lens for Motorsport pictures

kingy

kingy

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As a noob with a D40 with a 18-55mm lens and a passion for motorsport I feel like I need something to get me closer to the track action.
Other than a few lucky breaks in the past, I'm never going to get any closer to a race track than Joe public (other than pit lanes)
Even when I'm leaning off of a pit wall I'm still not close enough or able to zoom in the cars and get the picture I want.

So, can anyone recommend a suitable lens? Something that I could buy new, 2nd hand, buy now or even save the pennies for.

What about a 55-200mm f/4-5.6G AF-S DX ED http://www.warehouseexpress.com/photo/lenstech/nikon/55200.html

or this one a AF 28-200mm f3.8-5.6 XR Di ASP IF Macro
http://www.warehouseexpress.com/photo/lenstech/tamron/28200Di.html

Would really appreciate your thoughts
Thanks:thumbs:
 
ppp said:
The second you list would be of no use as you need to use an AFS lens with the D40.

Dunno your sort of budget but at about £330 a 70-300 VR would be good
70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G AF-S VR IF http://www.warehouseexpress.com/photo/lenstech/nikon/70300vr.html

or the cheaper Sigma 70-300mm F4-5.6 APO Macro DG at about £155
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:agree: with ppp here - I have the Nikon VR & its a beaut but on a tight budget the Sigma (make sure you get the APO version & avoid the non-APO one) is superb - If you don't mind importing from HK onestop-digital.com have just reduced the price of the Sigma to £109 :eek:
Paul ;)
 
What track would be visiting most? and what cars bikes??

Most tracks the 200mm will far to short for bikes, and you will be restricted to curtain corners with cars. Ideally you need atleast 300mm if possible.
 
hello everyone,
i'm quite new to photography especially slr cameras, i take a lot of motocross picts i used to race myself but alas injury forced me to give it up:'( anyway back to my question, can anyone please help me , minding on that i'm a newbie to your world and ,dare i say it ..... i'm on a tight budget regards ..
Sean :shrug:
 
Messiah Khan said:
Is that Sigma a HSM lens? If not, that won't AF either will it?
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It is not so you are right, it will be manual focus only with a D40/D40x.

The only Sigma telephotos that have HSM are the big ones, with the £600 70-200mm f/2.8 being the cheapest!

Michael.
 
russdaz said:
What track would be visiting most? and what cars bikes??

Most tracks the 200mm will far to short for bikes, and you will be restricted to curtain corners with cars. Ideally you need atleast 300mm if possible.
Click to expand...

Honestly - any track i can. i tend to gravitate towards Brands, Combe, Donny and Silverstone. Bike racing stills are not really my bag so would only be for cars.
 
Sorry to hear mxfun.

But it really depends on budget and type of motorsports and what Camera Brand you go Canon or Nikon or... Have you got an SLR yet? If you havent, or have a Canon it be better to start anew threaad as the options will be different.
 
mij said:
It is not so you are right, it will be manual focus only with a D40/D40x.

The only Sigma telephotos that have HSM are the big ones, with the £600 70-200mm f/2.8 being the cheapest!

Michael.
Click to expand...

Would manual focus be such a bad thing? Is Manual focus considered to be the pinnacle of photography or is auto focus OK?
 
mxfun said:
hello everyone,
i'm quite new to photography especially slr cameras, i take a lot of motocross picts i used to race myself but alas injury forced me to give it up:'( anyway back to my question, can anyone please help me , minding on that i'm a newbie to your world and ,dare i say it ..... i'm on a tight budget regards ..
Sean :shrug:
Click to expand...

sorry to hear about the injury, like Russdaz says though start a new thread, different needs for mx and circuits :)

Welcome aboard :)
 
kingy said:
Honestly - any track i can. i tend to gravitate towards Brands, Combe, Donny and Silverstone. Bike racing stills are not really my bag so would only be for cars.
Click to expand...

Cars at Brands with a 200mm will be ok, but not ideally, Silverstone it'll be a tad short, Outlon again should be ok, Snetterton, ideally slightly longer would be very help but ahould be ok, Thruxton limited, never been to Combe or Donny yet so cant comment.
 
kingy said:
Would manual focus be such a bad thing? Is Manual focus considered to be the pinnacle of photography or is auto focus OK?
Click to expand...

its do-able but takes a fair bit of practice, i use AF in servo mode alot.
 
70-200 F2.8 with a 1.4 or 2.0 teleconverter. The Sigma's a really high quality bit of glass and you can pick them up for a reasonable price second hand.
 
kingy said:
Would manual focus be such a bad thing? Is Manual focus considered to be the pinnacle of photography or is auto focus OK?
Click to expand...

Well people used to manage well enough before auto-focus came along!

The best thing to do is practice with your current lens, switch it to manual focus and see how comfortable you are focusing that way.

Michael.
 
kingy said:
sounds good, but what does that mean in english:thinking:
Click to expand...

http://www.sigma-imaging-uk.com/lenses/telezoom/70-200mm.htm

They go for around £450 second hand but worth every penny.

A teleconverter basically magnifies the lens to 1.4x, 1.7x or 2x it's normal focal length at the expense of the amount of light that can enter the lens and a negligible amount of quality, but they can only be used on certain lenses.

http://www.sigma-imaging-uk.com/accessories/tele-converter.htm

You could buy a (much) cheaper zoom lens if you're on a budget but I would advise saving your money and spending the extra in the first place.
 
Just want to take the opportunity to say thanks to everyone who's contributed to this thread. I've got tonnes to learn and a lot to think about :)
 
When I shot motorsport on my 300D I used manual focus all the time. I'd just focus on the area of track where the car/bike would be then hit the shutter when it was there. It gave me some pretty good results :thumbs:
 
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