Lense and 70D setup question for Nascar event this weekend.

[meturncl]

Good morning, headed to Talladega this weekend and want to bring my Cannon 70D. Ill be in the pits with a race crew and curious about what lense I should be using. I have the EF 1:4.1 55mm, a 70-200mm and the 80-300mm lenses.  Any suggestions are appreciated.  Most will be close shots in daylight but there is a race that starts at 5pm and should be over before the sun goes down. 

Thanks 

[Waddizzle]

Sounds to me like you are more in need of earplugs than lens advice.  I always carry a wide angle, though.

[cicopo]

You'll need very good ear protection & a wider angle lens than in your list. You may also want to scan here for some tips on gear / settings.

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=118

[meturncl]

Yes, Ill have ear plugs...  Thanks- Ill look into a wide angle lense.  But out of the lenses I currently own, which one would be best?

[Waddizzle]

"Ill look into a wide angle lense.  But out of the lenses I currently own, which one would be best?" 

Having a wide angle on hand might be handy if you are "in the pits."  I think your shortest lens is the 50mm, which is an equivalent FF focal length of 85mm. You may definitely want something shorter than that.

You can always crop a shot taken with shorter focal lengths, but you cannot "uncrop" a shot taken with a longer focal length.

As far which one is best, I'd  have to say the best answer is none of them "would be best."  Each lens will find its' own niche for a given shooting scenario.  Consider what your shooting location will be relative to your subjects, and what type of end result you're looking for.

I think a great shot to try to capture would be a side shot of a car frozen in time, wheels spinning into a blur, and the entire background smeared into a blus.  Only the car body and driver would be in focus. 

[meturncl]

Thank you Waddizzle for the advice.   I am no professional at all, I just enjoy taking pictures.   Im shooting for a friend of mine who is an ARCA driver in tonights race.  He offered his Iphone to take pics and I told him I could do better than that.   I appreciate your help.  I will look into purchasing a wide angle in the near future. 

[cicopo]

If you're new to motorsports photography the idea is to pan with the moving vehicle using a slow enough shutter speed to do as above. The car you're tracking should be in crisp focus but the wheels / tires & background should be blurred. Use single point AF to help by placing the active point on some part of the car & do your best to stay on that spot as you pan, use AI Servo for the AF & shoot in short (3 or 4 shot) bursts. If your lens has a Mode 2 for the IS use it, if it doesn't then turn IS off when panning. Too high a shutter speed works fine at freezing the cars so they are nice & crisp BUT they looked like they are parked rather than racing.

If you go to the link I provided that's for the Talk section of the forum but they also have a section for Motorsports photo sharing which you can look through too. It won't take long to know what looks right.   

[ebiggs1]

You need this lens today! The Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM Lens.  There is no Canon 80-300mm lens, I can recount at the moment?  Do you actually have this lens, Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM Lens?  If so, it and the suggested lens is all you will probably need.

Remember a big point and it is the most important point, is where you shoot from.  It is more important than what you shoot with.  Being in the "pits" is probably as good as it gets.    Have fun.