Best lens for motorsport

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Adam
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Hi All, new to this site, and new to DSLR's.
I have been using a Panasonic FZ28 for the past few years to take motorsport photos. Although I have got some very good results, I have learnt a lot about photography and wish to move to the next step up. :)

I have recently bought a Canon D400 off a friend and now I am looking for a lens to go with it suitable for motorsport. I have a budget of around £500, although could be slightly more if it would get me a lot better lens.

Any help appreciated.

Many thanks
Adam
 
Thanks, I didn't know you could rent lenses.
I was worried that 200mm might not be long enough. My old fz28 has a 486mm equivelent, and found in some instances this was not long enough.

I am guessing I will have to go second hand with a lens which I don't mind doing to get the price down.
 
The "right" lens for motorsport depends on where and what you are shooting.

If it's rallying in the deepest darkest of forests an f2.8 will have a distinct advantage.

If however you are shooting on a track, then most of the time an f/4 or even 5.6 will be fine 99% of the time.

As for reach 200mm will do a good job at most circuits - with probably the exception of silverstone or rockingham.



You may get a used Sigma 120-400 within your budget - I used one of these extensively for motorsport, with only a few minor issues. I eventually upgraded to a canon 100-400, which really does deliver (mind you it costs around double the cost of the sigma)

While primes will offer sharper quality than a zoom - a zoom offers far more flexibility - especially when things kick off on track. I have to say getting used to the inflexibility of a long prime is quite an art in itself
 
Thanks for the advise. Sorry i should have said, i go to a lot of race tracks, such as brands,rockingham, snetterton and going to oulton later this year. Never been there before. I think maybe the sigma would be a good starting point. I guess with the dslr i won't have to worry about the iso aol much so may be able to get away with a smaller aperture.

Also do you think a lens with image stabilisation soul be an advantage at 400mm.

Many thanks.
 
ads1 said:
Thanks for the advise. Sorry i should have said, i go to a lot of race tracks, such as brands,rockingham, snetterton and going to oulton later this year. Never been there before. I think maybe the sigma would be a good starting point. I guess with the dslr i won't have to worry about the iso aol much so may be able to get away with a smaller aperture.

Also do you think a lens with image stabilisation soul be an advantage at 400mm.

Many thanks.
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Well a 70-200mm wouldn't cut much mustard at Brands with all that safety fencing, you need at least a 400mm lens for that circuit if you want to go anywhere but druids. Never been to rockingham, snetterton or oulton park, but I guess the situation is similar, just think 200mm is very limiting for motorsport unless you can get close to the action or if you have media accreditation (i.e. on the right side of the fence)

With a £500 budget the sigma 120-400mm fall into this quite nicely, although if you're willing to pay a few $$$ extra you could be in the market for a used sigma 100-300mm f4 (don't worry about used equipment, I have a mint 300mm f2.8 I bought used, great lens and it means you get a little bit extra for the £££).

If I was to get one of canon 70-300mm lenses it would be the 70-300mm IS or for around the £700 there's the sigma 150-500mm f5-6.3 OS lens which is worth a look at, although not the fastest of lenses in poor light.

I mainly shoot with a 300mm prime lens and use TCs to boost my focal range which is need nowadays at most of the circuits I've been to, especially donnington, brands and silverstone
 
Thanks Pete, I thought the 200 would not be enough, as I currently have a range up to 486 on the fz28. (so the spec says)

As the 400d is a crop sensor, it has a 1.6 multiplier so the 120-400 sigma sounds ideal as then I end up with 192-640mm zoom. It sounds like I probably would not need much else.
I don't think I can justify the extra for the canon lenses even though they are probably better than the sigma.

Is there any reason why the sigma lens would not work on the 400d?
 
Ads1

I use the sigma 120-400 on my Sony and it's perfect for what you wont.
I used mine at the moto gp at silverstone this year and was over the moon with how it performed.

I use mine for motorsport/ wildlife and airshows,
You might was to get a mono pod too because it can get heavy after a while on your wrists.

I'll post you some photos later tonight.
Hope this helps.
 
powell7 said:
Ads1

I use the sigma 120-400 on my Sony and it's perfect for what you want.
I used mine at the moto gp at silverstone this year and was over the moon with how it performed.

I use mine for motorsport/ wildlife and airshows,
You might was to get a mono pod too because it can get heavy after a while on your wrists.

I'll post you some photos later tonight.
Hope this helps.
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Thanks Powell7. I would appreciate the photos later.
I already have a monopod, which I got for my old camera to help with fast panning shots, so will use that when I get the lens! :)
Looks like I will be looking at a second hand one of the sigmas to try and keep the cost down.

