Panning : first tests

[virginie24jb]

Hi,


I tried the panning technique for the first time this afternoon with my Canon 70-300.
I used Tv mode starting at 1/250 and then slowed it down a little. In the end I see that my best results are all with a SS of 1/100. Also, I noticed that taking one shot worked better than in burst mode. What's your technique (one shot or burst)? What do you think, any advice?

 

[Derrel]

One, single frame, fired at JUST the right moment is a classic way to pan. It's easy to concentrate, frame, and swing along, and then fire just the ONE shot. SO, yes, I would say for the beginning shooter, the ideal procedure is something like this: concentrating on getting the right subject placement within the frame (allowing a bit more space in FRONT OF the front bumper than behind the rear bumper is usually best), and keeping the camera "swinging along" at the exact rate of speed of the subject as the shot is framed AND AS THE SHOT IS TRIPPED!!!! This last aspect, keeping the camera swinging along with and perfectly tracking with the subject really,really comes into play when the speeds are slowish, like say when panning at 1/20 second and down to as slow as 1/3 second.

Panning at 1/100 second can be a great speed, as your examples show, but there are subjects (walkers, runners, bicyclists, dogs, and so on) that need a much slooooooower shutter speed to convey the desired feeling. Slow-slow-slow pseed panning, like say of runners at 1/2 or 1/3 second produces a very "watercolorish" or "blurry and ethereal" look. The same runner, photographed with a panning movement at 1/8 to 1/20 second will look entirely more "representational", more "realistic", yet still have blurred arms and legs; the same runner, shot at 1/100 second will look again, different.

When you pan at slowish speeds, it CAN or MAY BE helpful to actually sight over the pentaprism and swing along that way, trusting the AF to nail focus, while you use your eye and brain to "sight in" the subject looking literally, over the top of the pentaprism. I'm NOT kidding at all; with an SLR,when the mirror goes up on a slow speed panning shot, the tendency is for the shooter to slow down the swinging along motion, or even worse, to stop swinging, and that results usually look poor. Panning is a really,really good way to convey motion, and it is one of the very FEW scenarios in which I will often rely on Shutter speed priority automatic...I almost NEVER use shutter priortity auto, except when I am panning, and when the exact SPEED is the single most-critical exposure variable.

When cars and motorcycles are panned at slow speeds like 1/8 to 1/40 second, the results can look fabulous. Again, it also depends on a number of factors, such as magnification, distance, and angle of subject travel in relation to the lens axis. The d-slr is the IDEAL TOOL to experiment with to achieve that just-right panning shot.

 

[virginie24jb]

Thank you for your explanations. :thumbup:
I'm testing the panning before attending the WEC race in Spa, Belgium this weekend. I wish I had had time to practice this earlier. Any advice about the shutter speed for those sport cars that will go up to 300 km/h?
I think I'll start at 1/250 and then slowed it down a little just like I did when testing. The race is 6-hour long so I'll have some time to practice... Hopefully there will be at least one good shot.

 

[Derrel]

Speed depends on how close the car is to you, and how large the car is in the picture, and to an extent, the angle of the car. A car moving straight across the frame needs a bit higher speed than one that is approaching or leaving at an angle. 1/250 sounds like a good place to start, yes, but do experiment; slower speeds can add more blurring effect, which can look very beautiful. Using a lens with VR or IS (image stabilization) can help eliminate up-and-down accidental movement, while keeping the camera steady with lateral movement as the camera swings along, tracking the car.

I like to see some "spin" or "blur" on the wheels. If the race goes into the evening hours, be prepared to elevate the ISO to 400,500,640,800, or as high as 1600, and maybe shoot slooooow speed panning shots, such as say 1/20 second at wider f/stops like f/4 or f/4.5.

 

[lambertpix]

I believe that lens has a "mode" switch for IS (newer versions of IS figure this out on their own), so if you know you're going to be panning, be sure to get it set in the right mode. In my experience, it makes a difference. Most of my shots in this thread were done with that lens using panning mode:

http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/...lery/344457-motorsport-panning-ss-motion.html

 

[virginie24jb]

Speed depends on how close the car is to you, and how large the car is in the picture, and to an extent, the angle of the car.

I looked at the photos from last year which were shot with a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ8. The focal lengths vary between 20mm and 72mm for most of them. But I don't know if those are correct or what the equivalence is with a DSLR.

 

[virginie24jb]

I believe that lens has a "mode" switch for IS (newer versions of IS figure this out on their own), so if you know you're going to be panning, be sure to get it set in the right mode.

That's right. I switched it mode 2 before doing these tests.