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SpeedRacer
Hello /p/. I was wondering if I could get your advice on what would be suitable for taking photos of car racing, or the local autocross events. Currently I have a D40, but it's not always at my disposal. I may be looking into getting a D60, but suggestions are always welcome. What would you guys recommend as far as lenses, and camera accessories go? Price isn't a huge issue, but keep things reasonable. I'm looking for a good middle of the road package.
Pic related, me driving the car. Found if off of a fellow Autocrosser's website.
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>> I||ICIT !!mknjFN/v/49
not to up on the nikon AF shenanigans, but make sure you get a body that can AF, and AF pretty decently too considering your dealing with some fast moving stuff.

lenses personally for me, anywhere from 50-200?
i found 50 good for a motokhana?(the one with the cones, and the stop start, reverse, handbrake etc?)
on the other hand 200 was too short for some shots at the NZ a1GP and i found 135 was quite nice :)

perhaps obviously if you havent picked up on it how about a 50-200?
>> stickb0y7 !9FVrc11kpo
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i'm far from being an expert but i just happened to be taking photos at a local autocross event today. i used a D50 with Nikkor 18-135mm ED and a CPL filter. this was my first time taking autocross photos and i don't have much equipment to choose from, but the combination worked out fairly well. i got access to the track so i was right inside one of the turns and i usually had my lens between 50mm and 70mm. without the media access, i would have liked something longer.

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>> SpeedRacer
>>145752
Ah alright, would there be any reasons to recommend a Canon over a Nikon in regards to this type of photography. I actually have a Tamron 28-200 Lens that I use on my Elan II. That might be a nice lans to slap onto a Canon DSLR.
>> Anonymous
Get a D80 or something like that instead of a D60.

I don't know much about car racing or photographing it, but you don't need fancy gear. David Alan Harvey did a project on NASCAR races with his (then) usual M6 and 35, 50, and 28mm lenses. Long telephotos and fast AF probably would be nifty, but keep that in mind.
>> Anonymous
>>145759
1.6x crop factor instead of 1.5.

That's about it.
>> SpeedRacer
>>145758
Ah, very nice. Would any of you recommend some of the longer Telephoto lenses if I don't want to take photos in course. Couple of a times people have come close to hitting us, and that's with all of us paying close attention to our safety. What exactly does a CPL Filter do? I actually live within an hour of Infineon, so I'd have the ability to practice some of the skills on the Jim Russel racing school that's there.
>> SpeedRacer
>>145761
Why do you say the D80 over the D60. While I'm at it, would you recommend a D80 over a comparable Canon? I'm fairly neutral towards the two, I just don't have enough information about how they differ, and why one, for a certain purpose is better than the other
>> stickb0y7 !9FVrc11kpo
>>145764
>What exactly does a CPL Filter do?

Circular Polarizing Filter - reduces glare off reflected surfaces, also increases contrast between sky and ground. if you want to shoot panning shots, it also helps you slow your shutter speed down as a side effect.
>> Anonymous
>>145766
1. It'll autofocus with all AF Nikkor lenses.
2. Two control dials and generally better ergonomics.
>> Anonymous
>>145766
Oh, and also, Canon and Nikon both take pictures and have basically the same sort of lens line-up.

Go to a camera store (a real camera store, not Wolf Camera or, God forbid, Best Buy) and try out all the different DSLR models available- Canon, Nikon, Pentax, Sony, and if you plan on using zooms and don't plan on manually focusing too much, Olympus and Panasonic- that fit your price range. Buy the one that feels best to use. It's a subjective decision.
>> SpeedRacer
>>145768
Ah good stuff, learn something new every day.

>>145769
Oh I see. Sounds like a huge plus. I actually do have a ton of lenses for Nikon as well. Inherited a few lenses from my grandfather. I have a Sigma 21-35,
Sigma 75-300, Nikon 55-200, and a Nikon 35-70. Seems like a couple of the aforementioned lenses would work out really well.

>>145772
Seems like it might be a good idea to look into the Nikon cameras due to the amount of lenses I have. But with any camera, there are a lot of variables to look into.
>> Anonymous
>>145775
Yeah, if you've got all those F-mount (Nikon) lenses, get a Nikon camera unless you can't stand the thing.
>> SpeedRacer
>>145783
Yeah, I really enjoyed the D40. I'll go find somewhere that has a good variety of cameras to look into. So now that it seems like I have the camera and the lenses covered, would you recommend hand holding, monopod, tripods? Also, what type of technique should I be concerned with when shooting these types of subjects?
>> Anonymous
>>145786
Theoretically, a tripod is always the answer, but they can be limiting. Not in and of themselves, if they're a good one, but no one wants to spend a minute or two unfolding the legs just right to get the right angle, and the shot will usually be gone.

Buy a good tripod (Bogen, Manfrotto, Gitzo are all good), used since a good tripod will outlast you. Then go shoot stuff, with and without it. You'll get a feel for when you want to use it and when you don't.

Forget buying a monopod- just fold up the tripod's legs and it'll work the same way.
>> SpeedRacer
>>145793
Ah alright, I'll look into those brands you mentioned. Thanks guys, this has been really informative. It's looking like I'll get that D80 unless I absolutely hate it, which is unlikely. I'll get one of those Tripods as well.

As far as technique goes, what should I be concerned with? Anything that's unique to this type of photography?