Also can anyone advise the best way to clean the camera. the sensor seems to be fine as the pictures don't have dust on them, but the view finder is quite dirty and there is a black mark too, which is annoying. I don't want to damage anything so any help appreciated.
 
ads1 said:
Do you mean a prime or the 100-400 that Canon do? Sorry bit new to this!
Would the Canon EF I IS USM 75-300mm f/4.0-5.6 lens be any good, or too slow?
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He was suggesting the 400mm 2.8 which is a prime lens (fixed focal length). It is an awesome lens and would be amazing for motorsport but is 10 x your budget
 
here you go Adam

moto4.jpg
 
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I've found the Tamron 70-300mm USD VC lens to be excellent for motorsports in good light, and a bargain at the price. I used to use a Canon 70-200mm f/4 IS, both with and without a telecoverter, but now use the Tamron due to its wider range. For a longer lens I use a Canon 300mm L (my favourite lens) with 1.4x teleconverter. In this company the Tamron is not disgraced at all. The USD focusing works every bit as well as Canon's USM (unless you go between min/max focus distance, which doesn't happen that often).

Nearly all the shots at the following links were taken with this lens.

Goodwood, AC Owners Club
Goodwood, E-Type Jags
 
Thanks guys for the pictures. They are fanastic.
I'm going to keep my eye out for a used sigma. I'll let you know how I get on and post some pictures when I get it.

Many thanks to everyone for their help.
 
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Hi guys,
I have found a used Sigma 120-400mm lens on an auction site. I am going to look at it in a few days time.
Can anyone provide any pointers on what I need to look out for?
I have read a few guides, but being new to DSLR's I wondered if there was an easy way to check things like auto focus etc.

Many thanks
Ads
 
check the contacts are clean, dust in the lens
scratches etc
wear and tear on the body
any focusing issues
smoke free home??? (a big one for me as lenses 'breathe' if they're not sealed)
 
Thanks DizMatt.
How would I check for focusing issues? I guess especially with AF.

Many thanks
 
just try it on your camera
if you're buying from ebay then this is very hit and miss. the only thing to watch out for is damage that could indicate that it's been dropped.
 
Ok thanks. It is from Ebay, but I am going to collect as it is not far from me and paying on collection. So I will be able to check it out before paying.

I guess either the focus works or it doesn't! :) Just wondered if there could be issues with the lens which may show up after a few uses. I guess this is unlikely though.
 
ads1 said:
Ok thanks. It is from Ebay, but I am going to collect as it is not far from me and paying on collection. So I will be able to check it out before paying.

I guess either the focus works or it doesn't! :) Just wondered if there could be issues with the lens which may show up after a few uses. I guess this is unlikely though.
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No, it's possible for lenses to focus, just not where you want them to! Sigma seem a little more prone to this issue than some others, but you'll probably be fine. Try using the lens wide open and taking a few shots with just one thing in focus to see if they come out sharp. Even if you are unlucky, Sigma may not charge too much for a recalibration (my 50-150mm f/2.8 cost around £40 to calibrate, I think).
 
Thanks for the advise. Hopefully all will be ok. I have managed to get the serial number so hoping to call sigma tomorrow and see if they have any details on it. Maybe i am over thinking things though. :s
 
Hi guys,
Just thought I would post some pictures from the weekend with my new lens.
Any tips welcome, especially set up on the camera. What do you think?
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Check out the thread below, some very useful tips for taking motorsport shots. Your 1st time with your new lens, not bad attempts, but the images seem abit soft, especially the 1st shot. With the settings you were using you should have maybe got slightly better results, but it maybe down to settings and technique. Were you using AISERVO and a single focus point or were all the Focus points active? All this will come in time.

The use AISERVO and perhaps a single focus point and pick up the action early enough (the single focus point doesn't have to be in the centre, depends what the car/motorbike is doing at the time), pan with the subject until it starts to fill the view finder about 1/2 to 3/4 full then take your shots. Don't use burst, although you can said it can shot certain number of fps, only the top end cameras actually achieve this, so its better to easy off 1-3 shots rather than a machine gun.

http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=434271&highlight=panning
 
Thanks Pete,
I was using all focus points, don't think i was using AISERVO. so will try that next time.

The only other problem I found was getting the correct ISO, as my camera doesn't have an auto ISO setting when on shutter priority. I ended up on ISO 400. I guess it will all take practice. :)
 
ads1 said:
Thanks Pete,
I was using all focus points, don't think i was using AISERVO. so will try that next time.

The only other problem I found was getting the correct ISO, as my camera doesn't have an auto ISO setting when on shutter priority. I ended up on ISO 400. I guess it will all take practice. :)
Click to expand...

Its all to do with getting the best aperture / shutter speed combination for your shot. f5.6 for your lens is wide open, most lenses unless you dealing with the more expensive primes tend to have a sweet spot an f-stop or 2 down from the wide open. So f6.3 / 7.1 / f8 / f9 tend to be the area to capture the best images. You can control this 2 ways, set the aperture to f8 and control the shutter speed by increasing or decreasing the ISO and / or exposure or vice versa set a shutter speed and control the aperture with ISO and exposure, but this also depends on the conditions you are taking the photo's in to achieve this. Its all about understanding your camera and how to set it up, but a good tip is use the sports mode and see what the camera sets things to then use either shutter or aperture priority to adjust those settings to achieve the images you want. The good thing about motor racing is the cars will be back the next lap, so ample opportunity to capture some images
 
Thanks very much for your explanation. very helpful.

I will try a few different settings and your suggestions next time I am out.

Things can only get better! ;)
 
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