discuss altitudes and possible obstructions. Don't be proud, take a sic-sac.
Safe flying,
Mike
Go with the suggestion on the KenLab gyro, try to get the KS-6 which I use on the C100. If you're flying in a Cessna 172/182 I would make a couple of suggestions. IF it's an older model, (no shoulder harness belt tracks in the ceiling) sit in the back on take off. Once in flight, fold the copilot seatback forward (make sure it clears the yolk prior to takeoff) and try sitting on the back of the seatback facing the rear, it's much more comfortable, but harder to shoot forward. I would caution to keep the camera out of the slip stream. The other option is to see if they can remove the copilot seat for you, Cessna seats come out very easily. (Wear knee pads or bring a blanket, the seat rails will destroy your kneecaps)
Try either of these suggestions on the ground with the pilot sitting next to you to get a feel, it may be a tight fit.
Again, if it's the above mentioned aircraft, the windows can open in flight. If you remove the screw on the window latch, a common practice, the window will open all the way up. Depending on a number of variables, the window will "float" in the open position, but often droops, which can be quite frustrating. But with the screw removed, you can open/close the window in flight.
To prevent the drooping, I typically will take gaffers tape and tape the window open prior to the flight by running many strips from the leading edge of the window up around the leading edge of the wing. It may seem to be a shaky setup, but the airflow will do most of the work, and prevent the drooping. It does make for a breezy/noisy flight and makes that right door inoperable, so all egress will be out the pilot's door. Obviously the pilot may have something to say about this, but I do it often and have yet to have pilot object.
Absolutely have a good headset with a "mic muff", the little foam that covers the mic for the wind. With the window open, it's going to get real noisy.
Please brief your flight with the pilot, discuss altitudes and possible obstructions. Don't be proud, take a sic-sac.
Safe flying,
Mike