Silverstone Poll!!!

Big camera or little camera?!

  • Take the 40D & 70-300 IS USM, and be careful!

    Votes: 35 76.1%

  • Take a decent p&s and dont worry about it!

    Votes: 11 23.9%
  • Total voters
    46
topcatproduction

topcatproduction

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Right- I'm off to Silverstone early in the morning for the whole weekend (not todays practise obviously) and not sure whether to bother taking my basic 40D and 70-300 with me or not! I'd like to get a few shots of the cars and podium, but never having been before I'm not sure if I will get close enough to anything to use it well or not!

So do I take the body and single lens and hope for some decent spots for pics, or leave it at home, take my dads pocket size Sony DSC-H20 which is an awesome little camera, and enjoy a few beers with no worries of having my 40D nicked or damaged?!
 
From my experience, a P&S will be of no benifit. Take the 40D and have a few beers, just be vigilant with your gear :thumbs: see you there :)
 
Take the 40d and forget about being careful. You don't buy a camera to take care of it, you buy it to take photos with!
 
Take the P&S and probably don't even bother with that.

So many threads about Silverstone F1... the answer is always the same, you paid a lot of money to waste your time looking through a viewfinder to get photos that won't be what you really want (ie magazine compositions and quality)... just kick back and enjoy the show.
 
Desantnik has it right. Take a P&S, capture some of the atmosphere at the circuit and enjoy a few beers watching the on track action.

There will be so many people there, getting a decent shot from the public areas will be nigh on impossible. You're so far back now at Silverstone now anyway, that 300mm will barely be enough.

Simon.
 
desantnik said:
Take the P&S and probably don't even bother with that.

So many threads about Silverstone F1... the answer is always the same, you paid a lot of money to waste your time looking through a viewfinder to get photos that won't be what you really want (ie magazine compositions and quality)... just kick back and enjoy the show.
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Would have to agree, the best time to get pics of the F1 cars used to be the test days, but the FIA banned them, so we dont even get a decent chance to get close now :( i would say enjoy the atmosphere and dont worry about taking pics so much, my best F1 pics are with a 800mm lens lol :) there isnt a camera on the planet that can capture the feeling in your chest as F1 cars hurtles past at full chat :)
 
i think silverstone is the worst track in the country for spectators i was gutted when they moved moto gp there get drunk and enjoy your self
 
IanC_UK said:
there isnt a camera on the planet that can capture the feeling in your chest as F1 cars hurtles past at full chat :)
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Amen brother :clap: there is also no mircophone \ speaker system capable of making the noise these machines make. So amazing to see :thumbs:
 
jinja chin said:
i think silverstone is the worst track in the country for spectators i was gutted when they moved moto gp there get drunk and enjoy your self
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Silverstone is way over and above what Donington Park could ever offer. I've been a marshal at both and would pick Silverstone over DP any weekend. Everyone at DP needs to wake up and smell the coffee if they want to start attracting the 'big-time' events back again. Even the BSB considered dropping the place at one time!
 
i agree silverstone is better in every way accept watching the racing which is what i go for how they let dp get in that state is a disgrace {ps i dont like coffee :lol:}
 
I've taken my 100-400L to Silverstone twice and never had any problems.

Take your 40D and lens, go and enjoy and stop worrying.

Whilst I wouldn't like my lens to get damaged it did get bounced of a fence there, it had the hood on so no damage. I'd rather it have an odd small ding and have some great pictures than leave it in it's case to slowly mellow into old age like I'm doing :D
 
jinja chin said:
i agree silverstone is better in every way accept watching the racing which is what i go for how they let dp get in that state is a disgrace {ps i dont like coffee :lol:}
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Agreed, some of the views at DP are better, but thats down to the terrain of the circuit, it's just a shame for British motorsport that the facilities have been left to fall so far behind those, the likes of Silverstone and Brands Hatch.

Maybe MSV (owners of several UK circuits including Oulton Park and BH) should think about buying DP and bringing it up to date.
 
Where's the option in the poll for selling your ticket on (at face value) and buying a new house instead? :D
 
you'll regret it if you don't take the big one. you won't be able to get anywhere near close enough with a P&S. I tried the year before last and pretty-much binned at the photos. I went last year with my 70-300VR and got some crackers, but you need the zoom. you'll also find that it helps to penetrate through the fences.
 
Rob Tolley said:
Maybe MSV (owners of several UK circuits including Oulton Park and BH) should think about buying DP and bringing it up to date.
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Well they had their chance recently... but didn't go for it for whatever reason (financial almost certainly). However even the new owners aren't mental enough to try and grab the top series right now.

Besides, F1, MotoGP and (I believe) WSB all have contracts with Silverstone now for a good few years to come...

So get used to Silverstone, its here to stay for at least 5, maybe 10 years...

Quite frankly though, it is the only UK circuit with the facilities that the big SERIES need - decent sized paddock, security, commentary and media and corporate hospitality - the mere mortals who turn up to watch are actually the least important people involved...
 
The lease at Donni was taken up a couple of months ago by a family that own a large construction firm. The are investing x amount of money in it, and are currently getting the circuit back up together for some car racing in September I believe. The Dunlop bridge is also being put back up again.

So hopefully there will be some good times ahead for the place.
 
Blake said:
The Dunlop bridge is also being put back up again.
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Put *up* not *back*. Its not allowed to straddle the track anymore apparently due to clearance restrictions...

Which is probably one of those rules whereby existing things are forgiven but anything you build (or replace) must conform to the latest standards.

So the bridge now will be over the car park entrance or the gift shop or something.... :bonk:
 
Each to their own but I've just got back.... and if I'd taken the P&S I'd have been regretting it.

Very very hot today and may be busier than last years practice day which was very similar weatherwise. Get to the track before 8 if you can. Chill out and have a recce... better than being sat in the traffic.

Enjoy
 
Got some cracking shots then Sarah? Stick em up in the motorsport section so we can see then....
 
Take the 40D and the 70-300. Ive got plenty of good shots at Silverstone;

I always take my trusty 55-250 IS which I find more than useful at Silverstone, its a bit of an old wives tale that you cant get decent shots there! Persevere and you'll get some great shots.
 
taken during one of the last test days at Silverstone :)

Lewis_Hamilton_1.jpg
 
Well I took the camera! Got some pleasing red arrows shots but 300mm wasn't really enough and the bloody chain link fences all the way round make an annoying just noticable blur over the images. We were on a raised platform but still not quite high enough to shoot over the fences!

So- for next year and anyone else- as mentioned by a couple of other people- you really want a good position with no fences to shoot through and a lens at least 3-400mm to get awesome shots. I did manage to fit whole cars in at less than 300mm- but the fence becomes even more apparent so I think longer focal lengths would help.

Thanks for the input!
 
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