ddomonkos

<p>I shoot Motorsports with a 70-200 f/4L. IMHO it's the best bargain in the Canon lineup. I shoot in shutter priority usually between 1/125 and 1/500 panning my subjects. The lens is light and focuses fast. The weight does make a difference if you are moving around a lot. At road race events at Laguna Seca or Sears Point I walk 5 to 10+ miles a day. By the end of a multi-day event the weight of your gear matters. </p>

<p>I had the 50 1.8 and thought I lost it, bought the 50 1.4 and very happy I did. Found and sold the 50 1.8. The 50 1.4 does not get much respect but it is much better than the 1.8.<br>

1.8 - Cheap toy build quality, hunting & coffee grinder focus, the pentagon shaped bokeh is hideous.<br>

1.4 - Good build quality, quick and quite focus, nice bokeh with 8 diaphragm blades. <br>

Buy the 50 1.4 it's worth the upgrade if you use a 50mm much.</p>

<p>My guess is it's an EF lens because the next generation xD crop and FF cameras will support the STM video AF. </p>

<p>I use my 24-70 as my everyday lens. It is heavy but not as heavy as the big primes. I find it the perfect lens for shooting indoor and outdoor social events. Super clear and fast quiet focus. If you have a lens that does not fit your needs sell it, regardless of whether it is a current model or not.</p>

<p>I've used my 50/1.4 shooting American Lemans and NHRA at night and it worked fine.</p>

<p>I have a 50D and shoot with 50 1.4, 24-70 2.8 and 70-200 4.0 non IS. The 70-200 is light and a great deal. If you don't have a flash get a 430 or 580, I have both.</p>

<p>I tested the Sandisk Extreme Firewire reader for Roadcarvin Magazine and with Extreme IV and the Ducati CF cards the Firewire reader was 3 times faster than USB readers.</p>

<p>Companies never play their hand before they have to, if your current camera or lenses don't do what you need, time to upgrade. If you're not sure, rent and evaluate the results. If you buy and the latest greatest comes out next week, next month or next year so what? You bought the tool to satisfy your needs and hopefully expected needs for at least a few years. </p>

<p>I fell on my camera/lens at Laguna Seca at AMLS and I'm surprised the lens did not detach from the body. After that focus was off, sent my 70-200 to Canon service and $175 later I have a perfect lens. Very cheap and Canon certainly knows how to properly fix/service their equipment. </p>

 

<p>I've shot with both on a 50D and I bought the 24-70, sharper and matches well with my 70-200. I shoot motorsports most of the time and panning skills are more important than IS.</p>

<p>My vote is buy the 17-40 F4L and 24-70 F2.8L and sell the Tamron to offset the upgrade.</p>

<p>I upgraded from the XTi to the 50D last year, it's was a great move. Better controls and IQ. Without knowing what lenses you have it's hard to say if a new lens is the right choice. I normally shoot with, 24-70 f/2.8L, 70-200 f/4L and 50 f/1.4.</p>

<p>Photo did not insert? I'll try again: <a href="../photo/11618797">http://www.photo.net/photo/11618797</a></p>

<p>I've shot everything in motorsports for 30+ years. Panning, exposure and knowing where to shoot during a race are the most important skills. Birds may be small and hard to fram but they don't go 0-100mph in 60 feet or go 300+ mph.<br>

When the media van isn't around I pack my gear, 10-20 miles over a road race weekend is not uncommon. I've shot over 70K photos with the 70-200 f/4L. It's light, handheld panning is a joy and AF & IQ is great.<br>

<img src="../photo/11618797" alt="" /></p>

<p>For moving objects try: TV shutter priority, AI Servo and Spot metering. Center the action in the frame.<br>

I use the lowest ISO possible for the proper exposure. When I am panning fast action I usually use 1/125-1/400. (MotoGP, NHRA, IRL, etc.)</p>

<p>I like my 50 1.4. It's a much better lens than the 50 1.8 and great value compared to the 1.2. Canon must like it too since they use the 50 1.4 in every photo of non-kit EOS cameras, 1-V, 1Ds III, 1D IV, 1D III. If this lens was as poor as "internet experts" indicate I'm sure Canon would use the 50 1.2 or another lens for their Ads.<br>

Buy it and shoot. .02</p>

<p>In think the 70-200 f/4 L is the best value in the Canon lens system. I've used it for most of the action shots for Roadcarvin Magazine. I'm usually panning motorcycles or cars so IS doesn't matter to me. I've gotten great shots at ALMS and NHRA at night. 95+ percent of my shots are hand held, the lens is light enough to handle all day at the track.</p>

<p>I had the 50/1.8 and IQ was good in most cases, its pentagon bokeh (5 blades) and grinding AF not so good. I thought I lost it and bought the 50/1.4. A much better lens, smooth bokeh and quiet AF. The build, images and AF are worth the money. The good news is I found my 50/1.8 and sold it for about what I paid for it on eBay. I love the 50/1.4, the bashing it gets is not warranted in my opinion.</p>

<p>Call Canon and send it to them, no need for a middle man to make money. I have been very happy with Canon Service. They fixed two of my cameras NC. Doesn't get better than that.</p>

<p>I have over 75,000 on my XTi (rated for 50K), the shutter is very loud but the camera works fine. Shot NASCAR in Sonoma (Sat&Sun) with my new 50D about 3,400 pictures.</p>

<p>I use fast 8GB UDMA cards (Sandisk Xtreme IV and Lexar Professional) and have never had a problem. I think with a quality card you have to worry about loosing a card rather than a failure. A backup plan with multiple copies is a good idea for all data.<br>

Last year at Laguna Seca during the ALMS race I found a card next to the K-wall, the photographer was smart enough to label it with his name and phone number, I called him and he got his card back. I have never lost a card but since then I label mine. Just in case.<br>

The card failure story seems like urban legend. I only know one person who has lost data and they pulled the card from a reader while files where transfering. .02</p>

<p>I always buy from B&H, just bought a 50D. I've been buying equipment from them for over 10 years, never had an issue.</p>

<p>You probably need a firewire reader, here's my review of the SanDisk products.<br>

<a href="http://www.roadcarvin.com/photography-equipment/SanDisk-Extreme-Ducati-Edition">http://www.roadcarvin.com/photography-equipment/SanDisk-Extreme-Ducati-Edition</a></p>

 

<p>The 70-200 f/4 L is an excellent choice, professional IQ, build, fast and silent AF at a bargain price. I have shot over 30,000 action photos (motorcycles, motorsports) and been very happy with the performance of this lens. I've shot ALMS and NHRA in low light with great results.</p>

<p>The 24-70 f/2.8 L would be my choice instead of the EF-S 17-55. If I needed to go wider I would buy the 17-40 f/4 L.</p>