# My first year of shooting Motorsports (Pic heavy!)



## bildo

As some of you may record, earlier this year I picked up a DSLR for the first time. Needless to say, 'caught the bug' would be a massive understatement and getting to various events ended up dominating my year.

I know some people were enjoying my interest and asked for me to keep them updated, so I decided on a 'megathread'. If this is against any rules then please let me know!

Thought I'd put up my progress and show you where I started right up until my most recent event in pictures. Completely understand it's not everyone's cup of tea and most likely too picture heavy!

Any feedback is appreciated, crit is also well received and will only help to improve in future (providing it's productive! )

You can follow my progress on my Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/EyedeaMedia/

Anyway, if you don't like dirty cars, look away now! :doublesho

Here's where it started, BDC Round 1 - Lydden Hill 13th/14th April, first time out with my new 'zoom lens' which I had very little idea of how to get the most out of. Still came away a happy chap though!


Wallpaper by Eyedea Media, on Flickr

The bug was caught, so it was on to Truck Racing and Formula Ford:


035 by Eyedea Media, on Flickr


DSC_0268 by Eyedea Media, on Flickr

70-200 f2.8 lens was purchased, and it was all downhill from here! I was on a quest to get to every event I could. I knew British Super Bikes would be a good test, so headed to Brands:


BSB Brands Hatch by Eyedea Media, on Flickr


British Supersport Championship - Brands Hatch by Eyedea Media, on Flickr


British Superbikes 2013 (BSB) - Brands Hatch by Eyedea Media, on Flickr

On the same day I got offered my first media pass for that evening at a local track, which was an oval one which proved to be fantastic panning practice:


King of the Ring - Arena Essex by Eyedea Media, on Flickr

Back to Brands the next week for more practice and Formula 4 (and Support):


Formula 4 & Support - Brands Hatch by Eyedea Media, on Flickr


Formula 4 & Support - Brands Hatch by Eyedea Media, on Flickr


Formula 4 & Support - Brands Hatch by Eyedea Media, on Flickr

Then BDC returned, this time it was Round 4:


British Drift Championship - Round 4 by Eyedea Media, on Flickr


British Drift Championship - Round 4 by Eyedea Media, on Flickr


British Drift Championship - Round 4 by Eyedea Media, on Flickr


British Drift Championship - Round 4 by Eyedea Media, on Flickr

Then it was back to Lydden for a drift practice day:


Drift Practice Day - Lydden Hill by Eyedea Media, on Flickr


Lydden Hill Drift Day 17-08-13 by Eyedea Media, on Flickr


Lydden Hill Drift Day 17-08-13 by Eyedea Media, on Flickr

Back at Lydden for Mayhem (Rallycross/Drift event)


British Rallycross - Mayhem - Lydden Hill by Eyedea Media, on Flickr


Dan Firmager - V8 Volvo - Lydden Hill by Eyedea Media, on Flickr


Drifting - Mayhem - Lydden Hill by Eyedea Media, on Flickr


Rallycross - Mayhem - Lydden Hill by Eyedea Media, on Flickr

Having secured a media pass for Lydden I went to as many drift days as I could there:


Lydden Hill Drift Day 14-09-13 by Eyedea Media, on Flickr


Lydden Hill Drift Day 14-09-13 by Eyedea Media, on Flickr

Santa Pod for National Finals:


Time warped shooter - National Finals - Santa Pod by Eyedea Media, on Flickr


Playing catch-up by Eyedea Media, on Flickr


National Finals - Santa Pod by Eyedea Media, on Flickr

More drift days at Lydden:


Lydden Hill - Drift Weekender by Eyedea Media, on Flickr


Lydden Hill - Drift Weekender by Eyedea Media, on Flickr


Lydden Hill - Drift Weekender by Eyedea Media, on Flickr


Lydden Hill - Drift Weekender by Eyedea Media, on Flickr


Lydden Hill - Drift Weekender by Eyedea Media, on Flickr


Lydden Hill - Drift Weekender by Eyedea Media, on Flickr


Lydden Hill - Drift Weekender by Eyedea Media, on Flickr

Which brings me to my most recent event, Drift Matsuri at Angelsey Circuit:


