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PHOTOGRAPHY - The official Camera-setup Thread

drizz

drizz

it's monkey madness!
Joined
Aug 23, 2002
Location
prescott, az
Moto(s)
2 lil, 2 big
Name
Dave
Hey guys,

I'd love to hear other people's camera setups. Not just hardware, but settings for shooting motorsports.

I just got my new RebelXT and I'm eager to get some good shots of some AFM action this year. :thumbup
 
75-300 IS zoom lens. The IS is a must so you can close the aperture for good depth-of-field at high zoom settings, while keeping a somewhat reasonable shutter speed.

Fastest write speed CF card you can get that holds at least a Gig.
Hit up creative zone, and bring the book, not the QS guide.

For motorsports, keep the shutter speed fast. That would be TV mode, and become friendly with AI Servo mode for autofocus. That's the one that shoots and focuses continuously, and can actually predict the focus setting for moving objects. :wow

Also, set your focus spot to the center, so stuff on the edges doesn't grab the focus.

I got one last summer, it's the shizznit!
 
Ken, you're fired :twofinger

Thanks Britcher. I'm going to have to get a decent lens and get out there. I have lots of close-range stuff, but no 300mm+ zoom lens. :eek:
 
my wife got a Kodak Z740 anybody know anything about this Camera like how the hell to adjust shutter speed.
 
Stop the presses!!! Drizz bought something new! Not crashed/binned/rebuilt and pawned off on ebay :nerd

j/k :Port
 
You know I never buy new. It was a gift :laughing


Awesome post Bronto. Mojo if I had it :thumbup
 
drizz said:
Awesome post Bronto. Mojo if I had it :thumbup
Click to expand...

mojo'd for you.

I recently acquired a Sony DSC-W7 as an all-around shooter. I am still reading the manual, which I recommend you do with your camera as well. There's so much even a little $300 camera will do these days...

Get yourself a monopod. Even if you're shooting fast subjects at the races, it's a nice thing to have so you can keep your framing, etc.
 
kiltwearinfool said:
mojo'd for you.

I recently acquired a Sony DSC-W7 as an all-around shooter. I am still reading the manual, which I recommend you do with your camera as well. There's so much even a little $300 camera will do these days...

Get yourself a monopod. Even if you're shooting fast subjects at the races, it's a nice thing to have so you can keep your framing, etc.
Click to expand...

It's my new bathroom reading material :laughing
 
I just made this bracket last night for my bullet cam. My MiniDV cam is a Canon ZR100.

2202386-dscn1333.jpg
 
the good shooters will have close to 1/250-350 for their motorsports shots to get "action blur" from the wheels. very hard to do and they have a real gift. check any of puma cat's pics he posts. usually he'll post what settings he's used when asked.

try using the sports mode for now, and get your panning skills down. when i tried it one time @ TH w/ a friends camera, i had mostly junk photos but a few "okay" ones (do a search for saturday practice).

the lens you'd want for motorsports is the 70-200mm 2.8L some will say you don't need the IS, some say it's a must. they're both pretty pricey ($650 extra for the IS) so if you can, check sanjosecamera and do a test run on both. they'll let you trial for 7days and return w/ no fee if returned in same condition as when they gave it to you.

get the 50mm 1.8L <$100 and you can practice your portrait shots. it's what i use most of the time for my social pics.
 
Yeah, I'll be on the nunt in February for a decent entry-level lens to shoot the tracks. Maybe a 300mm zoom?

For now, I suppose the lenses I have will be great for stills :thumbup
 
MackeyStingray said:
get the 50mm 1.8L <$100 and you can practice your portrait shots. it's what i use most of the time for my social pics.
Click to expand...

+1 on the nifty fifty. Very cheap (and you can tell when you hold it) but takes very good pics. It's my walk around lense right now. Being it is pretty cheap I won't feel bad thrashing it. Though I do not think the $70 one is an L??

I'm saving my aluminum cans for the 50mm 1.4. :teeth :teeth
 
Cool. Here's what I have now:

Canon Zoom Lens EF 28-80mm 1:3.5-5.6
Canon Zoom Lens EF-S 18-55mm 1:3.5-5.6
Canon Fisheye Lens EF 15mm 1:2.8
Canon Zoom Lens EF 80-200mm 1:4.5-5.6
 
Don't go and blow thousands on a fast professional lens. f/2.8 and hypersonic focus motors will not make you a better photographer. You should be prefocusing and using a smaller aperture anyway. Spend your money on trackdays or a camera mount for your bike.

Don't forget to have fun with your white balance settings. For a warmer look in daylight, try the setting for shade or cloudy skies. (Color temp anywhere from 7000 to 9000K) You can do it in photoshop too of course, but this saves some time if you're certain that's the look you want.

Oh forgot my setup:
Nikon D70 for digital, F4 for 35mm
50mm f/1.8
85mm f/1.8
17-35mm f/2.8
70-300mm f/4-5.6
SB-28 speedlight
 
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slower shutter speeds will (IMO) always make a better picture. you get more action blur and sense of motion BUT they are also harder to get. the slower the shutter the better a photog you have to be. I never use anything more than 640 shutter speed for motorsports and usually shoot at around 160-250 for panning. aperture is also something to play with. for out of focus fore/background you'll want a lower # aperture (2.8 for example). this also allows more light when there isn't a lot of sun out. long lenses (i use 600mm and 400mm) help out but i don't recommend for the hobbyist(unless you have an extra $4-8k to burn). actually the 400 5.6 is a great "inexpensive" lens at around $1100. I would definatley recommend the 70-200 2.8 non IS ($1140) AND the 1.4 TC ($290)instead. The crop factor in the lower end digi's are pretty high (up to 1.6) so you can get good reach from a XT with 70-200 and a 1.4 attached (448mm). learn to pan and NOT prefocus on a area to shoot. todays DSLR focus are very good and you should be able to get good photos with the autofocus. if you prefocus and shoot at a specific area you'll get motion blur, but the background and track will be in focus and the moving object will be blurred. for a starting point, use the "sports" mode (high shutter speed) and when you master that move into TV mode and see how you do at different shutter speeds. hope it helps...
 
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