Motorsport Lens under £800

Weight is only a problem if you are thinking about taking it with you while you do other things.

It's not a lens for a spectator, it's a lens for a photographer. You just have to decide which one you are ;-)
 
Well, I usually have to force myself to put the camera down when there's actually a race to enjoy & follow. Otherwise, it's glued to my face the whole date and I rattle off over 1500 shots. Photographer on Friday, Spectator on Sundays.

What would be really helpful is a set of comparison shots between the 70-300, 100-400 and the Sigma 120-300 2.8. My gut feeling is that I'll go for the 70-300 but I'm in no hurry as I won't be going to a track before the 2014 season starts.
 
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Comparison shots are fairly useless for motorsport in my opinion, you can get nice sharp shots with any lens if technique is good enough. I've got shots from a £90 Sigma 70-300 that look as good as shots from my 120-300 2.8.

Focus speed and focal length (i.e. How much cropping you're going to be doing) is probably more important.

Here are a few boring examples from the same spot with wildly different lenses/systems. The quality of photos could look much closer still if I chose some different angles for each set-up, even a slight change if shutter speed will have a big impact in perceived sharpness.


Castle Combe Spring Action Day by Harry_S, on Flickr


Castle Combe Easter Raceday by Harry_S, on Flickr


Castle Combe Howard's Day by Harry_S, on Flickr


Rallyday 2013 by Harry_S, on Flickr
 
i have just got a 50-500 os that i hope to put to good use next year i just could not get a 2.8 os for my budget at the time, i plan to get to a few tracks down south here is a few taken with a 50mm 1.8 at knockhill in the fog/mist with a hi shutter speed etc


photo7 by hoochy1, on Flickr


photo9 by hoochy1, on Flickr
 
I ended up going for the 70-300L. The main factors in my choice were weight, sharpness and cost. I managed to get one for my target price and for much less than a 100-400 would have cost. The size and weight are just about as heavy as I'd be happy to carry around all day long. Too much heavier and I'd start to struggle by the end of the day.

I'm hoping to get to Brands Hatch for the Lotus 6 hours this Saturday to give it a first outing, will report back after.

If I know I'm going to need a 400mm in future I think I'll hire a prime for a weekend instead.
 
Looking forward to hearing how you got on at Brands with your new lens, there are some great lens tips here which makes it harder to decide . I've been using a 70-300VRII on my D3100 for my initial year with a DSLR, shooting Karting mainly. I'm looking to upgrade for next year and have decided on a D7100 but not sure on any lenses yet, I think I'll keep with what I have and see if the new body works well with it. The temptation to spend on used eBay lenses is killing me !
 
I have a 120-300 OS I use w/ TC's (even 2x)...they MUST be Sigma TC's...my Sigma TC's won't work w/ my Nikon lenses and my Nikon TC's won't work w/ the Sigma. The advantage of the 2.8 over an f/4 is AF performance w/ TC's, even in good light. And you have the option of f/2.8. Some cameras won't AF at all w/ a f/8 max aperture...I'm guessing that's the case w/ the 600.
 
DavidC1980 said:
The weather's looking a bit ropey for tomorrow @ Brands. I may stump up the extra £22 for hospitality (read that as rain cover, heating and Tea'on'tap) - it also gives me the view over the start/finish and pitlane.
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Yes rain in the afternoon, make the most of the early morning light before tea in the hospitality suite.
 
I'll post some photos when I get home from work tonight, but as predicted the conditions weren't great and I bailed out just after 1pm to prevent getting ill again. It was dark, wet & cold and once both joysticks on the 7D and 5D started playing up I took that as a sign to go home.

My first thoughts are that I didn't really get better results than my 70-200 f4 + 1.4x combo, with sharp shots only really coming from 1/250th shutter speeds. The problem with 1/250th was that wheels no longer blurred so the sense of speed is lost from the shots. I think I need more practice and have to improve my panning technique.

Shots will be posted tonight.
 
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Nice shots David, your slow pan captures from the inside of Druids look really sharp. It really was awful on Saturday afternoon, I can't blame you for bailing out, considering that weather though you should be happy with what you caught, even if you couldn't really compare the lenses properly ?
I'm going to venture up for the Britcar meeting, I bet it's rubbish weather then too !
 
Upon taking a 2nd look I'm much happier with the shots that I got and I'm definitely happy with my lens choice. The combo of a 7D and 70-300L plus a 5Dc with a 24-105L has pretty much all of the focal range covered without stretching to the seriously pricey equipment needed for longer focal lengths.

I may come to the Britcar race too. I just looked at the timetable and they've got a lot of track time scheduled for the Saturday. I'd like to get some night-time and light trail photos to add to my collection, if the weather will permit.
 
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Sometimes it takes a few days to properly analyse your own work, I know that I would be very happy with those shots.
It's the night racing that appeals to me, let's hope the weather is decent .
 
Canon 100-400 second hand. I got mine for £650 in mint condition. It's absolutely the best option in the cheaper price range.
 
DavidC1980 said:
Upon taking a 2nd look I'm much happier with the shots that I got and I'm definitely happy with my lens choice. The combo of a 7D and 70-300L plus a 5Dc with a 24-105L has pretty much all of the focal range covered without stretching to the seriously pricey equipment needed for longer focal lengths.

I may come to the Britcar race too. I just looked at the timetable and they've got a lot of track time scheduled for the Saturday. I'd like to get some night-time and light trail photos to add to my collection, if the weather will permit.
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I very much enjoyed photographing the Britcar at night. I'd like to go again this year but I'm not sure I'll make it and it's a bit late to apply for press passes. Here's a random few from my website:

_mg_4097web.jpg


_mg_4169web.jpg


_mg_4244web.jpg
 
Charlotte, do you work Brand Hatch at all? If so, I've probably spotted you with your 100-400 and the press tabard. The 100-400's weren't coming up used in that price range while I was looking, only via eBay listings which were all reaching over £800.

Without going too far off-topic, what is the usual process and criteria to get approved for passes?
 
DavidC1980 said:
Charlotte, do you work Brand Hatch at all? If so, I've probably spotted you with your 100-400 and the press tabard. The 100-400's weren't coming up used in that price range while I was looking, only via eBay listings which were all reaching over £800.

Without going too far off-topic, what is the usual process and criteria to get approved for passes?
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No, I've never worked at Brands Hatch.

To get approved for press work you have to have a letter from an editor saying that your images are going to be published.
 
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