Dedicated Photography Discussion Thread- Cameras,Lens,Techniques. Post your photography pics too.

[MarsLander]

I set the camera to manual mode (M), set the shutter speed to 1/2500 or so, set the lens to about f5.6 or f6.7, set ISO auto sensitivity to on. At that shutter speed it doesn't matter if you are using VR or not. Basic autofocus is fine. Then it's up to your reflexes.

Perfect explanation for this dummy. I will program as such. I figured out how to change the speed and F settings with buttons and dial. I would be good to go!!!

 

[FredA]

set the camera to manual mode (M), set the shutter speed to 1/2500 or so, set the lens to about f5.6 or f6.7, set ISO auto sensitivity to on. At that shutter speed it doesn't matter if you are using VR or not. Basic autofocus is fine. Then it's up to your reflexes

Pretty much spot on:
Just a few things:
1- turn off Vr. Doesn't help and can hurt at high shutter speeds.

2- Turn off AF. Once the camera loses the rocket, it will not reacquire focus and your shooting for that flight is ended.
If your camera supports it, learn back button focus (AF-ON) so that you can command focus independent of commanding the shutter.
Using that, you can easily focus while the rocket is on the pad, then rely on knowing that the take-off sequence ALL OCCURS IN THE SAME FOCUS PLANE and there is no need to re-focus.

Lastly - you can always pull the "cell phone trick" and just use Hyperfocal focus.
Note the the larger f-stop numbers give you an increasing depth of field.
At the long end of focus, one can park the lens so that the range of in-focus distance includes infinite at the far edge.
The near edge will often near close enough that the entire launch is always in focus.

 

[bjphoenix]

2- Turn off AF. Once the camera loses the rocket, it will not reacquire focus and your shooting for that flight is ended.
If your camera supports it, learn back button focus (AF-ON) so that you can command focus independent of commanding the shutter.
Using that, you can easily focus while the rocket is on the pad, then rely on knowing that the take-off sequence ALL OCCURS IN THE SAME FOCUS PLANE and there is no need to re-focus.

For rocket launches I use BBF but I thought it might be a bit much to explain to a new person.