motorsport

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stewie m

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stuart
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hi i got a canon 450d with a tamron af70-300mm f/4-5.6 di ld macro 1;2

im new to taking motorsport pics started last year i want to inprove so was woundering if any one can give advise on how to set up and the setting to use

i use mf as i found af just dosnt work
 
Hi Stuart - I'm quite new to this stuff too, have been to Mallory Park a few times as it's close to home. There are some great examples of people's work in the Motorsport section, have a look at those or some of the motorsport groups on Flickr - look at images you like then check the exif data and use this as a starting point.

If i have a bright day I'll go manual settings, shutter speed of 1/500s or faster and an aperture of around f8, leaving the ISO at Auto. I wouldn't use MF at all, I use AI Servo instead. What problems are you having with the AF - is the lens not keeping focus on your subject in AI Servo mode?
 
Your links don't work unfortunately, might be only available to friends. If you post them in a thread people will help more

AF should work unless you have a fence in the way perhaps. As mentioned, trying servo mode might help.
 
I can't imagine using mf for motorsport!

You really should be able to use AI servo, or you will miss so many shots.

The lens should AF well enough to make use of AI servo. That would certainly be my first recommendation!

I normally use aperture priority for the action/freezing shots and shutter priority (between 80 - 360th sec) for panning shots, adjusting the iso to suit.
 
were i am the track is behind the fence witch dosnt help with the af last time i used sport mode and u cant ajust any thing

dont think its the mf thats the problem

would the tv mode be better i will post a couple pics up so get the idea

this is probebly the best one

dtm171.jpg


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What would the shutter speed/aperture & ISO have been for that first one Stuart? Also which focus point(s) are you using? Again personal choice but I always opt for solely the centre focus point, AI Servo then lots of practice panning & tracking to keep the car in focus - the Tamron really should be up to the job of keeping focussed in AI Servo mode.

Also remember to keep your shutter speed at the reciprocal of your focal length to try and counter any camera shake (if handheld) - if you are fully extended at 300mm x 1.6 crop factor for the 450D then you want a shutter speed of 1/500 or faster if you want to freeze the action (you can slow this down and practice nice panning shots but this does take some practice)...

It does take some practice but it feels great when you pull off a really nice result :thumbs:
 
To shoot through a fence and not have it visible, you need to have and do a couple of things. You need to be using the longest focal length you have, ideally 300mm+. You need to be as close to the fence as you can be (like lens almost touching the fence close), and you need the lens as close to wide open (low f number) as you can get it.

This means sport mode is no good. You want to use Tv (shutter priority) and adjust ISO to give the f number you want, or Av (aperture priority) and adjust ISO to give the shutter speed you want.

Ideally you also want a dull day, as bright sunshine makes things more difficult.

Get it right, and your servo tracking AF mode will have no problem in keeping up.

Hope this helps.

Simon.
 
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Here's an example of what I wrote above in practice:-

http://m.flickr.com/#/photos/srhmoto/5537042703/

This was taken through a Jurassic Park style debris fence at Croft using a 400mm lens on a 7D.

You certainly do not need to use the 1/focal length for shutter speed if your technique is up to it.

Simon.
 
Moski said:
What would the shutter speed/aperture & ISO have been for that first one Stuart? Also which focus point(s) are you using? Again personal choice but I always opt for solely the centre focus point, AI Servo then lots of practice panning & tracking to keep the car in focus - the Tamron really should be up to the job of keeping focussed in AI Servo mode.

Also remember to keep your shutter speed at the reciprocal of your focal length to try and counter any camera shake (if handheld) - if you are fully extended at 300mm x 1.6 crop factor for the 450D then you want a shutter speed of 1/500 or faster if you want to freeze the action (you can slow this down and practice nice panning shots but this does take some practice)...

It does take some practice but it feels great when you pull off a really nice result :thumbs:
Click to expand...

im not sure it was with sport mode so all that was on auto

the top and bottem photos were a overcast day dont think there too bad but think theres room for in proving

the middel onnes it was pretty sunny how do i get over the sun glear and the hazzy nes
 
What doesn't seem to work? I'm not sure I understand your reply.

On really bright sunny days, sometimes you either find a different location, or crack open a beer, put the camera down and watch the racing.
 
As said, switch on the AF... AI servo focusing. Switch from Auto mode to TV, if it's really sunny, stick to ISO 100 or auto.

As for the bit about wanting as dull day though, O RLY!
 
99hjhm said:
As said, switch on the AF... AI servo focusing. Switch from Auto mode to TV, if it's really sunny, stick to ISO 100 or auto.

As for the bit about wanting as dull day though, O RLY!
Click to expand...

If you're shooting through a chain link fence for a 3/4 pan then yes, in my opinion you want a dull day. A few reasons for that. Most of these fences tend to be silver / aluminium in colour. Strong sun does reflect off them causing flare and lack of contrast. Secondly, because you need to be using a relatively wide aperture to make the fence disappear, a bright sunny day will inevitably force your shutter speed up increasing the chances of getting the dreaded parked car look. You can try and set your shutter speed lower, but that stops your lens down making the fence more visible.

There's many ways to skin a cat, but here's how I set up for any sort of motorsport shooting.....

Camera in shutter priority and AI Servo tracking (or whatever your cameras equivalent is). Set the shutter speed for the effect you want to achieve. I will then adjust ISO to give me the aperture I want. Like I say, there are many ways of doing it, but this has served me well for the thick end of 20 years of shooting a wide variety of two and four wheeled motorsport.

Simon.
 
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