Is a motorsport lens on a budget possible?

B

bildo

Suspended / Banned
Messages
606
Name
Bill
Edit My Images
Yes
I've been looking around for a motorsport lens, I have no ambitions of going pro anytime soon and I only got my first DSLR a few weeks ago (D5100.)

My understanding is that I need AF-S on my lens for it to focus with the D5100, so that straight away rules out quite a few of the budget ones.

I've been seeing various Nikon lenses, but after searching around anytime that people ask in other posts these lenses will be ideal they're recommended £1000+ ones. Realistically for now my budget is in the £200-300 range and I can't really go any higher than that.

Is there anything that people would recommend within this range?

Thanks in advance for any help.
 
You need 200mm minimum after that it's down to technique and your imagination. Nikon 55-200 vr could be a good start and well within your budget, after that the Nikon 70-300mm vr would be next but over budget just if bought used.

You don't need to spend 1000+. I use a Sigma 70-200 f/2.8 and a Sigma 100-300 f/4 both can be had used for under £450 ish and are very capable.


But......I wouldn't say no to a 300/400 f/2.8 :D
 
Have a look at the Tamron 70-300mm VC. On your budget it will get you started, OK in certain situation it might be a bit short for certain tracks and if the light starts to drop off, it might struggle with autofocus, but a lot of people on a budget recommend it and at the current price, looks like a bargain.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tamron-70-3...1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1364249193&sr=1-1

http://www.camerapricebuster.com/Ta...nses/Tamron-70-300mm-f4-5.6-SP-Di-VC-USD-Lens

Although WEX has it £10 cheaper.
 
What sort of motor sport do you want to shoot?
How far away from the action will be shooting?
Initally would you be happy with vehicles in a scene type of pic?

You may find a lens that goes out to 200 or 300mm may be more than enough to get you started.
Have you considered 3rd party lenses (like Tamron etc) or second hand lenses?

What lens('s) do you have now?

I am not a Nikon shooter, or live in the UK, so I can't provide details on specific lenses or UK prices.
 
foggy4ever said:
You need 200mm minimum after that it's down to technique and your imagination. Nikon 55-200 vr could be a good start and well within your budget, after that the Nikon 70-300mm vr would be next but over budget just if bought used.

You don't need to spend 1000+. I use a Sigma 70-200 f/2.8 and a Sigma 100-300 f/4 both can be had used for under £450 ish and are very capable.


But......I wouldn't say no to a 300/400 f/2.8 :D
Click to expand...

Thanks for your recommendations. Could I ask how this would fare compared to the 70-300mm? http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nikon-AF-S-...3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1364250024&sr=1-3

I might be on completely the wrong page but can't see the pro's and con's (not that I know barley anything about lenses yet mind you!) :shrug:

306dean said:
Best bet for sub £300 I would say is the sigma 70-300. You would need to buy the version with the internal focus motor.
Click to expand...

Struggling to find this with the motor, what should I be looking for to ensure it has the focus motor?

pete.rush said:
Have a look at the Tamron 70-300mm VC. On your budget it will get you started, OK in certain situation it might be a bit short for certain tracks and if the light starts to drop off, it might struggle with autofocus, but a lot of people on a budget recommend it and at the current price, looks like a bargain.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tamron-70-3...1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1364249193&sr=1-1

http://www.camerapricebuster.com/Ta...nses/Tamron-70-300mm-f4-5.6-SP-Di-VC-USD-Lens

Although WEX has it £10 cheaper.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your advice, would this include the internal motor previously mentioned? (I assume this is the equivalent of AF-S on a non-Nikon branded lens?)

Thanks for the advice guys, good to see I already have some to choose from even if they're not the perfect answer!
 
Nikon 70-300 vr kills everything else dead . Still one of my faves on my d800. Used it for loads of motorsport. Cracking lens.just about within your budget used.
 
The Nikon 70-300vr would be good & you should be able to get a pre-owned one for just within your budget if you search around & can wait a while. (there are 2 in the classifieds on this forum atm, but you probably won't be able to read in there yet)
 
RichardTaylor said:
What sort of motor sport do you want to shoot?
How far away from the action will be shooting?
Initally would you be happy with vehicles in a scene type of pic?

You may find a lens that goes out to 200 or 300mm may be more than enough to get you started.
Have you considered 3rd party lenses (like Tamron etc) or second hand lenses?

