Could you please recommend me a DSLR camera for motorsport

Matt Sayle

Matt Sayle

2017MSA Young Photographer of the Year(Motorsport)
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Matt Sayle
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I keep getting told by badgerbaiter to upgrade my camera. Could you please recommend me a DSLR camera for motorsport. I wont be buying it for a long while yet but i need a target to save up too. I want it to be canon please. So recomend away.


Thanks
Matt:thumbs:
 
what have you got at the moment?
 
Any of these will do:

Canon 450d (beginner)
Canon 40d (intermediate)
Canon 1ds Mk II (professional)

...take your pick :) and don't forget a good set of lenses to go with.
 
cheap option would be a 30D with 5fps - lots of 2nd hand ones around now at nice prices

not that I do motorsport but could imagine that's important?
 
Canon 1ds Mk II (professional)
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Lose the s and you're talking. ;)

Pixie overkill is not what you need here. Lightning fast focus, rapid response and should it be your thing, a killer spray and prey mode. :)
 
While having a pro body is handy, I think the glass is more important.

I've got a 40D and I can't see me upgrading bodies for a while. I'm concentrating on getting some of that red-stripe!

But yeah, a 1D2 is the tried and tested model! (1Ds2 is a full frame, more pixels, less fps model, so probably not as good for motorsport) If you can afford it, gopher it!
 
walls said:
cheap option would be a 30D with 5fps - lots of 2nd hand ones around now at nice prices

not that I do motorsport but could imagine that's important?
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Or even 20D!!!

There isn't much difference between the two (spot metering and a larger screen on the 30D AFAIK)...
 
40D offers fast shoot rate (6fps ?) with decent build and is a decent all rounder to boot.

But as others have said, the glass is more important. I make do with a 350D (3fps) but the speed of focus and focal length is killer at most circuits.

Steve
 
You don't really need a high fps - I tend to shoot single shots rather than "spray and pray" at 6.5fps. (although its set to burst mode just in case someone gets out of shape)

350D/400D/450D is fine for most people.
30D is better
40D is better still
1D is better still but a secondhand body is £ 1200 at least with new bodies over £ 2000.

Glass as important, if not more so. Cheap consumer grade lenses give soft results, are slower to focus, whereas the more expensive lenses are optically superior and focus faster.

Coupling expensive bodies with cheap lenses will not work. Coupling expensive lenses with cheaper bodies will work.
 
What you want is low shutter lag. Last time I went to an msport event I still had my Fuji s5000 bridge which though OK was so hit and miss cos of the delay. No i've got the 40D I can't wait to go back. My 70-210mm will be perfect though I'm planning on hiring a 70-200 f2.8 for the next time just for posing with!
 
Martyn, Jelster & andrewc all said it.

All the bodies are quite capable, its the user and the glass that make the big difference in image quality. Pro bodies are definately better, but only if you have the knowledge, experience, talent and lenses to match.

Forget worrying about the body, get what you can ASAP, 350D upwards are all good enough, if you have to save say another 3 months to get a pro body then thats 3 months of not taking photos, and if you have to save for the pro body then you are going to be selling body organs for the glass to match it or you'll be wasting all its benefits by using it with cheap glass. Camera bodies are the cheap part of the equation, a selection of glass of matching quality will probably be in the region of 2 to 3 times the cost of the body.

Get something like the 350, 400, 450, 30 or 40, spend money on some decent glass if you feel the need to spend, but more importantly GET OUT THERE AND LEARN TO USE IT.
 
You also get 3 months worth of practise.

Wise buying will mean that you loose little money - buy secondhand or discounted cameras, buy a starter lens eg Sigma 70-300 APO at a decent price then you can start learning It may delay your all singing, dancing pro camera for a bit, but you'll be out there getting experience.

There will also always be new people who want to buy your old equipment.

Wookie said:
if you have to save say another 3 months to get a pro body then thats 3 months of not taking photos, and if you have to save for the pro body then you are going to be selling body organs for the glass to match it or you'll be wasting all its benefits by using it with cheap glass.[
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I am now looking into a 450D. Its so much cheaper than the 1D MKII but stil aint cheap. What sort of glass should i be looking for? If any one has any websites which sell them at a good price a link would be much appreciated.
 
450D or 400D will be fine, both are the bottom tier of Canon's line up, rather than Canon's top tier.

Lenses for motorsport - something that covers the 70-300 range - eg Sigma 70-300 APO for roughly £ 150, or the Sigma 100-300 f4 for roughly £ 500, the Sigma 120-300 f2.8 for roughly £ 1200 or if you want Canon there is the 70-200 f4 L (bit short for some circuits)for £ 350ish, or the 70-200 f2.8 IS, or 100-400 L for around £ 1000.

Its not cheap...

However, if you look on the secondhand pre-loved market, you could probably get a 30D for similar money, which may not have the headline megapixels of the 400D or 450D but its not about megapixels, and you could get secondhand lenses. I'd prefer to buy from respected forum members than risk Ebay.
 
Spend the money on glass. I have a D50 (2 now, actually, one cost me £100) and it's more than capable, I leave it on multi-shot but rarely use it unless something like a crash occurs, so 'only 2.5fps' really doesn't bother me.

