If you were following this blog when I was posting almost daily you probably are thinking that Navy Davy has hijacked it. No, that isn't the case, it only takes me a minute to post his "Shot of the Week" and comments as opposed to me coming up with something to blog about and finding the time to post it. I have been doing some photo work and spent quite a bit of my free time working on a magazine article and other writing obligations. Now that they have been completed I am going to try to get more into the habit of blogging on a regular basis. I'll see if I can come up with some ideas.
I'm considering another lens purchase during the off season. I was very happy with the 85mm f1.8 fixed focal length lens I bought last winter. You're probably all familiar with what a zoom lens is. Most racing photographers like a zoom for a variety of reasons and one of the most popular is the Nikon 70-200mm f2.8 VR. It's a great lens but it's heavy and costs around $1,600 new. I can't justify the purchase of a $1,600 lens when I'm driving around in a truck that's worth about that same amount. In addition to being more expensive zoom lenses aren't as sharp as fixed focal point lenses and most prime lenses are faster. The lower the f stop number the faster the lens so an f2.8 is fast, an f2 is faster and an f1.8 is even faster. Sigma makes a nice 50-150mm f2.8 that currently sells for around $700-$800. Last winter I spent close to that for the 85mm, a new camera bag and several other incidental accessories. I'm not in a position to shell out that kind of money this off season but I have found an alternative.
First I should point out that fixed focal length lenses like my 85mm are what is commonly called a "prime" lens. The advantage of a prime lens over a zoom is that you get sharper images. The disadvantage is obviously that you can only focus at one distance. For example, my 85mm is great for catching those 2 and 3 wide shots both day and night. On the other hand, if a Sprint Car is running way up by the wall I can get a sharp image but it doesn't fill the frame adequately. I do have a budget priced 70-300mm f4.5-5.6 zoom, the cheaper zooms aren't fast (f2.8) and the further you zoom out the slower they become. As far as image quality the cheap lenses can often provide results comparable to pro lenses within a partial range of their zoom capabilities. My 70-300mm is great from around 85-220mm but anything beyond that range is too far to get the image quality I want and that lens is only good until the light starts to fall off.
On a typical night if it's sunny I'll take some outside the track shots with the 70-300mm during hotlaps then run down to the infield and shoot with it during the Heats. Next I'll switch to my 85mm and either shoot with that one for the rest of the night or switch to my 28-105mm f2.8 Tamron for the Features if victory lane is tight quarters. The Tamron 28-105mm was $800 new but I regret that purchase because it's not good for action shots. I have learned it's strengths and weaknesses and can get acceptable results with it but I only use it when I'm at a place where there are cramped quarters and the 85mm won't work for victory lane.
The addition I'd like to make to my collection this year is a Nikon 135mm f2.8 E IA-S manual focus lens. This lens was originally made for Nikon film cameras and is still sold new at several online outlets. The 135mm will mount on my digital but I have to shoot entirely in manual mode and focus manually. It's a "prime lens" and the reviews say that sharpness is outstanding. I would only use it during the Heats and B Mains, the 135mm will give me enough reach to get some better sideways angles and to catch those Sprints when they're up by the wall. This lens costs about $190 delivered as compared to $700-$1,600 for a good quality fast zoom lens. Manual focus is tricky. What you have to do is focus on a specific spot and take your photos when the cars "hit your mark" at exactly the right moment. Consequently, your "keeper ratio" isn't going to be as good as it's going to be with a zoom. I'd estimate that with the 85mm I'm getting 70% to 80% keepers (in focus) shots. With the manual focus my keepers are probably going to drop down to about 50% depending on the track, lighting, dust in the air, etc. So you can see why the 135mm would be something I'd only use for part of the evening and not at every race.
You'd probably be surprised to know that one of the tracks I need more reach for is Princeton. From the stands that might not make sense but in spite of it's small size you've got to stand back further to be safe and it's a wide track with high banking so distance can be a problem. Besides Princeton a couple other places where you need the reach are the big tracks like Jackson and Knoxville. I will rarely if ever shoot at Knoxville and seldom get down to Jackson but a little more distance will help at those places. I think that considering the cost of less than $200 I can justify a lens that I'm not going to be using all the time. The 70-200mm and 80-200mm high buck lenses aren't close enough for some of the tighter victory lane areas so I don't see myself ever buying one of those.
Besides the 135mm prime I've got my eyes on another prime lens as well. It's the Nikon 50mm f1.8 standard lens that sells for a little over $100. I found out that I like opening up the 85mm wide open to f1.8 and taking some wide angle shots with it. I get great results of full fields going into the first turn, four wide salutes and that sort of thing. Another application where I like f1.8 is when they line up all the cars on the front stretch and introduce the drivers. A 50mm f1.8 prime would give me a wider angle and it's a good lens for non-racing stuff too so eventually I'd like to add one of those so that I have three prime lenses.
That's about all the prime lenses I want to carry because changing lenses when it's dusty exposes your sensor and you can get dust on it. I have a "Sensor Scope" cleaning kit and I clean my sensor pretty often during the racing season. An easy way to see if you have dust on your sensor is to lock your camera in manual focus and take several photos of the blue sky. If there is dust on the sensor you'll see little spots in the same place on every photo. Dust and moisture are two things that you have to deal with when taking racing photos. I carry a plastic bag so I can cover my camera if it starts raining and a towel so I can wipe it off. I also like to cut up old t-shirts and use that type of cotton material to clean my lens during the evening because they don't leave scratches. It works great for cleaning off the lenses on my reading glasses as well.
Well, that's about all I've got for now. When I buy the 135mm, probably as we get closer to the racing season, I'll post some test shots. I turned the auto focus off on one of my lenses recently and practiced focusing manually. The photos turned out good enough that I'm confident I can get some good shots with a manual focus prime lens. Some racing photographers only shoot with manual focus so it's not impossible but it takes some practice. The focusing rings on manual focus lenses are a little more precise and forgiving than the ones on the auto focus lenses. You can turn the auto focus off and manual focus and auto focus lens but they're not as precise as a dedicated manual focus lens. I forgot to mention that I have a fixed 500mm manual focus lens that I sometimes like to use for outside the track shots. It's an f8 lens so I can only use it for hotlaps during the time of the summer when it stays light the longest. The lens isn't a Nikon so none of the focus assist or metering works. With the 135mm the focusing dot in the viewfinder should work which should make it easier to shoot with than my 500mm. I have gotten some pretty good shots on full manual no metering with the 500m. I like using it once in a while because I can get some neat angles, here's a sample:
Like I said, this lens is 100% manual and has to be used in good lighting. The fastest f stop is f8 but I get my sharpest images at f11 or slower. Also, I have to use 1/500th shutter speed when the cars are coming at me head on like this. Usually I can get away with half as much shutter speed but in this case I have to speed it up a little. In daylight I have an advantage because I can hold the shutter button and take two or three shots in quick succession. I won't have that luxury at night when using flash because of the recycle times.
Well, that's going to do it. Hope I didn't bore you too much with photo geek talk.
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