New Rebel XTi owner - Need advice for lenses for filming Cars/Sleds

As the title suggests..... Just getting comfortable with a new XTi. Bought a decent tripod and an EXTREME III 2 gig Flashcard ( online ). Camera was bought for the business through air miles to take action shots of sleds racing, cars, boats, atv's etc etc all business related.

Camera cam with 18-55 lens.

QUESTIONS:

#1 - What is a good lens for taking action shots of fast moving objects with this camera

#2 - How long does the standard battery ( included with cam ) last and should I be picking up an extra or a handle battery pack?

#3 - Is this camera capable of catching 'wrinkled' tire shots in NHRA ?

Love the easy of moving pics from camera to PC , the feel of the camera, easy of functionability etc...

so far so good , just need some advice - thanks

1. for what it sounds like you're doing, I'd probably go for something along the lines of the 70-200mm F/2.8L (if you can afford it). If not, the 70-200 F/4L.

should work great on your crop body for what you're trying to do. The F/2.8 will be much quicker wide-open for sports.

2. they last for probably a good 500-600 shots, depending, at least for my 30D. Sterlingtek makes real good batteries for CHEAP, I have 3 of them. http://www.sterlingtek​.com/

3. With a fast enough lens, yes.

Wicked quick response and thanks Bro....

So here's my first STUPID question.

you wrote:

"1. for what it sounds like you're doing, I'd probably go for something along the lines of the 70-200mm F/2.8L (if you can afford it). If not, the 70-200 F/4L.

should work great on your crop body for what you're trying to do. The F/2.8 will be much quicker wide-open for sports."

Can you please explain F/2.8L compared to F/4L and why it appears from your advice F/2.8L is better for faster moving objects?

We're actually trying to get CANON to help with a lens for free advertising and promo on our site and out in the community etc. ( Fingers crossed )

thanks again Boink

2KOOL Performance.com wrote in post #2861233
Can you please explain F/2.8L compared to F/4L and why it appears from your advice F/2.8L is better for faster moving objects?

Curious (and no offense intended), have you ever used an SLR before? Based on the question, I'm not so sure you'll be happy with the results even with the $1K lens that was just reccomended.

No offence taken at all.... this is all new to me bro. Came off an Olympus 3.1 megapixel that I've been using to take shots of sleds for the web site so anything I 'hope' is an improvement.

Are you saying that I've aquired the wrong camera altogether? It was the best camera available through air miles L!

I thought with the 10.1 pixel and 3 frames per second I was on the right path?

Took my Dad to the NHRA this summer and guys were shooting wrinkled tire shots of TOP FUEL from the stands with their camera's ?? they could litterally throw their camera's around and every pic the camera took was DEAD accurate and picture purfect, it was bizarre..... I thought this was the first step

ready to be schooled so don't hesitate to be honest L!

2KOOL Performance.com wrote in post #2861434
Are you saying that I've aquired the wrong camera altogether? It was the best camera available through air miles L!

Not at all man! Getting the right tools for the job is very important, and you just acquired a great one! And thank God for airline miles....just booked a freebie trip to Hawaii in May courtesy of Northwest.

Definitely.

As many are about to tell you, doing so is ALL about the technique. Truth is, it's only mostly technique and part tool. The technique part is a whole lot harder to solve though. First step is getting to understand the basics of exposure. I'm the type that always cringes when people reccomend books, but "Understanding Exposure" by Bryan Peterson is a great one that's often reccomended and it's actually a quick read. Once you get the concepts down take some time to practice-practice-practice, I can guarantee you you'll be infinitely more satisfied than you ever were with your point and shoot.

As far as the lenses go, getting Canon to throw you a bone would be huge. Get ready for the onslaught of "you need to get a XXX L" lens. They're great if budget isn't a concern, you've got loads of cash, great credit , or no wife (or at least one that's REALLY understanding!) but they're not essential. If any above are a concern, look into some fast primes (non-zooms) where you can pick up speed on the cheap. Good luck, practice and post lots of pics!

