Motocross-My first shots?

[Twhit.]

C&C away.40 degrees and cloudy.Used my 50mm lens F/3.2,ISO 100,Exposure@Shutter Priority,Exp. time 0.003s(1/400)

[Twhit.]

I see the first shot is way out of focus.

[FMX]

don't even bother shooting sports with a nifty fifty... focus way to slow... this is unless you can get your focus right beforehand.

[328somewhere]

First pic- Push your iso up to like 400ish. shutter priority to 1/500th or higher. at that range maybe f4-5.6 to get the whole bike in focus. Center point focus and try not to pan. Let him come into frame.
Second pic- you missed the focus or improperly set it up. Set to center point and try again.

Nifty fifty is not the fastest focusing for sports but doesn't do that bad of a job if used correctly. Its a better lens for sunny days but it will work.

[BrownDogWilson]

don't even bother shooting sports with a nifty fifty... focus way to slow... this is unless you can get your focus right beforehand.

Really? Shot this with my 50...

http://img710.imageshack.us/img710/8060/a3dm5.jpg (http://img710.imageshack.us/i/a3dm5.jpg/)

[FMX]

I wasn't saying it couldn't produce good results, just that you will be working much harder with a slow focus system.

[BrownDogWilson]

This one too..

http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/8434/a32010b90zp.jpg (http://img11.imageshack.us/i/a32010b90zp.jpg/)

[328somewhere]

How did I know BDW would post up some killer shots from a nifty fifty. Whats funny is the second one is a little noisy but still an awesome shot. Must have been really dark. Cudos for the great capture in poor lighting.

[old git]

fifty is one of the worst lenses for mx, so slooooooooow, yes you can get some awesome shots with it, but the kill rate is far to high...

[old git]

But cracking shots BDW

[BrownDogWilson]

I wasn't saying it couldn't produce good results, just that you will be working much harder with a slow focus system.

I am just giving you a little grief!:lol: It is very tough to use for sports, I have just been lucky a few times! I got really lucky with this one!

http://img17.imageshack.us/img17/1452/tp3d1000.jpg (http://img17.imageshack.us/i/tp3d1000.jpg/)

[Twhit.]

BDW Do you shoot in manual mode ? Should I use AV mode or TV mode?

[TylerSwingle]

You can use any of those modes. I use Av, because I'm constantly walking the track to find better angles, and the sunlight and shade change as I walk.

[Emberghost]

I love how BD just stole the thread. To the OP, the first one is definitely out of focus and then second looks a little OOF as well. I would bump up the ISO to 200 or 400 and use a higher shutter speed. Good luck!

[jimken61]

I prefer to shot MX in TV mode. Setting the shutter to about 1/320th or 1/400th is fast enough to freeze the action but you still get some background and tire motion blur. Aslo this shutter speed will stop the action pretty good if you have a bike approaching directly towards you.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2797/4404686796_24957effa9_o.jpg

[Twhit.]

Two more ,little better focus I think! Nifty fifty.

[Twhit.]

I prefer to shot MX in TV mode. Setting the shutter to about 1/320th or 1/400th is fast enough to freeze the action but you still get some background and tire motion blur. Aslo this shutter speed will stop the action pretty good if you have a bike approaching directly towards you.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2797/4404686796_24957effa9_o.jpg

Nice , he destroyed that berm!!!

[FMX]

Thats a killer shot! Can't wait to get some outdoor shots myself!

[OldNick]

Pity about that because otherwise it's a damn fine shot.

My take here would be to use MF and pre-focus using the ground. However you have to be very careful about taking the shot at the right time then. Very easy to just wait that fraction and the guy has moved in and you are OOF again. You can try shutting down a stop or two to give you some leeway, even if you have to go up on ISO. but then you start to have trouble with sharp backgrounds ...sigh

With the other shot, I like the angle, But there would have been no harm in getting rid of the dead grass stalks in front. Just something to think about and easily fixed.

I am assuming that 40 deg is F? Both shots look cold with that harsh cloudy light.

[OldNick]

Just want to add that for first efforts, they are not bad tries. You have a rotten day to work with.

