Taking Track Day Photos
Discussion
Off on my first day on Monday and taking my camera. Its only a compact so not expecting too much but what settings should I put it on?
I'll really like to "try" and get a couple of pics where the car is in focus and the background is blurred.
I can configure the ISO on the camera what to?
Would I be right in thinking that if I held the camera still and took the picture as the car arrived in the frame I would need a faster ISO (400+ ??) and if I panned the camera I would need a slower speed.
Tried to do it at a speedway session the other week with my Dad's camera and got so mixed results!
Not expecting too much! I just thought it would be fun to try!
I'll really like to "try" and get a couple of pics where the car is in focus and the background is blurred.
I can configure the ISO on the camera what to?
Would I be right in thinking that if I held the camera still and took the picture as the car arrived in the frame I would need a faster ISO (400+ ??) and if I panned the camera I would need a slower speed.
Tried to do it at a speedway session the other week with my Dad's camera and got so mixed results!
Not expecting too much! I just thought it would be fun to try!
If you pan with the car - you will get more chance of the car in focus background blurred. If you can get on a corner with the car coming towards you, you'll stand most cahnce of getting the car in focus.
Unfortunately, you really need an SLR to get good track photos as a long lens and messing with the depth of field will make all the difference.
Have fun.
Unfortunately, you really need an SLR to get good track photos as a long lens and messing with the depth of field will make all the difference.
Have fun.
GetCarter said:
If you pan with the car - you will get more chance of the car in focus background blurred. If you can get on a corner with the car coming towards you, you'll stand most cahnce of getting the car in focus.
Unfortunately, you really need an SLR to get good track photos as a long lens and messing with the depth of field will make all the difference.
Have fun.
Yeah I know! (Thought i'd have a play then maybe treat myself to an SLR when I finish uni and have some spare funds!)
I'll probably take more pics of the cars in the car park!
Whilst an SLR would obviously help - particularly with long lense, compacts do now have lots of toys to play with. My Fuji F610 does AP, SP and exposure compensation, so you can set the camera to, say 1/60th for some panning shots and hope that it is within the apature range. Also set the camera on max resolution, so you can cut the middle out later, and put maximum optical zoom on before you start. You will only really have to play with the ISO if you don't have the apature range to cope with the shutter speed that you selected. No doubt that the camera will tell you if there is a problem with this by flashing LED's at you from every conceivable location. If the light is poor, you may also want to attempt to check the depth of field by zooming in on your lcd at the front and back of the car to see if it is focus - but I wouldn't like to say how successful that this would be 
. Again, you can cheat with the ISO here (higher ISO means higher apature (smaller hole) means bigger depth of field, but at the expense of quality)
I wouldn't write the day off because of equipment - I am constantly amazed at how close my compact comes to the 20D, particularly JPEG straight off the camera when the light is good.
Some of the techy bits above then - the pros will be along at some point with more complete advice. Now the bit I can't do - chose a fab location, and sort the composition - that is what makes fantastic pics. Take loads - you can throw them away later - or even on the day using the LCD.
Have fun
Rich
. Again, you can cheat with the ISO here (higher ISO means higher apature (smaller hole) means bigger depth of field, but at the expense of quality) I wouldn't write the day off because of equipment - I am constantly amazed at how close my compact comes to the 20D, particularly JPEG straight off the camera when the light is good.
Some of the techy bits above then - the pros will be along at some point with more complete advice. Now the bit I can't do - chose a fab location, and sort the composition - that is what makes fantastic pics. Take loads - you can throw them away later - or even on the day using the LCD.
Have fun
Rich
Forget ISO, set shutter speed. Fast if you want to freeze action, slower if you want that panned look.
However the shutter lag will ensure you miss the shot, so I'd point it at the correct part of road, half-depress the shutter release to lock exposure, focus and get the camera ready to fire instantly, then while holding the release in that position, move the camera to track a car and complete the shutter release when it hits the pre-planned spot. It's a bit like pre-focusing but more so.
However the shutter lag will ensure you miss the shot, so I'd point it at the correct part of road, half-depress the shutter release to lock exposure, focus and get the camera ready to fire instantly, then while holding the release in that position, move the camera to track a car and complete the shutter release when it hits the pre-planned spot. It's a bit like pre-focusing but more so.
Whoa all - this is a Pentax S5z iirc - so there are some limits on what is available. However - blurred backgrounds when panning are pretty much guaranteed!
ISO - my S5i NEVER selects ISO400 automatically so if it is not very sunny set it manually. Gets a bit noisy but better than nothing. HOWEVER, the higher the speed, the less blur you get in the background. If you want sharp car and loads of blur - hmm. 1/30th sec seems to be the preference of the experts but then the main image is likely to suffer. There were some excellent samples posted a few months ago.
Framing on the screen can be a challenge - but you don't have a viewfinder so just practice. If you can get a location on the inside of a bend so that the cars are a fairly constant distance away for a while as you pan (panning takes a little practice!) the results can be surprisingly good. This also helps with the shutter delay since if you get the pan right the car will always be in frame though the shot may not take exactly where you intended!
