howdy guys,
i know there are a few of you on here who dabble in the photo world and i was wondering if you could give me some advice.
i have a minolta x370 slr or srl whatever it is:) and with an airshow coming up this weekend i am looking to take some pics:) problem is i havent used this camera much and the last time i used it at the airshow i managed to ruin the film so i dont know how the photos turned out.
i have a 135mm and 50mm lenses, and was wondering what the best techniques for either are, also it seems to have differant numbers on the lens 3.5 5.6 8 11 16 and 22, what are these for? and also whats generally the best shutter speed for taking pics of airborne aircraft, anything from a spitfire to tornado, both of which are flying,  finally what are some good tips for taking pics of flying aircraft.
i know thats alot and i thank those who can help, its just we have had this camera over 13 years, my dad paid over $500 for it and its still in perfect condition and i would love to get the best from it, hell my dad was looking to sell it and it took some convincing for him not to cash in on it. as it would have still gotten him closer to $250

Rifleman,...I think this one is for you!
If I explain it, you most likely will do a much better repeat so....
let's not confuse the man!! LOL Craig.

Ken is good at explaining this stuff. I am assuming there is no "auto" mode since the camera is over 10 years old, therefore, You need to be in control of 2 Major things, especially at an air show with fast moving objects and allot of different light!

Shutter speed: This is how "fast" your camera will take the picture.
Ex. If you have a low shutter speed and are trying to take a picture of a fast moving object, it will come out blurred unless you really know what you are doing. If you have a fast shutter shutter speed, you will basically get a pretty clear picture. An all around good shutter speed is around 500 to 1000.

Aperture setting: This is the amount of light you "transpose" onto the film. Obviously if it is wide open, allot of light will get in and your pictures will wind up very bright or over exposed. A narrow aperture setting will reduce the amount of light thus giving you a dark image or under exposed. The best light setting is usually around 5.6.

The problem here is now Balancing all these adjustments while a super fast fighter jet is passing you by and your camera is aimed at the bright sky along with the sun shinning!!!. Or maybe the aircrafts will be flying slowly and it is a dark, rainy day!!

Focus should always be manual!!
Fast film, 400 speed!
Uuurrrrggggg!!! So much to think about! LOL

You do have some nice lenses. The 135mm is a zoom lens which will be good when the ac are flying above you.
The 50mm lens has a wider image. Thus, you can get close, and still manage to fit the ac in the picture.

If you want to take a very nice picture of an aircraft,
Go to one that is parked on a nice green lawn, slap on that 135mm lens, zoom all the way in. Now obviously the aircraft is "too big" in the viewfinder. Walk backwards until you can compose or "fit" the aircraft in the viewfinder. Now, adjust your aperture setting to around 5.6, manually focus on the aircraft and..............
Click. I think you will have a nice picture there Craig.

As for the camera itself, keep that thing!!!!
Old SLR's are great. If you learn to master it, a good old 35mm photograph always will stand right up there with the best digital cameras. You might also discover a new hobby!
Now wait for Ken to input his greatness into this thread, print it, put it in your pocket and off you are!! GOOD LUCK!!!

Take it away Ken....................

Dave

thank you both these things are def gonna help.
and dave, this camera does have an auto mode on it, and also the whole shutter speed info and somethign to do with balance or something like that in the view finder although last time i tried to follow those bits of info i was just taking pics of god knows what and they all came out wrong:)
thanks for the help and i will put it into practise saturday, i am also going to take my digital camera, its not great quality but it will provide some on the day snaps for you guys, and also some back ups if the actual camera goes wrong. i am gonna go for the longer developement option i have heard it can produce better quality prints as they arnt being rushed?

Craig, I have looked into the camera you have at your disposal and its a fine piece of machinery to use at the airshow......we have two configs for you to utilize here...first one is for the static A/C where you will use the short (50mm or Normal) lens. ....second is for flying demos where you will use the long (135mm or Telephoto) lens.....

On the Ground : (50mm Lens)
Since you have time to get the shot with the subject stationary, its a bit easier here.....with your film speed set to match your film, and the mode dial on the camera set to "A" for Aperture-Priority Auto Exposure, you can take control of the available light and shoot for maximum depth of field(how far your focus will stretch...foreground to background) in your shot....
this is done by setting as small an aperture as you can (F-16>F-22 higher number is smaller aperture) while keeping the shutter speed above 1/60th of a sec (1/60>1/125).....
IF you would like to try to blurr out some of the background, you need to adjust the aperture towards a wider opening ( F-2 > F-2.8 ) but ensuring the shutter speed doesn't top out and begin to over-expose the image.......you will have to stop opening the aperture, once you have reached maximum shutter speed (1/1000th sec).....

In the Air : (135mm Lens)
This will take a pass or two of trial, to set your exposure and maybe even focus, depending on how close to the flight line you can get........I will usually try to pre-focus on a spot and then shoot the A/C when it gets to that location.....this reduces the load on you in trying to balance aperture/shutter speed and focus all at once.....
Again, have the camera set to "A" so the camera will set the shutterspeed for you while you turn the aperture ring on the lens......one thing on this though, you need to hold steady on the camera as you release the shutter and don't let the speed drop below 1/250 sec....if you practice, you can get away with 1/125, but its usually a good rule not to use a lower shutterspeed number than the focal length of the lens (135mm in your case)........now if you have taken a pass or two to practice the focus or exposure setting, its time to put it into use and see if you can do either while looking through the lens......on your focus screen you have the speed displayed so you need not look at where the lens is for aperture, just watch your speed and stay in focus.....if you have an indicator of over/under exposure in the viewfinder, so if you can juggle in a bit of over exposure, it may be helpful for the shots where the main subject is small compared to the entire view you have.........

I hope this isn't toooooo confusing, but its kinda hard to condense all the years of photo experience I have into a few lines........any questions you come up with, IM me and I'll do my best to set you on an easy course of action to come home with acceptable images.......

thank you ken:)
i will admit i am tired right now and alot of that has sorta gone right past me, i will re-read it in the morning when i am a little more awake and it makes sense, thank you all for taking the time to provide me with the advice, and i will do my best to bring back some decent pictures for you all. what i might do for practise is buy a roll of film tomorow and start taking some snaps of the planes that fly over during the day, they are roughly the same distance as the flight line and its not such a big deal if i mess a few up.
i will post a link to the list of aircraft flying and that are static that way anyone who has specifc requests for an aircraft on the list i will take some extra time and patience with the aircraft.

here ya go
http://www.yeoviltonairday.co.uk/flying.html
thats for those flying, usually a few extra on the day

http://www.yeoviltonairday.co.uk/static.html
thats the static list, again will be more on the day, usually 5 or six harriers at least tons of choppers
well you get the idea, again any specific requests i will be more than happy to get:)

ok i have finally read through this all again, and it makes alot more sense. the weather is looking to be great again this year, so should make taking the pictures a little easier.
thank you all again:)

I am officially the worlds worst photographer. So I shall offer you no advice what so ever. And to justify that, here is a picture that I took this summer...



Good isn't it!