Grandprix Formula -1 Car Racing - Lens Recommendations Needed!

[flying_tiger]

I'm planning a trip to Indianapolis in June and watch the Grandprix

Formula-1 U.S. GP. What lenses should I bring with me? I have the

following equipment at my disposal:

 

Canon EOS 3

 

17-40/4L -

28-70/2.8L-

70-200/4L -

300/4L IS -

1.4x MkII -

 

550EX speedlite -

77mm Circular Polarizer -67/77mm UV - 67/77mm 81B warming filter

 

67mm Medium yellow filter for B&W -

77mm Orange filter for B&W film

 

Gitzo 1228 MKII

 

I don't think bring a tripod is a good idea. Any restrictions on

photography in this event? Thanks.

 

Richard

[mathew_brady1]

Hi, I attended the USGP a couple of years ago and found the only restriction to be the fencing. To do it again with your equipment, I would bring the 28-70 for atmosphere images and the 300mm for on the track action. The 1.4x may come in handy, if you plan on bringing a monopod for support.

 

There are many locations in the infield that you can shoot over or through the fencing. These locations fill up fast, so on race day get there early and to get the best view. As the race reaches midway, people usually start moving around so there are more opportunities to find new locations. The "mickey mouse" turns are a good place to start as the viewing mounds let you view over the fence and the cars are traveling slowly through them.

 

Have fun, it's a great event.

[flying_tiger]

Mathew,

 

Thanks for your info. Did you have to stay in a designated area (i.e. a seat number/section such as in a stadium for baseball game)? Or you can go wherever you want? What apeture/shutter speed did you shoot at? Thanks.

[digitmstr]

The 28-70 and 300 is a great suggestion. Your tickets/passes will determine where you can go.

[mathew_brady1]

The grandstands are open on Saturday, but on Sunday you will need a reserved seat. Your reserved grandstand seat includes the general admission areas in the infield, but general admission tickets do not get you into the grandstands.

 

If you are panning (following the cars and blurring the background) you will need to shoot at 1/90-1/125. For stop action, 1/500-1/2000 will do the job. In either case, use the appropriate aperture.

[flying_tiger]

You mentioned about panning. Did you mean handheld or on a tripod? Is a tripod allowed for amateur photography? Thanks.

[mathew_brady1]

Hand hold the camera and follow the car as it passes by you on the track.

 

Can't answer the tripod question. I don't know if they are allowed in the gate. For that matter, I don't if monopods are allowed.

[steven_flanagan]

My simple advice, you will get your best shots roaming the circuit during practice/qualifying, walk round the circuit during these events looking for breaks in the fencing and for interesting views of the cars. Use a 70-200 zoom lens. Cars come and go to/from you so composition from one shot to another varies. For the race itself, hopefully you will have taken most of the pictures already and can enjoy the race. Unless you are close, I suspect you will need the 300. Pr focus and leave MF if the is netting between you and cars. Choose a fast shutter speed, 1000-2000 depending on speed of car. Always pan. If you want to pan with lower shutter speed, results look better, but beware of very low sucess rate of keeping the cars non-blured. I would stay faster than 200 if I were you. Above numbers are shutter speeds. Choose your film speed delending on the weather of the day, 400 if overcast, 100 if bright sunlight. Early morning/evening light always better, so early morning practice mixed with you walking around the circuit is your best window for pictures. I have been to F1 Britain and Belgium so I dont know the Indy curcuit. Enjoy the race. At the end of the race see if they open the gates to the circuit, if so rush to the podium if near for good photos of the drivers.

[erol_a.]

I wouldn't shoot at shutter speeds too high... if you do, you'll freeze all the action - including the wheels! If there's no motion blur on the wheels, the cars will look like they're just standing there. For SCCA racing I stay under 1/500th to make sure the wheels blur while keeping the car sharp. F1 cars are spinning their wheels faster, but even 1/1000th seems like it's going to freeze the wheels too much to me... provided youaren't shooting the cars at a 90 degree angle or on a long straight where they'll be at max speed, I'd probably aim for between 1/250th and 1/500th.

[jscown]

Hi,

 

There is plenty of good advice listed here so far. In my experience, F1 is probably the most difficult racing series to photograph, mostly because getting a decent unobstructed viewpoint is difficult. At the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal, you are required to have photo accreditation to get close enough to the track to get the kind of shots that really stand out. Getting into the pits is difficult too, although I managed to do it by becoming a part of a support racer's pit crew in the 1998 race.

 

I didn't find this to be the case when I photographed the Champ Car series and have attended the Laguna Seca race 3 times. You can get a paddock pass easily, and walking around the track is easy to do and provided a number of good photo points.

 

Generally, (and especially with F1) I prefer to try to photograph in areas of the track where braking is highest. Firstly, watching the F1 carbon brake disks turn bright orange with the heat of braking is spectacular, the cars are moving as slow as they typically will giving the best chance to shoot them artistically, and braking zones are likely places to find the cars passing, or getting loose.