My money goes on glass instead, got a Nikon 80-200 2.8 AF-S and a Nikon 300mm f4 (£900 in total for both, second-hand), the 80-200 auto-focuses at such an unbelievable speed that I never even notice it, it easily keeps up with a car filling the frame at 100mm doing 150mph+.

Unless you will be publishing a lot of pics at A4+ keeping to the lower end of the DSLR market won't be an issue. I've been relatively successful without having any expensive equipment (shooting with my D50 and 300mm for a day means my equipment in total cost £500). 90% of it is practice, technique and more practice.

http://chrisharrison.smugmug.com/Motorsport


Whichever body you go for, a Sigma 70-300 APO is a good shout to get you going. Coming up from a bridge camera it will blow you away, I used one for a while before I found a 80-200 cheap (which was too good an opportunity to miss, there was nothing wrong with the 70-300)
 
My mum has said she will get me a 400D. I have told that i need a 300 mm lens. Is there anything else I need? Like filters etc.
 
Dont rule out prime lenses, i use pretty much only the 400mm f5.6 most of the time for bike, and 300 f4 for cars. Not doing much car work this year hence why i am looking at selling that. The primes are much faster to AF.

Id be sersiouly looking at second hand 20-30d's, as these are more capable motorsport cameras then the 400-450d. Its the glass you really need to spend on to get the results rather then body. My 30d would print 20 inch posters with no loss in IQ
 
Dal said:
By looking at your photo's you've posted it just proves how a good photographer is far more important than a good camera.

I'd recommend a 40D for the motorsport. a 1D is too much money.

Or do the right thing nd buy a Nikon D300...........Just remember, Canon's for Show, Nikon's for a PRO :p
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Thanks for the compliment :D A 40D is too much money for me I am afraid. I dont why but I dont want Nikon I want canon!
 
I would go for the 40D.

Regarding the 450D v 40D, with the cashback offer till the end of this month there is now only about £30 diff between them thus making the 40D the clear choice!
 
Matt,

If you are saving and its going to take you a while, then aim for a 40D. The 50D is out in the first quarter of 2009, the price of the 40D will fall through the floor then :D

However, as others have said the glass is the key and obviously compatible across the Canon range, so if you want a starter sooner than 2009, punt for the 30D (about 300 quid on ebay at the mo!) and I really do suggest you try the Canon 70-300IS like I have... its a corker for the money (less than 300 quid) and will set you up lovely - check my MX pics if any of you think its not too good...

Also get yourself a 50 2.8 for your pit shots, thats less than 50 quid!
 
I have a 40D, and i love it, best camera out there for the money IMO. I generally use the Canon 70-200 f/4L on it and i cannot complain with any of my results.
Get yourself a nice piece of L series glass and you cant complain ;)

Cheers,
 
Matt Sayle said:
Thanks for the compliment :D A 40D is too much money for me I am afraid. I dont why but I dont want Nikon I want canon!
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It's because your a poser lol.

On a serious note, have you been into a camera shop to play around with th nikons and canons, I personally didnt feel comfortable with the canon, hence why i went for a nikon.
 
Dal said:
It's because your a poser lol.

On a serious note, have you been into a camera shop to play around with th nikons and canons, I personally didnt feel comfortable with the canon, hence why i went for a nikon.
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No, i havent. I only just got my mum into thinking about it yesterday.
 
Matt, if your going on Wednesday pm me your number and you can have some time with one of mine.....:thumbs:
 
Nothing really to choose from between Canon and Nikon range for motorsport - its just whichever feels bests in your hands.

The 40D is priced very competitively with the 450D once cashback is taken into account and whilst doesn't have the megapixels is a superior camera in every respect.
 
Hi Matt, I agree with most of whats been said about decent glass over pro body but there are a few things to bear in mind. Im not going to write an essay but if you want to know my experiences feel free to PM me.

Suffice to say if i was starting from scratch today i would seriously look at Nikon kit (and that is no swipe at Canon as thats what i use).

Probably the best advice i can give is that there is no way to justify spending the ridiculous sums of money on kit that most of us do. Most of us take pics for pleasure and would be hard pressed to recoup the costs so skip that decision process and get on with deciding what works for you, and the only way to do that is try before you buy.....

B->
 
The 40D is both better and cheaper (after cashback) than a 450D. Buy a 40D (we have two!)
 
some good and not so good advice so far.
what's your total budget matt?

I think some of you are assuming matt is the crown prince of Bahrain or something and not a 16 year old (correct me if I'm wrong, matt - I'm guessing your age)
 
badgerbaiter said:
some good and not so good advice so far.
what's your total budget matt?

I think some of you are assuming matt is the crown prince of Bahrain or something and not a 16 year old (correct me if I'm wrong, matt - I'm guessing your age)
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Your right about my age.

andrewc said:
Nothing really to choose from between Canon and Nikon range for motorsport - its just whichever feels bests in your hands.

The 40D is priced very competitively with the 450D once cashback is taken into account and whilst doesn't have the megapixels is a superior camera in every respect.
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Right, ok I am hopefully going to try a Nikon on Wednesday.


Mike Hoyer said:
Why?
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I don't know, I just do.
 
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