Choosing camera (or rather lens) for this season's chase

[ChristofferB]

I have been looking through a couple of my previous chase photos and videos and started to plan for what type of cameras to focus on for this year's chase. In my first couple of chases I was using a basic systematic Canon 450 camera with the standard lens. I was using my pocket camera for filming, which really wasn't optimal (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XYTSU-Fb5o) but it was all I had.

On last year's chase I brought a telescope lens but it proved not to be very useful. For most of the storms I wanted a broader angle and using the telescope lens as my standard lens was just not the best option. On the other hand, the most important photo I took would definitely have benefited from having the telescope lens mounted. It was a brief land spout tornado that was quite far away (https://twitter.com/StormChasingUSA/status/471681777681965056, heavily cropped).

In my arsenal this year I have:
- The same systematic camera with my standard lens and a telescope lens
- A GoPro (suitable for wide angle shots?)
- A small handheld HD video camera (which replaced my pocket camera)
- My iPhone (which I only use for panorama photos)

As you all are aware of, when those exciting moments appear you don't want to be running around changing lenses, making settings on your camera etc. You still want to take stills, video and of course also enjoy the moment!

I guess some are more into still photography, others on making videos, making the selection easy. Sometimes it is quite obvious if the situation calls for still photography, video (or both). My experience is that most events call for a normal lens but in the event of a tornado you want pretty everything from video, focus shots and wide angle shots - this is of course highly dependent on how far away you are.

I would be interested in how you pre-select the equipment you:

1. Bring out on a chase
and
2. Keep in your hands when you step out of the car

For example, do you always keep two sets of cameras available: one for focus shots and one for wider/normal angle shots? Do you video while shooting stills? Do you use a camera that take stills while shooting video?

 

[Todd Rector]

Personally, I enjoy photography immensely so I have upgraded to a Nikon full-frame system (which I will also use on the 340 "other" days of the year I am not chasing). I have had decent results with a cellphone camera, and very good results using a $129 Panasonic point-and-shoot. If I had the money for another camera body, I would keep a wide angle on one and a fast general purpose telephoto on the other. I find that when I am anywhere near to being under a meso, I rarely use magnification. If I had to pick ONE lens, it would be a fast 50mm. My camera does great video, so I switch back and forth between video and still modes, but my preference is shooting stills.

When I chase alone, I keep my camera in a camera bag on my passenger seat so I can grab it as I step out, then toss it right back when I get back in. Otherwise, I keep it in the camera bag in the seat behind me. One thing I have learned the hard way is to make sure the A/C isn't blowing directly on the camera because as soon as I step out into warm/humid conditions the lens fogs up - sometimes for several minutes.

 

[Michael Gavan]

Specific lenses will come down to taste for sure... But If i had my way, the optimal range for a single lens is 12 - 80mm. (for a crop factor DSLR) 12mm is just barely large enough fit a double rainbow for example, Or to stand just under the edge of a mesocyclone and fit the entire rain free base of a classic. While 80 is narrow enough to nicely frame a Rozel like stovepipe tornado from a range of 3-4 miles.

The closest lens to this is the 15-85 Canon. But there are lots of sacrifices, It's an f/5.6 on the long end, which is terrible to me. I want F/2.8 and better, and all the way through.

Swapping lenses, if you have just one camera, is a pain. My solution was two bodies, one running a 11-17mm Tokina F2.8, the other a 28-80mm Sigma F2.8. That hole between 17 and 28 annoys me though. Go Pro's luckily seem to fit nicely into that missing range. So I have all my bases covered this way. I also have the 18-55 IS. The 55-250 IS lens from Canon for long shots with plenty of light to work with, though I rarely use it chasing, and any video I get from the long lens is often junk or unusable. That 100+ range is useful for damage path shots, unless of course you are dangerously close.

Great starting point for picking a lens: http://www.photozone.de/Reviews/

 

[Jason Boggs]

I have 2 lenses that I use for my 7D.....the canon 10-22 and the canon 24-105L. I ALWAYS keep the 24-105 on the camera while chasing. Reason being....If I need to hurry to get a decent shot of a tornado, the 10-22 obviously won't cut it unless I'm extremely close. If I have the 24-105 on, I have a much better opportunity of getting a good photo of the tornado. If I have the 24-105 on and need a wide angle lens to get structure, I very rarely need to hurry to do that, so changing the lens out is no big deal. Hope that makes sense.

EDIT: Forgot to note that I take still photos, not video.

 

[John Olexa]

I would keep a wide angle on one and a fast general purpose telephoto on the other.

I'm pretty much the same way. I use a Canon 15-55 (also bring along an old 28-80 that came with my very first camera as well for a back up) On the other camera I use a Sigma 70-200 2.8. I had a 28-80mm Sigma F2.8 but it finally bit the dust

 

[Adam R Davis]

Right now, a lot of my still photography is being done with a T3i and a 40 year old 28mm manual prime lens. It limits my range, but the images are ridiculously sharp, and it's great for diminished light. I'll probably rent the 24-105L or something similar for a week this year.
Video is still captured via my old workhorse XH-A1. It's pretty much only used outside the vehicle these days, it's pretty cumbersome inside.