Drift Matsuri Sunset by Eyedea Media, on Flickr


Drift Matsuri by Eyedea Media, on Flickr


Drift Matsuri by Eyedea Media, on Flickr


Drift Matsuri by Eyedea Media, on Flickr


2013 Lamborghini LP550-2 (1 of 50!) by Eyedea Media, on Flickr


Drift Matsuri by Eyedea Media, on Flickr


Drift Matsuri - Night Fight by Eyedea Media, on Flickr


Drift Matsuri - Night Fight by Eyedea Media, on Flickr


Drift Matsuri - Night Fight by Eyedea Media, on Flickr

Thank you for looking!


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## GrantB5

Quality pictures!

My mate Jamie goes to a lot of the drifting events and he's always at lydden hill


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## Derekh929

Loving these , the guy in the e36 his face is brilliant and the e30 touring loving that :thumb:


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## S63

For someone only starting out I'd say you're doing an excellent job. My criticism is a generalization and not really aimed at you personally as many fall foul of it. The cliche panning shots of a race car or the classic shots of a car roaring up the hill out of Paddock get very samey, everybody seems to do it, difficult to execute to perfection technically and something you need to prove to yourself and peers.
However, start scrolling through your photos and I find myself taking more time looking at individual frames particualry the drag bike pic, had you reversed the idea (focussing on the foreground bike instead of the bike further away) that would have been a gem of a pic. I also like the pic of the guy under the bonnet of the truck.

Look forward to more of your work.:thumb:


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## bildo

Thanks for taking the time to look and post guys, it's much appreciated.



Grante36 said:


> Quality pictures!
> 
> My mate Jamie goes to a lot of the drifting events and he's always at lydden hill


Thank you for your nice comments! I assume it's Jamie Rolls then? 



Derekh929 said:


> Loving these , the guy in the e36 his face is brilliant and the e30 touring loving that :thumb:


Thanks for taking the time to look Derek! Did love the E36 shot, a bit of a classic moment, certainly got a few laughs from him and his mates! :lol:



S63 said:


> For someone only starting out I'd say you're doing an excellent job. My criticism is a generalization and not really aimed at you personally as many fall foul of it. The cliche panning shots of a race car or the classic shots of a car roaring up the hill out of Paddock get very samey, everybody seems to do it, difficult to execute to perfection technically and something you need to prove to yourself and peers.
> However, start scrolling through your photos and I find myself taking more time looking at individual frames particualry the drag bike pic, had you reversed the idea (focussing on the foreground bike instead of the bike further away) that would have been a gem of a pic. I also like the pic of the guy under the bonnet of the truck.
> 
> Look forward to more of your work.:thumb:


Thank you for your time, I really appreciate the feedback, both the good and the bad!

As for the shots you're referring to, I've only had two car events at Brands since starting out, in all honesty I went for the 'samey' shots intentionally, at that point it was more of a way of proving to myself I could try and get the same shots 'they' do, and then work on it from there.

I found it easiest to pick up the basics based on what I'd seen from other people, I left this in order intentionally as I hope you can see my own personal style creeping through as it gets towards the end.

Based on what you said about taking more time to look as you went on, I hope I succeeded there. Where at first it was all about 'that' shot I got in focus that I was happy with, over time it's becoming more 'those shots' where I can pick and choose which ones have an excitement/interest element to go with it.

On the shot with the two bikes, I spent ages trying to do this, and each time it'd go horribly wrong. One bike would be way ahead of the other, this, that, everything, there was a million different scenarios and this was the only one I felt truly happy with. Whilst it's not perfect, admittedly, it was my only time shooting drag racing this year and my first time at Pod so there was a lot to take on at once.

Glad you liked the pic of the guy working on the truck. Pit shots/static shots are something I really want to work towards for next season. Now that I feel a lot more confident in my action shots it's time to grow some balls and head to the pits! 

Thanks again, really helpful feedback guys!


