Which lens best for RC photography?
12-14-2009, 06:48 AM
#1
Which lens best for RC photography?
Hi, I just bought a Nikon D90 with kit lens 18-105mm. I just want to know which lens should I be looking for best r/c photography. I m mainly interested in panning method.
Thanks.
Thanks.
12-30-2009, 03:56 PM
#2
There are quite a few lenses that will serve you well for RC photography. Panning is necessary for almost every type of shot because the size of the subject matter and the relative speed make RC cars one of the most difficult things to shoot on the planet.
Panning shots are best suited to a longer lens. The longer the lens, the more the "depth" of your image is compressed, so the background goes whipping through the frame at a much faster pace. This will give you a nice blur in the background and as long as your practice panning smoothly, you'll be able to get crisp images of the car while the background will be completely blown out.
Having said that, panning shots are pretty common and, in my opinion, one of the more boring shots. Some of my favorite shots came from my 10mm wide angle. It creates a much more dynamic shot, but the parameters for using a wide angle are completely different. I use higher shutter speeds, and you have to be ON TOP of the subject matter. Shooting an RC car with a 10mm lens means you need to be within a foot of the car or it's going to look like it's miles away.
On a side note, I don't know how far you want to take this, and you can certainly spend a lot of money. The glass is the most important part of the camera, and you'll find that you get a MUCH better image with fixed focal length lenses. It's good to have a utility zoom lens for all-around shooting, but when you get into the finer details of what makes a really good shot, there's nothing that beats a fixed lens. If I had money to burn, I'd stuff my bag with a single digit wide angle, a mid-range 28 to 35mm, a really fast 50mm, A short micro lens (60mm), a fast 85mm, a 180mm, and a 300mm. Get the fastest lenses you can afford - they'll get you that shot that you can't get with a cheap, slow lens.
Panning shots are best suited to a longer lens. The longer the lens, the more the "depth" of your image is compressed, so the background goes whipping through the frame at a much faster pace. This will give you a nice blur in the background and as long as your practice panning smoothly, you'll be able to get crisp images of the car while the background will be completely blown out.
Having said that, panning shots are pretty common and, in my opinion, one of the more boring shots. Some of my favorite shots came from my 10mm wide angle. It creates a much more dynamic shot, but the parameters for using a wide angle are completely different. I use higher shutter speeds, and you have to be ON TOP of the subject matter. Shooting an RC car with a 10mm lens means you need to be within a foot of the car or it's going to look like it's miles away.
On a side note, I don't know how far you want to take this, and you can certainly spend a lot of money. The glass is the most important part of the camera, and you'll find that you get a MUCH better image with fixed focal length lenses. It's good to have a utility zoom lens for all-around shooting, but when you get into the finer details of what makes a really good shot, there's nothing that beats a fixed lens. If I had money to burn, I'd stuff my bag with a single digit wide angle, a mid-range 28 to 35mm, a really fast 50mm, A short micro lens (60mm), a fast 85mm, a 180mm, and a 300mm. Get the fastest lenses you can afford - they'll get you that shot that you can't get with a cheap, slow lens.
02-14-2010, 04:33 AM
#3
Shooting RC you definitely need to be brave. I've been shooting with a D40x for the past two seasons. I use the non motorized 50mm and the kit 18-55. With these, I've gotten some nice shots, but still looking for more. I recently purchased a D90, which will allow me to AF with my 50 which is nice. In almost all of my shots, I likely could have fueled the vehicle up if it needed it...yes, as Steve mentioned, you do need to be close :P
Yep, this one did end up in my lap
Yep, this one did end up in my lap
02-17-2010, 10:57 PM
#4
Tech Initiate
hi...have you tried a 70-300 lenses....used to have one of those...great lenses for taking pics of rc cars......here are some i took with that lenses in aussie last year....cheers
02-18-2010, 08:05 AM
#5
Here's some shot that I take with my kit lens as well as the 70-300.
Panning attempt..
normal shot
this time r/c boat actions
some buggy actions..
All of the above shots are were hand held....do you guys think its better to use a tripod or a monopod to assist me? At the moment I m still looking for a good tripod or monopod.
02-18-2010, 11:32 AM
#6
Nice shots everyone. What am I doing wrong? What settings would work best with my equipment?
Nikon D60
55-200 f4-5.6
Here is a shot I took with it, the car is too blurry for me
I wasn't panning, I was just barely following the car down a straight waiting for it to turn, it looks as if it just focused on the ground
Nikon D60
55-200 f4-5.6
Here is a shot I took with it, the car is too blurry for me
I wasn't panning, I was just barely following the car down a straight waiting for it to turn, it looks as if it just focused on the ground
02-19-2010, 05:37 AM
#7
Nice shots everyone. What am I doing wrong? What settings would work best with my equipment?
Nikon D60
55-200 f4-5.6
Here is a shot I took with it, the car is too blurry for me
I wasn't panning, I was just barely following the car down a straight waiting for it to turn, it looks as if it just focused on the ground
Nikon D60
55-200 f4-5.6
Here is a shot I took with it, the car is too blurry for me
I wasn't panning, I was just barely following the car down a straight waiting for it to turn, it looks as if it just focused on the ground
02-23-2010, 06:05 AM
#9
Boom- My best guess, is your focusing method. Try half pressing the shutter release button while looking through the viewfinder at a certain spot on the track. Then use the camera to move a turn or two behind that spot, follow the car through the viewfinder, all the while holding the shutter release halfway, when the car gets to the spot you focused on originally, press the shutter fully to take the shot. Also, as previously mentioned, be sure you're in AF-C mode. This is Auto Focus Continuous, which means the camera will constantly refocus for moving objects. All of this sounds difficult, but once you practice a bit, it will become second nature. One last suggestion would be to consider your shutter speed setting. Personally, I shoot in full manual. It just feels better to me. Most of the guys I talk to on other forums suggest shooting in AP Priority. In this mode, the camera will choose shutter speed, leaving you to adjust Aperture to control depth of field. In manual, you have control over both Ap and shutter speed. In most instances I usually shoot around F8-F11 Ap and 640-1000 shutter speed. For instance, the pic above of Billy Fischer was shot at 1/800 shutter, F9, with ISO at 800. Hope this helps, have fun shooting. 
02-23-2010, 08:37 AM
#10
02-27-2010, 02:34 PM
#12
I like shooting with my 200mm. Seems to be just right for shooting at the track. Here's a couple of random shots. Not even sure how they look full size as I'm picking them from thumbnails but, all shot with my 70-200 on a shutter priority 500. I know it was an overcast day.
03-09-2010, 08:41 AM
#14
Here's one of the best panning shot I made so far, this was during the recent TITC in Bangkok. Nikon D90 (AF-C on) 70-300 VRII lens.
