Motorcycle road race lens selection

I'm shooting my first motorcycle road race this weekend and I'm having a hard time figuring out what lenses would be

worth dragging along. I was thinking of using my FX body with a 300 2.8 mounted to a monopod as my primary lens. I

could add a 1.4 teleconverter if I needed too. I'm not sure what to put on my secondary body which is a DX. I'm thinking

that the 24-70 2.8 would be a good choice because I could use it in the paddock and pit area between races. I'm just not

sure how useful it would be during the race. I know that I'm going to be able to get to areas where spectators aren't

normally allowed but I've seen quite a few crashes on this track so I don't want to get to close even if they'd let me. That

makes me think that the 70-200 2.8 might be a better choice. I haven't been able to find much on lens selection for

motorcycle road races so any help is appreciated.

 

Here's a view of the track from Google Maps, if that helps.

 

http://goo.gl/maps/xjAL0

 

Thanks.

 

--Wade

<p>Wade, It depends on how close you can get, how BIG you want the bikes to be in the shot. from shooting car races, the lenses I have used are a 75-150mm , a 180mm , and a 300mm. The 300 is good to get close, since I can NOT get where you may be able to, but I needed to use a tripod and do straight on shots, because it's easy to get shake on it. The 180 is an f2.8 so I tried to use it to isolate the cars from the background and cars further back in the line. It also let me use faster shutter speeds. The one I used most was the zoom. You never know how you might want to crop out trees, other cars or bikes, or just how close you can get. It was also small enough to pan well , which I still do. This shot was going down the hill from the "Cork Screw" at Laguna Seca.</p>

<p><img src="http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/15721552-lg.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="302" /></p>

<p>The other thing is you may NOT want a tripod, but a sturdy monopod. It's quicker to use and weighs a lot less. Remember, what ever you bring you will need to carry all day. I put a quick release plate on my 300mm and slap it on the monopod when it comes out. <br>

If you really can get up close, you may find the big lenses are not needed. Unless you want those in your face, fill the screen shots or the telephoto distance compressing like shots. </p>

<p> </p>

<p>John's advice is good here. I shot motorcycles in West Virginia last year and found them more difficult to shoot than cars because they are smaller and accelerate more quickly. On my Canon bodies AI Servo was important to manage rapidly changing DOF. The 70-200 is probably a little short, although you can get some decent shots, but if you are more than 30 or 40 yards off the track you'll end up cropping to fill the image better. Personally I'd have the 300 on hand if you don't know how close you are getting. The TC may work as long as your AF works, and you have LOTS of light.</p>

<p>Tripods, monopods, holding the camera steady on a fence or whatever is important. And watch the light. John's picture above is a good example of good lighting on the front of the car, which makes the side of it lit well enough. The more light you have, the faster the shutter speed. And it's all about shutter speed for motorsports, at least for me.</p>

<p>If the track officials are doing their jobs, you won't be able to get "too close". That said, even a 300 may not be enough for bikes at a distance.</p>

<p>Get there EARLY and walk around, scoping out good vantage points.</p>

<p>Were it me, I'd probably be thinking of taking them all in a good backpack or camera bag. You're right, the 24-70 would be great in the paddock, the 70-200 perhaps as well. On the track, the 300 would be the one to use, depending on where you are, and what kind of shot you want. If you have Circular Polarizers for the lenses, bring them. If it's a really bright day, they can come in handy pretty much everywhere: on the track it can help darken the pavement, on wide shots, you can get a deeper blue in the sky, and in the paddock, you can reduce glare off the bikes and the helmets.</p>

<p>Nelson Ledges isn't so large that you can't go back to your car to swap out lenses, also!</p>

<p>Most of all: keep your eyes and ears open at all times, ALWAYS look "up track" when near the fence, and have a great time!</p>

 

I would be inclined to use the lenses the other way around. The 300 on the DX body f the track and the 24-70 on the FX body in the pits.

Thanks guys! I made it home with 6k images to cull. I ended up using the FX body almost all day (less

than 100 images on the DX). I just couldn't leave my new D4 in the bag and shoot with a 4 year old

prosumer D300. Once the practice sessions were over, I actually just left the D300 in the car. I tried to

shoot a bit with the 24-70 but that wasn't working very well. I ended up shooting with the 300, 300 + 1.4

tele and the 70-200 all afternoon during the actual races.

 

It's pretty hard to fill the frame with something less than 7 feet long going over 100 mph. Who would

have thought? :-)

 

This was on my first page after importing my cards in to Lightroom. I had to crop it a bit but not to

much, really.

 

Thanks again!

--Wade<div></div>

<p>That's a nice shot, Wade. If you have enough size I'd personally crop it with a little more above the rider to push that line from the edge of the road further down, but that's about it for my first reaction. Nicely sharp and the lighting is good.</p>

<p>&</p>

<p>I realize I'm resurrecting an old thread, but I was away from photo.net for a decade and just returned. I made my living as a motorsports photographer for four years using early Canon EOS gear. I used a 70-200 zoom, a 300/4 and a 400/2.8, often with a 1.4x TC. I needed a 600/4 and sometimes a TC on that, and this was using 1.6x crop factor gear.</p>

<p>You can see some examples of my motorsports photos at http://www.lightcraftsman.com/motorsports-photos.html</p>

<p>I actually started shooting my roommate who races motorcycles last year with my canon eos xsi, started off with a small lens but got a 75-300mm lens for my birthday. I get pretty decent shots without acquiring a media pass to get to other areas to take photos. Still a beginner, but looking to take another class to sharpen up the skills. :)</p>