Best settings on camera to shot at silverstone

jollyjack

jollyjack

Messages
2,167
Name
Jon
Edit My Images
Yes
I am going to Silverstone next friday with works m8 to watch one of them drive his Ariel Atom around the circuit. I said will bring along my camera and see if i can get some shots whilst he is driving pass.

I have a D90, what are the best settings to set my camera up for shooting fast motor cars.
Also will my 70-300mm VR be ok for this task?

Any advice welcome
 
Ok, well it all depends on the lighting. If it is a nice day, then you have much more freedom, when it comes to settings. But in general:

1. At first use a quick shutter speed (adjust the Aperture and ISO accordingly, but something sensible possibly ISO 400 and aperture of around f/5.6. This will get you some "frozen action" keepers, so that you will definitely have some sharp photographs to be proud of, to edit and to take home.
2. Then start experimenting. Lower your shutter speed to around 1/80th or 1/100th, and try to pan the bolids on the straights. This will get fantastic motion blur in the backgrounds and make the photographs more dynamic. This is hard, but very satisfying if you get it right.
3. Try and look for unusual shots (candid photos of fans, lines, perspectives, interesting abstracts).

I forgot to talk about lens choice. I advice using your Nikkor, for the candids and as a walk around, but when youre shooting the actual race, equip yourself with the 300mm Tamron, as that will get you the reach. Use a polarizer if it is sunny and the sky looks quite blue.

All the best and good luck!
 
Silverstone is a PITA to shoot at, even with media access. For on track shots you will need to shoot at 300mm. Settings wise try panning on shutter priority at about 160th.
 
I don't shoot motorsports much, and I've only been to Silverstone once, but here is an example on a sunny day with my 40D and 100-400mm lens at 400mm, 1/250, f/10, 200 ISO. This is uncropped but has been edited to add some "pop" since the fencing definitely causes loss of contrast....

20080608_134040_4951_LR.jpg


If you have to shoot through fencing then some tips that help - use the longest focal length you can to get the framing you need, get as close to the fence as you can and use the largest aperture you can that provides the DOF you need. These steps will all contribute to making the fence as OOF as possible and as inoffensive as you can hope. Also, if you have the sun behind you, try to find a spot that puts the fencing you are shooting through into shade. If the fence is sparking in the sun it will add to the disappointment.

Choosing the right shutter speed is key to getting the right amount of wheel and background blur, without suffering too much shake. Juggling aperture and ISO to get to those desired speeds is the tricky part, especially if the lighting is not working in your favour. On a sunny day, to get a shutter speed of 1/200 at 100 ISO you will need to stop down to f/11. If you have an ND filter, or that CPL, it might help you open up the aperture a bit, which will help lose the fence. If conditions are less bright then you might find yourself needing to open up, which can only be a good thing.

Unfortunately, I guess you are stuck with shooting at 200 ISO, which is going to make things tougher if the light is strong. Pray for some cloud cover.

My personal recommendation is to shoot with manual exposure. That puts you in control of everything. Others may disagree. That is their choice. I won't waste my time arguing that point. Manual exposure will keep white cars looking white, and black cars looking black, and the track and surroundings will be the same tone from one shot to the next. If the light changes then adjust your exposure. That need may arise very infrequently. That's got to be better than fiddling with exposure compensation for each and every car that passes you.

Here's another example at Silverstone. The cars were much closer here, requiring a focal length of only around 200mm to fill the frame. Unfortunately, the combination of closer focusing, shorter focal length and a "silly" aperture (no choice without filters) has meant that the fencing is far too obtrusive. Hopefully you can learn from my mistake :)

20080608_151316_5365_LR.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top