Jasesapphy

iTrader: (1)

Couple i took at the weekend when me and the boy went to the zoo, taken on a D70 at quite a distance using a 28-300 Tamron cheap and cheerful lens

danja

2nd one look well smart Jase

how much was the Tamron?

Daveesaunders

I haven't had time to use my kit yet need to get a move on and work out how ot use it before I go to the touring cars at Thruxton on 6th May

Jasesapphy

iTrader: (1)

Picked up with the second hand camera, think there about Ł160 if you shop around, i got a D70, Nikon SB600 Flash, 2 gig card, a kit lens and the Tamron lens, inc bag and 2 spare batteries for Ł500 and its been great bloke had just upgraded to a D2x with all new lenses and spent Ł5k that morning, he did a buy it now on ebay to get rid of his old stuff, he was loaded, when i collected he showed me his new kit, it was fantastic, the best lens was a Nikon 2.8 70-200 that cost him Ł1500

Jasesapphy

iTrader: (1)

Simlar Pic

danja

I can beleive it, wait till you see the price of Canon 400mm f2.8 (not that you will require Canon being a Nikon owner lol)

I want the SB600 at the right price, it's a case of finding it though...can't fault you for getting that kit for that price, the guy seems the perfect kind of person to buy from too, will have been well looked after I bet.

D2X...I WANT I WANT I WANT lol

Jasesapphy

iTrader: (1)

still had all the boxes, purchase receipt from Grays of London, insurance, everything was in cases, still had all the plastic clips for batteries and plastic case for card, bloke was anal.

He reckoned it cost him about 1200 when he bought it, when he gave me the file the actual price was Ł1800 for everything, still have bill of sale

And it was 13 months old

danja

lol classic

Grays on London is uspposed to be dogs for Nikon

The D70 is a damn good camera, the D50 was based on the D70, and in fact has ever so slightly better image quality than the D70, but the D70 has features that are more usefull to those in the know than the D50, the D50 was aimed at entry level and didn't bother with certain features as they will have been a waste of time to folk who aren't THAT fussed...I got the D50 coz it was cheap lol but want my D200 and battery grip soon...

...oh yes

Jasesapphy

iTrader: (1)

i just need a f2.8 70-200, as there a nice nippy lens

danja

Yep, can't beat that bit of kit eh

You got a 50mm for a bit of fun yet? They're wicked for portrait or headshots...mines the Nikkor f1.8 50mm, wicked for Ł80

steviep

I'm a little confused with respect to lenses.

I'm used to cheapish compact cameras where the zoom is quoted as 3X, 4X etc as opposed to 70-200mm.

How do they compare, ie. what kind of magnification would a 70mm lens give as a comparison to say a standard 3X zoom lens?

Stu @ M Developments

iTrader: (12)

loving this topic now, best one on PF.

Im going to play with some raw files i took over at the ring now. Anyone any more sugestions on Raw software as that last suggestion downloads and installs ok, but seems to crash when i load an im,age into it. Sadly, there is no longer any support on their website as Adobe has bought it all from them now.

On that topic, any nice adobe plugins worth mentioning?

RSwagoneer

Well,

If you think the 1500 quid price tag of the 70-200f2.8 VR is a bit too much to explain to yer wallet. Then look at the Sigma 70-200 f2.8. From what i've heard it's great price/value. If you're hooked on Nikon lenses, then try to find a secondhand AFS-80-200 f2.8 lens. Some people say it's equal to the 70-200 VR.
I'm just a 70-200 VR this year, love this lens. But it's not a lightweight.

Grtz

Bryan

Stu @ M Developments

iTrader: (12)

Heres a few of teh panning shots that turned out about ok. Please remember this was my very first attempt at panning and i lost around 2000 pictures as they were all garbage.

















I am reasonably sure where i was going wrong now and just need to learn to pan more smoothly. The problem i found is that images looked ok on teh screen so i continued to use the speed setting, but when i got back and put them on teh laptop, they were all blurred.

