def67
Me^ Stuff I say>
Great pics thanks for sharing, never seen the wheel distortion like that before.
My favorite SCSNX pictures
- Thread starter psfracer
- Start date
NickD87
forum member
Paul
You already mentioned your using a 7D and an L lense
But can you go more into your setup and general tips for taking pictures at the track
I picked up an entry level nikon dslr and a nice prime lense for everyday stuff and am planning to get a 70-300mm for track, I can get pretty close so distance is not an issue.
Im guessing you are panning with the car to have the car in focus and background motion blur? Is it on a tripod?
Assuming your camera only does 3fps whats my best chance to get cars in frame
You already mentioned your using a 7D and an L lense
But can you go more into your setup and general tips for taking pictures at the track
I picked up an entry level nikon dslr and a nice prime lense for everyday stuff and am planning to get a 70-300mm for track, I can get pretty close so distance is not an issue.
Im guessing you are panning with the car to have the car in focus and background motion blur? Is it on a tripod?
Assuming your camera only does 3fps whats my best chance to get cars in frame
What model Nikon? How many megapixels? I am writing a response now, its going to be kinda long...
So I am going to list a few things--these things pertain to panning shots like the ones posted in this thread--during daylight hours where lighting is NOT an issue.
1) Pick your location wisely. Where will you be most likely shooting the subject? At this location, is there anything in the way? Power poles? Speakers? Background full of BS? Then move and choose another location.
2) Once you have your spot, look at where your subject will be, and zoom in/out until you have approximately the right amount of zoom you are looking for. You want the subject to be as large as possible while at the same time, you are still able to capture it. If the car is too quick, zoom out some.
3) set your camera to shutter priority. This means YOU control the shutter speed. This is important for the right amount of blur you will want in the background to indicate motion. Also have it in burst or multi shot mode, where it continues to take pictures when you hold the shutter button down.
4) The shutter speed you will need will vary on a) how far you are away from the subject and b) how fast is the subject going. For a 10 second car, 1/60 to 1/80 of a second works pretty good for me when I am up in the stands. For a Pro Mod or Outlaw 10.5 car, I need 1/160 of a second. But you will have to experiment to see what works for you.
5) Now the hard part. When the car is coming down the track, and its in your pre determined "zone", you are trying to keep the car in the center of the frame as its moving. The easiest way to do this is to get the car in the frame from the start, move with it, and don't hit the shutter until the car is in your zone. Does that make sense? You should be on the subject and moving with it far before it enters your target zone. Do not use a tripod (for panning).
6) Having a 18 or even 24 mp camera will help with getting the car in the frame. With higher mp cameras, you don't have to zoom in quite as far, thereby making it easier to capture the subject as you are panning. But remember, for the sharpest pictures, you have to pan the exact speed of the car, keeping the car in the same spot in your frame as you take the picture.
7) If your camera has a RAW function, and you plan on editing your pictures, always shoot in RAW if you can.
8) For editing I like Lightroom 5
Now for an example:
Take this picture below. I purposely chose this one as you can see its far from perfect. I was just panning trying to keep the car in the same spot as I pan, so it will be sharp and in focus. I can't post the original file size, as it would be huge, but the original size was 5184 X 3456. This is that file reduced down to a more internet friendly resolution, (1280 across) but not cropped in any way:
Now, after editing, the finished picture looks like this: (once again, the original is much sharper, this has been reduced to only 1280 across when the actual version is over 3200 across, still, even after cropping).
^^^^ so you can see why you would want a higher megapixel camera (assuming it has a sensor that can take advantage of the higher megapixels), so that way you can crop the picture, yet still maintain detail.
As a side note, I edit most of my pics to 16:9 ratio---as I have a flickr account and apple TV, so whenever I want to show my pics on the big screen tv, I have the edited versions at 1920X1080 HD file size. Always rename your edited files and keep the original.
Here is the HD file of that same picture above. Looks great on the 55 inch tv:
As far as the 3 FPS of your nikon--that is fine, you will just have to be more selective on when you actually hit the shutter button. Sometimes if a car comes up, and it starts pulling a fantastic wheelie or something, I start shooting before the car hits the "zone" that I have picked and take like 20 pictures during the pass (7D is 8fps).
