The Tools

[jimmy]

I'll just kick this off by saying what i use, camera wise, now.

Nikon D70 6 mega pixel digital slr
Nikkor 70-200mm F2.8 AFS VR Lens
18-70 AFS F3.5-4.5 Lens
50mm F1.8 Lens

[PaulRotheram]

i use:

kodak disposible
optional flash ddx5000
25 picture memory (roll of film)
30mm lens

bought from asda, always lowering prices!

[jl]

Nikon F80 & Nikon FM (No not digital

:lol: - maybe santa will get me a nice D70 like Jimmy's :wink: )

Sigma 28-70 f2.8 ex
Nikon 50mm f1.8 AI
Sigma 70-300 f4-5.6
Tokina 19-35 f 3.5-4.5

This stuff's never even been taken to the track. I just can't race and do both. This stuff's for when I'm on holidays and can just wander and take in the world. My racing would turn to junk if I tried doing both!

[Will Olpin]

Well i have a Nikon D50 and i love it used once at my local TC track. Jimmy i know your not a big TC fan but heres one of my pics with the lense i got with the camera :roll:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v636/milkshakemissionman/DSC_0089.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v636/milkshakemissionman/DSC_0105.jpg

I know on the top one is out of focus...still i like it 8)

[jimmy]

Nice one will.
Sorry i had to change your photos to just links for now, until ive sorted something out to stop the site looking funny with big images, small images are fine.



Racing and taking photos, for me it means never skimming, charging up the day before, never change the setup, rarely change the tyres and never ever clean the car ! :D seems to work !


I can recommend the d70 jason, ive not had a "go" on the d50 but its a similar level camera, slightly smaller so im told.
Best bit wi these digital job is you can see what you took, oh, and you can ramp the iso up to get non-flash photos in lower light.

[Will Olpin]

Yea Jimmy the D50 is slightly smaller than the D70 same with me ive never used a D70, would be nice to see what its like tho 8)

[chrislee]

Well Jimmy knows what I've got, having had a little dabble with it already - a Canon EOS 350D

Just bought a 'long lens' (that's about the limit of my photography knowledge :oops: ) off ebay so I can try and get some close up action shots like the man himself :D

Chris

[Oscar]

so I can try and get some close up action shots like the man himself

Wannabe :wink: :lol:

[chrislee]

Here's a link to quite a good interactive photography site for all you amateurs like me.

http://www.canon.co.jp/Imaging/enjoydslr/index.html

It's made by Canon but it's relevant for all digital SLR makes.

Chris

[jimmy]

Thats actually rather a good site chris for explaining it in basic terms. Ive never really read a book on photography, just picked bits up as I went along and figured the rest out, but explaining something to someone else is a bit tricky, that site does it well.

I'll list some of my "techniques" some time, probably not much you dont already know.

[OldTimer]

If anybody needs help on the photography side post here and i will be happy to help out were i can, until a few weeks ago i was a motorsport photographer, using a 1Dmk2 and various canon f2.8L lens, and i mostly shot for Autosport magazine, the SCSA race series and the Pickup Truck racing series.

Btw jimmy does a fine job, i went along to the Oxon national and realised how much harder 1/10 cars are to shoot than 1/1 scale, full size cars normally follow the racing line so it makes it easier to shoot. Buggys are a lot smaller and faster, and don't stick to a tight racing line :lol: so it make it really hard work.

Cheers
Jonathan

[chrislee]

Well my new 'long lens' :oops: has arrived - it's a 75-300 f 4-5.6 III USM whatever that lot means :oops:

So watch out Jimmy Storey, theres a new kid on the block - after you've shown me how to use it of course :roll:

Chris

[chrislee]

If anybody needs help on the photography side post here and i will be happy to help out were i can, until a few weeks ago i was a motorsport photographer, using a 1Dmk2 and various canon f2.8L lens, and i mostly shot for Autosport magazine, the SCSA race series and the Pickup Truck racing series.

Btw jimmy does a fine job, i went along to the Oxon national and realised how much harder 1/10 cars are to shoot than 1/1 scale, full size cars normally follow the racing line so it makes it easier to shoot. Buggys are a lot smaller and faster, and don't stick to a tight racing line :lol: so it make it really hard work.

