What Lens to bring for taking F1

[tsammyc]

Got a free ticket and went tonight. Not sure how Feng Wei got such sharp pictures through the fence. The cars were going so fast. Perhaps I need to choose a corner where they have to slow down?? From my angle, the best I could manage with the DA40 Pancake and my KX was about this:

Feng Wei's were tack sharp.

The ushers didn't allow me to go any closer to the fence and there were all sorts of barriers everywhere.... Took me awhile to figure out that the best thing was to set it on continous shooting (4.7fps) and preset focus and exposure, while panning. First time I ever used the KX on continous shooting. Quite amazed as the last time I did this, I was using the ME Winder II, which did 1.5fps on film.

The crowd was more interesting with a UWA at 10mm

 

[otc]

i am bringing A300 f2.8, Any idea I will be stop from going in. I have a free ticket sunday.

How do I find out?

tks.

marcus

 

[fengwei]

Got a free ticket and went tonight. Not sure how Feng Wei got such sharp pictures through the fence. The cars were going so fast. Perhaps I need to choose a corner where they have to slow down?? From my angle, the best I could manage with the DA40 Pancake and my KX was about this:

Nice shot :thumbsup: I guess we can't do much about the fences...

i am bringing A300 f2.8, Any idea I will be stop from going in. I have a free ticket sunday.

How do I find out?

tks.

marcus

I suggest you forget about your 300mm lens unless you get a very nice seat high up w/o fence between you and the tracks. It's really hard to find a nice spot unless you go there before lunch time I think, and 300mm is a bit too long at most spots.

Enjoy the show btw

 

[ranchy]

Great to see shots from Pentax DSLR.. I thought i am the only one shooting there
Yup the fence is Very irritating, I like my last year seating, where i can reach over the fence and at the Pit entry where they will slow down. Taking would be so much easier.

Saw a few threads by others in the reportage and Sports, some manage to make the Fence blur or like translucent. Comment was must be very close to the Fence and Shoot at wide aperture.

No time to sort out my shots yet.. Would upload abit here when i am free. :bsmilie:
Alot of wasted shots.. :cry:

 

[zoom3]

The key to blur fence is the focal length. The longer the better. There is a very noticeable difference between 200mm & 300mm. Shooting from the same position, with the 200mm the fence is blur but still obvious. Significantly less obvious with the 300mm. But it's a lot easier to frame the cars with the 200mm.

I will be going there this afternoon but will not concentrate on shooting the cars. Done that the past 2 years and on reflection, it's a bit of a waste of time & effort. This year, will just enjoy the atmosphere and shoot people instead

 

[ranchy]

Last day of course enjoy the race. Hope its good weather n not so humid. Hee.

 

[Moonlightsg]

i wait at the turning area... with DAL 50-300

other photo here:
http://s1190.photobucket.com/albums/z441/moonlightsg/2010 Sept F1/

the fence is really bad.. other photo cannot make it...

 

[ranchy]

Wow ur ISO so high also.. Jealous.. i Don't even dare to push too much on the ISO lolx..

 

[Moonlightsg]

no high ISO mean no speed... no triport allow on the stand... kit lens... wat to do...

 

[zeisszf]

Anybody try shooting with Canon 300mm f2.8 IS, 400mm f4 DO & 400mm f2.8 L? If yes can u guys share the outcome of 400mm f4 DO?

 

[felixcat8888]

Anybody try shooting with Canon 300mm f2.8 IS, 400mm f4 DO & 400mm f2.8 L? If yes can u guys share the outcome of 400mm f4 DO?

Errr, this is Pentax forum, who using Canon??

 

[ranchy]

Sorted out at last.. Was at the Padang Grandstand. Took it mostly during Day 1. Day 2 only trying out Wide open with a few shot to try to get rid of the fence which i fail.

