D. Patrick Caldwell on The Joys of Flight

My fiancée and I are a little into photography (our picasa album). I'm a lot into flying and she is a little as well, so I figured we could try our hand at some aerial photography sometime.

We decided to go out and buy ourselves a nice digital SLR so I started researching to find the best bang for our buck. We ended up getting the Canon Rebel XSi and we couldn't be happier.

Now, rest assured, I know what you're thinking. You're thinking, "but Pat . . . how could I possibly justify spending hard earned flyin' money on a camera when I have a point n' shoot that takes fine pictures."

That's a good question dear reader who was kind enough to be thinking what I said you were thinking. The SLR allows you to buy lenses that suit each need you have. For example, the IS line of Canon lenses supports gyroscopic image stabilization. The gyroscope in the lens uses rigidity in space (just like your directional gyro) to optically dampen the vibration and bounces you get in a small airplane.

So, pop that IS zoom lens onto your SLR body and you've got yourself some great air-to-ground and air-to-air shooting. The best part though, is that when you get to where you're going (say, an airshow or a flight museum), you can put your general purpose lens back on and get all of the great shots you're looking for.

The Canon Rebel XSi will also give you more control over your photo. You can set exposure times, you can change the size of your aperture, you can take rabid fire pictures (as many as 3.5 / second if I remember correctly). The XSi has been a great camera for both my fiancée (the artistic one) and me (the geeky one).

Oh, ancillary benefit! Put an external flash on it and maybe even a battery grip and people will start thinking you work for a newspaper or magazine or something. You'll be surprised how many ropes you can cross when you say, "I'm an event photographer."

Have fun. Be safe. Happy Piloting.