Which lens for motorsport????

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Paul
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Hi,

I'm new to photography, bought a Nikon D5000 kit just before Christmas.
I intend to use it to take shots of motorsport, local karts/car clubs, Oulton Park and F1 at Silverstone.

I have been looking for an affordable decent lens but I am getting seriously confused with all the options. I guess I'll get a Sigma as they appear to be a lot cheaper than Nikon.

Will a 70-200 be ok or will a 300 be essential?
Stabalisatoin is a must I assume......please feel free to correct me.

If anyone can reccommend a lens I would really appreciatte it.

Oh almost forgot to say, budget will be around £200-£300 mark.

Thanks in advance
Paul.
 
For around the £300 mark you should be able to pick up a s/h nikon 70-300 VR
an excellent lens for motorsport & you wont get better for you're money. keep you're eyes peeled in the classifieds on here as they often come up.
:)
All taken with the 70-300VR
http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=160612&highlight=cadwell
Also performes well in poor light ( read post #6 he knows what he's talking about)
http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=150814&highlight=mallory
 
Hi & Welcome :wave:

A 70-300 will cover you well for the majority of your needs (think Silverstone can be an issue). A 200mm zoom will be fine for Oulton Park as you can get near the track well there - personally, I would buy a better 70-200 over a lesser 70-300 lens (sorry I can't be more specific, as I'm Canon) :thumbs:

Might see you down @ Oulton this year :thumbs:
 
Hi,

Thank you for the replies, they're pointing me in the right direction.

A quick question, does the Sigma 70-300 APO autofocus on a Nikon D5000?

Having looked on their website I'm still not sure, other than that there are a couple of Nikon AF 70-300 VR lenses on a well kown auction site I am watching.

Cheers
Paul.
 
I'd hang on and save a few more pennies until you can get the 70-300VR its the first one on the price scale of "motorsport capable" lenses for your Nikon. They aren't that much more than the Sigma, but are very good indeed bang vs buck. In fact you'd have to spend more than twice that price to get something better for motorsport.

Maska's thread shows exactly what they can do - cracking stuff!

For more advice, have a look at this thread as well:

http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=196116

Although, we might be talking more money than your budget, there's some good advice there...
 
At Silverstone you will need at least 300mm of reach if shooting from spectator areas. It's a big place!
 
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