The Tools

[jimmy]

now then chris

outdoors in summer im running F-Stops in the F4 - F14 so that lens is more than capable..

if the light is low, you need to have a bigger Aperture (smaller F number) and higher iso sensitivity (like iso400 / iso 800 or more)

dont be discouraged by your first shots with it, ill show you some stuff next time i see you..

[jimmy]

Oh, nah dont bother with a tripod or image stabilizer for now, you can probably set up your camera to get the results you want wihtout spending any more.

[Will Olpin]

Jimmy i need your adive me and the old man were in Jessops looking at a new lense we saw i think a 17-300 for £130 or somewhere around those lines any way it said it had no "Aperture" the noob that i am, i have no idea what this is :roll:

If you could tell me that would be great.

Ta,

Will

[chrislee]

It sounds like a telescope to me

Chris

[OldTimer]

Chris, if you can sit down and rest you elbows on your legs you will find this makes a good tripod, or you can get a monopod which is what i used and a lot cheaper (and acts like a third leg :shock: ), but as jimmy says you will get the hang of over time just don't be put off by your first shots.

Image Stablizing lens are neat and give you a extra couple of stops, but they do not work to well with Model Cars due to the rapid movements you are making with the camera and lens, the gyros in the lens cannot keep up.

[jimmy]

are you sure it was 17-300 ? what make was it ?
17mm is super wide, and 300 mm is super long, and tho there is a couple of lenses about with 18-200 ive not been able to find one thats 17-300mm
i think nikon do a cheap 70-300 or something, if thats the one i think someone at work might have it.

there is a bit of text about some of the nikon lenses at http://www.kenrockwell.com , you can have a read about lenses for the nikon slrs on http://www.dpreview.com, and i think you can get a lot of info at http://www.nikonians.org/


the "no aperture" will most likely be refering to the the lens not having an "aperture ring" - this is just a ring that you can turn on the lens to control the aperture so it makes no difference unless you are using it on a manual camera and have to adjust the aperture by hand.
My old "big" lens had an aperture ring my new "big" lens doesnt.

[Will Olpin]

Yep sorry, i meant Aperture ring and it was Nikon so it mite be the one you are on about because it was very cheap and 70-300.

Thanks,

Will

[jimmy]

Monopod is what i used at batley national with that comedy-huge lens chris, if you remember, i think you helped me carry the beast..
I think for me, because i generally want to get quite low for the little cars, if i need a static shot i will use a knee like jonathan says.

If you are having problems tho you might just have a too slow shutter speed, im not sure of the "formula" but generally you need a faster shutter speed the longer you are "zoomed in"
so lets say to get a clear shot at 70mm you might need 1/50th and at 300mm (with the same aperture and light) you might need 1/300th or faster.

[jimmy]

Originally Posted by Will Olpin

Yep sorry, i meant Aperture ring and it was Nikon so it mite be the one you are on about because it was very cheap and 70-300.

Thanks,

Will

http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/70300g.htm

I think thats the one..
It mentions being "soft" at 200-300mm when wide-open.. A lot of lenses get that to some degree, when you "stop it down" to a smaller aperture (bigger F number) its just like squinting your eyes- stuff gets sharper.
I think this is the lens my mate has so i'll have a look at it next time he brings it into work..

[jl]

Originally Posted by jimmy

Monopod is what i used at batley national with that comedy-huge lens chris, if you remember, i think you helped me carry the beast..
I think for me, because i generally want to get quite low for the little cars, if i need a static shot i will use a knee like jonathan says.

If you are having problems tho you might just have a too slow shutter speed, im not sure of the "formula" but generally you need a faster shutter speed the longer you are "zoomed in"
so lets say to get a clear shot at 70mm you might need 1/50th and at 300mm (with the same aperture and light) you might need 1/300th or faster.

Jimmy,

I think you're examples of "the formula" is about right. From other photography I've done I've been told shutter speed should be the fraction of what your lens length is and no slower. ie 1/300th for 300mm lens, 1/60th for a 60mm lens, 1/18th for a 18mm lens. In practice I've found this to be a fairly good rule of thumb and probably a good idea for stuff that's moving. I'm sure you can get away with a slower shutter speed if you were a good action protographer who's skilled and experienced with panning techniques. There's also been times when I've used a monopod (for non action photography), timed my breathing and gently squeezed the shutter and found that I can often get away with much slower shutter speeds that what "the formula" dictates. (eg 1/15th sec with a 50mm lens).

:idea: Oh yeah, another idea :!: about monopods and getting very close to the ground. I was at work today (I work at a hospital) and the physio department were throwing old crutches away. I was thinking that I could cut down the lower leg of an old crutch, screw the right size screw in the top and make a really short monopod! If I can rig up something good then I'll post some pics.... might be a winner!

Jason

[jimmy]

Sounds good jason, could call it a "micropod" :cheese:

[Heyhoe]

Hey, im not into photography in a big way, but i like shooting the model cars outside. I dont have a DSLR i just use a zoom camera (Fuji s700) i still get some half decent shots with it though... examples.......

[jimmy]

Good stuff, thus proving you dont need a fancy camera.
I found taking interesting on-road shots quite hard, these have some nice motion in them though.

[Heyhoe]

Yeah its quite hard. I just take loads and hope i get some decent ones

do you go to many on-road events?

[Oscar]

No, he gets enough sleep at home

[jimmy]

haha..

Nah i dont go to many on road events, I live close to the halifax track, and have taken photos down there a few times but probably wont again.
Went down for the nitro euros and it was an experience taking photos of something different, but I never got a single positive comment about the photos so if people dont appreciate them theres no point.

If i get into on-roading myself, then ofcourse i'll bring mi camera!

[glypo]

Hello All!

Just signed up because I think Jimmy is a legend!

I'm also into RC photography, hence posting in this thread. My new cam is a Canon S2IS, so nothing fancy at all apart from the zoom. However for years before that I was using a old Canon A20 (2.1MP compact with no manual settings!)

Here's some of my work:









Not sure if they are too big? If so I'll change them to links.

All but the first are taken with my old camera as well, a 5 year old 2.1MP point and shoot!

Anyway great forum, looks like it will be the place for RC photography discussion.

[emzy]

Were the last 2 photos taken at 3A? I seem to recognise that bit pipe and tree (in the 2nd last one)...

But you're right, Jimmy's a LEGEND!!

[Heyhoe]

Nice shots, especially with a point and shoot!

If anybody is interested in On-Road, i have a gallery from some of this years BRCA Modified national events. Some are better than others (www.uk-rc.net/Gallery)

I like the 2nd picture good shot!

[jimmy]

These are ace shots mate, really like the top one, nice bit of panning.