Camera choice for F1 night race photographers


chainer22

New Member
Jul 23, 2014
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Singapore
I was at the F1 night race event for the last 2 days and I noticed that many of the professional photographers there are using canon eos 1-D.

Just curious, is there any particular reason for that?
 

Extracted from dpreview's conclusion remarks:

◾Very high speed continuous shooting (fastest shooting D-SLR)*
◾Good buffering system with very fast Compact Flash write speeds

You may want to read the entire review:

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canoneos1d/25
 

Extracted from dpreview's conclusion remarks:

◾Very high speed continuous shooting (fastest shooting D-SLR)*
◾Good buffering system with very fast Compact Flash write speeds

You may want to read the entire review:

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canoneos1d/25

I do not have a camera you mentioned above but shot this on 20 Sep Singapore F1 Grand Prix:
2014 F1GP SG N Rosberg qualifying lap by sillbeers15
 

very nice shot:)

to the TS, the composition and technical abilities of the photographer in handling the camera/lens is more important vs the camera used. That said, the lens itself is probably also more important compared to the camera body in order to blur out the fences like the below shot.

I do not have a camera you mentioned above but shot this on 20 Sep Singapore F1 Grand Prix:
2014 F1GP SG N Rosberg qualifying lap by sillbeers15
 

very nice shot:)

to the TS, the composition and technical abilities of the photographer in handling the camera/lens is more important vs the camera used. That said, the lens itself is probably also more important compared to the camera body in order to blur out the fences like the below shot.

Thanks for the kind words ricleo.
The panning shot was taken @ F2.8 LeicaR APO 180mm on M240 set at 1/180 sec.
 

very nice shot:)

to the TS, the composition and technical abilities of the photographer in handling the camera/lens is more important vs the camera used. That said, the lens itself is probably also more important compared to the camera body in order to blur out the fences like the below shot.
I would agree this in most situation except when you're actually shooting for work and need to deliver 100% each time.
the reason for sports photographer to use burst mode and needing the quick and accurate focusing along with the better buffering within the camera is that they would not have time to review any of their shots, they'd most likely be bursting at every car passing by (depending on whether they are shooting for the team, press or sponsors).

The multiple shots they have would allow them to pick the best angle, action and/or expression of the driver later when picking. Panning is one of the most crucial skill in motorsports--the usual one where you would pan in direction of the car is moving. Then there's also the one where you pan in opposite direction, towards the car; this would only work in certain conditions. The shorter the focus distance, the harder it is to pan. The tighter the frame, the harder it is to pan.

Of course the lower fps would lose out in getting more options in the same amount of time.
 

it depends... i'm using an A7S with the SAL300F28G. Mirrorless camera though. shocked some of those using D4S and 1Dx standing next to me... depend on your style and whether you're comfortable to take the risk or not...

my style is One Shot One Kill, not like the mass spammers out there.

this is one of the first few images on Friday... practice. no cropping done, my setup was:

A7S + LA-EA3 adaptor + SAL20TC 2x Teleconverter + SAL300F28G on a Manfrotto monopod.

10520674_10152413128523111_3046193948993109659_o.jpg
 

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I'm not a reportage photographer, quantity does not matter to me.

I'm only a hobbyist photographer. I had planned for a panned shot of the Mercedes AMG team with a 'slight blur effect' on the front and tail of car to convey the momentum of motion with driver and center section of the race car image sharp in a relatively low illuminated environment to enhance the night street circuit environment. I settled for the spot to shoot the on coming cars hitting the last apex before shooting off in speed right after the 'S' bend. If you look carefully, you see the multiple source of illumination from front, rear quarter and back light on subject to create the 3D image pop I was looked for on the location and had found. Some post processing was applied to further create the effect with a deliberate underexposing the image further.
1/180 sec was selected on F2.8 from Leica R APO 180mm Elmarit on Leica M240 Rangefinder Camera.
I had gotten what I had envisioned as a F1 Night race shot and should not be back anytime soon until I next have an image on what I want to challenge myself on.
As on my next project, I am building up the necessary prop for me to take a shot of a moving car (day or night setup undecided yet?) with myself in the driver seat appearing in the image. I am going to use a 12mm lens attached to my old M8 ( I hope not to feel too bad in the event I drop the camera onto the bitumen accidentally)mounted on a car-rig (which I'm now in process of fabricating) to take the low front quarter view of car with a 1 sec exposure time (for blurring effect)....till then.
 

I do not have a camera you mentioned above but shot this on 20 Sep Singapore F1 Grand Prix:
2014 F1GP SG N Rosberg qualifying lap by sillbeers15

very nice shot there!!

i have a lot more to learn from the pros here. using 500d with 18-55 kits lens to take some shots proved to be a huge challenge esp with panning and focusing on target :bsmilie:

after hundreds of shots, i finally got this.

$IMG_9822.jpg https://www.flickr.com/photos/125495142@N03/15328767942/
 

it depends... i'm using an A7S with the SAL300F28G. Mirrorless camera though. shocked some of those using D4S and 1Dx standing next to me... depend on your style and whether you're comfortable to take the risk or not...

my style is One Shot One Kill, not like the mass spammers out there.

this is one of the first few images on Friday... practice. no cropping done, my setup was:

A7S + LA-EA3 adaptor + SAL20TC 2x Teleconverter + SAL300F28G on a Manfrotto monopod.

10520674_10152413128523111_3046193948993109659_o.jpg
not sure how should one respond to the phrase portrayed as i'm not sure how do i interpret it
 

i'll agree that quantity does not matter to you and you've done well too. kudos for passion in finding the right spot for the for the desired shot. Due to the constraint of the barricades, limited space/angle for the Singapore track and the lower illumination as compared to the day tracks--it is truly a challenge to achieve a particular shot envisioned.

