Car Racing

[alin_daju]

<p>Hi everybody,<br>

Next week starting the 18th till the 21st there will be Classic Adelaide Rally. If you wish to know more details just google <em>Classic Adelaide Rally,</em> i can't post the link here. It's going to be mostly in the hills.<br>

I have no experience at at shooting racing cars. I have a Canon 40D with a choice of two lenses: the 17-85 Is or 100-400 IS.<br>

Should I go for the 17-85? Would a polarizer help, the sun is very bright here, and 39 C hot :(<br>

Any hints and advice is greatly appreciated.<br>

Thank you.</p>

[Hamor Photography]

<p>First, here's a tongue-in-cheek response I wrote a few years ago in a <em>Motorsports safety for photographers</em> thread.</p>

<ul>

<li><a href="http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showpost.php?p=2400159&postcount=11">Rule #1: You're in my way and I </a><em><a href="http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showpost.php?p=2400159&postcount=11">will</a></em><a href="http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showpost.php?p=2400159&postcount=11"> hit you.</a></li>

</ul>

<p>Next, carry whichever lens you feel won't get in your way. How heavy is the 100-400? Will you be hiking to spectator areas? How far away from the road are spectator areas? Are photographers allowed close to the road? Will you be photographing Parc Expose or just the action? If you're too close to the action (or need to hike to get to spectator areas) you'll wish you had the 17-85. I'm assuming you've got the Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM which is extremely lightweight and my favorite beater lens.</p>

<p>But here are some shots from Maine Forest Rally 2004 I took with a 70-300 at 70mm; I was kicking myself the entire time because I was too close to the action for 70mm.<br>

<img src="http://www.trunkmonkey.com/wp-content/uploads/Scrapbook/Gallery/20040730-01-Event-Maine_Forest_Rally/20040730_180714_Event_Maine_Forest_Rally_DWC768.jpg" alt="" width="768" height="512" /><br>

<img src="http://www.trunkmonkey.com/wp-content/uploads/Scrapbook/Gallery/20040730-01-Event-Maine_Forest_Rally/20040730_181640_Event_Maine_Forest_Rally_DWC768.jpg" alt="" width="768" height="512" /><br>

Of course, I did get this shot, which is cute but almost every single shot from this location was framed like this; the car was completely filling the frame and chopped off. :(<br>

<img src="http://www.trunkmonkey.com/wp-content/uploads/Scrapbook/Gallery/20040730-01-Event-Maine_Forest_Rally/20040730_181749_Event_Maine_Forest_Rally_DWC768.jpg" alt="" width="768" height="512" /><br>

With that said the 100-400 will work awesome if you can find spectator areas where you're lined up on a straightaway and have full view of the road. The above shots were taken from a rock ledge on the edge of a two right triple caution over narrow bridge so telephoto zoom was pretty useless.</p>

<p>As far as a polarizer is concerned, will you lose shots because you're fiddling with it? Sure, it'll give you deeper colors and you can pierce through windshield reflections to see driver/navigator faces, but will it get in your way? If you set it and forget it at each corner/location you should be good.</p>

[szrimaging]

<p>I photograph at Sno*Drift every year (not paying, just because I can) and I can tell you that I pull out both the 70-200 and 24-85 and also my 10.5mm fisheye. Depending on where you are located, and how big of a tree you have to protect you, you can get some pretty close shots. If you can get close enough, panning on the wider end of your shorter lens is the way to go.</p>

[richard_reeve3]

<p>I can't say that I have been to a car rally since about 1979 but I take a huge number of motorcycle shots where I am standing beside the road as the bikes pass and I use either my 16-85 or sometimes a 50mm lens. From my recollection of car rallies I think the camera to subject distances would be similar and the subjects are obviously larger than a motorcycle.</p>

[szrimaging]

<p>Alin, I do my pans all hand held. You get a lot of throw aways, but some of the keepers are spectacular. Its just a matter of practice, patience, and finding that right spot to shoot. Don't have any uploaded, but one of these days I should get those up.</p>

<p>And sorry to hear about the team in the Porsche. Its always a sad day in motorsports when a bad crash happens. RIP</p>

[josepharmand]

<p>I am going to go against the grain and suggest that you forgo the 100-400. I have tried to use it numerous times in warm well lit venues, albeit not rally.<br>

It is not a fast lens, and the heat causes a lot of color to bleed through that lens eliminating sharp photos. I suggest you won't like the results with that lens. Additionally because of the push-pull design, there is a tendancy to suck dust into the interior of the lens resulting in a $300 cleaning bill from Canon. (spoken from my expensive experience).<br>

After 12 years in competition, I retired from rallying driving about 8 years ago, I can tell you that I was always extremely pissed when photographers got too close to the road because they had a lens too small. Rent/Use a 70-200, watch your shutter speed so you don't freeze the wheel movement, use a smaller aperature to keep the entire car in focus /sharp, and keep away from the road!. I know the best angle is from the outside of the apex of the corner, so stay as far back as you can. I might even consider a 300 f4 as an option to keep you back further.</p>