Advice for a newby

[Lexustechsa]

Hi guys, I am still very new to photography and I would like to get into motorsport photography. I have been going to local track day etc, to get practice, but the World Superbikes are coming to Kyalami in may and I want to make the most of the opertunity.
I have a Eos 7D with the standard kit lens (18- 135). Any advice would me greatly appreciated.

[Dennis Valet]

You will undoubtedly need a longer lens than that, unless you go for some really loose/wide artistic shots.

[Lexustechsa]

Unfortunatly I can't afford better lenses right now, but which lenses would you recommend?

[Chisholm]

Ive heard the Canon 100-400mm lens is a beauty.......correct me if I'm wrong......
Tom

[profec291]

I use the 100-400 for motorsport events, I'm no pro, but I am very happy with the results I get with the lens. Here's an example:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v391/profec291/IMG_6487.jpg

This is straight from the camera, no PP.

Another option is to rent a lens while you are developing your skills. In the meantime, look at all the pics & exif data in this section, it'll give you an idea of what kind of settings to use.

[Dennis Valet]

100-400 is a good lens, but for cheaper check out the sigma zooms (150-500 etc)


but of course, "cheaper" is a relative term :p

[philwillmedia]

Can't go wrong with the 100-400.
I've seen some stunning results with the Sigma 50-500 as well.
As has already been mentioned, your 18-135 will be too short unless yo want to be arty but don't expect any nice tight shots.

[ajmphotography]

70-200 is 2.8 is what i use.

ALso have the 2x converter

[Lexustechsa]

Thank for the advice guys. I'm trying to see if I can hire a 100-400 L lens.

[Sjon]

I think you maybe you should work more with you're 18-135, i have the same set-up and bought the 100-400mm Canon, super lens by the way, but i have learn to shoot with that lens (just got it like 3 weeks).
I like to shoot motor cross to: http://www.flickr.com/photos/10438559@N04/ (with the 18-135 IS, just get a good spot to stand) Good luck!

[DC Fan]

I have a Eos 7D with the standard kit lens (18- 135). Any advice would me greatly appreciated.

The longer the lens, the better.

http://www.kevinlillard.com/racing/20090829a0803.jpg

300mm.


http://www.kevinlillard.com/racing/20090829a1306.jpg

400mm.


Race track distances tend to be long, so long lenses are pretty much mandatory for on-track action. The first image is around 60-80 feet from the bike, and 300mm was needed for useful framing.

[sastein]

Before you buy, rent or borrow a lens or two. If you go to the same track over and over, then you might find one lens better than others.

I'm not a fan of the 100-400, but it's a good lens.The 400 5.6 is better. The 300 f4 works well too.

[jimken61]

For good lighting conditions you can't go wrong with the Canon 100-400. If you think you might be shooting in low light conditions I would go for the 70-200 2.8, mine is a Sigma. Both great lenses and you can get the Sigma 70-200 for about half of what a Canon 100-400 cost.

[EOS-100-10-1D]

Have you had any luck finding a 100-400L for hire? I appreciate the cost factor of buying new Lenses can be an important issue!

As the 7D has an APS-C Sensor your 135mm Lens has a similar Focal length to the 70-210mm I used in my 35mm (Full Frame) Days before I could afford a Longer Lens. 210mm (or APS-C 135mm) may do the job if you carefully choose places around the Track where you can get closer to the action, though I have never been to Kayalami to be sure of that. If the Racing is close then Photo's of a group of Bikes in a tight formation will fill the frame better than a single Bike. 18Mp will give you plenty of scope for cropping PP & still get great picture quality.

Having said that, Longer is better so buy a longer Lens as soon as you can afford one (I now mainly use an EF300mm f4L on my 1.3X EOS1D Classic). Before you buy a Lens read the Reviews to decide if the Lens you are thinking of is a worthy investment! The modern obsession with Image Stabilization has crashed the value of some of the Non-I.S. Lenses. If you are on a budget, a great non-I.S. Lens is a better buy than a inferior Optical Quality I.S. Lens in my opinion.

[neil_r]

You will get good results with a 100-400 and it will give you more flexibility than a prime if you are not finding yourself stuck at 400 all the time.

Knowing the circuit and understanding where the best vantage places are will really help it will also allow you to determine what the best lens for that situation will be.

I tend to have a 100-400, a 300 f/2.8 and a 500 f/4 with me out on the track. Do not think that longer is always best as there are some circuits where 500 is too long.

The best advice I can give is know your circuit, know what type of images you want to get and chose your lenses based on that.

[neil_r]

The longer the lens, the better.

http://www.kevinlillard.com/racing/20090829a0803.jpg

300mm.


http://www.kevinlillard.com/racing/20090829a1306.jpg

400mm.


They look soft ?