 

My last bit of advice - take plenty of earplugs... You can't beleive the shrieking wail of a normally aspirated V10 at 18000 rpm...

 

Good luck!<div></div>

[jay_hector]

I shot F1 for Road & Track (freelancer) for a number of years. You'll be using the 300/1.4 and wish you had more (you can shoot thru a fence with long-lenses). Plan your shooting from a course-map and the sun-angle (if any) so you won't be backlit unless you choose to shoot that way and plan what corners to shoot at what time in which session. The cars aren't on the track much anymore, but Friday sessions have the most F1 track-activity (more cars) and fewest people. Don't for get the supporting races as it's good practice for your F1 shooting. <a href="http://www.jaypix.com/pix/bss.jpg"> A sample of my work </a> .

[andrew robertson]

You can often get there a bit early and stake out gaps in the fencing, or places where a

grandstand may rise near the top of a fence.

 

Location is key. Being able to move around a bit could help too.

 

They may stop you from shooting, though, if you bust out the big white lenses. They

charge something like $1400 for people to be able to shoot an F1 event and use the

pictures commercially, and if they think you are doing that without their permit you might

have some 'splainin to do.

[John Crowe]

Travel as light as possible. Take the 70-200, 300, and 1.4x. Leave everything else and the tripod at home. Buy a monopod and take that too! At an event like that the 70-200 will feel like a wideangle lens at the short end. If you like taking pictures of thousands of people with little tiny toy cars running around the track then by all means take the wideangles.

 

 

If you find a good spot on Saturday or Sunday do NOT move! Go on the Thursday or Friday if you can because those days are great for roaming around and possibly getting shots that are impossible once everyone arrives for the week-end.

 

 

I've shot at 4 Canadian Grand Prix, 3 Molson Indy, and 5 ALMS series races as well as a lot of smaller events. I love race photography and the whole atmosphere of the track. Have a great time!

[John Crowe]

You don't need to worry about white lenses. The people making money off these events have credentials to get track access and they sign their life away...literally. They also don't pay for the privelage. If they set up photo towers like the Indy people used to then yes they charge non-pros $300-$500 for use of those 3 or 4 facilties.

[micheleberti]

70-200/4L - 300/4L IS - 1.4x MkII and a monopod. Enjoy.

[tom_just_olsen]

There are some pritty unrealistic advice up there regarding exposure and hand held tele lense. To be sure to take sharp images with a tele lense hand held, stick to the thumb rule of exposure time matching the lenght of the lense. This means at least 1/300 for the 300 mm and 1/420 with the 1,4x converter. Reckon that you must use these when panning and 1/1000 or less when trying to freeze the action on the track. Even if it is a sunny day that leaves you with only a 800ASA-or-up-option.

[ernie_targonski]

Binyuan,

I have been to all of the Indy F1 races. The first and second years were OK for ameture shots. You could shoot between some of the concrete barriers and find a few holes in the fencing. Last year, that all changed, I had a very difficult time getting any shot without some sort or safety barrier in the way. I have some decent shots on Saturday from the grandstands directly across from the pit exit. Sunday all grandstand is reserved. Your best day is Sat to roam. People pics are great too.

Tip: check the souvenir area about an hour after qual on Saturday, sometimes drivers are signing autographs and you can get a good shot. I got a great shot of Ralf in the BMW booth last year. Travel lite, I used EOS3 / 70-200L. Other posters are correct, without photog credentials, you're really not going to get a magazine shot.

All in all, you'll have a fantastic time. Maybe I'll see ya there. Just look for a guy with EOS3 / 70-200L, Fosters oil can, and cigar.

[John Crowe]

On a bright sunny day here is how I have found ASA, shutter speed, and aperture relate at the race track:

 

 

25 ASA - f2.8 - 1/500 to 1/1000

 

 

50 ASA - f4.0 - 1/500 to 1/1000

 

 

100 ASA - f5.6 - 1/500 to 1/1000

 

 

200 ASA - f8.0 - 1/500 to 1/1000

 

 

Under full sun I will shoot a variety of shots that usually fall within this 1 stop range. I will also mix ASA (in my case film) with different lenses to achieve higher shutter speeds up to 1/2000. For panning you get many more options. You can use one of the slower ASA/films with a slower lens or you can decrease the aperture to slow up the shutter. Always shoot lots of variety for pan shots, they are the most unpredicatable. I rather enjoy head on shots as cars come into or go through a slow corner (40-60 MPH), you can freeze these at 1/750 to 1/1500, no problem. I find freezing a car in mid turn can still provide a high energy motion shot.

 

 

Panning is anywhere from 1/30 to 1/750 depending on the situation and desired effects, which gives much more flexibility for film selection. Again, experiment alot.

 

 

If it gets cloudy then you could get into the 400 and 800 ASA films. Try not to go beyond 400 ASA, the 800 films just are not pleasing for the bright colours and automotive details. Good luck!