Had another go at moving cars.. Le Mans at Silverstone
Discussion
The last time I tried any moving motorsport I just couldn't get any decent shots, they were all out of focus. I had another go at the weekend during the Silverstone at Le Mans. Messed around with panning, manual focus.
I'm looking for C&C and possibly what else I can try. I might have a browse at some lenses.
I'm looking for C&C and possibly what else I can try. I might have a browse at some lenses.
Also ... what are you expecting as a result? What is it about these shots that you are are unsure about?
Nothing to do with the panning stuff but it looks like you were working in some bright light Ithe dynamic range and levels of contrast will set challenges) and to some degree shooting against the light - which will always set other challenges.
You could counteract the bright reflections with a polarising filter but doing so will probably compromise the camera's ability to fast focus and set suitable exposure values.
Bear in mind that the difference, in equipment and technique, between success and not success is quite small.
Nothing to do with the panning stuff but it looks like you were working in some bright light Ithe dynamic range and levels of contrast will set challenges) and to some degree shooting against the light - which will always set other challenges.
You could counteract the bright reflections with a polarising filter but doing so will probably compromise the camera's ability to fast focus and set suitable exposure values.
Bear in mind that the difference, in equipment and technique, between success and not success is quite small.
LongQ said:
Also ... what are you expecting as a result? What is it about these shots that you are are unsure about?
Nothing to do with the panning stuff but it looks like you were working in some bright light Ithe dynamic range and levels of contrast will set challenges) and to some degree shooting against the light - which will always set other challenges.
Yea, I was shooting with the bright sun above the grand stand in a few of those.Nothing to do with the panning stuff but it looks like you were working in some bright light Ithe dynamic range and levels of contrast will set challenges) and to some degree shooting against the light - which will always set other challenges.
I want to get the car/driver super crisp whilst having the wheels and background in motion. I'm not sure if these are generally enhanced in PP.
Out of all 500 that I took, those and a few others were the ones that were even remotely good enough.
So many variables come into play. If you want really really pin sharp now and again but at slow sutter speeds you need to practise, work out what body roatations and movements work for you and how to get them. How your body moves and how the subject moves (and the speed of the subjects) makes a big difference. Then be overjoyed if you get anywhere near 1 in 10 that are as sharp as you would like after you have run some suitable post procesing.
Pick you spot carefully so that you get the best benefits of an even pan - the insode of a constant radius bend with the subject doing a fairly constant speed will help. If the background is plain - grass or constantly coloured armco- that helps too.
Experiment with shutter speeds. The faster the subject is moving at the chosen point the higher the shutter speed you can use and still get the effect you want PROVIDED you have the plain background.
Manual focus may not be your friend unless you have a suitable focus screen. Most standard screens in dslrs are not intended to be optimal for manual focus. I have no idea what the Nikons offer to assist. On the other hand whether the body/lens combination is up to the task of follow-focus on a fast (in relation to the camera/lens position) moving subject is an unknown and focus systems do have limits.
The further you are form the subject the easier the panning task can be BUT you than start to get to the limits of resolution available in the sensor/lens combination - so fine detail may still not give the perceived sharpness you want.
On the other hand if you are close to the subject and filling the frame (OK, probably not possible with a 200mm lens at Silverstone) a large subject, like a car, may never appear completely sharp at wheels blurring shutter speeds because, even if you work out a totally sharp depth of field aperture, the differnet parts of the subject will be moving at different speeds relative to the lens and in different focal planes.
Bear in mind also that something that can look quite soft at 1:1 may look compeately sharp on an electronic display at typical size (because they are limited anyway) and may also produce a decent print providing you don't try and print it too large and then inspect it with a magnifying glass.
This tutorial from Cambridge in Colour addresses some wider issues about shooting moving subjects (at different speeds of movement) and may be helpful. If includes a calculator that tells you how fast a shutter is required to freeze motion for details in the subject using different sensors, lens lengths, subject distances and speeds and so on. Based on that you should be able to figure out what speeds are required get maximum subject sharpness yet still blur the backgrounds sufficiently. It's a guide, not a rule book and you need to read it with that in mind. In fact I would be tempted to go through it once to begin to get a feeling for what variables are discussed and then read it again to elicit the practical stuff that you need for your preferred action subjects.
http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/camera-...
Oh, and it's not all about panning.
Pick you spot carefully so that you get the best benefits of an even pan - the insode of a constant radius bend with the subject doing a fairly constant speed will help. If the background is plain - grass or constantly coloured armco- that helps too.
Experiment with shutter speeds. The faster the subject is moving at the chosen point the higher the shutter speed you can use and still get the effect you want PROVIDED you have the plain background.
Manual focus may not be your friend unless you have a suitable focus screen. Most standard screens in dslrs are not intended to be optimal for manual focus. I have no idea what the Nikons offer to assist. On the other hand whether the body/lens combination is up to the task of follow-focus on a fast (in relation to the camera/lens position) moving subject is an unknown and focus systems do have limits.
The further you are form the subject the easier the panning task can be BUT you than start to get to the limits of resolution available in the sensor/lens combination - so fine detail may still not give the perceived sharpness you want.
On the other hand if you are close to the subject and filling the frame (OK, probably not possible with a 200mm lens at Silverstone) a large subject, like a car, may never appear completely sharp at wheels blurring shutter speeds because, even if you work out a totally sharp depth of field aperture, the differnet parts of the subject will be moving at different speeds relative to the lens and in different focal planes.
Bear in mind also that something that can look quite soft at 1:1 may look compeately sharp on an electronic display at typical size (because they are limited anyway) and may also produce a decent print providing you don't try and print it too large and then inspect it with a magnifying glass.
This tutorial from Cambridge in Colour addresses some wider issues about shooting moving subjects (at different speeds of movement) and may be helpful. If includes a calculator that tells you how fast a shutter is required to freeze motion for details in the subject using different sensors, lens lengths, subject distances and speeds and so on. Based on that you should be able to figure out what speeds are required get maximum subject sharpness yet still blur the backgrounds sufficiently. It's a guide, not a rule book and you need to read it with that in mind. In fact I would be tempted to go through it once to begin to get a feeling for what variables are discussed and then read it again to elicit the practical stuff that you need for your preferred action subjects.
http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/camera-...
Oh, and it's not all about panning.
Those first few show a bit of a struggle with the exposure due to the light. Try and avoid shooting directly towards the sun, and have a play/learn about the different metering modes on your camera and how to lock the auto-exposure.
I was at Silverstone for Friday practice for the GP this year and found that for panning shots, the Luffield and Woodcote complex gives you a good opportunity for panning as you see the car for quite a while, the background is mostly grass / nondescript, and you can get a reasonably good shooting position where you are not shooting through a fence. It was wet and miserable so my pics weren't great but by a bit of careful metering and exposing for the dark wheels they came out ok. eg.
Lewis Hamilton Close Up by Matt_Daniels, on Flickr
I was at Silverstone for Friday practice for the GP this year and found that for panning shots, the Luffield and Woodcote complex gives you a good opportunity for panning as you see the car for quite a while, the background is mostly grass / nondescript, and you can get a reasonably good shooting position where you are not shooting through a fence. It was wet and miserable so my pics weren't great but by a bit of careful metering and exposing for the dark wheels they came out ok. eg.
Lewis Hamilton Close Up by Matt_Daniels, on Flickr
Edited by mattdaniels on Thursday 15th September 07:19
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