What lens('s) do you have now?

I am not a Nikon shooter, or live in the UK, so I can't provide details on specific lenses or UK prices.
Click to expand...

Ideally I want to shoot drifting and general car racing, but mostly drifting. It's not a particularly fast sport compared to most so I guess that works to my advantage with the cheaper lenses? :shrug:

I'll be visiting various tracks, some close and some further away, Lydden Hill for example has some great spots for close photography where I'm intending to see how my 18-55mm can cope. Not got very high expectations but it'll do for my first trip there with the camera to get a general idea of things.

Wouldn't mind vehicles in a scene like you mentioned to begin with whilst I'm learning.

I hadn't really considered 3rd party lenses due to the fact I assumed I required AF-S for the D5100 however it seems from previous posters that I can have any lens with an internal focusing motor. I'm not completely against 3rd party lenses, however I do notice they have a bit of a lower rating in general on Amazon compared to the slightly higher branded products.

I have an 18-55mm (kit lens) and I've got a 35mm prime arriving tomorrow.
 
Chrisbie said:
Nikon 70-300 vr kills everything else dead . Still one of my faves on my d800. Used it for loads of motorsport. Cracking lens.just about within your budget used.
Click to expand...

OldCarlos said:
The Nikon 70-300vr would be good & you should be able to get a pre-owned one for just within your budget if you search around & can wait a while. (there are 2 in the classifieds on this forum atm, but you probably won't be able to read in there yet)
Click to expand...

Definitely looks like this is the one to go for at the moment!

Thanks for the advice chaps.

No classifieds for me just yet! Gives me more time to save anyway! :lol:
 
Chrisbie said:
Nikon 70-300 vr kills everything else dead . Still one of my faves on my d800. Used it for loads of motorsport. Cracking lens.just about within your budget used.
Click to expand...

That's quite a statement to make, from the reviews I've read, the Tamron is very close and sometimes ahead of the Nikon's for much less outlay.
 
Would I be correcting in assuming that this is the Tamrom with the focusing motor? (Trying to find it with no real certainty!)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tamron-AF-7...2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1364280197&sr=1-2

Also, still wondering what makes the 70-300 so much better than the 55-300, (genuine question!) The 55-300 can be had for £200 new here:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nikon-AF-S-...1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1364280197&sr=1-1-catcorr

Appreciate the feedback so far, sorry for the newbie questions still very much in the learning stage.

Thanks guys.
 
Bilbo, yes it is possible to do Motorsport on a budget - I've done it with the canon 70-300 IS lens and my daughter has used the Canon 55-250 IS - the 55-250 is around £165 and the, 70-300 around £380 (new prices). I'm sure that Nikon will have equivalent lenses to these.
 
pete.rush said:
That's quite a statement to make, from the reviews I've read, the Tamron is very close and sometimes ahead of the Nikon's for much less outlay.
Click to expand...

I have the tamron 70-300 DI VC USD. Which basically means auto focus and image stababilzer and better glass on my d7000 and it is a super lens, with the image stabalization you can hand hold at 300mm easily.
Really is worth the extra ££££££
 
@ Gr8Shot

At what shutter speeds?

@ Bill,
Keep in mind image stabilistation (vibration reduction) doesn't really help a lot when shooting trackside, unless it has a panning mode.
Most of the time mine is turned when shooting racing
It will help when shooting around the paddock/garages at the track, and for general purpose photography.
 
Last edited:
It does detect panning, but not tripod mode so you have to turn it off if mounted on a pod.
As for shutter speeds, off the top of my head I think about 1/200 is fine.
I'd have to check in LR and not near my PC sorry.
 
chrism_scotland said:
I've been debating whether I "need" VC/IS or not for motorsport on my D7000 as I really liked the Sigma 100-300 f4 that I had before on a Sony but I did wonder if it would be benefical to have IS.
Click to expand...

Maybe not for motor sport, but then if you've got it then the lens becomes good for other uses too. This was taken with my tamron with VC
1766_zpsad87f5e1.jpg
 
Gr8Shot said:
Maybe not for motor sport, but then if you've got it then the lens becomes good for other uses too. This was taken with my tamron with VC
1766_zpsad87f5e1.jpg
Click to expand...

Thats partly my thinking, I'm sure theres things I'd like to use it for which aren't motorsport.
 