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## s29nta

Great pics mate:thumb:


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## Andrew Goacher

Great pictures , like no.4 (Buildbase) as thats who i work for and the riders are often in store buying bits and bobs! Good Capture :thumb:


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## Maggi200

bildo said:


> Lydden Hill Drift Day 17-08-13 by Eyedea Media


My absolute favourite pic!


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## Andrew Goacher

maggi133 said:


> My absolute favourite pic!


Drivers face is a picture alone :lol:


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## jason status

Amazing pics! I've had a dslr for 4 years and my pics are nowhere near as good. Nice work!


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## LSpec

amazing pictures :thumb:


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## bildo

Blown away by the feedback, thanks guys!



maggi133 said:


> My absolute favourite pic!


I think quite a few would agree with you there, never fails to put a smile on my face! 



jason status said:


> Amazing pics! I've had a dslr for 4 years and my pics are nowhere near as good. Nice work!


Get yourself out there dude, if I can do it, anyone can!  Thanks for the kind words!



LSpec said:


> amazing pictures :thumb:


Thanks buddy! :thumb:


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## nbray67

Amazingly crisp pic's but this is my favourite, what car is this bildo? Ignore that, just seen the Citreon badge.


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## bildo

nbray67 said:


> Amazingly crisp pic's but this is my favourite, what car is this bildo?


Liam Doran's Citroen DS3, nearly 600bhp if I remember correctly.

Got on the receiving end of a stone he flicked up right after this shot, smacked me right in the chest and I knew about it for a fair few days after! 

Serious beast, the hardest car I've ever shot and the craziest thing to be that close to!


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## nbray67

bildo said:


> Liam Doran's Citroen DS3, nearly 600bhp if I remember correctly.
> 
> Got on the receiving end of a stone he flicked up right after this shot, smacked me right in the chest and I knew about it for a fair few days after!
> 
> Serious beast, the hardest car I've ever shot and the craziest thing to be that close to!


It's the whole pic, the stance of the car coupled with the dirt and gravel being thrown up makes it a great shot. Hats off to you bud.


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## cossierick

jason status said:


> Amazing pics! I've had a dslr for 4 years and my pics are nowhere near as good. Nice work!


Ha ha, had my dslr around the same time aswell.

Wish my pics were this good.

Some cracking shots mate, very jealous .lol

So give some of us armatures some of your secrets !! What camerea lens are you using , what sort of editing are you doing/

rick

Supose the main reason mine arnt that good im just not putting in the time with the camera


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## bildo

nbray67 said:


> It's the whole pic, the stance of the car coupled with the dirt and gravel being thrown up makes it a great shot. Hats off to you bud.


Glad you've taken the time to give it a proper look instead of just scrolling past, that's what I love, when people genuinely appreciate everything in the shot. Thank you for your feedback 



cossierick said:


> Ha ha, had my dslr around the same time aswell.
> 
> Wish my pics were this good.
> 
> Some cracking shots mate, very jealous .lol
> 
> So give some of us armatures some of your secrets !! What camerea lens are you using , what sort of editing are you doing/
> 
> rick
> 
> Supose the main reason mine arnt that good im just not putting in the time with the camera


Thanks a lot bud.

Start with learning the basics of photography properly, learn the exposure triangle, practice on anything and everything you can find to begin with (at least that's what I did.) I've found that it amazed me how I thought learning some things would be useless that have become incredibly handy later on.

I read about 4-5 books when I first wanted to learn, wrote my own notes and took them with me in case I ever got stuck to save scrolling through books.

I started off with a Nikon D5100 with a 18-55 kit lens and purchased a 70-300. After a few events I decided to upgrade, I got myself a D7100 and a Nikon 70-200 f2.8. After that I also purchased a D7000 to use as a second camera with a Nikon 17-55 f2.8 to use as a shorter lens.

Editing varies massively, sometimes I can edit quite a bit, other times they're pretty much straight out of camera. I try to use as little clarity/sharpness as possible as it just makes it too vivid and fake.

If you've got any specific questions, feel free to send me a message and I'll help where I can


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## cossierick

Thank you very much , appreciate it. 

