Is anybody going to be at Saratoga Horse Racing Track in Saratoga/Malta, New York within the next month? I'll be going a few times, but I don't have a telephoto lens so I'll probably have to get right up next to the fence to get some new pictures. Anyways, if anybody has some horse racing pictures, could you post them as I'd like an idea on how to get these shots. :)

Thanks.

You could rent a lense for a day or weekend. Also OT should have some horse racing pics. I haven't had a chance to do any yet.

JS

I'm sure no expert in this field but I will say you should have at eh very least a 200mm lense. Here is thread that I posted that are from Keenland race track in Lexington. http://forums.photographyreview.com/showthread.php?t=6315

You could rent a lense for a day or weekend. Also OT should have some horse racing pics. I haven't had a chance to do any yet.

JS

Where can I rent a lens?

I posted a few shots under thread "I'm new..." not from Saratoga (that's next month), but from Belmont and Aqueduct, may be they'll helpful. also put some in the Photo Gallery under sports/action. I also post a lot at http://www.finalturngallery.com/Aqueduct-1%2C-2006 - I've shot from many different places - maybe that will give you some ideas

My advise is get on the fence, get on a bench, or bring something to stand on - pan w/ the field and hope for the best. Best to hold camera instead of using a mono- or tripod, ppl may kich into to those.

Where can I rent a lens?

Big pro shops will rent lenses. I'm not sure where you live, but you'll definitely be able to rent lenses in NYC. Count on at least $100 a day for a big telephoto. Ask about weekend rates. Usually, if you pick them up on Saturday, you'll get Sunday for free. I would look at the Nikkor 70-200 f/2.8 AF-S VR and the 300mm f/2.8 AF-S VR. Which lens will work best depends on where you shoot from. Primes like the 300 limit your shots since you can't zoom. But over 200mm, primes are where it's at. There's a reason pro sports photographers aren't using the cheap 70-300mm zoom lenses. You might also try the 80-400mm VR lens, if you can find a shop that rents it. But its supposed to have slow AF. The other two lenses will be super fast and accurate.

Do you know if RitzCamera rents lenses out? That's the only camera shop around here I know of.

Do you know if RitzCamera rents lenses out? That's the only camera shop around here I know of.

They are online, the website should tell you if and what they rent along with prices for deposit and rental. I know Roberts in Indianapolis rents lenses and camera bodies among other things.

Some places do rent nation wide. A typical deposit is the same as buying the lens, although you get the deposit back when you return the gear.

JS

Do you know if RitzCamera rents lenses out? That's the only camera shop around here I know of.

I would be surprised if the Ritz Camera store rents lenses. The rental market is pretty much all pros and for $1000+ lenses that photographers don't necessarily want to buy, but need to shoot with. You'll need to find a real pro dealer, I think. What's the nearest large city to you? Check the phone book for "camera" or "photography equipment" and see what you can find. Any dealer that does rentals should say so in the phone book.