Another vote from me for the Nikon 70-300 VR, you should pick one up used off here or gumtree for £275 ish, very quick af and lovely and sharp, I caught kingfishers in flight with it recently (in good light though) which I've never quite managed with my sigma 150-500.
 
I still think for the money the Tamron 70-300mm VC is the better investment over the Nikon 70-300mm VR and £289 new from WEX rather than a used Nikon, personally its a no brainer
 
pete.rush said:
I still think for the money the Tamron 70-300mm VC is the better investment over the Nikon 70-300mm VR and £289 new from WEX rather than a used Nikon, personally its a no brainer
Click to expand...

I agree - I bought the Tamron (for the Canon system) after seeing comparisons between it and the Nikon. For motorsports it's good enough that, if the picture is sub standard, I know it's my fault.
 
You also have the option of a Nikon 55-300 arguably sharper at 300mm that the Tamron, Sigma or its big brother the Nikon 70-300mm - plus it is only £200. I found the autofocus to be slower than the Nikon 70-300 though.
 
2p worth : m42 or older nikon lens...


I have used the 300mm f4.5 tair m42 with an adapter for motors...


Going fast and loud by KatiaUK, on Flickr

Other examples there too. Its manual including the focus. So may be a bit tricky to get used too. Also needs quite a bit of light (@ iso 200) so a sunny day may be more useful!

This lens set me back 50ukp and the adapter was 15ukp (infinity glass (ish)).

Just another option to consider. Also its good to test whether 300mm is enough.

If it were a canon, I'd say look at a 100-400mm. If its for a special event, perhaps hire a 50-500 sigma (bigma) to see - they are around 700ukp ish used...
 
Thanks for all the responses guys, going to look into it a little more tonight.

Still a bit confused as to why the Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 55-300mm wouldn't be ideal, what's the main difference between this lens and the 70-300mm?
 
bildo said:
Thanks for all the responses guys, going to look into it a little more tonight.

Still a bit confused as to why the Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 55-300mm wouldn't be ideal, what's the main difference between this lens and the 70-300mm?
Click to expand...

Mainly AF speed but also low light performance. I have had both and although I prefer the 70-300mm for my shooting (field hockey) they are both great lenses.
 
pete.rush said:
Have a look at the Tamron 70-300mm VC. On your budget it will get you started, OK in certain situation it might be a bit short for certain tracks and if the light starts to drop off, it might struggle with autofocus, but a lot of people on a budget recommend it and at the current price, looks like a bargain.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tamron-70-3...1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1364249193&sr=1-1

http://www.camerapricebuster.com/Ta...nses/Tamron-70-300mm-f4-5.6-SP-Di-VC-USD-Lens

Although WEX has it £10 cheaper.
Click to expand...

+1 its a cracking lens, sharp and with the best VC/VR/IS I've come across.
 
Thanks for all the responses guys, managed to secure this as my birthday present now. Sadly that means waiting until May for it! :(
 
Another vote for the Nikkor 70-300mm VR, cracking lens for the money.

Riz :)
 
 
Cheers guys, some great help there.

Currys/PC World seem to have some good deals pop up on eBay. I saw a Nikon 70-300mm come up yesterday, it had a missing manual but was new otherwise for £240!

They have one up now with a missing lens cap, one unsealed and various other things, still £240. Looking quite tempting.
 
bildo said:
Cheers guys, some great help there.

Currys/PC World seem to have some good deals pop up on eBay. I saw a Nikon 70-300mm come up yesterday, it had a missing manual but was new otherwise for £240!

They have one up now with a missing lens cap, one unsealed and various other things, still £240. Looking quite tempting.
Click to expand...

check warranty with those items
The Tamron comes with a 5 yr warranty
 
5 year is very good, just how essential is a warranty when buying something like this realistically?

I see so many people mentioning they've bought used lenses, so surely there's no warranty there at all? Seems amazing when some lenses sell for very little under the RRP.
 
bildo said:
5 year is very good, just how essential is a warranty when buying something like this realistically?

I see so many people mentioning they've bought used lenses, so surely there's no warranty there at all? Seems amazing when some lenses sell for very little under the RRP.
Click to expand...

Agreed but that's why I usually pay more for the peace of mind.
 
I am very fond of my Tamron 70-300. Mine is non-VR, but l scored it for $80 Australian (about 50 pounds, I think). I've not compared it with the Nikon version, but most opinions seem to put it close in quality.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top