Motorsport equipment?

Hi.

I've recently started to get involved with photography, and begun taking photos of motorsport events. I'm currently using my dad's Nikkormat FT2 film camera and a couple of MF lenses and really enjoying it. After my first proper shoot, I realise the limitations of my current setup and would like to invest in something a bit more.

I almost bought a second hand digital camera. I really don't like the digital look, though. Ugh. Anyway, for experimentation and learning purposes, it would have been ideal to have immediate feedback and access to my images immediately. Currently I can't develop myself, and I send my rolls of film in to a lab - quite limiting, and I hate not completing the process myself.

I really do need a monopod. I've read the sticky on the subject, but the terminlogy gets to me I'm going to use the money that I orignally set aside for a digital to buy a 180mm f/2.8 ED AIS and a 105mm f/2.5 AIS. The 3rd party zoom lens I'm using for on-track shots is difficult to pan with, and I'd guess the 180mm won't be ideal to handhold either for pans. So, the equipment will not be too heavy at all. The photography shops in my area aren't too knowledgable for my liking and I can't find much specific info online, but I'd like to know what would be sufficient for a monopod setup for my needs? Do I need a pan-head or something? What's a QR plate/clamp? :/ I'm going to experiment with panning shots down to 1/2sec I guess.

I've looked around locally, and found some really cheap monopods, and then they have Gitzo. Can I get away with the cheap stuff?

If there's anyone involved in motorsport photography that could help me out with the basics, that would be great. I can't afford a killer fast zoom, hence I'm just going to experiment with certain primes and see what I need. I'd like to test the waters of sports photography first before investing in serious equipment.

I'm not sure if I can post a link, but I've put my images up on Facebook, if you're interested in seeing the type of shots I'm going for:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Z-Photography/101526499885825

(I don't know if that link even works, certain sites are banned at work hehe)

Any help would be appreciated! Sorry for the long post.

Cheers
Zaahir

Zaahir,

Welcome! Look at ReallyRghtStuff.com for monopods and heads.

Asher

Thanks! Didn't know about that site, looks like some decent direction.

Zaahir

I'm not sure what you want to do with your motosport photography, but if you intend to sell prints (which may be implied in your post/facebook page) you might consider digital for speed if nothing else. In the UK there are a number of event photographers who specialise in motorsport coverage and a key part of the business model is to get a gallery up quickly so that participants/spectators can order prints soon after the event and whilst the excitement is still fresh in their minds.

Of course there are people using film for some areas of motorsport work - look up Daniel Buck here on OPF - and you may make that choice for personal reasons.

As to equipment, higher prices tend to buy more robust construction, better ergonomics and better functionality - not necessarily in that order. RRS is high end equipment, and priced accordingly. Gitzo is also good, and expensive.

Mike

Hi

Thanks for the tips. I'm not going to bother will selling prints (unless I get asked for a specific one I guess) since my setup is so basic and I rely on labs with film. And a zillion photographers at the track do it better than me anyway. I'll be building up experience and such until I can afford a second hand D300, which will be my stepping stone to a D700 or something full frame so I can shoot film and digital together nicely. By the time all that happens, I'll know what I want out of my photography, but right now it's a hobby.

I'm slowly deciphering the monopod code, and I guess that swivel head might work for my needs at around 200mm. Since I may be working with panning across elevation changes, coupled with manual focus, I might need a ball-head. I don't know. I'll explore my options further. I'm not sure if there's anything else I'd need for now besides the monopod setup, though. Thanks!

You can shoot motorsports with anything.I'll post a couple I shot with a P&S Nikon Coolpix.It's technique and preparedness that gets the shot just like anything else.Arrive at the track early and walk around during early practice and get a sense of what areas you like as far as images,viewpoint and easy access.Look thought the veiwfinder but don't necessarily take any shots.Pan with the vehicles as they go by.Helps you get a sense of timing.IMO film gives better results but I have not shot with a high end DSLR either.I handhold everything.Tripods are an unnecessary encumbrance.And something else.I shoot with one lens.Usually a short range zoom,like 28-70 for 35MM.Long lenses make fast moving subjects difficult.Get close as you can.If needed by a pit pass to get around and shoot some "human interest" shot of the teams.

Doing a little research on the sport will pay off in the long run.Most of my successes with motorsports comes from my intimate familiarity with them as I race.
OK here's a couple shots.


Like I said these were all taken with a small point and shoot.Most of my motorsports stuff is on film and I have no scanner so some of these I've posted elsewhere.Be a Boy Scout and be prepared and the shots will come.