Equip used:
Canon 30D
Canon 70 - 300 F4-5.6 IS USM

danja

Good attempt Stu mate, panning is a very difficult area to pick up and hope to do well from scratch, takes alot of practice

One key thing I learnt from some guys is to make sure you 'follow through' (crude as it may sound lol), some ppl often release the shutter as soon as it clicks and then pull away from the car, the key thing it to keep moving with him until the shutter has fully opened and closed

Also, what settings were you using? I tend to go for 'S' on the dial, which is shutter priroity, and panning usually go for around 1/250s, and put your focus onto AF-C, which on the Nikon is Auto-Focus Conitnuous, this means wherever the focus is and wherever I move the camera, it will always re-adjust itself so that the moving subject is always in focus

My latest pan results came out like this:


summary details
Make NIKON CORPORATION Model NIKON D50
Aperture Value f/10 Colour Space sRGB
Exposure Bias Value 0 EV Exposure Programme Shutter Priority
Flash No Flash Focal Length 82 mm
ISO 200 Metering Mode Multi-Segment
Shutter Speed Value 1/159 sec Date/Time Sun 11 Mar 2007 15:39:38 CDT


summary details
Make NIKON CORPORATION Model NIKON D50
Aperture Value f/13 Colour Space sRGB
Exposure Bias Value 0 EV Exposure Programme Shutter Priority
Flash No Flash Focal Length 95 mm
ISO 400 Metering Mode Multi-Segment
Shutter Speed Value 1/159 sec Date/Time Sun 11 Mar 2007 15:42:25 CDT


summary details
Make NIKON CORPORATION Model NIKON D50
Aperture Value f/10 Colour Space sRGB
Exposure Bias Value 0 EV Exposure Programme Shutter Priority
Flash No Flash Focal Length 95 mm
ISO 200 Metering Mode Multi-Segment
Shutter Speed Value 1/159 sec Date/Time Sun 11 Mar 2007 15:38:04 CDT

Hope that helps

Stu @ M Developments

iTrader: (12)

Exif data for this shot:



File size: 79778 bytes
File date: 2007:04:13 15:56:21
Camera make: Canon
Camera model: Canon EOS 30D
Date/Time: 2007:04:06 16:13:18
Resolution: 1024 x 683
Flash used: No
Focal length: 70.0mm (35mm equivalent: 384mm)
CCD width: 6.57mm
Exposure time: 0.0080 s (1/125)
Aperture: f/7.1
ISO equiv.: 100
Whitebalance: Auto
Metering Mode: spot
Exposure: Manual
Exposure Mode: Auto bracketing

I have been following through on every shot. One of teh problems i found at teh ring was it was extremely hard to find a place where you could take a clear shot of a car as it went past parallel to you. In fact, i never found one. The above shots were taken here:



And they then came around a quite steep uphill corner where i was stood. I "Think" this made it harder.
I use AI Servo mode for teh panning, which does the same as the Nikon, it adjusts the focus as teh subject moves.

frog

Indeed on both counts

I'd say move with the car before you press the shutter, and follow through until the camera has taken the picture. A bit like a golf swing, it's all in the preparation and follow through

I usually set focus manually on the area I want to follow the car through, at the distance you are at, and, using a long lens, depth of field is more than sufficient to keep the car in focus, even if you're not 100% sharp on it.

A monopod can help too if you're not steady with your panning

Here's a couple I took at Coombe in 2005, unfortunately, I was using film then, and the scanner never made a very good job of digitizing them

frog

Stu, the other thing I found with panning is that it helps if you are level with the subject, yours appear to be taken from high and the angle isn't flattering to the picture overall imo, but as in most cases with motorsport, you have to work within the limits of access and safety.

Stu @ M Developments

iTrader: (12)

Yes, we were a minimum of 15 feet above teh cars i would say. I am glad you also think this would make it a little harder. I look forward to trying a more conventional track very soon.

This time i will start off with a camera whos settings i havent ballsed up.

Charlie Chalk

iTrader: (1)

Me too Stu!!! Been reading it from the start.. Just not posting much

Here are a few of my favourite pictures from the Rally Cross, taken on my poncey Casio EX-Z70

Muska

I agree, this is definately my fav topic on this forum!

Nice pics stu, i am yet to try a panning shot or any type.

You mentioned the RAW editing software, it has worked fine for me, no chance you can sort it as its an excellent program, here are a couple of pics i've edited from it earlier...

Stu @ M Developments

iTrader: (12)

It all loads and runs, but comes up like this colour wise...



And teh screen is split into 4 too...

