Useful motorsport settings?

[ukaskew]

I've briefly found myself in the world of the modern DSLR with a D7000, which has more settings (particularly related to AF) than I care to think about. I've only used it for two weekends, but my photography improved significantly once I stripped the settings back to the absolute bare essentials (or 'D50 mode', as I lovingly refer to it, having owned a D50 previously!), which pretty much meant AF on and AFC, even Auto ISO hindered more than helped.

Lots of AF points seem lovely in the marketing bumpf, but within minutes I switched most of them off as it took too long to move around them, where they are is far more useful than how many. Focus priority just doesn't work with panning, in my experience. Focus tracking with lock on (which in theory maintains a lock even if you pan past a fence post, for example) sounds clever, but gave me nothing but OOF shots. All the fancy 3D/AF tracking settings? Rubbish, little more than an annoying box moving around seemingly randomly in the viewfinder. Single point AF was far more efficient. I even tried AFS instead of AFC, just for fun, and honestly don't think there is much in it if you adjust your technique slightly.

At that point I wondered what a new body actually gives me, as far as I could tell I may as well be shooting with a Canon 5Dc (which I have before, and could notice no discernible difference between that and this D7000). I only shoot single shots, so FPS/buffer size isn't an issue for me.

With that in mind, are there any settings (on any camera) that anyone has found genuinely useful?

 

[Tim R-T-C]

I have a Nikon D600 and the presence of two "User" settings on the main dial is very useful - I have one set for high speed, usually 1/1600 (great for the start of races and "action moments") and another set to a suitable panning speed (between 1/200 and 1/400 depending on the circuit) so I can quickly switch between them during the racing.

 

[philwillmedia]

For Canon...
AI Servo on, choose mode of preference - Tv, Av or manual, whatever frame rate you want, choose focus point for composition wanted, set shutter speed, ISO and aperture for desired result.
Good to go.

 

[desantnik]

I've never used a D7000, but its probably quite similar to my D300.

There are a wealth of features in it, what you don't realise at the start is how you might use them - but if you use your camera a lot you might just realise what circumstances may lead some of them to prove good...

I came to the D300 from a Canon 30D - which isn't too disimilar to either camera you also mention... there's a raft more stuff on a modern Nikon than those for sure.

Just quickly some useful stuff:

1) Use the custom function button to disable the flash firing.

2) Use auto ISO in conjunction with manual mode to allow TC use avoiding apertures too wide or too narrow

3) Focus tracking with lock on... does work, use it to avoid it locking onto foreground objects... like champagne sprays on the podium or trees when panning.

4) AF points too hard to move around? I've got 51, its not a problem, I can move them very rapidly to compose and recompose whilst shooting - you haven't found the way to grip it.... but maybe thats a D7000 thing - it is physically smaller - too small in my opinion.

 

[Tim Nott]

I have had a D300 and now have the D7000 and a D7100 and I know what the OP is on about. There do seem to be alot of redundant and over clever settings for focus but they do have their uses.

For motorsport though like suggested in another post you will probably find there are one or two settings that works best. Afterall it's the the same subject usually. A lot of the time you even know where the subject is going to be and can go manual.

Have you ever tried motocross photography? All those bikes flying in the air...some of those fancy settings come in useful then.

 

[joker2006]

Im not expert by far, my panning is somewhat in need of work but I tend to use single point focus aperture mode and adjust iso accordingly. Continuous focus. Used these settings on the d90 and now the d7100.