5D II Auto focus system -Fast action-

[freelanceshots]

This is proof that in the right hands the 5D II auto focus system works wonderfully. I always read people's posts where they bash this camera body because of its slow shutter rate, its inability to track moving objects or its lack of auto focus points but it can take great pictures in all sorts of situations not just the studio. In some of these images these sports cars and motorcycles were traveling in excess of 180 - 230 mph. If you've ever seen a car pass you at 150 to 180 mph while you are standing still then you'd see how difficult it is to track them as they approach and then pass you. They start out the size of a pea at half a mile away and then quickly grow in size as they blur past you.


Yes it would be nice to have a 1D Mark IV in this situation but then that would eat into the money that I make.





Link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/freelanceshots/sets/72157623705938384/





Lenses used EF 70-200mm and 15mm Fish Eye





Event Title: The Texas Mile, High Speed Shoot-out held in Goliad Texas March 25 - 28th

[Alan]

Great pics, and thanks for demonstrating the 5D Mk2's ability!

[Dallasphotog]

I talk a lot on the forum about critics who know all the flaws of cameras and lens they don't own and have never used.


I've been using the 5DMKII a lot for sports photography becuase it out performs my 1D MKII at higher ISO. I think the autofocus works fine for me. Maybe I'm not very demanding and maybe the camera just works really well through the EF 300 f/2.8 and the EF 400 f/2.8 that Iuse for sports.


I'm certainly agree with you. I think the 5D MKII can be a good body for sports.This is especially true if you're like me andmake your money through portraits and weddings.

[Keith B]

It is a situational thing. I've used a 7D and 5DmkII at indoor high school basketball games. If you are trying to capture an important shot under those conditions, 5D is not the camera you want. Shutter lag and frame rate will really bite you. 5dII's Servo doesn't track ball players charging down the court toward you very well either.


Kudos to freelance. I think your shots are great and I believe it was the know how that helped get those. Also the good light and the left to right tracking helped too. But I'd like to here you opinion if you shot the indoor basketball games with players charging at you. The 5DII will work but you'll have way more misses than with the 7D.

[freelanceshots]

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"]You would be right where the 5D II
would be at a disadvantage. In basketball you really need a camera
body that can squeeze out at least 6 frames per a second where you
can then pick that one image that captures the best moment. The
bright light at the track was a big help where in my situation I did
not need a super fast frame rate. There was no one milisecond in time
that I had to capture so that gave me more freedom. The one big
benefit that I did gain buy using the 5DII was that I was stuck with the
70-200mm lens where I needed more reach to get in tighter but the 21
mega pixel sensor allowed me the ability to crop heavily into my
images and not lose quality. Also images can get grainy when you crop
in even at ISO 100 so the 5D2 helped in this area as well. I had my
40D camera body with me but it just does not match the image quality
so I switched back to the 5D2. I've had the opportunity to shoot
hundreds of high school and college basketball for the newspaper job
that I used to have so I do know what your talking about. As far as
shooting sports under dim lighting with the 5D2 I don't have a lot
experience since I had already left the newspaper when I got this 5D.
I can say that I know a guy that I used to run into out on the job
where he used his 5D1 for the past three years to shoot everything
sports related even at night/crappy light and he cranked out magazine quality
stuff all the time. He primarily used his EF 300 2.8 lens but
I don't think that was the contributing success factor. When the right job comes my way where I have to have the camera body that fits the special niche I will add a 7D or if time permits its predecessor. With the way cameras are being updated I don't think I will ever drop the money for a 1D series body even though I'd see the benefits.

[crosbyharbison]

In basketball you really need a camera
body that can squeeze out at least 6 frames per a second

I don't know about you but when I'm shooting basketball I'm using off-camera flash and my strobes definitelycan't recharge for 6 shots every second even at quarter power. I learn the shutter delay of my camera and precisely time my shots. Shutter rate has no advantage here.


I've found the 5d II's auto focus to function fine for my needs but of course theres always room for improvement. I'm sure the 7D and the 1D IV produce more in focus shots but the image quality and resolution of the 5D (when shots are in focus) are superior in my opinion. While it would be nice I don't need 500 sharp shots :P I get my keepers and I'm golden, but for others that need to deliver hundreds of shots and not just a handful I can see why they'd want adifferentcamera.


Sports is just one subject of many that I shoot (I'm working more in the studio now-a-days) but the 5D has really shown itsversatility in the year or so that I've owned it.

[varok]

The 5D II is more than capable of shooting fast action sports. Here's an example of super bikes shot last year with a 70-200 2.8 and these guys were doing more than 170MPH.

[Sheiky]

Amazing photos freelance, love those! I'm gonna shoot some carbashing and motorcrossevent this easternweekend with my 5D, so I think you can expect some "sporty" shots from me these days [] I'm not afraid the AF will let me down that's for sure!

The 5D II is more than capable of shooting fast action sports. Here's an example of super bikes shot last year with a 70-200 2.8 and these guys were doing more than 170MPH.

Guys think outside this box. Perhaps they travel with such speeds, but it is in line with you, I mean the distance doesn't really change. I believe the 5D will be great and do just fine for these shots, but think of this:


100m sprint of athletics and you stand in line with the athlete just about 15m from the finish and the athlete sprints straight into you. Would the 5D's autofocus keep up with that? Predictive focus is what I mean.


The shots that are posted here are pretty awesome, but I don't think it is right to say it is prove that the AF is about as good as the "sport"camera's.To be honest, panningshots of very fast moving things can also be done with an old 300D or 1000D or whatever camera. They might go very fast, but the once the AF locks changes are minimum. Also the subject/camera distance is probably quite big in these shots, so the angle and speed the camera has to compensate for isn&acute;t that big. I did a few panning shots myself and often I even used MF for these shots.


Tell me what you think.


Jan

[Sheiky]

By the way freelance, did you use IS mode 2 and centerpoint focus for these actionshots?


Oh and perhaps you could post a few in this thread: Post your best motor-sports photos


Just to get some life in that thread again, would be awesome! [A]

[Keith B]

I learn the shutter delay of my camera and precisely time my shots. Shutter rate has no advantage here.

This is where the 5D2 bites me in the rear. I think it has to going back and forth from 7D to 5D. The lag on the 7D is almost nothing and them I switch cameras and with the 5D my timing is thrown off.


I never said the 5D2 couldn't do the job, but there are definitely better tools for the job. So far the 7D is giving all that I desire from a sports camera, but the 5D will always be right by my side with a wide(er) angle on it.