First Day Racing with 10D

[Cadwell]

Well, I took my 10D motor racing for the first time yesterday. Down to Lydden circuit in Kent for some rallycross. It was fantastic rallycross weather: mud up to the ankles, almost constant drizzle (the rest of the time it just rained for a bit of variety), misty and altogether blacker than the inside of Darth Vader's coal scuttle.

Of course, fantastic rallycross weather means absolutely terrible photography weather. :cry:

I tried using my Canon 28-135mm lens. Absolutely useless. At full telephoto on ISO400 it was offering me 1/60s shutter speed at best. Now, rallycross cars might not be quite as fast as F1 or champcars or F5000s... but they do try and 1/60s is not gonna get you squat in terms of pictures.

So, time to get out the big gun, the Sigma 120-300mm f/2.8. What an amazing thing! Suddenly I was getting 1/400s, f.5.6 at ISO 400! OK, the thing might be a touch inconvenient to use... it's rather large and very heavy, but it sure pulls in the light. You could see the light round the rest of the circuit dip slightly every time I took the lens cap off :lol: The upshot is that I managed to get some shots that I'm fairly happy with and I know I never would have got with my old point and shoot! :)

There are some samples here http://212.250.170.33/misc/lydden.html .

[samdring]

Nice but what pebbledashed car 78 on Lydden 2?

[Cadwell]

Nice but what pebbledashed car 78 on Lydden 2?

Ah... I guess you can't see it properly on that size of picture. Those are water droplets that were kicked up off the top of that flying white marker block on the inside of the bend.

[vvizard]

I tried using my Canon 28-135mm lens. Absolutely useless. At full telephoto on ISO400 it was offering me 1/60s shutter speed at best. Now, rallycross cars might not be quite as fast as F1 or champcars or F5000s... but they do try and 1/60s is not gonna get you squat in terms of pictures.

I wouldn't say that, all needed is practice ;) 1/60 can make some good panning-shots. It's difficult indeed, but if you wan't some truly impressive motorsports panning-pictures, you should check out the pictures from the Subaru world rally championship photographers. They got fullsized pictures (with exif in many of them) from all the WRC-races. They shoot 1D, 10D, 1Ds's. It's really great learning to study their exif's (in the pics where it's available). The most impressive things, are the (not many, but quite some) panning-shots where they manage to nail the car down sharp at 1/30s (and even less in some) at 300mm+ Now _that's_ great panning =D

EDIT: And here's the forgotten URL to the 2003-season pictures: http://www.swrt.com/251668.html

[Cadwell]

Yup, agreed :D Panning is quite possible at 1/60s. I should have been clearer in what I meant to say, but trust me on this one, I have litteraly thousands of panned motorsports pictures... it's about all my previous camera was good for. I need more panned motorsport pictures like I need a hole in the head :lol: ;)

[vvizard]

:wink:

[iwatkins]

Cadwell,

Nice shots even with the crappy weather. I love rallycross, it is so, er, mad. :)

Cheers

Ian