[Twhit.]

Two more same day , same cloudy cold day.

[FMX]

Definitely like that last one the best... focus looks pretty decent and its an interesting shot.

[OldNick]

Nice berm shot. The rider's attire stands out nicely in this shot.

Can you try to get further from trees etc? This one is great; the rider stands out really nicely due to good light and a nice dark background., but the others are a bit "busy". If you can get the ratio between the you-rider distanc e and the rider-tree distance, you get more blur.

Getting a bit of pan blur into that previous jump shot! Good stuff! Just remember as you get slower and more pan, to follow through on the pan DAMHIKT but it is very easy to pause as you press the shutter, or simply stop panning. Try to work out a way to force a smooth pan/track right through the entire sequence. As I say DAMHIKT. :rolleyes:

[Twhit.]

Thanks for the info , hopefully the next set of pics. we be myself thru the berm or over a double.And another rookie on the camera end!

[Twhit.]

One week later , used the kit lens this time 28-135.Much better light , clear skys.Only problem was the dust.
First Pic. I took.Second pic. I gave my Camera to my buddie to take a shot of me.

[Twhit.]

How much sharper will the images be when I take delivery of Cannon70-200 2,8 IS?

[motofan]

not sure about your lens, as I've never used it, but from my kit 70-300 to my 70-200 F2.8 IS. Lets just say that the 70-200 on my XT made me happy. On the 40D is awesome. I run mine gripped, and it only takes a race or 2 to get used to the weight. Not sure how close you get to the bikes, but i've had a good UV filter on since day one and glad i have it every time i go to the track. I only take it off to put on my CP filter, or to run filterless at light when taking pics of the moon, or farm field work (random i know). I did notice some of the lights reflecting on the front element when I had the filter on at Indy, but there was no way I was taking it off with how dusty it was.

[OldNick]

How much sharper will the images be when I take delivery of Cannon70-200 2,8 IS?

Those images look PDG anyway! The kit lenses are actually quite good IQ. It's their build and mechanics that is not as good as the $ ones.

What you will get from the 70-200 (I am assuming L lens here) is a faster lens in all respects. The AF on these is stunningly fast, unless it gets caught out on something. The little red light flicks almost instantly and the Servo tracks very well on moving targets. And of course you can get a wider aperture. That will help separate the background. In the light you have, there the aperture is not really needed for speed. In fact you have nearly stopped the tyres, so you must have had the shutter cranked up. I would actually come down a step or so.

[OldNick]

Just a thought. If you find that you have to use too small an aperture to get shallow DOF, with slower shutter speeds to get good blur, either of wheels or by panning, start looking for Neutral Density filters. You can slow the camera down several stops if you want.

[Twhit.]

Those images look PDG anyway! The kit lenses are actually quite good IQ. It's their build and mechanics that is not as good as the $ ones.

What you will get from the 70-200 (I am assuming L lens here) is a faster lens in all respects. The AF on these is stunningly fast, unless it gets caught out on something. The little red light flicks almost instantly and the Servo tracks very well on moving targets. And of course you can get a wider aperture. That will help separate the background. In the light you have, there the aperture is not really needed for speed. In fact you have nearly stopped the tyres, so you must have had the shutter cranked up. I would actually come down a step or so.

I have been using the AV mode , at 100 ISO

[OldNick]

100 ISO is good, because you have plenty of light.

I would tend to use Tv mode for action shots, because you want control of the shutter for sharp or blur. However that does come at the expense of background blur because you cannot control the aperture. That's where panning starts to come into it. but not for nearly head-on shots like yours.

Some really canny guys actually go full manual! That is great if the light is not changing, but will be a real pain if it is. I often shoot racing boats and kite surfers, so I am frequently panning through downsun toward upsun. Makes manual very tough. I prefer to let the camera take care of "the other part".

What gets me with full manual is that you still have to get correct EV, so you are still simply juggling.

As I said, ND filters are the way to go iof you want slow shutter and wider aperture in bright light.

