Panning tips.

[1990hatch]

I've been working on panning a little lately, and sadly I suck ass. I dunno if I need a faster lens or what. The background and everything is blurred nicely, but I'm having trouble focusing on the object. Please help.

[David Seale]

i got you man.

ok... for the problem youre having, try focusing on one spot only.... just focus on one area that you plan on realeasing the shutter, and then set it to MF so that it doesnt try to AF anymore. then, when the car or wahtever passes by, take the pic right at that point... that way, the subject will be crisp.

check out jtuned in the tips forum, theres a thread i started a while back about it.

[_relapsd.]

just focus more.
burst mode ftw.
what cam?

[Todd Spoth]

what cam?


avatar?

[1990hatch]

just focus more.
burst mode ftw.
what cam?
Pentax *ist DL

[1990hatch]

avatar?
No, That's my old Film Rebel.

[_relapsd.]

avatar?
No, That's my old Film Rebel.


BOOYAH

[RealLive]

i use my right eye in the viewfinder and my left eye on the moving subject to help track it better

[mr toolio]

BOOYAH

hahaha, todd pwnt!

[Costas]

Focusing on the car shouldn't be hard, that part gets done pretty quck, I just focus in real quick and then hold down the focus lock button while shooting in burst mode and put my elbows near my waist and twist my body.

[1990hatch]

It focuses fine through the viewfinder, but the pic comes out and the object I'm trying to focus on it half ass focused.

[captobvious]

It focuses fine through the viewfinder, but the pic comes out and the object I'm trying to focus on it half ass focused.

that could be any number of things, first and foremost, increase your shutterspeed, learn and become more consistent at higher shutterspeeds before you start shooting low.

if you mean that the object is only half in focus, that results from the lower shutterspeed because very few things move in a completely straight line

also, i'm not sure if the pentax has any type of continuous focusing on it, that might be the big thing why they dont come out

[ofay]

continuous focusing on it, that might be the big thing why they dont come out
thats what I was thinking, continuous focus and burst mode, shutter priority

[SHANGHAi]

thats what I was thinking, continuous focus and burst mode, shutter priority

that's what i use.

[Slim ThuG]

and it just takes practice

[1990hatch]

I'm using a shutter speed of like 1/10, or "10" as it says on the small screen. Maybe it is too slow.

[Sileighty]

I'm using a shutter speed of like 1/10, or "10" as it says on the small screen. Maybe it is too slow.
it is, start off at 1/80th till you get better. slowest i'd ever use is 1/30th, and 1/60th on average.

-costas

[captobvious]

I'm using a shutter speed of like 1/10, or "10" as it says on the small screen. Maybe it is too slow.
yeah, thats way too slow

[ofay]

I'm using a shutter speed of like 1/10, or "10" as it says on the small screen. Maybe it is too slow.
are you trying to freeze everything? like wheels and all, or do you want the wheels to be moving and the backround to be blured, but the car to be completely in focus?

[Slim ThuG]

yeah, thats way too slow

[1990hatch]

are you trying to freeze everything? like wheels and all, or do you want the wheels to be moving and the backround to be blured, but the car to be completely in focus?
I want the car crisply focused, the background blurred, and the wheels to be moving.
Like this
http://www.hi-upload.com/uploaded1/Cart.jpg

[David Seale]

just gotta play with it. i guess its gonna depend on lighting and speed, but when i was at the grand prix, i was using somehwere between 1/125 - 1/200 or somethin. here are some from the gp... unedited cept for crop

1/125 f/18
http://i4.tinypic.com/2vingnl.jpg

1/125 f/16
http://i2.tinypic.com/2meq1pl.jpg

1/100 f/18
http://i1.tinypic.com/2eqdyts.jpg

1/200 f/16
http://i2.tinypic.com/2i20qig.jpg


a lot of its technique/stance/posture too... i mean, the last one here should be the most crisp right? maybe i was out of focus.... but i dunno, im no pro.