DA40mm F4 ISO 640 Shutter Speed 1/200


85mm Right infront of the stand but too tight. Hard to get all in picture. F4 ISO 500 Shutter Speed 1/200


135mm F4 ISO 640 Shutter 1/160 moving upwards the stand to shoot


The rest of the pictures are at http://www.flickr.com/photos/47967900@N08/sets/72157625042626972/detail/

 

[airconvent]

Sorted out at last.. Was at the Padang Grandstand. Took it mostly during Day 1. Day 2 only trying out Wide open with a few shot to try to get rid of the fence which i fail.

DA40mm F4 ISO 640 Shutter Speed 1/200


85mm Right infront of the stand but too tight. Hard to get all in picture. F4 ISO 500 Shutter Speed 1/200


135mm F4 ISO 640 Shutter 1/160 moving upwards the stand to shoot


The rest of the pictures are at http://www.flickr.com/photos/47967900@N08/sets/72157625042626972/detail/

congrats! you got it sharp!

 

[Moonlightsg]

wah nice neh.... i try this type of shots but most oof... the standing area is very pack... you at which zone?

 

[tsammyc]

Did you notice that in continuous shooting mode (on my KX at 4.7fps), the camera got quite hot. Also, took awhile to save to SD Card

 

[otc]

I brought A300 f2.8 there and carry it home thereafter. Left early as well. I was at padang. Not an open space to capture at all. I tot if I could take a close up from far away, but nothing at all.

I am begining to think fast AF from Nikon being ideal for this sports.

marcus

 

[ranchy]

congrats! you got it sharp!

Thanks bro.. yup, these are the few which are sharp (the better ones). The rest either is slight OOF or there's a Fence edge right in the middle of the picture.. :bsmilie:
Got alot of Wasted shot.

wah nice neh.... i try this type of shots but most oof... the standing area is very pack... you at which zone?

I was at the Padang Grandstand After Turn 9.
I walk towards the Turn 11 for the viewing stand on Friday but when i saw the crowd there, i just U-turn back to the comfort of my Grandstand.
Friday was totally empty at the Grandstand, i can just walk to anywhere to shoot. Sat was more pack, so confined a small area to try Wide open shots. Last day, i just enjoy my race. (too crowded.)

 

[ranchy]

Did you notice that in continuous shooting mode (on my KX at 4.7fps), the camera got quite hot. Also, took awhile to save to SD Card

Using a K7, don't feel the anything hot. But the buffering is long. Preview a picture would take awhile after the Continuous Shooting Mode.

I brought A300 f2.8 there and carry it home thereafter. Left early as well. I was at padang. Not an open space to capture at all. I tot if I could take a close up from far away, but nothing at all.

I am begining to think fast AF from Nikon being ideal for this sports.

marcus

U was at the Walk about area? On Sunday?
Did not try AF with F1 much except the DA40mm, and also the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia when using the 50-200 WR. It was ok though. But i think Manual would be better when you estimate the Hyperfocal Length and anticipate where you want to take? Less hunting of the lens... Sometime the Fence interference when i am focusing, Especially F1, they are too FAST!

Hmm... How i wish i can try the Nikon AF also. Dunno if it makes a different.. :bsmilie:

 

[zoom3]

While the cars are sharp, the prominent fence spoils the pics. That's why I don't bother with it anymore this year.

It was a very different story in 2008. The security then was really slack. One can pretty much go anywhere along track side and there were many good shooting locations and clear holes in the fence to shoot through. In 2009, security tightened up significantly. Many locations were closed off and most holes gone.. This year even worst ! Next year can forget it. I think the organisors did this purposely to stop all those unofficial photos being taken & circulated. Well, this is my conspiracy theory anyway :sticktong

So this year I concentrated on the going-ons around the event rather than the race itself. A lot more fun. And this is why. Still got car, with the pretty girls that is part & parcel of the F1 circus. Right?

The FA50mm is great for F1 too.

 

[normanho23]

K-x with Sigma 18-200mm. 1/500s, F6.7 at ISO6400. K-x noise suppression indeed very good.