Man this place is 2KOOL! First of all, the wife was ditched which started the business, along came the toys and now LOOK OUT! it's a mad-cap HP free-for all 24/7. Luckily our clients are happy enough to warrant such airmiles purchases so a believer in good-business I give that back... this camera is an example.

I think you're saying I have potential here with the XTi as a base, and hopefully CANON will come to bat for some advertising and all pics posted on or site with thanks to CANON after I get my 'fast moving ducks in a row' .

I guess for now ( other than knowing I need a wicked $$$ lens ), would be... was the purchase of the tripod for taking fast moving object pics a wise one? I'm pretty much 'wired' at dawn so I thought anything to stabilize this FUN SHOOTER would be a good idea right off the get'-GO

and I guess for everyone if we could narrow it down to the best bang for the buck on advice for a IS lens for fast moving objects would be a great help

If your shooting in good daylight, any lens will be fast enough to freeze the tires in midwrinkle. The "speed" of the lens comes in to play when the lighting is not so good.
F/2.8 means the opening in the lens is wider than at f/4, which lets in more light meaning you can use a faster shutter speed.
Using the words "fast" or "speed" when talking about lenses is a misnomer, but it's been the standard jargon since the world was still black & white.

I would recomend getting the BG-E3 Battery Grip and some of the Sterlingtek batteries mentioned above as together they are amazing also try to get a flash either a 430EX or 580EX.

can we narrow this down to a specific lens for fast moving sleds/cars/boats please guys

thanks

How close will you be? It makes a difference.

Hey Man!! Welcome to the forum. I've seen you over at doo-talk. You picked a great camera. Can't wait to see some of the crazy pics you guys pull off !!

Hey Bro! ya we got booted out of DOOtalk because we were helping too many new clients from our advertising and Bill Cudney didn't like that, a ton of political garbage on most of those forums, all controlled by $$ over what's best for the members. Anyway... hope you're doing great!

as far as how closefor these shots? we can get pretty close L! I've felt sleds at 130+mph graze my legs if you know what I mean. ( not wise I know and never encouraged )

But seriously... I'm just learing all this stuff and you guys are super helpful! Last night I tried to learn a bit about the ISO and aperature? settings from the manual as someone suggested mentioned. Goof'd abit with the TV mode to see what someone else was talking about for use a shutter speed of 1/320 when shooting superbikes etc ( close enough to sleds )
I just don't understand yet why such settings as 1/320 (if that's shutter speed) would be used over say max 1/4000 or give examples please when you'd use a certian setting over another and why.

Also... on AUTO the flash automatically pops up ready to rock , yet on the individual manual modes it doesn't .... so are you guys not using any flash for outside shooting moving objects or are you relying soley on sunlight?

as you can see, I'm most likely the dumb & dumber winner of the forums already L! but sure appreciate everyone's advice/help
here's an example pic of the type of pics we're taking with cheap point and shoot camera's.. this was on an Olympus 3.1 pixel

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i'm afraid you have ALOT of reading to do my friend. Read through the owners manual of the camera at least twice. Search the net, search this forum. There are tons of good posts and sticky's here that would do you a load of good. Most of all.. play with your camera.. see for yourself the effects certain changes to settings make. try only changing one thing at a time, so you can see exactly what it does to your shots. Shooting things close up, far away night/day etc etc. See how you like to take pictures. That will be the best decision maker in what lens to get.

Here's a link for you to read up a bit

http://www.photoxels.c​om …hotography-tutorials.html

Have fun, and happy shooting.

agreed and thanks

I just took some practice shots of 'dude' ( the site mascot here ) and the only way I could get her tail to stop in full motion on the camera, the pics were so dark you could barely make out the dog ... tail was frozen still in FULL WAG L! but that ain't going to cut it... adjust for brighter pic and blur'd tail... man!!!