I love motor racing so when I'm at the track if I don't get the pics I'm wanting I get fed up and just watch the racing , I feel I miss it when I'm taking the pics as I'm consentrating on trying to take the pic. 

I think I just need more time with the camera , I also blame the camera lol , I've got a canon 450d with the obvious 18 55 kit lense and a canon 70 300 and sigma 10 20 wide angle.


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## GrantB5

Yeah jamie rolls thats the one lol


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## bildo

cossierick said:


> Thank you very much , appreciate it.
> 
> I love motor racing so when I'm at the track if I don't get the pics I'm wanting I get fed up and just watch the racing , I feel I miss it when I'm taking the pics as I'm consentrating on trying to take the pic.
> 
> I think I just need more time with the camera , I also blame the camera lol , I've got a canon 450d with the obvious 18 55 kit lense and a canon 70 300 and sigma 10 20 wide angle.


Anytime dude, the offer stands if there's anything I can help with, I'm more than happy to share my methods/techniques, it's just not something I have the time to write out in-depth at the moment I'm afraid.

All I can say is practice and practice some more. Photography is mainly trial and error, and you'll have some irritating as hell moments on your journey.

One thing I will say, I was told this when I started, and it's something I feel I can now verify. You either go to an event as a photographer or a spectator. Any event I go to I have the camera to my eye for literally 80% or more of the time just waiting for 'that' moment. If you haven't got your camera there in anticipation, you'll probably miss something. Unless you can get used to watching an event through a viewfinder then just take a few snaps until you get one you're happy with and keep one or two as a memento from the event.

I assume you're using the correct focusing methods? I don't shoot Canon so I'm not entirely sure but look up the motorsport photography basics to double check. If you're not using a tracking method you'll have your work cut out!

If the Canon 70-300 is anything like the Nikon one, it should be a decent lens.

Keep at it mate, or just get to the events and enjoy your passion!


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## Benn

Some fantastic photos you have there, the depth of field in some is amazing.
I do alot of motorsport, but don't get as good feel as some of yours.

I really need to play more with lowing the Fstop...


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## bildo

Benn said:


> Some fantastic photos you have there, the depth of field in some is amazing.
> I do alot of motorsport, but don't get as good feel as some of yours.
> 
> I really need to play more with lowing the Fstop...


Thanks buddy.

It's good to get all creative, experimenting with both shutter speeds and apertures makes for really exciting and different photography. I wish I could get a shallower DOF out of my lens but it's really hard to make the most of it when most of the UK tracks are so small.


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## Brazo

Derekh929 said:


> Loving these , the guy in the e36 his face is brilliant and the e30 touring loving that :thumb:


Yup some great facial expressions caught:thumb:


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## Benn

bildo said:


> Thanks buddy.
> 
> It's good to get all creative, experimenting with both shutter speeds and apertures makes for really exciting and different photography. I wish I could get a shallower DOF out of my lens but it's really hard to make the most of it when most of the UK tracks are so small.


Very true, i've done a lot of shooting at Castle Combe in Wiltshire, great track but small.
And i must sit and play more to get better results...


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## minnnt

Wow!!


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## DBH

Excellent panning technique with very slow shutter speeds, awesome job. Keep up the good work.


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## craigblues

bildo said:


> As some of you may record, earlier this year I picked up a DSLR for the first time. Needless to say, 'caught the bug' would be a massive understatement and getting to various events ended up dominating my year.
> 
> Thank you for looking!


Nice Pics! You certainly have put in sound mileage to events... What gear you using?


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## bildo

Sorry chaps, haven't had an opportunity to check the thread lately. Thanks for keeping it going and for all the great feedback.

Pretty gutted now that the motorsport season is over, good opportunity to sort through all my shots and clear up some hard drive space though! :lol:

Put a big smile on my face checking the thread again just to see the feedback, it's hugely appreciated! 



DBH said:


> Excellent panning technique with very slow shutter speeds, awesome job. Keep up the good work.


