Calling Spa experts... thoughts on lenses

G

GuildfordPaul

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Name
Paul
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Hi Guys,

I'm VERY new to DSLR photography and was hoping on some pointers about kit for the Spa GP later this month.

I have a 450d and a Canon EF 70-200mm f/4.0 L USM lens.

I tried this kit out at the MotoGP and was pretty disappointed with the reach.

I have GA tickets for Spa and really want to get some good shots this time.

Do you guys think its worth investing in a 1.4x extender, which will take me up to 280 f/5.6, or I was looking at hiring a EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM from a company just down the road from me, if I did buy the extender as well then I’d have 420 f/4 I think.

Any ideas or suggestions would be hugely appreciated, and pointers on any must have filters.

Thanks guys... Paul.
 
Sorry, just realised this is a photo forum only, if someone can move it to the correct area i'd appreciate it, sorry for the bother.
 
GuildfordPaul said:
Sorry, just realised this is a photo forum only, if someone can move it to the correct area i'd appreciate it, sorry for the bother.
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your wish is my command :)

I would probably suggest just leaving the camera at home and enjoying the race. But if you are going on saturday too then you might be able to get some decent shots but just remember a lot of the circuit is behind big fences.
A 300 f2.8 would be better, but dont forget that a lot of the time you will be trying to shoot between spectators or gaps in the fence, so you might be better of with your lens and the TC as it will be smaller and wont need a monopod.
Or rent a 100-400 and have a nice flexible lens that doesnt need a monopod
 
Thanks Gary, having seen your work i was hoping you'd comment.

Thanks for the feedback, i'll give that some good thought.
 
GuildfordPaul said:
Thanks Gary, having seen your work i was hoping you'd comment.

Thanks for the feedback, i'll give that some good thought.
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i'm cheating with those shots though, i have a media pass which makes life a lot easier :) (although it doesnt mean I dont have to crawl under gates unfortunately :) )
 
Paul, the 70-200 f/4 takes a 1.4x converter really well - you'd be hard pushed to notice any difference in Image Quality between it on and off. But at the same time, when it comes to motorsport photography that extra 80mm (taking it to 280mm) is still a touch short depending on the shot you're taking. I did go to brands occasionally which is really nice track for photographing, and found that I could have done with a 300 and the option of a 1.4x
However it's a handy addition to anyone's bag in my opinion.
ads
 
i'm trying to think where you can get close to the action at spa from the spectator areas, and i'm not sure there really is anywhere.

there is a bit at the radillon where you can get a close shot through the fence, but thats probably about it.

this youtube video gives you an idea of some places you can stand[YOUTUBE]<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/nlauKIrz6r8&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/nlauKIrz6r8&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>[/YOUTUBE]

these were shot from public areas (EXIFs intact)
img_9135_20090727_1886118629.jpg


img_8948_20090727_1236631459.jpg


img_8930_20090727_1691085594.jpg


img_8888_20090727_1701473170.jpg


img_8879_20090727_1980640233.jpg


img_8860_20090727_1154359543.jpg


img_0228_20090511_1657065935.jpg


img_1503_20090511_1969112019.jpg


as you can see, they arent exactly close to the circuit
 
adsayer said:
Paul, the 70-200 f/4 takes a 1.4x converter really well - you'd be hard pushed to notice any difference in Image Quality between it on and off. But at the same time, when it comes to motorsport photography that extra 80mm (taking it to 280mm) is still a touch short depending on the shot you're taking. I did go to brands occasionally which is really nice track for photographing, and found that I could have done with a 300 and the option of a 1.4x
However it's a handy addition to anyone's bag in my opinion.
ads
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thanks ads, appreciate the feedback, i think it could be worth the investment, and at least it will be compatible with other lenses from Canon as and when i upgrade.
 
Gary said:
i'm trying to think where you can get close to the action at spa from the spectator areas, and i'm not sure there really is anywhere.

there is a bit at the radillon where you can get a close shot through the fence, but thats probably about it.
Click to expand...

Gary, I really appreciate your help on this one mate, these shots are really useful, I’ll check out the exif data when I get home and make some decisions, I don't want to spend a fortune hiring a great lens for the weekend, only to be too caught in the racing and blocked by fencing to get any real use out of it.

I'm glad you got my favourite shot in again as well (fireworks!).

Cheers, Paul.
 
Gary said:
can you use more than just the centre focus point with a 1.4 TC on an f4?
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I don't know but i'll look into it.

Would you recommend against it then if that's the case?

EDIT: Have looked into this and nothing is mentioned on any reviews.
 
Gary said:
can you use more than just the centre focus point with a 1.4 TC on an f4?
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yep Gary it can, our lass has a 450D and it focused fine on the outer AF points when I popped the lens and TC on it.

Paul, I'd add to what I said earlier... buy the Kenko 1.4x PRO DG 300 yada yada etc (has a stupidly long name) as opposed to the genuine canon offering as it'll allow much greater flexibility on the lenses you can mate to it. Quality is absolutely no different and it's cheaper.

cheers

ads
 
adsayer said:
yep Gary it can, our lass has a 450D and it focused fine on the outer AF points when I popped the lens and TC on it.

Paul, I'd add to what I said earlier... buy the Kenko 1.4x PRO DG 300 yada yada etc (has a stupidly long name) as opposed to the genuine canon offering as it'll allow much greater flexibility on the lenses you can mate to it. Quality is absolutely no different and it's cheaper.

cheers

ads
Click to expand...

thanks ads, that sounds like a great tip, i'll have a look at them.:thumbs:
 
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