For those of you who have done the helicopter tours

[Breezy]

or shoot from helicopters in general what lenses do you use/suggest/recommend?
Packing the bag and making sure I have what I need.
Thanks

[Jake]

When I shoot from a helicopter I almost always use my 24-105mm.
I'm using a full frame camera BTW.

I always fly doors off, so I try not to have to change lenses at all.

[Breezy]

Thanks Jake, I don't have that lense :(
The tour is with doors off and I can't take anything but the camera and lens I choose up. This is what I have 50mm 1.7, 90mm 2.8, 135mm 2.8, 17-50mm 2.8 and the 70-200 2.8.
I am just wondering if the 70-200 will be too heavy for the doors being off and wind.

[Jaime Vinas]

When I shot from a helicopter in Hawaii, I used my wide angle and my telephoto.

However I did notice that I got better photos with my telephoto on the heli.

[Breezy]

Thanks Jamie

Suggestions on settings?

[Jake]

Originally Posted by Breezy

Suggestions on settings?

Keep your shutter speed high.
If your going during the day, shooting at f/8 and getting a shutter speed above 1/1000 shouldn't be hard.

If you are on a crop sensor camera, then I would be tempted to take the 17-50mm 2.8.
A little more reach would be nice, but not sure I would want to be stuck with 70mm being my widest, especially on a cropped sensor.

But I've never done the Hawaii tour, so I would listen to the people that have over me....

[Breezy]

Thanks Jake it is a crop sensor camera so I know what you mean about both.
Thanks for the tips on SS greatly appreciated.
If my one kid gets pertrified and refuses to go up (already paid somebody is going) I may go twice and use one lense once and the other the 2nd time.
Thanks again :D

[Imagebuffet]

I took a helicopter from Kuaui to Niihau a few years ago. I didn't know much about using an SLR (still don't), but my 28-135mm zoom worked well, apart from getting the reflection in the helicopter windows in several shots (we had doors on).

Are you shooting cityscapes? Picking off individual animals at a watering hole? Landscapes? Unless you are trying to get small objects at a distance, I wouldn't think you would need a lot of zoom.

FWIW, I hold my Canon 20D w/ 28-135mm zoom lens out the window of my car and in the full windstream and shoot photos with one hand while driving at 60 mph. I even did it at 80 mph not too long ago. I have a death grip on my camera while I'm doing this.

[MDteX]

I've done the Kuaui helicopter a few times. It is more the scenery that is interesting so wider is better--but not too wide. Rarely do you need to zoom in tight---maybe on a waterfall. Well there was one time when we saw the nude sunbathers.... ;)

The 17-50 on a crop should be OK. Just do your best to avoid the reflections off the windows. Doors off should help a lot.

[johnastovall]

Larry Burrows just used a Leica M3 with a 28mm for the most famous helicopter flight ever filmed, Yankee Papa 13.

[amadjuster]

I always found the minigun had a better area of coverage than a M60.

[Toad]

Originally Posted by amadjuster

I always found the minigun had a better area of coverage than a M60.

Yes, but doesn't the minigun go through WAY MORE ammo than an M60? Though don't get me wrong. The minigun would be more fun...

[amadjuster]

That's why those Hueys had twin turbines. You have to pack enough stuff for the trip.

[Breezy]

Thanks guys :D