Thanks a lot, I try to vary the speeds as much as I can, learnt that you can rarely go below 1/30th for drifting due to the fact that the car is moving at all sorts of insane angles. I've nailed some really low pans but although they would've been spot on I only have a perfectly sharp headlight! :lol:



craigblues said:


> Nice Pics! You certainly have put in sound mileage to events... What gear you using?


Lydden is my 'local' track, and luckily they've really caught on with the drifting bug and it's actually ended up being one of the best places in the UK for it this year. I say local but it's still about a 1 1/2 hour drive, definitely a lot nearer than Anglesey was though!  Hoping to get about a lot more next year, fingers crossed!

Current bodies:
Nikon D7100 and D7000

Previous body (used in some of the shots):
D5100

Lenses used throughout the year (I'm quick to decide what I do/don't like! )
Nikon 70-300 (Gone)
Nikon 70-200 f2.8 VRII (my current zoom lens)
Nikon TC-20E III (2X TC which works great with the 70-200 2.8)
Nikon 16-85 (Gone)
Nikon 17-55 2.8 (Gone)
Nikon 35mm 1.8
Sigma 18-35 1.8 (This one is new, used it at my last event but didn't get as much use as I hoped but it seems great so far.)


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## LeadFarmer

Cracking photos bildo :thumb:

Can I ask how the 70-200 compares to the 70-300 that you ditched, is there much noticeable difference in the zoom reach?

Also, which software are you using for your watermarks? They do look good

Steve.


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## bildo

LeadFarmer said:


> Cracking photos bildo :thumb:
> 
> Can I ask how the 70-200 compares to the 70-300 that you ditched, is there much noticeable difference in the zoom reach?
> 
> Also, which software are you using for your watermarks? They do look good
> 
> Steve.


Cheers buddy!  Hope you've been practicing this year too! 

The 70-200 is an absolutely amazing piece of glass. Don't get me wrong, the 70-300 was great to learn with, I'd recommend it time and time again to anyone starting out. For the money I genuinely believe it's the best zoom lens available.

When you bare in mind that the 70-200 is over 4x the price of the 70-300 it shows you what fantastic value for money it is. (I actually got a great deal on my 70-300 initially too which made it a REAL bargain!)

On the other hand, it has to be said that the 70-200 is on a whole other level. The clarity is just crazy, whilst it's easy to think if you buy an expensive lens then you'll get keepers all the time that really isn't the case. Once you use the 70-200 the photos are so much sharper that if you're panning then it's a LOT more noticeable if you've done a bad job due to the sharpness of it. However on the flipside, if you do a good job of it then it's hugely rewarding.

As for your question about the loss of the 100mm on the long end... When I was researching the 70-300 before purchase, the only criticism people had was that it got fairly soft after 200mm. For this reason, and due to the fact I knew I'd eventually want to go for a 70-200 f2.8 or f4 in the near future I avoided going past 200mm as much as I could.

As much as I try to get the composition correct when taking the shot, it's very handy to have the D7100 for cropping. It's got a 24MP sensor which produces huge shots which are very friendly when it comes to cropping if necessary. I could easily crop it to 300mm equivalent with next to no loss if the shot is sharp enough.

Another positive of the 70-200 is that it's very TC friendly (the 70-300 can't be used with a TC.) If I know I'm going to be shooting far away for a lot of the day I just put that on which gives me 140-400mm. Only downside to this is that it's only really sharp in around the f7.1-f11 range which is a bit of a pain if you haven't got a huge amount of light available.

As for the watermark, it was initially designed in illustrator and I made a really large version. When I want to apply it to my shots I use the built-in watermark feature which Adobe Lightroom has, since I use this for cataloging all my files anyway it's extremely easy to just tick the box and have all my files watermarked on export. 

Hope that helps!


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## LeadFarmer

A great explanation, thanks 

The sensor on the D7100 is about twice the size of my D5000, Maybe I need to upgrade.... The spending never ends does it!!


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## bildo

LeadFarmer said:


> A great explanation, thanks
> 
> The sensor on the D7100 is about twice the size of my D5000, Maybe I need to upgrade.... The spending never ends does it!!


In all honesty, if I were you I'd get yourself some decent glass (if you don't have already) before the body. I'd only really feel the need to upgrade if you need better autofocus or if you were constantly shooting in high ISO situations.