Something no one picked up on that might be helpful. You can't use AIS lenses on the FT2. If you can find a good buy on an FE2 you get 1/4000th sec and AIS plus aperture priority auto mode. You can lock that 180 at f2.8 and the camera will do a really good calc for shutter speed. The FE2 was my favorite of all my Nikons.........in a different lifetime.

Michael: Thanks for the tips! I'm also involved in motorsport, and yes it does help knowing people. Hmm, I'm not sure you've taken a look at my gallery link. Anyway, at various circuits, 70mm is nowhere near long enough to get to the action when you're standing trackside. Yes, tracking fast moving subjects at longer focal lengths is difficult, hence my need for a monopod. I found I missed a lot of shots at 200mm because I couldn't track smoothly, no matter how much I practiced.

Jim: I also thought I wouldn't be able to use AIS lenses on my FT2. Well, I read up that they'd work, but won't meter. I bought a 28mm f/2.8 AIS, knowing I'd have to use stop-down metering, but the thing worked perfectly. Shrug. I've actually been on the lookout for an FE2 or FM2n since the 1/1000th max shutter speed of the FT2 is a little limiting, but I haven't found any good deals. There's actually a decently priced F100 (with battery grip) on sale here at the moment, but the same price as another F4s. I'm contemplating getting one of those, but I might prefer another lens and/or invest in monopod gear. I already have something that takes images, I may as well use it :/

Thanks for the help thus far. I'm considering that Feisol monopod (the specs might be well beyond my needs), but I just need to figure out the clamp/plate/swivel business. Plus, I have no idea what that spike is :/ lol

Zaahir Essa said:

Jim: I also thought I wouldn't be able to use AIS lenses on my FT2. Well, I read up that they'd work, but won't meter. I bought a 28mm f/2.8 AIS, knowing I'd have to use stop-down metering, but the thing worked perfectly. Shrug. I've actually been on the lookout for an FE2 or FM2n since the 1/1000th max shutter speed of the FT2 is a little limiting, but I haven't found any good deals. There's actually a decently priced F100 (with battery grip) on sale here at the moment, but the same price as another F4s. I'm contemplating getting one of those, but I might prefer another lens and/or invest in monopod gear. I already have something that takes images, I may as well use it :/

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Total unfounded silliness, but I have a certain affinity / romance with the manual bodies like your FT2, FT3, FE, FE2. They always just looked good, felt good in my hand. I can't get excited about the modern black blobs, though I use a D200. FT3 had a lovely weight and feel to it. I traded my FT3 to a friend for a 1952 Lionel train set to play with the grand sons. I still have an FE2 but the meter needle is bloken. It still meters properly.......it's just a trust issue.

Yeah. When I was playing around with digital bodies, it didn't feel the same. There's something about the weight and balance of that FT2 that just makes handholding much easier. I can probably handhold that thing a couple stops down compared to a lighter digital. The light meter battery compartment is a little corroded, so I have to guess the exposure when it misbehaves, but otherwise it's great.

I think an FE2 would be nice. Getting an F100 or something would be pointless if I'll be getting a D300 at the end of the year. I'd need a solid film camera that can work without batteries. For sports, that should make a good backup, and 1/4000th max shutter speed will be handier than my current 1/1000th.

I'm going to see if I can get someone to scan a few photos and e-mail them to me.I believe with practice you can shoot without support.As for the long lens a nice medium speed film can be cropped and enlarged without problems with sharpness or acutance.Here is why I shoot with minimal equipment.Try climbing these hills all day toting 20 lbs of stuff.

Well, I'm glad there aren't many hills at the track! But yeah, lots of walking involved and weight is an issue, you are correct. At the moment, I don't mind carrying that around, and a monopod is relatively light. Also, you may be as solid as a tripod, but I feel I need extra support at lengths such as 200mm when tracking...and I will be experimenting with very slow shutter speeds, so faster film speeds are not the point, plus the blur needs to be perfectly smooth for me. The motion blur in your examples are minimal. Check out DarrenHeath.com for awesome pans and serious inspiration! Excessive cropping ends up with a quality I find unacceptable too, by the way. I guess it's personal preference

You enjoy blur?here ya go.

Hi, that's definitely not what I'm talking about! Panning at telephoto lengths at 1/30th of a second or something is an example of what I mean. Check out the link in my previous post, cheers.

Anyone have a favourite film to use with sports? I'd like to use 100 speed or so, but specialist rolls of film get pricey here I've been using cheapish Kodak 400, but in daylight that's a little too fast.

Well, I bought a second hand D60 to move on from film for a while....took my first shoot with that, I need a lot of practice!!

