What lens to bring to an f1 race?

Question

I am going to the shanghai gp in october, i have dusted off my canon old eos 30 camera, I currently only have a 28-135 IS USM lens and a 24mm prime. I gave away my 75-300 lens ages ago so i don't have any extreme zoom lens.

What zoom lens do you suggest I rent out for such occasion? I already have an old nikon with a 50mm 1.2 as my secondary and i am not sure of the lenght of zoom lens for my eos.

I will not be on the stands, I will be on the grounds closer to the action, I don't know if anything over 300mm would be easy to work with trying to capture shots of cars going in excess of 200kmh but i do know that 135mm would not give me enough magnifictaion..

Also, should i go for a prime or a zoom? I am not opposed to renting third party brands, if you know of any good quality ones to suggest.

Answer 1

Are you going to be able to move around to different positions on the course during the race? The reason I ask is that if you have the ability to move around and get different vantage points/distances from the track, your options might be a little more flexible.

For image quality, almost nothing can beat a good prime. I photographed a race at Mid-Ohio (LeMans series) using the Canon 200 f/2.8 and 300 f/4, and those two lenses were perfect for what I needed to accomplish. Both are also lightweight enough that it's not too bad to handle during the race.

However, given your position, I might choose a zoom for flexibility. In this range you could go for the 70-300 (either the IS USM or DO IS USM) or even the 100-400 f/4.5-5.6, although that is a push-pull zoom just in case you don't like those kinds of lenses.

I have used rentglass.com (link below) for the past 2 years or so, and have had an excellent experience. I've rented the 400 5.6 from them for about 3 weeks and the 300 f/4 for the race I mentioned earlier. All the lenses arrive packed extra carefully and were clean and free of blemishes. The only downside is getting lenses because they are so in demand. Sign up for e-mail notification so you can find out when a lens is available for renting.

Answer 2

I suggest a 200mm prime lens. That and the 28-135 should give you sufficient coverage.

You apparently have a lot of experience so I'll refrain from boring you with a treatise on panning and/or letting the cars be a blur while the background is stationary. If those concepts are familiar to you just email me and I'll delve deeper into them.

Answer 3

are u going to SHANGHAI? oh, it is nice. i am a Chinese. if u need any information about China , i can help u. have u been to Beijing?
http://jenniferbeijing .blogspot.com/