People say that the glass is more important than the body, and they're right. Until it came to fast moving situations where the AF was superior, my D5100 was more than adequate.

Definitely agree on the spending side of things though, dread to think how much I've spent in just a few months!


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## LeadFarmer

Id love the Nikon 70-200 but at around £1200 it's out of my pocket  (for now at least! )


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## bildo

LeadFarmer said:


> Id love the Nikon 70-200 but at around £1200 it's out of my pocket  (for now at least! )


Get saving, it's worth it!


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## bildo

Thought I'd post up a few from my final event of the season:

Lydden Hill Drift Day - 30/11/13 by Eyedea Media, on Flickr


Lydden Hill Drift Day - 30/11/13 by Eyedea Media, on Flickr


Lydden Hill Drift Day - 30/11/13 by Eyedea Media, on Flickr


Lydden Hill Drift Day - 30/11/13 by Eyedea Media, on Flickr


Lydden Hill Drift Day - 30/11/13 by Eyedea Media, on Flickr


Ford Escort - Lydden Hill Practice Day by Eyedea Media, on Flickr


Lydden Hill Practice Day 30-11-13 by Eyedea Media, on Flickr


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## LeadFarmer

Very nice photos:thumb:

You may have explained this already, but to achieve such clarity on the vehicles, what focal/AF-Area mode do you use, single/dynamic/auto..? Im guessing its single point whilst tracking the cars?

Also, how do you find the weight of the 70-200 as a walk around lens, is it a bit of a heavy lump to carry in the hand, or manageable?


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## bildo

LeadFarmer said:


> Very nice photos:thumb:
> 
> You may have explained this already, but to achieve such clarity on the vehicles, what focal/AF-Area mode do you use, single/dynamic/auto..? Im guessing its single point whilst tracking the cars?
> 
> Also, how do you find the weight of the 70-200 as a walk around lens, is it a bit of a heavy lump to carry in the hand, or manageable?


Thanks buddy.

I use single point focus and AF-C and then I'll follow at the same time as the car. Nice and easy when you're working at 1/100 or so but the slower you get the harder it gets. The results get all the more rewarding though! 

70-200 is pretty heavy, I've only ever used it as a walkaround lens once when I went to the zoo and was definitely aware I had done so by the end of the day put it that way! That was using an Op/tech strap which is made of neoprene which absorbs a fair amount of the weight.

According to amazon the weight is 1.5kg, but the boxed weight is 2.7? Not entirely sure how that works... But yeah, it's a fair old lump!


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## GrantB5

I have a mare walking round all day with my pancake lens haha, can't imagine a 70-200.

Lovely final shots!

Jamie wants me to pop down and try get a bit of video footage next season might have a look in to it


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## LeadFarmer

I use my Tamron 70-300 as my walkabout lens as I like to take shots of my boy from a distance so he doesn't know I'm taking them. The Tamron is very light and a doodle to carry, so much so that I don't use a neck strap at all, I just carry the camera by hand. But I'm aching to get the much better Nikon 70-200, but I know the weight might become an issue.


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## DLGWRX02

maggi133 said:


> My absolute favourite pic!


have to agree, its the drivers expression had me pmsl..

Ive had my dslr for around 4 years now it is only an entry level one sony a330, and would love to be able to get shots like that, (still cant figure most of it out though..lol) I bet it hasn't taken more than 500 photos since I bought it..lol


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## LeadFarmer

DLGWRX02 said:


> have to agree, its the drivers expression had me pmsl..
> 
> Ive had my dslr for around 4 years now it is only an entry level one sony a330, and would love to be able to get shots like that, (still cant figure most of it out though..lol) I bet it hasn't taken more than 500 photos since I bought it..lol


Its completely daunting at first isn't it But if you can get your head around how 'Aperture, depth of field & shutter speed' work then you can start taking really nice photos. Have a look at this guide which explains the basics in a simple way, particularly the section starting with '*Depth of field*'...

http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/th...t-were-afraid-to-ask-101.440126/#post-6005634


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