[1990hatch]

Damn! My speed was EXTREMELY too low then. :doh:

[Johnny Thunders]

I shoot automotive at 160 or 125

[NursingStudent2]

I have issues with it too. I took these last year with a point & shoot. I always had to have just the right lighting just to get something visible in the picture though. If it was too bright outside I couldn't slow it down too much or it would white out the whole picture. If it was at night, things would slow down too much & may not get enough light. I have yet to try practicing again though. Maybe with my rebel it'll be easier to control. *shrugs* Plus it's so hard to stay steady and follow the car. My bf usually just drives 360s around me while I try to shoot. People probably think we're so weird and some people thought we were trying to scope out the stores.
http://images18.fotki.com/v346/photos/4/435352/2566502/05_11_11CTRrollingnightshots12-vi.jpg?1157962057
http://images19.fotki.com/v315/photos/4/435352/2566502/05_11_11CTRrollingnightshots23-vi.jpg?1157962059
http://images19.fotki.com/v292/photos/4/435352/2566502/05_11_11CTRrollingnightshots26-vi.jpg?1157962061
http://images18.fotki.com/v348/photos/4/435352/2566502/05_11_11CTRrollingnightshots27-vi.jpg?1157962063

[RealLive]

1/80 works well

[ofay]

1/100 f/18
http://i1.tinypic.com/2eqdyts.jpg

Im showing F16 @1/200 and manual white balance?


and wouldnt a little lower F stop be better to give a shallower depth of field?

[captobvious]

you don't need a shallow DOF because the background is going to be completely blurred anyways from motion. lowering the f/stop would raise the shutter speed to to fast of a speed causing less motion to be captured, losing the picture's effect.

bingo

[ofay]

you don't need a shallow DOF because the background is going to be completely blurred anyways from motion. lowering the f/stop would raise the shutter speed to to fast of a speed causing less motion to be captured, losing the picture's effect.
that what happens when I wake up and post, I dont think things thru

[David Seale]

sean you running this through a exif reader or soemthing? you could be right, i might have mixed up the exif data with the wrong pic.

[1990hatch]

I got outside a minute ago, and went to messing around when I saw an Avalanche coming. I threw it on my settings and put it on 1/90. I was pretty impressed for the first pan on that setting. It's straight out of the camera.
http://www.hi-upload.com/uploaded1/PanZ.jpg

[zerinVR6]

1/125 @ F11

http://www.speedsportlife.com/photopost/data/796/IMG_9969.jpg

But at night you can't help but bump it down to f2.8... this was 1/80 @ f2.8

http://www.speedsportlife.com/photopost/data/1007/IMG_2835.jpg

[Vincent]

Im showing F16 @1/200 and manual white balance?


What do you use to view EXIF data in the browser? The only one I found requires the pic to be saved and opened in the program.

[zerinVR6]

Try OPanda EXIF Viewer.

What do you use to view EXIF data in the browser? The only one I found requires the pic to be saved and opened in the program.

[Costas]

1/125 @ F11

But at night you can't help but bump it down to f2.8... this was 1/80 @ f2.8



Do your lenses happen to have IS? Just wondering if it helps at all in panning or if it makes things worse.

[zerinVR6]

No, and I actually ended up buying the 70-200 non IS lens. I rented the IS version for Petit Le Mans and ended up getting frustrated with it last year. The IS is too slow, and the AF hunts and hunts before finally focusing. I just turned the thing off and used it handheld. I don't shoot in any real low light situations besides that one Houston race to even really need IS. I can handhold fairly well in other conditions.

Do your lenses happen to have IS? Just wondering if it helps at all in panning or if it makes things worse.

[David Seale]

dude that opanda is f'n tight

[ofay]

dude that opanda is f'n tight
thats what I was viewing your stuff with

[RealLive]

imo IS/VR doesn't help much at all for panning..but it does help for big zoom (300mm or more)

[ofay]

imo IS/VR doesn't help much at all for panning..but it does help for big zoom (300mm or more)
VR never works for fast action, its too slow. just like the focus.