johns racing photos

Todd - I use the 1d3 almost exclusively. I got mine in January and have shot about 1500 or more shots with it so far and I have to say other than the weight I really like it. The majority of what you shoot with Dirt Motorsports is at night and the low noise/iso really helps there. I use the 70-200 f2.8l is lens and 580ex II flash. I use my 5D in the pits for head shots and general pit shots. It has the 24-70 f/2.8L on it with a 580ex flash. One thing I do not do is change lens at the track or before cleaning them. I also send my two bodies and lenses back to Canon every winter for cleaning. Regardless of the body/lens I was using. Although things can get dusty at times, when they are so dusty as to effect the inside of the camera it is generally to dusty to take photos. Especially, when your shooting at night and the flash is reflecting all of the dust particles in the air.

 

http://www.johnsracingphotos.com

I used a 5D last year for 50+ nights of Dirt Motorsports Racing. If you have never been to a Dirt Track race let me tell you that a White car will turn Brown with the settling dust. Not to mention most events are at night with high humidity(dew) and in the spring/fall COLD. then there is also the occasional rain and baking sun. I had zero problems with the 5D or the attached 70-200 f/2.8L IS. I sent them both to Canon for cleaning and adjustment at the end of the race season and there were no noted problems. Can't imagine any more rugged than that.

I ordered one from J&R because the temporarily unavailable was removed and an in stock message displayed. After two days and my order still being processed I called and was told it will be available between Friday and when the next model is released. Once I threatened to cancel my order they said it would ship Monday. We'll see how that works out for me.

Colin - Thank you for all of the information. I thought I would make a final post to this thread and let you know what I decided. In the end I went with the 1Ds Mk III. Partly at my wife's urging (although it didn't take much). The big thing for me was the pixel count and the full frame. As I stated earlier I rarely shoot burst so fps do not really come into play. Probably from when I was poor and shooting film with manual focus. Very particular about that one shot. It is nice having the (5d now) full frame. When I use my 24-70 lens having it go down to 24mm is a plus. Especially in the tight confines of victory lane. I have computers cabable of processing the images and hard drives(and discs) to store them. I have 1 TB now and will most likely have a second in the near future. To that extent I am somewhat of a geek.

 

I also know I don't necessarilly need the high pixel count but on occasion it could help out on some cropping.

 

Again thanks for all the info. Race season starts in a month in FL. Hopefully it gets here by then.

 

John

Colin - Thank you for the information. Until today I had not really considered the 1D at all. After reading some information about the 1D it appears it may be better suited in low light conditions. What atracted me to the 1DS was the full frame sensor. After getting the 5D and realizing what I had been missing since going digital I am not sure I want to go back.

 

The fact that the 10fps rate would be lost on me makes that benefit a non issue. I do shoot the occaisional wedding as well so the higher pixel count would be of benefit to me as well.

 

This decision may be harder than anticipated.

Thank you everyone for your response so far. I am talking about the 1Ds Mk III. I do want it to be a full frame camera. I very rarely shoot more than one photo at a time, even in action shots with motorsports. I just don't like pushing the shutter release and seeing what happens. So from that aspect frame rate is not that important.

 

From what I read at dpreview I thought this the 1Ds Mk III had been out for about 6 months. Maybe not? My season for racing starts the last week of January. Although I am not in any particular hurry, I do not want to wait another 6 months for a camera that is $1000 more and may or may not be as good as the camera it is replacing.

 

Since getting the 5D about a year ago, I must admit that it has yet to disappoint except on one level. Keeping the dust out. I am continually having to take the vertical grip off to clean out the innerspace. Same goes for sensor cleaning. Although I send my two bodies the the two primary lenses to Canon each winter for service and cleaning, it would be nice to know I am not getting a bunch of gunk inside.

 

The 20d, although good when I bought it for what I could afford, was used mostly in manual focus as it just would not focus fast enough. It is now used for headshots and victory lane but is time for it to be replaced.

 

Thanks again for the comments so far.

I am a dirtmotorsports photographer and currently use a 5d w/ 70-200 f/2.8 IS

and 20d w/ 24-70 f/2.8. I am going to upgrade the 20D to a Mk II or Mk III.

That is my query. I have read nearly everything I can find but am looking for

someone that may have practical experience with both.

 

Most often the shooting conditions are dusty, cold and poorly lit. Here are

some samples.

 

http://www.johnsracingphotos.com/main/USAC/2007/Ovalnats_fri07.html

 

Another key factor in my decision is the ability of the camera to focus quickly

and accurately in low light conditions. I understand the Mk III has had some

focusing issues. Have they been resolved?

 

Thanks in advance for any help on this.

 

John Meirhofer

John's Racing Photos

Another one at night but with wings.<div></div>

I shoot about 90% manual focus. 10% in autofucus just to frustrate myself back to manual, j/k. I think for most motorsports photographers, finding a camera with sensor's that can focus on something moving over 100mph is a challenge. Add in low light conditions at night and it is just easier to use manual focus and you get better results(less missed shots) If you would like to see examples:

 

http://www.johnsracingphotos.com<div></div>

I use a D60 and unless there has been a significant improvement the autofocus is near useless in fast moving low light sport situations. I shoot dirt track winged sprint car racing every weekend from February to October. Occasionally my Canon 85/1.8 will lock a focus before the cars are gone. That is only if the lighting is good at that track.

 

Greyhounds the most challenging of action sport? Go to your local short track and give sprint car racing a try and then see what you find most challenging.

 

www.johnsracingphotos.com<div></div>