ba baraccus Posted February 27, 2006 Report Share Posted February 27, 2006 Hey people, just got myself a Nikon D50 D-SLR to try and get some decent pics of us riding. It came with a 18-55 lense kit which seems to be ok but doesnt zoom very far! Also the pics arent as crisp as I would have expected (maybe thats just my shakey hands tho?) So do any of you SLR users have any tips on what the best lense/setup would be for capturing action shots of bikes ie Trials MTB and a bit of MX?? Cheers guys Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dabs alot Posted February 27, 2006 Report Share Posted February 27, 2006 I took most of these pics with my Nikon D-50 with the Nikon DX 18-70 lens. I also use a Nikon 50mm f2 lens for low light. For me I think I need a flash gun more than any different lenses. I tried to get as close to the action as possible. Some required flash, and the pop-up flash was all I had, so I have to get close. Just across the tape on the one with Cody Webb dropping down. http://www.trialscentral.com/gallery/profile.php?uid=161 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ba baraccus Posted February 27, 2006 Author Report Share Posted February 27, 2006 Thanks Dabs Alot you have some good pics in there! Are the f numbers (i.e. f1, f2, f3 etc) to do with how much light is available like if its a dull or bright day? Also how quick do you have your shutter speed? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dabs alot Posted February 27, 2006 Report Share Posted February 27, 2006 I am certainly no expert on the subject, and there are others here much more qualified to answer your questions, but I will give it a shot. The lower the F#, the more light that is gathered for a given shutter speed. A lens set at F5.6 gathers more light than one set at F11. A lens with a lower F stop rating, an F2 versus an F4 lens, is said to be 'faster' because it can create the same exposure in a shorter amount of time, or'faster' shutter speed. Shutter speed required to 'stop' a moving subject depends on the speed of the moving subject, direction of movement, focal length of the lens and the desired effect. I think a very general rule of thumb for general hand-held photography is a shutter speed to focal length relationship... a 50mm lens a 1/50th sec... a 200mm lens a 1/200th sec...and so forth. Then if your subject is moving, you need to increase from there. Most of the pics I have posted here were shot at 1/250 sec. or faster. Hope this helps without confusing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ba baraccus Posted February 28, 2006 Author Report Share Posted February 28, 2006 Cheers mate, yeah it all helps thanks as Im as novice as you can be at this game!! I will hopefully get out at the weekend and do some experimenting with different settings! Ha ha lets see what I come up with Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dabs alot Posted February 28, 2006 Report Share Posted February 28, 2006 With trials, I like to check out the section before riders are there, see where the sun is and where shadows are. And the fun part, finding where the 'peak' of where the action will be. A big splatter, a drop off I can get down from and shoot up to etc. Then find a nice vantage point to compose your shot from. Think about what is in the background. I like to try and get the riders face, very important for me anyways. Then be ready for when the rider gets to that 'peak' of action, many times I pre-set the focus and/or exposure. Then try to get the shutter to trip at that 'perfect' moment. For me it's kinda like riding a section, you read the section, pick your line and try to hit it just right. The enjoyment comes when it all comes together to create that photo you want! Get out there and jump in like you know what you are doing, that's what I do anyway! Put some planning and thought into your shots, you will be pleased with the results. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trialsrfun Posted March 1, 2006 Report Share Posted March 1, 2006 All photography depends on good light the smaller the f stop number the greater the aperture (diameter of the hole which lets light into the camera) every f stop doubles or halves the amount of light entering the camera and onto the film/chip. F stop numbers are frequently 1.4, 2, 2.8, 4, 5.6, 8, 11, 16, 22 etc, then there is the shutter speed again each step doubles or halves so the higher the number less light, lower number more light these might be 60, 125, 250, 500, 1000, 200 etc. Then there is the ASA rating this is the film surfaces sensitivity to light so again the double/half rule, film speeds are usually 100, 200, 400 but there are many more. The ASA thing seems to have been carried over to digital and usually the lower the number 100 or 200 would give the best results. Shutter speed needs to be quite high to stop movement say 250 plus. A basic setting for a sunny day with maybe light broken cloud would be 100 ASA and F8 at 125, if subject were moving go to 250 at F4 or 500 at F2.8. These settings are all the same and will each give the correct exposure. Flash can work well but the range is generally less than you think and the background may come out looking like night. Usually though opt for one of the program modes and take loads and loads of pics then delete those that you are not pleased with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Posted March 1, 2006 Report Share Posted March 1, 2006 I have two lenses I use - a Canon 24-85mm (bought from IanJ!) and a Sigma 15-30mm. My preference is to use the Sigma whenever possible aspherical lens and nice wide angle shots. Great for close-up work. As Trialsrfun said - anything less than 1/250 and you'll get motion blur which is a pig for me when using Flash as the 10D only syncs with flash up to 1/200. Methinks a 20D will be purchased very soon I was talking to Eric Kitchen about flash at the Colonial and he reckons we use it too much. I'd agree it does look kinda artificial and stark in dull conditions, but then he was shooting at ISO 800. I can't do that for print quality (ISO 400 is max for me). It's fine for printed publication like TMX, but nobody is going to buy a "photo quality" print from Trialsphotos if it's grainy - not that I'd sell a grainy print anyway! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drop5 Posted March 1, 2006 Report Share Posted March 1, 2006 i use a nikon d70 with an old 50mm f1.8 lens as this is not a digital lens the focal lenght works out about 75mm. by setting the asa high 400 or 600 i can get good shots in low light. if you use large fine format you can enlarge quite a bit so filling the frame in not that important. look around for a secondhand lens the f1.8 are not to expensive, the f1.4 are a lot more. happy snaping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ba baraccus Posted March 2, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 2, 2006 Wow thanks for the tips guys! I will try and take it all on board and give the different settings a blast! Mucho appreciated Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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