Car show lens

krice300 · Feb 2, 2013

Does anyone have any experience at shooting car shows? I am going to my first indoor car show since getting my D7000 and I am wondering what type of lens would be the best to use in this situation. The lighting is very good in most cases here (Chicago).

Thanks

molested_cow · Feb 2, 2013

Ultra wide angle lens. If the car show is packed with people, you can't take a photo from a distance. Get all the way to the front and use the super wide. I used a 20mm on full frame and that's about where you need. I guess for D7000, something like the Tokina 11-16 will be good.

SCraig · Feb 2, 2013

I usually use a Sigma 17-7mm f/2.8 for car shows and it works very well.

Take a speedlight as well. The ambient lighting may be good but engines under hoods still need some help.

molested_cow · Feb 2, 2013

Also you need to watch your shutter speed because a lot of cars will be on turn tables, making it almost impossible to capture sharp still shots.

Aloicious · Feb 2, 2013

ambient light for indoor shows is poor more often than not. but it depends on the venue. I use my 24-70 2.8 pretty much exclusively for shows on a FX body. something like a 17-35 would be the range you'd be in most on a DX body, but a little more in either direction wouldn't hurt, or you could go ultra wide like the 11-16 if that's what you're going for (and have access to get close enough to the cars you want to shoot, which isn't always the case). you'll want speed though, 2.8 if you can get it, or opt for a faster prime or something (although you may not have much room to move around, again depending on the venue and crowds), from my experience, shows are poorly lit for photography, so a fast lens will help for handholding. a speedlight is definitely also something you'll want to take.

outdoor shows in the day are usually sunlit well, but a speedlight for a fill flash is still something you'll want there too, interiors and engine bays will be heavily shadowed.

Denon · Feb 2, 2013

I usually have My sigma 24-70 2.8 and it works fine.

One other thing you should get is a CPL-filter with the lens. Because cars at car shows tend to be well polished and shine(?) à lot and reflect the light.