FIRST TIME PHOTOS OF ROAD COURSE

I'm a newbie to photography and have never tried shooting anything moving.
End of September I'm going to take photo's of my grandson road racing his motorcycle.
Today I drove over to the state road parked their and took photos of cars going bye.
Shooting at 1/160 they looked pretty good but when I tried 1/60 they were blurred.
What is the cause of the blur is it because the camera is moving faster than my target.
Need advice I don't have much time to practice.

You may not have time to practice, but practice is what it takes to get things sharp at 1/60.

You should be shooting in shutter priority mode, AI servo tracking, using a single focus point (center is typical), and use the AF-on (or AE Lock) button for focus rather than a half press of the shutter.

1/160 is really not bad at all for panning. That is typically my "go to" shutter speed when I absolutely want to be sure I will come away with a high number of keepers that still have a respectable amount of wheel and background blur. I only start dropping down to the 1/60 and slower range once I'm sure I have what I want and then I start to take more risks. It's also important to consider the speed of your camera's servo tracking, your lens, how steady your hands are, the speed of your subject, and your position in relation to your subject.

As for what causes blur, there are many possibilities. It could be that you're not being smooth enough when panning. Also keep in mind that panning becomes more difficult when your subject is not moving in a straight line. If there is an elevation change or if the subject is even slightly turning toward or away from you, it can lead to blur at slower shutter speeds even if your hands are very steady.

Since you don't have a lot of time to practice I would suggest playing it safe and going with 1/160 or higher and then as your skills improve you'll become more comfortable with slowing the shutter down.

Black Bart wrote in post #13003734
Shooting at 1/160 they looked pretty good but when I tried 1/60 they were blurred.

Panning images at 1/160.

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Thanks for the info one thing I did wrong this morning was not have it in AI Servo I will try again in the morning.
I really want to make this work on race day and I know I need a lot of practice.

While paning would it be better to turn the IS off i will probably be using either my 70-200 L or 100-400 L it has 2 switches for the IS.
I plan to do a lot of practice in the next 3 weeks to make this work on race day.

Either use IS mode 2 or turn it off entirely for panning.

I have never used a 100-400 but the 70-200 is one of the best tools for panning shots there is.

FStop7 wrote in post #13006455
Either use IS mode 2 or turn it off entirely for panning.

I have never used a 100-400 but the 70-200 is one of the best tools for panning shots there is.

Thanks for that info I also have the Canon TC both 1.4 and 2x so if the 70-200 is not enough I will try the 1.4 TC on it.

The track is Putnamville Park near Putnamville,Indiana I have never been their before so I have no idea as to how close I can get to the track.

My son in-law said they have a track photographer and he is the only one allowed on the inside of the track so I may need the 400mm we will see.

A few panning examples with a 1/100 shutter speed.

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That first one is cool you caught that front wheel locked up.
I'm not a stock car fan but those are very nice photos.

Maybe someday I will be able to take one like that.

Bart, what track is he racing at?

YamahaRob wrote in post #13028725
Bart, what track is he racing at?

Putnamville Road Course near Putnamville,Indiana.

DC Fabn, 1/60th...awesome and let's me know I have a lot more work.

Can you provide more detail on your gear, settings and panning technique?

highyellow1 wrote in post #13029131
Can you provide more detail on your gear, settings and panning technique?

Gear and settings are listed above. Technique is more important: learn to smoothly and accurately track the subject. That can requite pivoting the entire body to follow the target.

It depends what subject you are photographing, what speed the subject is travelling at, what lens your are using and getting the right shutter speed / aperture to match to create the right motion blur. shutter speeds of 1/30 1/60 or even 1/125 aren't easy to get right. So apply the 1 over focal length rule explained below.

A common rule of thumb for estimating how fast the exposure needs to be for a given focal length is the one over focal length rule. This states that for a 35 mm camera, the exposure time needs to be at least as fast as one over the focal length in seconds. In other words, when using a 200 mm focal length on a 35 mm camera, the exposure time needs to be at least 1/200 seconds-- otherwise blurring may be hard to avoid. Keep in mind that this rule is just for rough guidance; some may be able to hand hold a shot for much longer or shorter times than this rule estimates. For users of digital cameras with cropped sensors, one needs to convert into a 35 mm equivalent focal length.

That will help with setting up the right shutter settings.

Now, Panning is a technique which requires mastering over time, its not something that you can instantly do and repeat. It require training you body to become familiar with the motion, thus it become almost automatic. What this will achieve is a smooth pan, something that is not easy to master.

Pick up the subject early, focus and pan with the subject, take them image when subject fills 2/3 of the frame, continue the pan after the shot, try and avoid stopping the pan or jerking at the edge will also aid in good results.

You are able to capture pans at slower shutter speeds, but to get everything right in the shot takes practice and a very smooth pan movement, taken at 1/100sec, but generally, I'm taking shots at 1/200 or 1/320 sec because of the speed of the bikes and slightly slower for cars....

1/100 sec

Pete thanks for the info I should have mentioned in my first post I have serious back problems. I have had 2 back surgeries and can not walk but a very short distance and can not stand for more than a few minutes at a time.

I will probably be shooting from a lawn chair but that is not a big deal I have done that enough that I probably can pan as well as a lot can while standing.

I won't really know what lens until I get their and see the track and where I'm going to be shooting from but I think it will be either my 100-400 L or my 70-200 L.

I plan on taking my canon TC both in 2x and 1.4 the 1.4 on the 70-200 may work nice we will see when I get their.

From talking with my Grandson it sounds like most places where they will allow me will be a good distance from any turns, That is why I think the 400 may be good for those.

Enjoy your day, best advice is to start at the higher shutter speeds until your comfortable and to bag a few good shots then become a bit more adventurous and start to lower it. Perhaps start at a slow corner before moving onto a faster straight depending on your access, but definitely enjoy your day and post your images.