British Supersport, testing the 40d to the max

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russdaz

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Following a question in another thread regarding the 40d being any good for motorsport, i thought a few may appriecate this. I stuck fairly normal for the 125's and main superbikes but used the rest as a test bed. I normal shoot in raw to convert and manually expose the shots, i stuck with the manaul exposure, but tested the of center focusing, large j-peg, and s-raw features.

First up large j-peg, and off center focus point. No editing in CS3 other then resizing.


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And another sequence, this time using center point to gain focus lock but allowing the target to drift of center point. Again no other pp other then resizing.


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then letting the target back to center.


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Center focus tracking

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PP exposure correction only!

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So as you can see the off center focus isnt quite as fast as center point, but theres no reason where you cant get some decent shots.

S-raw examples in post number 2.
 
40d using s-raw files.

PP here is my standard raw convertion defaults.


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This taken before swaping back to raw


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Same conversion, just using a raw file

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Only real difference is the file size of the oringinals, so depends if your printing on in large poster sizes as to what you choose here.

Hope thats some use those thinking of getting one,
 
Interesting tests there... thanks for that.

I've had some luck with off centre focus points with my 30D, but its very hit and miss. The 1D does it lovely... *sigh* one day maybe!
 
Interesting stuff, proves that the 40D is a very capable, yet not 100% perfect camera - the focus point has been missed a couple of times early on there - but for a 'prosumer' (god I hate that phrase, it IS a Pro camera in my opinion) it's superb.

Cheers,
James
 
Yeah not quite perfect, like i said else where its annoying that you can OOF shots, should have posted the center tracking squence, but when tracking in the center then there all in focus assuming you gain focus.

Yet to use it in bad light yet though so we'll see then, but i still cant believe the detail within the shadows without any editing!

I have decided to get a second as i really need to bodies and results like that i cant see how i could ever justify a mk3, and the 30d just cant compete, id still be changing the lenses between the bodies.
 
I'd say take a look at a second hand MkIIN though... it is streets ahead of even the 40D - well assuming you are a serious motorsport nut like I know you are :D
 
Lol, yeah id get one if i could get it for £500, i havent got limitless funds, hence why i am thinking of selling the 300mm f4 IS as it rarely gets used of bikes.
 
Just stick with one body then... Blzeebub had two (camera) bodies but now only one but I don't think he'd swap back to two 30d's now!
 
Fair comment as hobby, but imagine having a faulty body and no back up what would you do? I had an issue last year where my old 350d gave up, which was when i got the 30d and had the 350d repaired under warrentee then sold on. I can afford another 40d and still upgrade to a Sigma 300mm f2.8 if i sell my current 300mm f4. I want the 600mm option as 400mm isnt long enough at times, well not a spectator any-way. I know a couple of people that shoot local events that actually prefer the 40d over there 1dmk11n
 
Matt Sayle said:
Nice shots mate. Oh how i dream of having a DSLR!
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Still takes alot practice, you can have the best equipment in the world but its pointless if you dont know how to use it.

Having the better equipment just open's the doors to being more creative, something i have tried this year regarding some of the colours, the number of times i have heard people saying some look like posters is un-real. But thats the way i shot them to mix with the more normal stuff. Not everyones cup of tea.
 
If your camera goes bang, you just go hire one if the gig really is that important. Although I think you have to be quite a long way down the road before things become that critical, in which case you are making enough cash to have a huge pile of gear to cover all sorts of emergencies!

Re people who like the 40D to the 1DIIN... well, I suppose you can't account for taste. I suspect that is probably some comment about weight or size or control layout or something minor like that. If what is important is the focus speed and fps, the 1DIIN is the king and nothing else comes close (until they sort the 1DIIIN fully!!). From what I have seen its as radical as going from the 350D to the 30D - which I know you and I have both done.

On a slightly different note, if you are think of taking the Sigma 120-300 F2.8 and sticking a 2x TC on it... talk to Blzeebub about his results with the Canon 300 2.8 with the 2x on it from last weekend... the rough results are that yes 600mm does give some quite different shots, but the 2x degrades the image so much that it might not meet anyone with exacting standards ideas of what a shot should look like.
 
Yeah again i can hear and understand your arguement fully ref twin bodies and hiring. etc but what if it goes bang mid race? no chance to go hire mid race. And i do have a few commitments.

Out of interest have you had a chance to play with a 40d along side the mk2n?

Ref the lens i want thinking about the 120-300mm f2.8, more the 300mm f2.8 prime as i heard its faster, and sharper on the outter edges?

Interesting news about the Cannon f2.8 not being upto stratch with 2xtc, hopefully id be able to get a hire one for next weekend at Donnington, but from that it dont sound like it'll meet my expectations. May rethink and save for the 500mm instead, but saying that if i get media access i doubt id need anything that long lol
 
I've never played with the 40D at all, however from chatting with the "usual suspects" at Brands each weekend it would seem whilst there was an upsurge towards the 40D end of last season, those same people have since aquired 1DIIN's since.

Also on the Sigma 120-300 vs Canon 300, there's not much in it talking to regulars... the Canon seems to be slightly better but is not a zoom and is twice as much money.

If you do get the media access personally I'd be looking for a Canon 400mm or 500mm - having the nice low shots available to you, I'd be making the most of the head on type shots over rises and things - the stuff that you can't get from the other side of the fence. Alternatively the much longer lens gives you a chance for some dead easy panning shots with the subject stood off so far the relative speed of passing is massively less. But again you need uncluttered track access for those (as well as the lens!).
 
russdaz said:
Interesting news about the Cannon f2.8 not being upto stratch with 2xtc, hopefully id be able to get a hire one for next weekend at Donnington, but from that it dont sound like it'll meet my expectations. May rethink and save for the 500mm instead, but saying that if i get media access i doubt id need anything that long lol
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I think a bit of explanation is needed. The 300/2.8 is perfectly fine with both the 1.4X and 2X TC's but you need to bear a few things in mind. My testing was with a specific goal in mind and that was to see what a 600/4 would look like for a couple of places so i was using the 300 with the 2X wide open at F5.6, and any lens wide open with a TC will be soft to at least some degree. Add that to the 1.3 crop factor of the MK2N and you're more than pushing the barrier. Stop down to around F8 onwards, where i ususally have it, and its fine - in fact a number of my shots have been done with these TC combos. As for lenses in general you'll find the 400/2.8 to be the holy grail for most motorsport togs.

Cheers
Nat
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BLZeebub said:
I think a bit of explanation is needed. The 300/2.8 is perfectly fine with both the 1.4X and 2X TC's but you need to bear a few things in mind. My testing was with a specific goal in mind and that was to see what a 600/4 would look like for a couple of places so i was using the 300 with the 2X wide open at F5.6, and any lens wide open with a TC will be soft to at least some degree. Add that to the 1.3 crop factor of the MK2N and you're more than pushing the barrier. Stop down to around F8 onwards, where i ususally have it, and its fine - in fact a number of my shots have been done with these TC combos. As for lenses in general you'll find the 400/2.8 to be the holy grail for most motorsport togs.

Cheers
Nat
B->
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Arh i see, yeah i can understand that fully, but tracks like Sneterton for example theres some nice angles to be had with the right range, 400mm is too short, same can be said for Oulton. You could crop the shots quite a bit like i know some do but thats against what i aim to do, plus id have thought the lenses with convertor should be better then without and cropping. The cropped shot would be fine for 800x web display, but utter crap to print.

400mm F2.8 :love: yeah in my dreams
 
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