First motorsport pictures - V8 supercar

[matchap]

Hi there!
First, I'll introduce: Matthieu (french, nobody's perfect...), living in Melbourne, Australia.
Am 24 and love motorsports. So I have recently bought an interesting lens for that purpose (300 f4L) and was at Phillip Island two weeks ago for the first tests with that lens.
As you seem to be really into it, it would be very nice to benefit from your knowledge, advices, aso...

Here are some pictures I have taken then.

http://img443.imageshack.us/img443/743/img2521shackxu0.jpg
ISO200, 1/500, F8



http://img484.imageshack.us/img484/9190/img2742shackru3.jpg
ISO200, 1/400, F10



http://img443.imageshack.us/img443/3777/img2483shackts3.jpg
ISO200, 1/400, F8



http://img520.imageshack.us/img520/9224/img2657shackgm7.jpg
ISO200, 1/500, F7.1




I am not really happy with the sharpness (I cannot find the english word corresponding to what I mean but I have the feeling that the colors don't stay in their original locations and tend to expand a little bit around, am I clear?)
In fact, I wonder if this could come from the extra-powerful light I had that day. As I had had the lens for less than 24 hours, I had no UV filter and wonder if this could be the reason for a certain lack of sharpness.


Otherwise I have read a lot of interesting posts in that forum and will try to keep everything in mind for the next times.

Thanks for having read all that ;)

Matthieu

[Big Ant]

Hi and welcome to the forum

ISO 200 = overexposed shots and loss of colour

Drop your ISO to 100 especially in the bright sunshine of Aus

I'd also drop your shutter speed, try 1/320 for 3/4 shots and slow your shutter speed down even more to give you more motion blur for shots like your last one

It's all practice

#3 is my favourite

Good effort though:D

[matchap]

You're right, the strange feeling I have, especially with the second one, is due to a loss of color, you managed to find the words ;) ! Otherwise I had found this sentence "colors are washed" wich is quite graphical too...

I'll try that soon, if I can find an event to practice around Melbourne next week-end.

Thanks for your help.

[Echo63]

#1 looks cool, with the heat haze over the front half of the field
#2 is overexposed and the colours look washed out - i assume this is a JPEG straight out of the camera ?
#3and4 look good, 4 the colours look a little washed out

a bit of work in photoshop would help all the images, but for a first go they look great

[JSJR4]

Good first attempt. Def bring to ISO 100 and slow shutter down a bit

[T_O_M]

Good first try, did you go on Saturday? Positive I spoke to you as you told me you had just purached your lens.

Have to agree with the others #2 looks overexposed. Noticed in your exif data that you were shooting with +1/3 exposure compensation, look at your histogram for blown highlights and adjust exposure accordingly. Did you apply any sharpening in post processing to your photos?


Here is a sample of one of my shots from Phillip Island.
http://www.pbase.com/t_o_m/image/89743421.jpg

[matchap]

Yep, that was me! I had a friend's engagement on saturday night and was not able to make it on Sunday ;)

Yes, I have set that +1/3 exposure a long time ago as I read the 400d was underexposing a little bit. Can assume that this setting plus the 200iso were not exactly the right one for that really sunny day!

I have tried the sharpening stuff in photoshop but cannot really remember if I was happy with the result and wether the picture posted has it or not...
Your pic look really good, that is exactly the color I was expecting and was sorry not to see...


The second one is indeed a jpeg from the camera, but I have decreased the brightness and added a little bit of contrats.

Will try to play with the color curve now.

T_O_M, your pic look really good! If I can remember, you were using a monopod, right? Do you think my pics would get some more sharpness with one? Do you use any additionnal post-processing tool for the sharpness?

Thank you all

Matthieu

[T_O_M]

If I can remember, you were using a monopod, right? Do you think my pics would get some more sharpness with one? Do you use any additionnal post-processing tool for the sharpness?

Might have been using my monopod if I was shooting with my 400 f5.6L & 1.4x TC. I use use a monopod with long lenses and slower shutter speeds. Do not use it for panning as I find it does restrict movement.

Shoot mostly in RAW now and process in Capture One pro, use Etcetera (Magne Nilsen) colour profile and sharpening in Capture One, If I shoot JPEG, set sharpening in camera and happy with results straight from camera.

[matchap]

Have just given another try into Photoshop: decreased the exposure, modified the colour curve and worked with the built-in sharpness capability. Here is my result:

http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/3288/2742bwv1.jpg


I reckon it's better than the first version in the first post, but still not perfect... I may have too uch contrast now :confused:
What do you think?
Cheers
Matthieu

[Big Ant]

That's a big improvement:D

Nothing's ever perfect;)

[roentarre]

Love the the cars in such order.

[elysium]

I am not really happy with the sharpness (I cannot find the english word corresponding to what I mean but I have the feeling that the colors don't stay in their original locations and tend to expand a little bit around, am I clear?)
In fact, I wonder if this could come from the extra-powerful light I had that day. As I had had the lens for less than 24 hours, I had no UV filter and wonder if this could be the reason for a certain lack of sharpness.


Otherwise I have read a lot of interesting posts in that forum and will try to keep everything in mind for the next times.

Thanks for having read all that ;)

Matthieu

Sounds like you are talking about chromatic abberation there. Shouldnt really be an issue on this lens I thought? Maybe im wrong.

Have you tried using the lens for anything else?

[S7000]

Hope you don't mind, had a quick go at saving the colour wash...

http://www.members.optushome.com.au/prischlfam/img2742shackru3.jpg

Put a duplicate layer on top, 50% opacity. Changed the exposure, offset & gamma first, unsharp masked next, then some contrast, and a little brightness, from there selective colouring on the red, upped the magentas, reds, and blacks, then finally some slight curve...Could even saturate the reds more, as they're still a little washed out of photoshop...

Would be easier if you had RAW's too...

[T_O_M]

Hope you don't mind, had a quick go at saving the colour wash...

Too much red more fluorescent as in pic 3 and the pic I posted

[S7000]

Too much red more fluorescent as in pic 3 and the pic I posted

Was going from memory, don't watch the V8's too much...I know the vodaphone colours have changed to a lighter red after the withdrawal from Ferrari...I thought the Holden red was a lot deeper still though...

[matchap]

Hi there!

Sorry I was not able to answer the last days, my connection has been slow down and displaying pictures from the net is just a big mess :(

Anyway, back to that picture: i can feel there is potential in it ;) ( well, i hope... )

S7000, thx a lot for that explanation. even if the colors may be a little bit different, I get your point and will try to reproduce that kind of ps routine. Good you've written everything you did, I might just take me two weeks to do it myself :lol: . Don't worry, I have already switched my settings to jpeg + raw and once I am confortable with it, I'll go to raw only.

Elysium, I have tested the lens the day I bought it and could not see anything like this at this time. Will have another look at those shots (the rabbits in the backyard ;) )

Thx all
Matthieu