 

[Justin Wilcox]

Out of my 18-135 STM, 10-22(sold), and nifty 50, the 18-135 stays on about 90% of the time when I travel. For good, planned landscapes I went with the 10-22 usually though. I really like the 18-135 STM. Its decently sharp all the way throough. Although the CA is pretty noticeable between 18-24, its no problem to fix.

 

[Dan Robinson]

I only own two quality lenses, the Canon 50mm 1.8 and the 10-22. The 50 stays on my camera most of the time for the same reasons Jason keeps his 24-105 on. Even without a zoom range, I find the 50 is good enough for most tornado situations - in fact, in most cases, it is better, simply because it being a faster lens is more likely to capture a sharp image of a tornado while handheld. A sharp image of a tornado not exactly at the best zoom range is better than a blurry perfectly-framed one. I have a cheap 70-300 lens that is pretty much useless for zoomed tornado shots for that reason, it's not possible to get a sharp image handheld even at its 70mm end.

The 10-22 is easy enough to swap on if I want structure or if I know I'm going to be close enough to a tornado to need it (which is rare). I use the 10-22 more for lightning than anything else, but even the 50 comes in handy frequently for lightning that isn't crazy close.

 

[Todd Rector]

I agree completely with Dan.

Having a long telephoto on your camera looks cool when you are chatting at a truck stop, but in reality I find I rarely use anything longer than about 80mm (FX) or 100mm (crop sensor). I want fast lenses more than anything, because with most DSLR's being 12-24 megapixels, a sharp shot from a long distance can be cropped and still look great but a blurry shot is blurry no matter what. The longer the lens you hand-hold, the better the chance you will blur for any given shutter speed. I do most lightning shots between 24-80mm unless there are wonderful anvil-crawlers overhead, in which case wide angle is the only option.

If only my budget supported my photography habit...

 

[Justin Wilcox]

The 18-135 STM is about the same size as the 10-22. Thats why I had a hard time changing them out for any other reason than being really close. That and being able to focus to infinity is easier with an indicator on the lens. I hated having to zoom in on the screen to check focus with the 18-135.

 

[ngjere]

Yep, after taking some extremely long, heavy glass in the field, I've pretty much decided to leave it at home this season in favor of Wide, Fast, and Sharp. For me? I'm going with a Tokina 11-17mm 2.8, a Minolta 28mm 2.8 and a Minolta 50mm 1.4. There have also been a few chases where the only lens that comes out is a 50mm Macro for shooting wildflowers making a bust day a little less painful...

 

[Todd Rector]

I used the Tokina 11-16mm F/2.8 AT-X116 Pro DX last season with fantastic results. It's an unbeatable DX format lens for the money!

 

[ChristofferB]

Thanks everyone for your feedback. I believe I will bring my 70-300mm (without stabilizer) but leave it in the backpack unless I really need it - and probably upgrade my regular camera.

 

[James Langford]

I have a Canon 6d and Canon 5d mk2. Both have Magic Lantern installed, which adds a ton of functionality not available in the base camera firmware. I do not shoot video much anymore as I really like the super high quality output that you can achieve by using Time Lapse. I have two tripods. Usually I have my 5d mk2 on a tripod with my Sanyo 14mm prime lens shooting 1 or 2 fps timelapse imagery. I setup the 5d mk2 first and with magic lantern my timelapse shooting is completely automated (including exposure control). My 6d has my Canon 24-105L and is in use on a second tripod to shoot stills, generally bracketted at -1 / 0 / +1. Since I am shooting timelapse, I need at least 300 frames to get a good 10 seconds of footage. I like to get out a bit in front of the storms to capture structure and motion.

BTW, the Sanyo 14mm is an excellent value for full frame cameras at $300. It has excellent image quality and is sharper in the corners than any of my other Canon L lenses.

 

[NealRasmussen]

I have been looking through a couple of my previous chase photos and videos and started to plan for what type of cameras to focus on for this year's chase. In my first couple of chases I was using a basic systematic Canon 450 camera with the standard lens. I was using my pocket camera for filming, which really wasn't optimal (

) but it was all I had.

On last year's chase I brought a telescope lens but it proved not to be very useful. For most of the storms I wanted a broader angle and using the telescope lens as my standard lens was just not the best option. On the other hand, the most important photo I took would definitely have benefited from having the telescope lens mounted. It was a brief land spout tornado that was quite far away (https://twitter.com/StormChasingUSA/status/471681777681965056, heavily cropped).

In my arsenal this year I have:
- The same systematic camera with my standard lens and a telescope lens
- A GoPro (suitable for wide angle shots?)
- A small handheld HD video camera (which replaced my pocket camera)
- My iPhone (which I only use for panorama photos)

As you all are aware of, when those exciting moments appear you don't want to be running around changing lenses, making settings on your camera etc. You still want to take stills, video and of course also enjoy the moment!

I guess some are more into still photography, others on making videos, making the selection easy. Sometimes it is quite obvious if the situation calls for still photography, video (or both). My experience is that most events call for a normal lens but in the event of a tornado you want pretty everything from video, focus shots and wide angle shots - this is of course highly dependent on how far away you are.

I would be interested in how you pre-select the equipment you:

1. Bring out on a chase
and
2. Keep in your hands when you step out of the car

For example, do you always keep two sets of cameras available: one for focus shots and one for wider/normal angle shots? Do you video while shooting stills? Do you use a camera that take stills while shooting video?