Mountain Bike Riding Advice

Hey guys,

I just rented a 70-200 f/2.8 IS lens. I rented it for the reason of testing it out and shooting my friend mountain bike riding on downhill tracks. I was just wondering if i could get some advice on shutter speed/aperture/ISO.

I understand that using AI-Servo mode is a must and that around 1/500th is fast enough to freeze action. I also understand that panning is a must too. I am just not sure about the ISO and aperture. It will mostly be in the morning/late afternoon and kind of in the bush. So i'm guessing from what i have seen, f/2.8 and f/4 are mostly used at around ISO 400 or so.

Sorry to sound like a noob here, but i haven't really had a lens, nor have i shot much sport where i really want to try and bring the best out of the photos!

Thankyou very much,
Kory.

If you're going to be doing a lot of panning to show the speed you'll need a slower shutter speed than 1/500, try 1/125 or lower. The AI-servo may not be necessary if you pre-focus to a spot they will be going by or as long as they are not coming toward or going away. You might have to play around with stuff to find out what works for you, everyone will give you a different answer. If it's early or late or in the shadows 400 ISO is a good place to start. Shoot in either manual or shutter priority. Don't be afraid to try, try, try. Be sure to post some of the results, good luck.