Cheers
Jonathan

Hey Jonathan, what are you trying to say about us buggy drivers? :lol:

[Will Olpin]

lol i read and thought the same :lol:

I was reading your Sig Chris, is there a oOple team now? :?: :roll:

[OldTimer]

Guys if you see my driving you would understand lol. my racing line is around a meter wide :oops:

[chrislee]

A metre wide :shock: you're just showing off - my racing line is anywhere between the track markers..... hopefully :D

Team oOple is Jimmy's racing buddys - we get the odd free sticker and we've been promised a tee shirt with, get this, our name on!! :lol:

Jimmy knows talent when he sees it....eh Oscar :wink:

Chris

[Will Olpin]

Sounds good :wink:

[Oscar]

Trust you to ruin the illusion Chris :(

You could have said it was a full works supported drive, reserved only for the chosen elite :roll:

[jimmy]

yea, chosen elite i like that! :) just john price (f2) chris lee (f4) and me (f3) tho vicky might be joining the team if she proves her self with her new B4 FT.


The usm stands for ultra sonic motor i think chris.. basically the lens focus is driven by a motor inside the lens, instead of by the motor in the camera body, so its faster.
75-300 is a nice reach, will be a nice lens outdoors next year..

[chrislee]

I've been having a mess with it this afternoon (the lens that is :oops: ) I think I might need a tripod for when it's fully extended - all my piccys looked like i'd had about 15 pints last night and was suffering from a severe case of the DT's :shock:

Are those expensive image stabilising lenses able to counteract this or do they still require a tripod?

Chris

[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 :D

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 :lol:

[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]

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 :lol:

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]

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.......

http://www.uk-rc.net/images/moorespash.JPG

http://www.uk-rc.net/images/spashett.jpg

[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 :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

[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:

http://www.glypo.co.uk/photos/2005/9-11-OT/slides/IMG_0959.JPG

http://www.glypo.co.uk/photos/2005/6-05-MB/slides/IMG_4909.JPG

http://www.glypo.co.uk/photos/2005/5-29-3A/slides/IMG_4712.JPG

http://www.glypo.co.uk/photos/2005/5-29-3A/slides/IMG_4742.JPG

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!! :lol:

[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.

[glypo]

LOL,

those two are indeed from 3A, amazing how you can tell!

[Will Olpin]

If you rember i was asking Jimmy about that lense with the no Aperture Ring 70-300. Well any way my dad got it for me, how nice of him :lol: well i really like the lense and i got SOME good pictures because i was getting used to the Auto-Focus because i like to do it manually really but i cant. Here is Olly. J and a local at my local club i think it mite be a little out of foucs but i like it none the less :thumrigh:. What you think....i'll put up some more when i go racing next :roll: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v636/milkshakemissionman/DSC_0087.jpg [/img]

[jimmy]

very nice colours, its a nice photo even though its a little blurry. nice day today wasnt it


this is one from today, not quite such nice colours as yours tho..

http://www.oople.com/rc/photos/nook131105/bigimages/nook22.jpg

[Will Olpin]

I like Jimmy :wink: The only thing about auto Focus is that sometimes taking a photo it will zoom and not take the photo which is annoying...something that i will have to get use to i spose.

[SoCalLosiRacer]

I'm looking to buy a canon 20D, soon, and I'm having trouble picking out a lens. What focal length do you guys do most of your shooting at? I'm not quite sure how long I should go.

[jimmy]

somewhere around 200-300mm at the top end is great from rc stuff.. I use a 70-200mm lens.. One of the best lenses i used was on a canon, i think it was 35-300mm (or there abouts) which was a perfect range, it meant i could get shots of cars on tables, or views of the track, and then get close up action shots without having to change lenses..

[Edwinhpi]

I have to say you make great pictures Jimmy!! Pictures that i whiss i good make them.

The first 2 pictures where make with my old cam a Minolta Dimage 5 it's now replaced by a Nikon D70S with a 28-80 and a 70-300mm lens. The last picture is from the Nikon.

i can't wait untill the next season, i hope to make some more pictures!

http://rcpics.rc-racingcars.com/diversen/gallery/albums/Edwinhpi/PICT0436_Small.sized.jpg
http://rcpics.rc-racingcars.com/diversen/gallery/albums/Edwinhpi/PICT0317_Small.sized.jpg
http://rcpics.rc-racingcars.com/diversen/gallery/albums/Edwinhpi/DSC_0055_Small.sized.jpg