Hi Glider,
>I am delighted with the Sony A700 which I use with a Sigma 170-500.
Interesting ... is it this one?
Sigma - Lenses
I bought a used Minolta 100-400 mm 1:4.5-6.7, which seems to be very good optically, but is a bit slow in autofocus. The main problem (not a very big one as I admit) is that occassionally, the autofocus misses the aircraft I'm trying to shoot, and then the lens focuses to the close limit and out again, taking a very long time ("very long" in the context of a fast overflight
I have a friend who is into Nikon, and his generally similar lens can be limited in short-range focus by a special switch on the lens. I found that "spot" autofocus works best for airshow photography - at least with my lens. I'd love to hear about your experience there, maybe there's a way to improve my technique
Anyway, I'm still looking for a longer lens, so I'm intrigued by the Sigma you have ...
>Those compacts are very good these days [...]
Absolutely, and if someone would ask me for an airshow-capable camera that is not as expensive, heavy or bulky as an SLR, I'd still recommend the Panasonic DMC FZ-30 (or the the current model FZ-50). Main disadvantages are the electronic viewfinder (not a problem for aircraft-against-the-sky shots
and the relatively slow autofocus (so it's not quite as rapid-fire against moving targets as an SLR). Value for money is very good, though.
>[...] and I do like the Bleriot. I saw one once and it came within an ace of crashing.
I had seen it before, and it always flew very carefully and only the widest of turns. To my surprise, the conditions at Kiel-Holtenau (where I snapped the above shot) must have been perfect, and the pilot really threw the Bleriot around in a way I hadn't expected
Not really aerobatics of course, but tight turns, sudden climbs and descends, and one time he actually waved to the audience with both arms at once.
Below a shot from the ILA 2008, the first airshow where I used my Alpha 700 ...
Regards,
Henning (HoHun)