I'm not a reportage photographer, quantity does not matter to me.

I'm only a hobbyist photographer. I had planned for a panned shot of the Mercedes AMG team with a 'slight blur effect' on the front and tail of car to convey the momentum of motion with driver and center section of the race car image sharp in a relatively low illuminated environment to enhance the night street circuit environment. I settled for the spot to shoot the on coming cars hitting the last apex before shooting off in speed right after the 'S' bend. If you look carefully, you see the multiple source of illumination from front, rear quarter and back light on subject to create the 3D image pop I was looked for on the location and had found. Some post processing was applied to further create the effect with a deliberate underexposing the image further.
1/180 sec was selected on F2.8 from Leica R APO 180mm Elmarit on Leica M240 Rangefinder Camera.
I had gotten what I had envisioned as a F1 Night race shot and should not be back anytime soon until I next have an image on what I want to challenge myself on.
As on my next project, I am building up the necessary prop for me to take a shot of a moving car (day or night setup undecided yet?) with myself in the driver seat appearing in the image. I am going to use a 12mm lens attached to my old M8 ( I hope not to feel too bad in the event I drop the camera onto the bitumen accidentally)mounted on a car-rig (which I'm now in process of fabricating) to take the low front quarter view of car with a 1 sec exposure time (for blurring effect)....till then.
 

EOS 1D has many factor benefit for F1
- Crop factor 1.3 so it more benefit for zoom
- 45 AF point for composition
- Burst mode 10fps.
- Low Noise, good for night race

But as my experience shooting F1, I think many factors to get good photos.
- Spot Location, Come early to get best spot, get along with other, new friend can be helpful if you come alone.
- Know how to handle the fence, which lens you should bring
- Master your camera setting, white balance, AV Servo, etc
- Know other useful skill, like Panning

Here some of the shoot that I took on Sunday.

For these photos, I use Canon 5D3 and Canon 400mm f5.6

http://www.viilevent.com/sports/formula-1-singapore-airlines-singapore-grand-prix-2014
 

it depends... i'm using an A7S with the SAL300F28G. Mirrorless camera though. shocked some of those using D4S and 1Dx standing next to me... depend on your style and whether you're comfortable to take the risk or not...

my style is One Shot One Kill, not like the mass spammers out there.

this is one of the first few images on Friday... practice. no cropping done, my setup was:

A7S + LA-EA3 adaptor + SAL20TC 2x Teleconverter + SAL300F28G on a Manfrotto monopod.

10520674_10152413128523111_3046193948993109659_o.jpg

Do u have any panning shot(s)?
This shot is pretty easy to get,U could either use focus tracking or just pre-focus and wait for the cars to come and snap. the most important for this shot is to get a fast enough shutter speed. Any DSLR can do it quite easily.
 

EOS 1D has many factor benefit for F1
- Crop factor 1.3 so it more benefit for zoom
- 45 AF point for composition
- Burst mode 10fps.
- Low Noise, good for night race

But as my experience shooting F1, I think many factors to get good photos.
- Spot Location, Come early to get best spot, get along with other, new friend can be helpful if you come alone.
- Know how to handle the fence, which lens you should bring
- Master your camera setting, white balance, AV Servo, etc
- Know other useful skill, like Panning

Here some of the shoot that I took on Sunday.

For these photos, I use Canon 5D3 and Canon 400mm f5.6

http://www.viilevent.com/sports/formula-1-singapore-airlines-singapore-grand-prix-2014


very nice shots...are those panning shots on 400mm??
i was using mainly 200mm and had difficulty framing the whole car in for side profile..looks like u found a good spot for your set-up.
 

I'm not a reportage photographer, quantity does not matter to me.

I'm only a hobbyist photographer. I had planned for a panned shot of the Mercedes AMG team with a 'slight blur effect' on the front and tail of car to convey the momentum of motion with driver and center section of the race car image sharp in a relatively low illuminated environment to enhance the night street circuit environment. I settled for the spot to shoot the on coming cars hitting the last apex before shooting off in speed right after the 'S' bend. If you look carefully, you see the multiple source of illumination from front, rear quarter and back light on subject to create the 3D image pop I was looked for on the location and had found. Some post processing was applied to further create the effect with a deliberate underexposing the image further.
1/180 sec was selected on F2.8 from Leica R APO 180mm Elmarit on Leica M240 Rangefinder Camera.
I had gotten what I had envisioned as a F1 Night race shot and should not be back anytime soon until I next have an image on what I want to challenge myself on.
As on my next project, I am building up the necessary prop for me to take a shot of a moving car (day or night setup undecided yet?) with myself in the driver seat appearing in the image. I am going to use a 12mm lens attached to my old M8 ( I hope not to feel too bad in the event I drop the camera onto the bitumen accidentally)mounted on a car-rig (which I'm now in process of fabricating) to take the low front quarter view of car with a 1 sec exposure time (for blurring effect)....till then.

I was shooting every year and was asking myself how should i shoot every time i go.
I used to do panning and make sure the cars are sharp with nice wheel spin and BG blur.
Then last year i tried to slow down my shutter speed for a more dramatic effect. with slow shutter speed,its almost impossible to get the whole car sharp but it does gives the photo a more "high speed" effect.
This year I was still asking myself how should i shoot? whether I should follow last year.As Iam finding sharp panning shots abit boring as it lacks the high speed effect(no offence but i guess taste has changed for me).Iam looking for some motion blur at some parts of the cars(not OOF or totally motion blur shots).Managed to get some decent shots(my personal standard) of what Iam looking at.