[FMX]

Definitely Tv if not Manual for sports. You want control of the shutter speed in sports for sure... Btw those last pics look a lot better. As others have said you would benefit from the fast focusing of the 70-200 and overall quality. It focuses unreal fast.

[motofan]

another good thing is with a good filter on the front, the 70-200 is really weather resistant. I'm not shy about shooting in somewhat dusty and wet conditions. Obviously you want to limit exposure but getting it a little wet or dirty by accident shouldn't harm it. I know i took a header into the mud last year, and after 30 minutes of cleaning the mud out of everywhere, it was like it never happened. I wouldn't trade the 70-200 for anything to be attached to the 40D

[Twhit.]

Next time out I will use TV mode.I'am not ready for manual mode.

[Twhit.]

If I were to try manual mode with my D50 , what settings would I start with?(for motocross on a clear sunny day)

[OldNick]

I honestly cannot see the point. With manual, you have to take care of all the EV conditions. If the light changes at all, you become over or underexposed, unless you change one parameter. This means that you have to pretty well know exactly where the subject is going to be when you take the shot, if they are riding in changing light, such as when you pan with them as you wait for them to do a jump, or turn or whatever.

Regarding what settings you would use, that's part of the call you have to make. You have to choose the shutter speed you want for either freezing a shot or panning, then select the aperture that suits what you think the light will be when you take the shot, so the the EV is close to correct, as indicated by the camera's EV bar/indicator. Or choose an aperture that makes for the DOF that suits you and select a shutter speed that suits the EV.

That is the point I am trying to make. You are still bound by the "rules" (physics) of the fact that each setting requires that the other be within a narrow range to suit the light. You can get away with maybe one stop, and it's better underexposed than over, usually. If you use a semi-auto like Av or Tv, the camera gives you a range to work with as the light changes. You might not get exactly the "other setting" you want, but you get a correctly exposed shot. I used a full manual camera for years when I started out, and for action stuff it had you working if the light was changing. It was not just snap-happy amateurs that gobbled up the auto cameras.

It's up to you of course, but I reckon you have enough to bother with shooting a fast-moving bike.

[Twhit.]

I honestly cannot see the point. With manual, you have to take care of all the EV conditions. If the light changes at all, you become over or underexposed, unless you change one parameter. This means that you have to pretty well know exactly where the subject is going to be when you take the shot, if they are riding in changing light, such as when you pan with them as you wait for them to do a jump, or turn or whatever.

Regarding what settings you would use, that's part of the call you have to make. You have to choose the shutter speed you want for either freezing a shot or panning, then select the aperture that suits what you think the light will be when you take the shot, so the the EV is close to correct, as indicated by the camera's EV bar/indicator. Or choose an aperture that makes for the DOF that suits you and select a shutter speed that suits the E
That is the point I am trying to make. You are still bound by the "rules" (physics) of the fact that each setting requires that the other be within a narrow range to suit the light. You can get away with maybe one stop, and it's better underexposed than over, usually. If you use a semi-auto like Av or Tv, the camera gives you a range to work with as the light changes. You might not get exactly the "other setting" you want, but you get a correctly exposed shot. I used a full manual camera for years when I started out, and for action stuff it had you working if the light was changing. It was not just snap-happy amateurs that gobbled up the auto cameras.

It's up to you of course, but I reckon you have enough to bother with shooting a fast-moving bike.

I think I will stick with AV and TV mde!!!!!!!!!!!!!Thanks for all your input!

[OldNick]

Although I said that the camera "takes care" of the other side, you should still be watching what is happening as you move around in the light. Be ready to alter ISO, for instance, if the camera starts to give you too much DOF, or it may actually reach the end of the apertures available for that shutter speed. However semi-auto does give you all this stops of leeway.

When I am setting up at a location, I usually swing across the intended panning field of view, seeing how the camera reacts as I move though the brightness spectrum. That lets me decide the ISO, shutter speed etc, and I work to mostly shoot where I get the best result. For long pans, because most cameras are now limited to 100ISO slowest, I am starting to try ND filters, for slower shutter and larger aperture. sigh.