panning canon 400D motorbikes showjumping

[professorp]

okay there has been a lot said about panning, shooting at night without a flash, fast moving subjects, bla bla bla...so I thought I would jump in and put in my two tupins...

I shoot with a canon 400D because it is what I have and I like it, it is light, easy to carry around and in my opinion takes good quality pictures...not every one can afford to splash out thousands of pounds for equipment, so this is for all of you fellow photographers like myself, I share with you some shots and ask for your advice, suggestions and opinions...

I have three lenses, 70-300 usm, 17-85 usm and a 60 mm macro...Most of the time I shoot indoors and at night without a flash in raw with a Sandisk typeIV 40mb 8gb card...I have shot using a variety of settings and both tele lenses...

now here is the rub and my question...I have been told I will never get rid of all the noise with the 400D body, can live with that, but I can get a more crisp focus on my subject if I go to a fixed lens like an 85mm f1.8 or 100mm f1.2, move in, manual focus, follow my subject and let caution to the wind...

if anyone out there is using a 400D or RebelXT as they call it in the states, with a fixed lens would you share photos and thoughts...

[SmartWombat]

I splashed out on lenses at the start, knowing my main interest was sports.
I saved up enough for a 70-200 L IS f/2.8 and it's excellent.
But even a lens like that isn't magic.
It's only 2 or 3 stops better than the lenses you have.

Have you tried Noise Ninja ?
It, too, isn't magic. The cost of removing noise is a loss of sharpness.
I know you said you can live with noise, but it may make it better.

There's no such thing as a free lunch, the cost of the pro bodies is high and even then they aren't totally free of noise.


You're probably already using the centre focus point, which is the most sensitive.
Biggest thing I notice going to my 20D backup camera is the speed of focussing, particularly in the corner focus points.

So apart from using the centre point, there's not much you can do on the auto-focussing.
When I was shooting F1 testing and my 1D body wasn't focussing properly I had to go back to the 20D. I was pleasantly surprised how many were in focus.
But for the fast moving shots I had to pick a point, manual focus, and shoot when the car arrived - even with a 70-200 L IS lens.

Again, "L" lenses are not magic and for some subjects you have to use technique instead of AF


I would not want to give up the flexibility of the 70-200 and the f/4 non-IS version is much cheaper. If you can find one used that may be the best bet.

BTW I notice on the car, looks like you were panning a little too fast and down a bit.

[professorp]

thanks for your thoughts and advice...i am learning that technique is as you say very important...i have noticed that i need to match my panning speed with the speed of the moving object as well as the shutter speed...i do set to manual focus but leave the i.s. on with the 70-300 as well as the 17-85...i enjoy a challenge, and just going to a set mode or auto is to vanilla for me...will be out this weekend to shoot another show, sat and sun so will have plenty opportunity to get a few right...

[SmartWombat]

If you're panning, put the IS on mode 2.
That stops the IS jerking left/right as you pan.
Makes getting it sharp your job
But prevents the up/down vibration making it easier to get a sharp pan.

[brmill26]

I shoot with the 400D (Rebel XTi here in the States). The noise isn't that big a deal for me, up to ISO400. I just printed a 16x20 photo taken at ISO400 and it looks beautiful. But yes, when you hit ISO800 or, worse, ISO1600, the results aren't great. That said, I've printed ISO1600 at 8x10 and you honestly couldn't tell a bit. You have to remember that what you see on the computer screen is much harsher than what you see in a print.

As Paul said, in sports, the lenses make all the difference in the world. Canon's L lenses have high speed USM focus that can keep up with fast moving objects much better than even the best "consumer lens." I have the 70-200 F/4L and I can tell you it's fantastic. I picked mine up on eBay for $500. Absolutely worth every penny.

Panning simply takes practice. Whether it's cars, bikes, planes, or horses, the more you do it, the better you'll be.

[professorp]

thanks Brad and PAul for you thoughts and advice...everything you both have said is true...moving on to the workflow...I have looked at NN but it will not work with LR or raw files...Picturecode recommends you work with noise reduction first but you can't unless you convert your files...I think I am not alone when I say I want to do it 'all in one' ... so now I am looking at Bibble...please post your comments if you work with Bibble...it would be great to get from camera to print within one programme and save PS for art and graphics...don't get me wrong, I love what NN does with low light iso 1600 shots, I only wish it would do it with raw or dng files...I have taken this to Picturecode, we shall see what they have to say...

[SmartWombat]

I find the noise reduction in Lightroom is gentle, not as aggressive as Noise Ninja, but not as good either. Haven;t tried Bibble at all.

[brmill26]

I simply use the Digital Photo Professional that Canon provided w/ the camera. Nothing fancy for sure, but very effective at producing top notch photos. The high level noise reduction does a good enough job for me.