settings suggestions please :)

[ssil2000]

hi guys,
on sunday i will be taking some pictures at the state titles race meet in my area (motorcycles) and really want to get some good shots of my friend racing. the weather should be improving by then, hopefully sunshine in the afternoon... as for the lens i think i will use the 55-200 VR (unless i would be better off using one of the other ones) and as for the settings, should i shoot is S mode or M? if in M is there a "start from" point i should work from? or just trial and error it till it looks good... the only small issue is ideally i would get photos in the first practice session incase he totals the bike (i hope not)

any help would be appreciated :)

Sergio

[r3g]

Doesnt really matter weather you use S or M. If it will be during sun down or night time then Id use M to make sure the aperture is as wide open as possible at all times. If it will be pure day light then Shutter Priority is do just fine. As far as settings because I dont have any kinda of meters to read lighting I always fire off a couple of shots pre race and adjust until Ive got exposure right.

Make sure you try and match the brightness of your LCD to the exposure the picture shows on your computer/laptop. When I first got my camera I made the mistake of turning the brightness on my LCD up to see the pictures better but that makes pictures look better exposed then they actually are and you wont know it till you get them home and go "well the looked way better on the camera". lol

[tcadwall]

r3g,
Really, most people will set the lcd to show them a viewable pic in the current lighting. If you are in the dark, you can lower the brightness, and outside in the sun, boost it. The important thing to check for exposure is the histogram. It tells the truth regardless of the lcd brightness.

sergio,
Experiment with every bike that goes by. If you don't have a lot of experience in M mode, then start by using A (low light) or S (need to get faster shutter) to get into the ballpark (look at the settings the camera chose). But then switch to M to get everything the way you want. Remember there is more to this than stopping the action, or even getting the proper exposure. There is a lot you can do for instance, drop your shutterspeed a tad, and practice panning (monopod might be nece here). You can get a gorgeous in focus bike and a the speed-blurred background.

Also, depending on lighting, don't be afraid to boost the ISO a bit to get the right combinations that you need. A little bit of noise for the sake of getting the right exposure on the shot isn't the worst thing that can happen.

[ssil2000]

thanks guys,
tcadwall, thats good advice, with the histogram you want to see the bulk of the action on the right side, is that correct? thats a good idea, use S or A and then use those settings in M and tweak accordingly... i really hope the sun will be out as it will more then likely make life a bit easier, i really want to nail a good photo or two... not only for him, but for me :) hopefully i have something to post in the picture of the day forum sunday night! :)

do you agree that the 55-200VR is the lense to use in this circimstance?

thanks again tcadwall and r3g for your help!

Sergio