Jasesapphy

iTrader: (1)

Panning not easy, i got these last year at donny

Phil

iTrader: (1)

I thought panning was the easiest bit of photography

Jasesapphy

iTrader: (1)

should i say not easy to get perfect, these photos are okish, but has got better with practice

Stu @ M Developments

iTrader: (12)

What 2 techniques do you find the hardest then?

danja

This an excellent topic, I must agree

Agree with you on the panning bit Frog, I guess we do things without knowing actually, and when you said focus on the car follow then shoot and follow thru, that is very true and I do that, just explained myself previously a bit ballsed up lol

A monopod is very usefull, but I do think it depends on the lens your using...my 70-300mm for example doesn't really require one, it's quite light enough to handhold and get a ncie smoothe movement for the pan, a heavier lens then for sure a monopod would be very usefull. I use a monopod on the 400mm & 600mm Canon beasts, but that's coz they're fuckin 5.3kg without the EOS 1D MKII body lol



Stu: I dont quite know what the hells going on with your RAWShooter there mate, looks very wrong I've never seen mine split into 4 screen before and the colours look far from how they should be.

RSwagoneer

Well,

Here are some samples of the 70-200 @ the Ring and at Zolder





And at Zolder, a try at taking panning shots. I'm getting there, but not nearly as good as some other pics I have seen

Lambchop

iTrader: (1)

here's a couple of shots i took in Germany.

Both are me trying to be "artistic"

the original

foreigneRS posting here:

next time you're at that corner at the 'ring stu,go to through the tunnel under the track to the other side where you can get right on the armco at track level

Fast Guy

I've just downloaded rawshooter, but it doesn't recognise any raw files (cr2) from my EOS 400D. Any ideas? (couldn't see anything in the manual)

cbp

Many nice pictures here.. but please play with the contrast settings and colour saturation and the won't look as dull as some pic does..

cheeRS Christian

Stu @ M Developments

iTrader: (12)

Great topic. I went to teh Zoo yesterday and took a few pics. Will post them if anyones interested.

That raw essentials does the same on my work PC so it must be something to do with an incompatability with the raw output from the 30D.

frog

Stu found this for you, not good news I am afraid: http://www.digi-darkroom.com/showthread.php?t=21234

Not been able to find an update by googling it

PS: While nowhere near as good as a dedicated RAW workflow tool, Picasa from Google allows you to get most of the benefits out of RAW images, it is what I use day to day, unless I need to do some specific work (for which I have bough BibbleLite).

I have also played with Adobe Lightroom which was very good in beta (although it did crash from time to time).

All of these (including rawshooter premium) have to be paid for though
Picasa on the other hand is totally free

Phil

iTrader: (1)

Personally I find taking good photos of people harder (maybe I am too shy to go up to strangers and take interesting photos)

And on a car related note I find it much mroe difficult taking good/interesting static photos than moving ones as you have to find a decent location that matches the car/colour with perfect lighting and a background that isn't overpowering.

Panning shots you just walk round the track until the light is in the right place, stick the camera in shutter priority/full manual mode, set the shutter speed, aperture and ISO up accordingly and snap away while zooming in/out as required. With about 30 mins practice and some instruction on camera settings, i'm sure 99% of people could take very good car panning shots.

You don't have to think about backgrounds, lighting and composition half as much!

Phil

iTrader: (1)

I have found after experimentation that Canon's JPEG compression was so good there was hardly any difference between the JPEGs and the RAWs and I was just taking up lots of space and time processing them for hadly any gain! Photoshop allows you to do pretty much everything with a JPEG as you can with a RAW image.

Stu @ M Developments

iTrader: (12)

Thanks for the advice pal.

Stu @ M Developments

iTrader: (12)

Excelent info there from someone whos pictures i always admire, thanks Phil

Stu @ M Developments

iTrader: (12)

Interesting thought that is Phil, i must do some testing myself.

Phil

iTrader: (1)

Thanks Stu,

A lot of what you do depends on your approach. I take pictures of things I like and try and get a good shot, however I am not in search of perfection and as such I take a lazy/relaxed view to photography. I'm not into reading book after book on the subject, and trating it like I am at school studying. I look at photos people post on the net, see elements I like and try to factor some of those elements into my own pictures, whilst learning by experimentation.

So please bear that in mind if I say something like "panning is easy and anyone can do it with a small amount of practice", or "don't bother using RAW files". One of my friends has an Olympus and he shoots in RAW all the time, as he says the built in Olympus JPEG compression is crap and the picture quality is very poor. On my Canon I can hardly tell the difference