Camera Labs

I'm not so much into sports photography, but on occasion I stumble across something where things happen fast, and you really have to act accordingly. My recommendations:
1. If you use a compact, have it always on. Because the delay most normal compacts have from switching them on to them beeing ready may prove too long for that opportunity
2. If you use a DSLR, take a super-zoom, like the Nikon 18-200mm. You will seldom have the time to swap lenses, once the action commences!
3. Use continuous shutter to just press the trigger and happily shoot away! With action, it's almost impossible to hit the right time with a single shot
4. Open the aperture and use the shortest available shutter speed. That may sound like a no-brainer, but some people do believe that image stabilization like Canons IM or Nikons VR can help you make sharp shots of moving object. They don't! In some cases the fully automatic mode may be ok for action, like with the Nikon D80 I own, because this automatic has a high priority on short shutter speeds over smaller apertures.

As an example of what I mean, view this sequence of wet action at Wellington:

Wet Action

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Thomas (beware: Nikon-fanboy and moderator!) My Lens Reviews, My Pictures, My Photography Blog
D800+assorted lenses

Here is another example of the power of shooting sequences:
Miss Wet Trousers from the famous Moeraki Boulders Beach in New Zealand.
Have fun watching this set of photos as a slideshow.
Here every single photo counts. It's not (primarily) about picking the best shot of a series but showing the movement or telling a story.

This specific series was not realy "high speed" serial shooting but could have been done with most cameras. But as I was shooting RAW+jpeg, the memory card had to swallow some serious MBytes. I found out that class 2 SD(HC) cards (2MB/sec writing) in my Nikon D80 is fast enough for this kind of shots, but if you really hold the trigger down to give 3 pics per second, you need class 6 SD(HC) cards (6MB/sec writing). Otherwise the D80 pauses after 3-4 pics and your fast action series gets seriously (geddit?) interrupted

P.S.: More about the world famous Moeraki Boulders can be seen here

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Thomas (beware: Nikon-fanboy and moderator!) My Lens Reviews, My Pictures, My Photography Blog
D800+assorted lenses

tombomba2

You mentioned only 18-200 f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED for fast action.

For Motorsport photography

Can Nikon lens make the cut ?

55-200mm f/4-5.6G IF-ED

I just got my DSLR D40X, but have not added any lens except for the kit lens 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED II

Appreciate any views or comments

David

Hi David, and welcome to the CameraLabs forum!

I just wanted to make the point that a super-zoom is sort of a universal weapon when you can get close to the action (like biking). If you are quite a distance from the event you don't need the range from 18-55mm and don't have to swap lenses at the event.

So yes there are other tele-zooms that are quite able to catch the action! Like the Nikon 55-200mm. But do yourself a favor and buy the newer version with VR (image stabilization) if budget permits. You'll have a lot of fun with this lens when you need slower shutter speeds

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Thomas (beware: Nikon-fanboy and moderator!) My Lens Reviews, My Pictures, My Photography Blog
D800+assorted lenses

Thanks for the advice.
The 55-200mm VR is on my to-buy lenses.
However, its on back-order and have not had the chance to test it out.

Either that or the 18-200mm VR, which offers bigger f/3.5 , but costs 4 times the 55-200mm VR.

What about filters ? Do you need one for this ? Heard with a polarised filter, it would be great for landscape photography but not sure about fast action.

As to the 18-200mm VR Nikkor it's available at most shops now and it's around 650EUR vs. the 55-200mm VR Nikkor that is between 270-300EUR. So the price difference is not as great as you mentioned The benefit: You don't have to change lenses (with risk of dust) and thus don't lose valuable time when the action is is full swing around you!

With regard to filters, I use the Hoya UV permanently - after having a long time refused to do so. But dirt/rain on the front lens was becoming a permant issue so I became a convert.

I have a pol-filter (circular!) too, but use it in 5 out of 5000 cases. Although it is a only filter in the world that cannot be simulated through software/postprocessing I'm not really the type to use/adjust it.

Have you been using a pol-filter before?

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Thomas (beware: Nikon-fanboy and moderator!) My Lens Reviews, My Pictures, My Photography Blog
D800+assorted lenses

Thanks for your views.

No, I have not used the pol-filter but was recommend by the sales person.
So I was just wondering whether I actually need one or not.
Looks likely not.!

As for the cost between the 18-200 VR and 55-200 VR, sorry - its 3 times the difference here in the Asia-Pacific end.
Apparently my brain is not working like it used to !

Interesting! What are the best street prices at the "Asia-Pacific end" at a reputable dealer for those lenses?

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Thomas (beware: Nikon-fanboy and moderator!) My Lens Reviews, My Pictures, My Photography Blog
D800+assorted lenses

Some rough conversion - by calculator this time !
55-200mm VR is about USD220-230
18-200mm VR is about USD720-730

David