Here’s some photos I took at the Singapore Airshow 2010. I was using the Olympus E-3 with the ZD 50-200mm SWD zoom lens. This was the first time for me to take photos of supersonic fighter jets and helicopters using a DSLR with a long zoom lens.

Click here to see Singapore Airshow 2010 Photos at Flickr

Singapore Airshow Aerial Display Photo Tips

If you want to taking photos of the Singapore Airshow aerial display, you will need a long zoom lens that extends 300mm and longer.

Since you will be shooting in bright sunlight and hopefully clear blue sky, you don’t really need a fast lens. I was shooting at aperture at ISO100, F/8 and shutter speed 1/1000 without monopod – tripod will be useless, unless you have one that is as tall as you.

Why a Long Zoom Works Better than Long Telephoto

For DSLR users of Nikon, Canon and Sony Alpha, I would think a long zoom lens is more practical than a long telephoto. You can zoom out(shorter focal length) to locate the jet fighter and zoom in when you take the shot.

Even if you are using a long zoom compact camera with F5.6 or slower e.g. Sony Cybershot DSC-HX1, Canon PowerShot SX120 IS or Lumix DMC-FZ35, no worry. Because you should get enough light to shoot at high speed by increasing your ISO.

And it really doesn’t matter if you are using DSLR.

Singapore Airshow Aerial Display Checklist

Here’s my camera equipment checklist for Singapore Airshow 2012 Aerial Display:

• Set auto-focus to Continuous AF
• Set exposure control to Manual
• Set sequential shooting to Hi (approx. 5 frames/sec)
• Long zoom lenses 100-600mm (35mm camera equivalent)
• Bring extra battery
• Bring monopod