mikoyan29 Wrote:Anyways, on the way is my 420~1600mm lens. I got it on Amazon at a fairly reasonable price. If it works great. If not....I'm not out that much.

Is that one of those Phoenix brand lenses? I thought about getting one. You shall definetly need a tripod and fairly high sensitivety settings. The thing starts at f8 most likely so use the 2 second timer and tripod as often as you can. Shuter remotes are good to have now as well. But I am sure you will be using it mostly on aircraft in flight. Jesus, at least get a monopod,(maybe you already have one) practice your panning and if you leave that thing in the sunlight it is liable to start a fire like a magnifying glass shining on balsa wood.
Also consider how long it must be. It probably has it's own tripod collar but you certainly want to remove it from the body when it is not in use. That can act as a fulcrum point on the camera's lens mount if it is not supported properly.
At the lens's full extension you should be able to get in the cockpit when the aircraft is a quarter mile away but it will be extremely difficult keeping the aircraft in frame.
Sounds like a lot of fun, though. Moon shots, the neighbor at her swimming pool, birds in roost. Maybe show us some of your favorite shots sometime.