Prefocus - either manually set the focus (but frankly the feature is limited) or pick a spot on the track where you lpan to take the shot (allow for the shutter delay when you actually take) and press the button part way. Hold it like that and then point the camera at the subject and follow it to the point (just before to allow for the shutter lag) at which you focused before completing the shot.
The S5i (as you no doubt recall) has a SPORT mode - not sure about the z. Also a Pan Focus mode - but I have yet to work out what that is meant to do and I suspect it only works if the movement is relatively slow - person running rather than a car.
Try a few practice passes and turn the Display on so that you can see what setting you get. Anything less than 1/60th will almost certainly give you a fuzzy, at best, main image - though one part of the vehicle may be sharp. This is also often true of much higher speeds I have found.
If you need to get close to the action you may end up on the pit wall. Panning is very tricky on the pit wall - but good fun. The camera will usually struggle to focus as the lens to vehicle range is wide and changes rapidly - unless the passing speed is low.
Seen on a good screen before web compression you can read the driver names on the roof of this one. The original image of the car is about 1/4 of the width of the frame. The camera set ISO 80 and chose 1/250th for the speed. Taken with the S5i on the niside of Redgate at Donington.
This one was a bit trickier as it was taken on the Craner Curves to the speed is somewhat higher and the subjectless consistently distant and the pan less uniform. about the same degree of crop. ISO 200 at 1/400th. Web compression has done nothing for it at all - may try the resize again if I remember.
This one was off the pit wall at a track day. The buildings created a lot of shadow and that produced something of a challenge to the camera's systems!
Notice how the rear of the Noble is relatively sharp compared to the front. The car filled about 2/3 of the frame and the rear is at the extreme right. ISO 80 at 1/125th.
All shots used f/4.5 or f/4.8 based on the zoom factor.
Overall suggestion - find the slower bends, pre-focus, practice for panning when required and the shutter delay prediction. Shutter delay may change shot to shot depending on the light conditions available.
Still, at least with digital (and that big viewing screen and the zoom facility on the playback) you can dump any really hopeless ones at no cost. I always get plenty lke that!
Have fun.
>> Edited by LongQ on Friday 19th August 12:52
>> Edited by LongQ on Friday 19th August 17:43
ISO - my S5i NEVER selects ISO400 automatically so if it is not very sunny set it manually. Gets a bit noisy but better than nothing. HOWEVER, the higher the speed, the less blur you get in the background. If you want sharp car and loads of blur - hmm. 1/30th sec seems to be the preference of the experts but then the main image is likely to suffer. There were some excellent samples posted a few months ago.
Framing on the screen can be a challenge - but you don't have a viewfinder so just practice. If you can get a location on the inside of a bend so that the cars are a fairly constant distance away for a while as you pan (panning takes a little practice!) the results can be surprisingly good. This also helps with the shutter delay since if you get the pan right the car will always be in frame though the shot may not take exactly where you intended!
Prefocus - either manually set the focus (but frankly the feature is limited) or pick a spot on the track where you lpan to take the shot (allow for the shutter delay when you actually take) and press the button part way. Hold it like that and then point the camera at the subject and follow it to the point (just before to allow for the shutter lag) at which you focused before completing the shot.
The S5i (as you no doubt recall) has a SPORT mode - not sure about the z. Also a Pan Focus mode - but I have yet to work out what that is meant to do and I suspect it only works if the movement is relatively slow - person running rather than a car.
Try a few practice passes and turn the Display on so that you can see what setting you get. Anything less than 1/60th will almost certainly give you a fuzzy, at best, main image - though one part of the vehicle may be sharp. This is also often true of much higher speeds I have found.
If you need to get close to the action you may end up on the pit wall. Panning is very tricky on the pit wall - but good fun. The camera will usually struggle to focus as the lens to vehicle range is wide and changes rapidly - unless the passing speed is low.
Seen on a good screen before web compression you can read the driver names on the roof of this one. The original image of the car is about 1/4 of the width of the frame. The camera set ISO 80 and chose 1/250th for the speed. Taken with the S5i on the niside of Redgate at Donington.
This one was a bit trickier as it was taken on the Craner Curves to the speed is somewhat higher and the subjectless consistently distant and the pan less uniform. about the same degree of crop. ISO 200 at 1/400th. Web compression has done nothing for it at all - may try the resize again if I remember.
This one was off the pit wall at a track day. The buildings created a lot of shadow and that produced something of a challenge to the camera's systems!
Notice how the rear of the Noble is relatively sharp compared to the front. The car filled about 2/3 of the frame and the rear is at the extreme right. ISO 80 at 1/125th.
All shots used f/4.5 or f/4.8 based on the zoom factor.
Overall suggestion - find the slower bends, pre-focus, practice for panning when required and the shutter delay prediction. Shutter delay may change shot to shot depending on the light conditions available.
Still, at least with digital (and that big viewing screen and the zoom facility on the playback) you can dump any really hopeless ones at no cost. I always get plenty lke that!
Have fun.
>> Edited by LongQ on Friday 19th August 12:52
>> Edited by LongQ on Friday 19th August 17:43
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