600 F4 for motor sport ?

[weka2000]

Ok $$$ aside what advantages and disadvatages are there to this lens for motorsport, cars and bikes.

Besides the obvious disadvantages .....weight,haze, and limited spots.

Do any of you guys use this lenth. Personally I would prefer the 500F4.
I shoot FF and have only the 1 body.

As a second thought would the 400 F2.8 be the better option?

[Simon Harrison]

Ok $$$ aside what advantages and disadvatages are there to this lens for motorsport, cars and bikes.

Besides the obvious disadvantages .....weight,haze, and limited spots.

Do any of you guys use this lenth. Personally I would prefer the 500F4.
I shoot FF and have only the 1 body.

As a second thought would the 400 F2.8 be the better option?

Hopefully Glenn (Cadwell) will see this as he uses the 600 f4 for motorsport.

The focal length you require depends on the track you are shooting, and what access you have. If you're shooting full frame, then I would have thought you would want as much focal length as you can get. I also firmly believe that if you buy a lens and then stick a TC on it all the time, then you probably bought the wrong lens.

For what it's worth, I shoot a 1.3 crop body with the Sigma 500mm prime. I have full access at the circuit I most often shoot at. The 500mm rarely leaves the camera body. Heat shimmer can be a problem when shooting over tarmac in the middle of summer. Your usage maybe different depending on what and where you are shooting.

Simon.

[weka2000]

I had the 300F2.8 but sold it to help pay for the 1Dsmk3. I just got a 300 F4 and a 1.4 TC is always on it, yet with bikes it is often to short. Corners fine but im still not filling the frame.

Bike days I have good access,talking to the riders they get sick of the same shots and often ask for shots that would require 600mm +

Im not a pro, but that dosnt stop me :)

[Mark Vuleta]

Does anyone in Auckland rent them Tony?

[weka2000]

Does anyone in Auckland rent them Tony?

The biggest Ive seen is 300 F2.8

[Cadwell]

Ok $$$ aside what advantages and disadvatages are there to this lens for motorsport, cars and bikes.

Besides the obvious disadvantages .....weight,haze, and limited spots.

Do any of you guys use this lenth. Personally I would prefer the 500F4.
I shoot FF and have only the 1 body.

As a second thought would the 400 F2.8 be the better option?

It's a great lens and if the focal length is right, then it does a superb job of shooting motorsport. It also does a very good job should you feel the need to slap a TC on it. Yes, it is large and heavy but it works just fine on a good quality monopod.

Main disadvantage is that you have to get used to everyone (photographers or not) staring at you and saying "wow, that's huge" as you walk past. People also often come up and ask to look through it. If you are the shy, retiring type then this is not the lens for you.

[weka2000]

If you are the shy, retiring type then this is not the lens for you.

Thas definitly not me :)

Cheers for the input guys

[justincase724]

Main disadvantage is that you have to get used to everyone (photographers or not) staring at you and saying "wow, that's huge" as you walk past. People also often come up and ask to look through it. If you are the shy, retiring type then this is not the lens for you.

Yeah, it's amazing how much attention that lens gets. A friend and I rented it for a weekend at the drag races and it seemed more people were paying attention to us then they were the races. It worked great for us (except when I tried to pan handheld with that thing - I nearly fell over).

[weka2000]

Not the sort of lens you would have hanging around your neck for long either I guess :lol:

[ryant35]

I've shot with a 500mm f/4 for motorsports, it only worked for me at certain tracks and certain angles.

[IncompletePete]

Great lens - just freaking big to lug around and may be overkill depending on where you're shooting as you could just be too tight.

[cwphoto]

I use the 600/4 IS over the 500/4 IS depending on the venue. I hate carrying it, but I really like what I get out of it.

Some recent samples (mainly on a 1Ds Mark II) here: http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=584526&highlight=V8+supercars

[weka2000]

Ok I have a confession to make :rolleyes:

I purchased this lens on friday, shot with it saterday and returned it monday :o

There were a number of reasons.
It was just to dam big for me to handle even with a mono pod, lugging it around all day was a pain.
IQ etc no issues. Even with a 1.4 TC. I did discover a issue with heat haze and focusing over distances.

Had no issues with the $$$ but came home Saterday afternoon packed it all up and realised it was the wrong lens for me.
1 thing did bother me a lot was the fact if I need to move in a hurry this was not the lens to have attached.

So I have finally found my limit. I will still like to try the 500 F4 for a day. Never used a mono pod when I owned a 300 F2.8 and could hand hold that all day and get sharp shots.

The 400 and 600 are just to big. But you never really know till you try.

My mate got a photo of me shooting with it so not all is lost :lol:

Plan B is going back to a 1.6 crop camera 50D maybe in the new year for the long shots.

[Cadwell]

So why the :o ?

I love the 600/4L but it isn't right for all motorsport venues or all motorsport photographers. Sometimes I use my 500mm or 100-400mm or 120-300mm or 70-200mm instead because they are better fits for where I am and what I am doing than the 600. Having a lens YOU are comfortable with is far more important than having what other people consider to be the "right" lens. You did the sensible thing by trying the lens and deciding whether it was right for you or not. At least you now know!

[weka2000]

Ive never had to return a thing in my life. However the guy understood. Its 1 thing trying in a shop, its another using it out on the field.
Was sick all night worrying about returning it. Had it been a different sport i.e surfing or a field sport may have been different. Since I move a round the track a lot it quickly became a beast of burden.

[GSH]

Ive never had to return a thing in my life. However the guy understood. Its 1 thing trying in a shop, its another using it out on the field.
Was sick all night worrying about returning it. Had it been a different sport i.e surfing or a field sport may have been different. Since I move a round the track a lot it quickly became a beast of burden.

Nothing wrong with returning it if it doesn't suit you.

Having seen & handled Glenn's 600, if i were to buy one i wouldn't take it anywhere that i couldn't have reasonable vehicle access. There's no way i'd lug it around a track all day as i do with the Sigma 500...