The pics are on my Facebook page in the latest album:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Z-Photography/101526499885825?ref=ts

I don't know why I bought a spare battery....using MF AIS lenses means no autofocus, light meter or VR!

Show the best of those images here! We need to see them! That way you can get better attention to what you have done! Everything works by get folk to have an immediate reaction to the picture. A link is just for finding more!

Zaahir,

I did visit and their's interesting stiff there! The first picture is dark. You might add a layer in photoshop and gently lift the center of the curve.

Yeah you're right, sorry! My connectivity is seriously limited (using my phone now) so I'll upload some pics here when I can get to a PC.

Thanks for the advice, you are right. I am really struggling with my monitor calibration, I think it may be too bright...which is disastrous for my shots, as you can see I'm experimenting quite aggressively with some shots! I tend to go a bit too far into low-key sometimes, but I'm new to this so it'll come with experience I hope. I think I also screwed up the resizing. I really reduced the file sizes (3mb to 80kb average), and the image quality suffers a lot in some pics :/

Thanks for looking and for the advice! Cheers.

Zaahir Essa said:

Yeah you're right, sorry! My connectivity is seriously limited (using my phone now) so I'll upload some pics here when I can get to a PC.

Thanks for the advice, you are right. I am really struggling with my monitor calibration, I think it may be too bright...which is disastrous for my shots, as you can see I'm experimenting quite aggressively with some shots! I tend to go a bit too far into low-key sometimes, but I'm new to this so it'll come with experience I hope. I think I also screwed up the resizing. I really reduced the file sizes (3mb to 80kb average), and the image quality suffers a lot in some pics :/

Thanks for looking and for the advice! Cheers.

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We all under-expose at times! Do you shoot in RAW format. If so there's a lot of room for recovery!

Asher

No, I'm just shooting in jpeg for now. I was shooting at 5mp for a little while, but I don't have big telephotos so I just shot at 10mp so I could crop a little if I needed to. I have tried RAW before, but I won't go into that workflow just yet...need to concentrate on my shooting.

Low-key isn't underexposing?....some shots can pass off as low-key, but when I said I go too much into it, I mean I could have brought in more detail perhaps? The original image is exposed okay, I just modified with Photoshop to accentuate whatever it is I wanted to portray. Maybe I'll get better at doing that as I gain more experience or if I get the right advice, etc.

I really don't know if these uploads will work, they're not the "best" I would choose either, but I'll sort it out later when I have proper access:





And the linky again:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Z-Photography/101526499885825?ref=ts

Zaahir,

Your Z emblem is remarkably effective. It adds to the compositions! Often logs are an ugly distraction. Here this Z is fast, like Zoro's Sword or a fast racing track, LOL! Good job.

Asher

Haha, I guess I was going for something simple and can be linked to my name quickly...like Zorro Ideally I would have something in the centre, since I compose all over the place and the watermark can get in the way sometimes, but I'll just leave it there for now as this design doesn't work in the centre.

Cheers

Zaahir Essa said:

I would have something in the centre, since I compose all over the place and the watermark can get in the way sometimes, but I'll just leave it there for now as this design doesn't work in the centre.

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Hi Zaahir,

I also 'struggled' with that. Actually I've given up on a fixed position. I want to add a signature/copyright notice, but I place it where it interferes the least with the composition (yet makes it hard to remove without significantly altering the image).

BTW, I like your images.

Cheers,
Bart

Thanks Bart.

Yeah, I thought it would get in the way badly, but the opacity and stuff seems to work for now even if the subject is down that corner. Placing the watermark manually is too much of a pain for me! I'll live with the slight downside for now, for the simple reason that I can batch process my images to resize, sharpen and place the watermark with one click.

Zaahir Essa said:

Thanks Bart.

Yeah, I thought it would get in the way badly, but the opacity and stuff seems to work for now even if the subject is down that corner. Placing the watermark manually is too much of a pain for me! I'll live with the slight downside for now, for the simple reason that I can batch process my images to resize, sharpen and place the watermark with one click.

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I love your logo, however, it serves mainly as prestige, vanity and branding and not security. When I feel the picture is ideal for some other use, like a stock image, as in this example), I actually use a large set of letters over the picture to essentially ruin it for easy use, but still allow the beauty to be appreciated fully.

Asher

Yeah exactly. I'm honestly not at the point where my images will get used or the watermark removed. The quality of the images aren't great anyway. It just serves as a link back to me as I build up a portfolio. There are some pics where a white background makes the watermark almost invisible! But image protection is a secondary objective.

I considered putting a url, as that would be more practical, but this works for now. If I start producing images that people use without permission, then I guess I'll make something more significant. I've already been asked for the use of some of them, which I don't mind at all.