A couple other notes. Make sure the card you are using can write files fast, so your camera buffer does not fill up as fast. Your camera will not take 3 fps if the card and not write the files fast enough. Get at least a Class 10 card.
Practice and experiment. Start in conditions where lighting is not a factor (sunny days), so when you set your shutter speed, your camera remains on ISO 100, for the sharpest and noise free pictures.
Review this video if you are confused on how shutter speed, aperture, ISO, are all connected, and how they all affect each other. Tony explains it way better then I ever could:
Lastly, I am no professional--its just a hobby of mine. The above is simply what works for me. I am sure professional photographers may have different opinions on a lot of things depending on the camera being used, the subject being photographed, and the conditions you are working in.
1) Pick your location wisely. Where will you be most likely shooting the subject? At this location, is there anything in the way? Power poles? Speakers? Background full of BS? Then move and choose another location.
2) Once you have your spot, look at where your subject will be, and zoom in/out until you have approximately the right amount of zoom you are looking for. You want the subject to be as large as possible while at the same time, you are still able to capture it. If the car is too quick, zoom out some.
3) set your camera to shutter priority. This means YOU control the shutter speed. This is important for the right amount of blur you will want in the background to indicate motion. Also have it in burst or multi shot mode, where it continues to take pictures when you hold the shutter button down.
4) The shutter speed you will need will vary on a) how far you are away from the subject and b) how fast is the subject going. For a 10 second car, 1/60 to 1/80 of a second works pretty good for me when I am up in the stands. For a Pro Mod or Outlaw 10.5 car, I need 1/160 of a second. But you will have to experiment to see what works for you.
5) Now the hard part. When the car is coming down the track, and its in your pre determined "zone", you are trying to keep the car in the center of the frame as its moving. The easiest way to do this is to get the car in the frame from the start, move with it, and don't hit the shutter until the car is in your zone. Does that make sense? You should be on the subject and moving with it far before it enters your target zone. Do not use a tripod (for panning).
6) Having a 18 or even 24 mp camera will help with getting the car in the frame. With higher mp cameras, you don't have to zoom in quite as far, thereby making it easier to capture the subject as you are panning. But remember, for the sharpest pictures, you have to pan the exact speed of the car, keeping the car in the same spot in your frame as you take the picture.
7) If your camera has a RAW function, and you plan on editing your pictures, always shoot in RAW if you can.
8) For editing I like Lightroom 5
Now for an example:
Take this picture below. I purposely chose this one as you can see its far from perfect. I was just panning trying to keep the car in the same spot as I pan, so it will be sharp and in focus. I can't post the original file size, as it would be huge, but the original size was 5184 X 3456. This is that file reduced down to a more internet friendly resolution, (1280 across) but not cropped in any way:
Now, after editing, the finished picture looks like this: (once again, the original is much sharper, this has been reduced to only 1280 across when the actual version is over 3200 across, still, even after cropping).
^^^^ so you can see why you would want a higher megapixel camera (assuming it has a sensor that can take advantage of the higher megapixels), so that way you can crop the picture, yet still maintain detail.
As a side note, I edit most of my pics to 16:9 ratio---as I have a flickr account and apple TV, so whenever I want to show my pics on the big screen tv, I have the edited versions at 1920X1080 HD file size. Always rename your edited files and keep the original.
Here is the HD file of that same picture above. Looks great on the 55 inch tv:
As far as the 3 FPS of your nikon--that is fine, you will just have to be more selective on when you actually hit the shutter button. Sometimes if a car comes up, and it starts pulling a fantastic wheelie or something, I start shooting before the car hits the "zone" that I have picked and take like 20 pictures during the pass (7D is 8fps).
A couple other notes. Make sure the card you are using can write files fast, so your camera buffer does not fill up as fast. Your camera will not take 3 fps if the card and not write the files fast enough. Get at least a Class 10 card.
Practice and experiment. Start in conditions where lighting is not a factor (sunny days), so when you set your shutter speed, your camera remains on ISO 100, for the sharpest and noise free pictures.
Review this video if you are confused on how shutter speed, aperture, ISO, are all connected, and how they all affect each other. Tony explains it way better then I ever could:
Lastly, I am no professional--its just a hobby of mine. The above is simply what works for me. I am sure professional photographers may have different opinions on a lot of things depending on the camera being used, the subject being photographed, and the conditions you are working in.
Last edited:
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