New kit needed... advice please :)

Associate
Joined
6 Nov 2010
Posts
887
Location
Behind the camera...
Evening all :)

I was offered a position as the main photographer of a sponsor for the BDC (British drift championship) today, basically for next years BDC season and other track events in between.

This means i'll no longer be shooting on full zoom from the crowd :) and instead be on the actual track as media.

I've been considering upgrading my kit recently anyway but think this gives be the excuse to push the boat out abit more,
I'd need a new lens as most of mine are budget lenses and a new body.

Lens wise id like a quality lens with allows a wide/fast aperture even at longer focal lengths, a mate suggested a sigma 200mm f2.8 but I dont know much about it,
I've never owned a lens with the VR feature, is there a stabilising thing on the higher end lenses? are they any good for panning and longer shutters? (mainly the up and down motion i'd like to see a reduction in lol)

For the body I'd really prefer a FF body but my budget for the lot will only be about 2k at a stretch :/ which I why im asking :)

What could I be looking at for that sort of cash?
Cheers
 
Associate
Joined
25 Jul 2007
Posts
1,675
You shoot Nikon right? Used D300 with a 70-200/2.8 would be perfect I imagine, great AF, great lens. You can still use your current lenses too considering you'll be shooting in daylight so you'll be stopping them down a bit.
 
Associate
OP
Joined
6 Nov 2010
Posts
887
Location
Behind the camera...
yeah currently using Nikon but I've been looking on Jessops tonight and can hear their finance calling me :/
I think I have settled on full frame, I was looking at the Nikon D700S and the Canon 5DII, I think the 5DII has more of a reputation as a good body as I really havent herd much about the D700S (weird as a Nikon user)

My mate also said if I go Canon, get a white lens but their like 5k aren't they? lol
 
Caporegime
Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
32,615
2 Things, if you are shooting cars then you wont find a full frame camera much advantage. If you do go full frame then you wil find the Nikon D700 are much better camera for this type of work - better focussing, better low light ability, better built, weather sealed, better metering.

The 5DMKII has a lot of internet fans, the D700 has a lot of professionals taking profesional photos without bragging on internet forums. The D700 is a fully professional camera in a smaller body, you give up almost nothing compared to the D3. People always comapre the 5dMKII to the D700 but they aren't comparable cameras and are actually very different. The closest Canon equivalent is actually the Canon 1DsMKIII which offers comparable autofocus and build quality.

The 5DMKII is good for landscape and studio work where its limitations don-t come into play and the extra resolution can be advantageous. The D700 is better for sports, wedding, wildife, natural light and the kind of work most people really do.
 
Soldato
Joined
24 Jun 2008
Posts
8,328
D700's AF, supposedly, beats the living crap out of the 5DII's.

-edit-
Should. Read. All. Replies!

-edit 2! Wee-

Regarding VR, newer VR lenses have two different VR modes, one to reduce shake in all directions and one reducing it vertically only, allowing you to pan which is what you'r after i believe :)
 
Last edited:
Soldato
Joined
19 Oct 2002
Posts
6,991
Location
Gloucester UK
Plenty of professionals use the 5DII so I really wouldn't worry about that if you are interested in it. Also tbe centre point with assist points isn't bad at all. The D700 does have a better all round AF system though. It would make sense to stick with Nikon as that is what you are used to. Oh the 5DII would have better scope for printing very large if that is something you'll be looking at.
 
Associate
OP
Joined
6 Nov 2010
Posts
887
Location
Behind the camera...
The option to print might be useful as I shouldnt have to crop pictures anymore :)
The continues AF is going to be one of the main things I need to be good, as I want to be able to shoot say 3 1/60 shots without having to refocus, the AS-C on the camera I have now is slow and unreliable, although that maybe the lens.
 
Soldato
Joined
12 Jan 2005
Posts
3,332
Location
Devon
The 5D range isn't really suited to fast moving sports subjects. Landscapes and portraits it's fantastic.

I'd recommend a 7D (if you're wanting to go Canon) as it has the AF capabilities of the 1D range. I have a couple friends who also shoot drift/track day events and they mostly use the 100-400L lens.
 
Associate
Joined
24 May 2004
Posts
2,022
for the £2k budget, the most sensible choice would be 7D or D300s as recommended by some if you plan to pan and track.

5D2 is a great camera but it's AF system is prehistoric and cannot keep up with moving subjects (speaking from experience). The burst mode is slow which makes it a poor sports camera imo.

D700 is a step up with it's AF system but it's the megapixel count is too small for me as I like to have room to crop into at post editing since you cannot properly compose a shot when you're tracking high speed cars zipping around. Also being a full frame you dont have the crop multiplier which means your lens will have less reach.

Lens wise, I have no experience with Nikon but the Canon 100-400L or the pricier 70-200II L would be a perfect lens for you. I would avoid Sigma as I simply dont have confidence in their AF system in servo mode.

When me and my partner cover shows we run 2x 5DII for statics and the 1DM4 and 7D comes out during trackside.
 
Associate
OP
Joined
6 Nov 2010
Posts
887
Location
Behind the camera...
Ok cheers all
The lens I guess i'll have to look into abit more but I think I'll be going down the D700 route
I know people have said I wouldn't benefit from a full frame but I only intent on getting 1 camera to last the next couple years or so, so I might aswell go for the best one I can for the budget.

Any other lens suggestions now I've decided to stay with Nikon would be greatly appreciated :)

Cheers again
 
Last edited:
Soldato
Joined
12 Jan 2005
Posts
3,332
Location
Devon
The lens I guess i'll have to look into abit more but I think I'll be going down the D300 route
I know people have said I wouldn't benefit from a full frame but I only intent on getting 1 camera to last the next couple years or so, so I might aswell go for the best one I can for the budget.

I may be misunderstanding your wording, but the D300 isn't full frame is it? The D700 is.

BTW, there's one for sale in the market place for £550.
 
Man of Honour
Joined
30 Jun 2005
Posts
9,515
Location
London Town!
Ok cheers all
The lens I guess i'll have to look into abit more but I think I'll be going down the D300 route
I know people have said I wouldn't benefit from a full frame but I only intent on getting 1 camera to last the next couple years or so, so I might aswell go for the best one I can for the budget.

Any other lens suggestions now I've decided to stay with Nikon would be greatly appreciated :)

Cheers again

On a D300(s) the best (affordable) option will be a Nikon 70-200, that's a pretty nice focal length for that kind of thing and it's a fast and sharp lens. Save some money and get the old VR version rather than the VRII - the VRII is sharper in the corners for full frame but that won't matter on a crop body.

Grays of westminister usually have a few second hand at about the £1k mark.

Get a MB-D10 grip for the D300 too, much as I hate them in general it's useful here as it ups the frame rate by a couple of frames a second with the EN-EL4 battery (which also lasts forever more).

Other options could include the 300 f/4 which is a nice lens but doesn't have VR and the lack of zoom is less flexible. Also slower obviously. A 24-70 f/2.8 or 24-120 f/4 VR would be nice for team shots, atmosphere stuff and the like but to be honest it's a bit of a luxury.
 
Soldato
Joined
14 Apr 2006
Posts
3,699
Location
Nottingham
The 5D range isn't really suited to fast moving sports subjects. Landscapes and portraits it's fantastic.

I'd recommend a 7D (if you're wanting to go Canon) as it has the AF capabilities of the 1D range. I have a couple friends who also shoot drift/track day events and they mostly use the 100-400L lens.

I agree with this... I don't know much but from what I have read the 7D would be better suited to your needs.
 
Back
Top Bottom