Infineon Raceway & Canon 20D/70-200 f/2.8 IS & 2x Converter

Does any one have experience shooting at Sears Point/Infineon

Raceway with Canon 20D 70-200 f/2.8L IS lens & 2x Converter? I'm

planning to shoot the Inaugural Indycar Racing League Gran Prix on

Aug.28.05 , and was wondering what the best seating would be? Also

any pointers on shooting the race in general. Will include a seating

chart, I tought turn 9 Terrace would be nice since its a long

straight away, also should I get the ticket for the highest point in

the grand stand? Any info would be greatly appreciated, thank you

all.

turn nine seems like a high speed turn. i have never shot a race but if i did i would go for one of the slower speed corners like turn 1 or turn 7 the back ground will still likely be blurry.

I have shot some of the NASA races there for fun when I was participating in an HPDE myself:

 

http://www.geocities.com/yosemite/rapids/5137/searspt/FourthTrack.html

 

I used a 300 with 1.4x in turns 2,3 and turn 11. I liked these turns because of the hill and the ability to pan some of the shots. Also, it's easy to walk from around the main area. I think 3a or 8a would be the best to catch 'em off the ground; I have seen a PTG M3 with all four off the ground coming off one of these turns. It's a great track and should give you good shots almost anywhere.

I ended up not using my 2x on most of my San Marino GP Shots...<p>With 2X...<p><img src = http://www.yellowrhino.org/gallery/albums/Europe2005/race_pace.jpg> <p> Without 2X... <p> <img src =http://www.yellowrhino.org/gallery/albums/Europe2005/race_renault.jpg ><p> Canon 10D/70-200 f/2.8 IS

Personally, I wouldn't like to shoot only from ONE place...but, if you can only shoot from the GS the multiplier is necessary.

I've never shot at the Sears Point/Infineon Raceway, however, I have recent experience shooting an Indy Race for one of the teams at the inaugural St. Petersburg, FL. race this April. My gear included a 20D and the f/4 70-200 L. The f/4 and 200mm were quite adequate, but I would have liked the 100-400mm stabilized L glass. Not so sure I'd slap a 2X on the glass you have... You already have a great lens.<p>

 

I'd post a pic or two of my latest Indy work, BUT due to the paper I signed, I can only post a link to my online album of the event.<p>

 

<center><a href="http://photography.bruceneufeld.com/2005hgpsp/index.html"><img src="http://photography.bruceneufeld.com/2005hgpsp/thumbs/050401a0439.jpg" border=0></a></center><p>

 

The BEST spot (in any race) to shoot from is from the holes cut in the fence. For that you need a media pass. If you're not media, prepare to use knee pads - no pun intended :)

Sheldon, great pictures. What AF mode and points did you use? I'm going to motorcycle racing this weekend with my 70-200is and was wondering if I should use single point and AI servo, or what? Thanks

 

Mark

The Hairpin! That is just like the one at the one I know at the Gilles Villeneuve track in Montreal. Sit facing the apex of the turn. You can get them from the side breaking into the corner and get them head-on coming through the corner. However, I do not know what the fence height is like at Infineon, so I would add that you want to be above it or if you can, as others have mentioned, shoot through holes in the fence.

 

 

If fence heights are high and you have to shoot from Grandstands I would suggest high up. It makes things a lot easier when you are not standing in someone's way, and you will likely need the height to get over the fence. From this kind of positioning your 2x will be a must. Good luck and have fun! Don't forget earplugs!

This may be a little off-topic, but has anyone looked at "photo-mode" in the Sony Play Station game Gran Turismo? A 1mb image output onto a Sony memory stick featuring hundreds of cars at Infineon, or the Nurbergring, Laguna Seca, Le Mans, Monaco, or scores of other tracks and locations. Car positioning, lighting, camera positioning, lens effects etc all fully controllable.

 

There's so much emphasis on digital capture and digital image processing, but it made me think what the future of photography might be when you see the incredible potential of actually having a digital subject! And with a 10x power increase promised with the recently announced Playstation 3 the quality and "authenticity" of such images is only going one way. For photographic areas like motorsports or landscapes the implications must be enormous.

There was an article in Pop Photo recently that discussed NASCAR photography with lots of tips about positioning and equipment. I remember one tip that said try to position yourself on the "bright" side of the car. You'll have more flexibility in aperture selection and it makes the car stand out against the background. I don't photograph cars for a living, but at our local track, Road America where I can get my fix, I find the best position is near a deep curve where drivers do most of their overtaking. It's where most of the action occurs as the drivers push their cars to the cornering limits. Have fun!

I was at sears a while back with my om-1 and a 80-200 with a 2x that wasn't quite compatable with my lens, it was difficult to get close enough without the 2x. I was able to stand in clear view of the track just after turn one where the grass area and pit area meats the track by the new stands on turn 2-3. I don't know what the restrictions are now but I think a 300-500mm lens is about the minimum you want if you don't have press access. Fortunately, I was helping in the pits for a friend so I was allowed to wander around a little in that area with my camera.

err, I guess Tarrace is what I meant instead of new stands :P

from that area between turn one and turn two there's a nice place to pan with the racer coming out of turn one.<div></div>