Panera Spotting

[adscram14]

All,
Looks like I'm going to get one more chance this vacation at JFK spotting. Looks like they'll be using 31s. What lens is reccomended for Panera/Costco? What's the closest you can get (in terms of less mm) for pics?
Thanks again!

[Zee71]

I would say for Costco a 70-200mm or 70-300mm should be fine, but for Panera I would say 70-300mm, 100-400mm, or 80-400mm (Nikon lens) or 200-400mm

[adscram14]

I would say for Costco a 70-200mm or 70-300mm should be fine, but for Panera I would say 70-300mm, 100-400mm, or 80-400mm (Nikon lens) or 200-400mm
Looks like I'll be heading to Costco. I shoot with a 70-300 and then a 18-50 for everyday shots.
Thanks for all of your help Mark!

[Zee71]

You should be fine at Panera with the 70-300mm.....Panera is only a couple street lights away from Costco (less than a 2 minute ride), but your distances is a little further away and you have different angle as well. Take a few at Costco and then a few at Panera.

[adscram14]

Will do. I wonder what traffic will be like tomorrow morning because of this blizzard...

[gonzalu]

I just created this map that may help with distances from spotting locations and the flight paths for the runways.

http://goo.gl/maps/KnFh

Please let me know if useful!

[gonzalu]

Traffic should still be OK... today it took me about 20 minutes from JFK to home, 30 miles... THAT'S A NEW RECORD for me lol. Normally, afternoons it can take me 1.5 hours.

[adscram14]

Thanks for the map, Manny! Any 31L spotting ideas...?

[gonzalu]

For 31L, your best bet is Inwood Park... sweet viewing, although the tower is barely visible and no views of the runways... well, you can see the AREA around 31R/22L but it is useless photographically speaking :-)

For 31L however, you get a nice angle and nice views. a crop sensor and 400mm will frame fully when wide bodies are square with your position. Once past, you can get the nice shot of the planes engines 1 or 1 & 2 and the nose.

[eric8669]

I might be out there tomorrow.

[adscram14]

How about 31L arrivals?

[gonzalu]

Innwood park!!

[gonzalu]

I might be out there tomorrow.

Departures (HoBe) or arrivals (Innwood) ?? I am trying to decide what's best :-)

[eric8669]

Departures (HoBe) or arrivals (Innwood) ?? I am trying to decide what's best :-)


I'm thinking Hobe, if its plowed, and you can stay in your car. Inwood, you gotta be outside.

[gonzalu]

I'm thinking Hobe, if its plowed, and you can stay in your car. Inwood, you gotta be outside.


Soo true... but I don;t want to miss an interesting diverted arrival LOL. One can always catch it leaving I guess, no way to miss an arrival but you don;t get second chances with missed departures :-)

HoBe it is then...

[chrisparypa]

I used to love Burger King parking lot :P for spotting maybe not perfect cuz the angel of view is little from the bottom but for aviation photography this spot is just amazing.... you just park your car and relax....

[gonzalu]

At HoBe and Panera and even Costco, you can also just park and relax LOL... problem lately with HoBe is they have been using Full Length and on windy days, you're lucky with only some of the foreign hevies if they go far enough to get a good shot. Today Eva and FedEx turned soo quick and fast they looked like they were a 1/2 mile downrange and about 2,000 feet up :-(