Toronto Photography Meetup Group

I know there are a handful of folks here who regularly shoot automotive racing and in particular bike racing. I'll be going to Moto GP at Indianapolis this year and thought this might be a good opportunity to take some shots while taking in the practices and races.

Having never been at a track with my camera, I have absolutely no sense in how much reach I'd need to shoot anything. Would a 70-200 be sufficient, would I need more reach?

lol depends where you're sitting.

Yup, access makes all the difference. You might want a 1.4 or 2.0 teleconverter along so that you can extend your reach. I routinely shoot with an equivalent 100-400mm focal length at Shannonville, or 100-1000mm at Mosport.

I have been to Indianapolis for a few F1 races and photo ops were amazing. Not sure what Moto GP will be like because F1 was not so popular and close access was possible. I used a 70-200 with a 1.4x extender on my 20d and got some awesome photos on from what was turn 10 for f1 but is now turn 7 for the moto gp. Another year I went I used a a 100-400 on what is turn 11 with great results. Your best bet is to go on the fred Miranda site and cruise the sports forum and post a thread asking what are the best spots to shoot from at Indy for moto gp and with what lens. Have fun..... I am hoping F1 will return to Indy someday. It was a great place to watch f1. No huge crowds.

What's so funny about what was asked???

nothing. LOL. =_="

Also, you can look at photos on flickr and see what others have done. Some photos have properties and you can see what focal length was used and if not you can e mail the person who posted the photo to ask what corner and what lens.

Thanks for the responses, I hadn't even thought about an extender. With regards to where we'll be sitting... we're currently deciding between the following (http://www.redbullindianapolisgp.com/im ... ackmap.pdf):
1) Section J (turns 14-15-16)
2) S. Vista (leading into T5)

The latter choice definitely seems to be closer to the track, however, I believe it's also higher up.

no problem................but corner 7 terrace would be a better choice to view them.........you would see them in the s turns as they come and see them exit the corner.....and its great for photo ops as there are a few holes cut in the fence that spectators can use.

Just in case anyone is interested in how this is turning out. I've now got a rental reservation for a Canon 100-400mm L for the gp weekend. I figure this will allow me to keep things simple and not worry about swapping extenders, etc.

For normal walkaround type stuff I'll have my Sigma 24-70 with me as well. In 2 weeks I'll be watching practices!

Make sure you familiarize yourself with the IS modes as there are two of them on that lens and depending how you're shooting using the right modes can make a big difference.

Also, take time to learn how the push-pull zoom and tightening ring work. Once you're confortable with them, you can do a lot of fun things with that lens.

Enjoy!