Digital photography

I have a crumpler banana hammock which I quite like.

http://www.crumpler.eu/index.cfm?seite=showproduct&productID=6834&sprache=EN&confirmCountry=1

That's basically like saying "coitus interruptus is a reliable way of contraception".

Ha!

Can't hurt to have a fancy padded insert, but it's not needed... even on lower end cameras. Unless of course you handle your bag like a airport baggage carrier.

Just something to keep most of the dust away really.

Just had a look through crumplers bags, this one seems allright for chucking in a bigger bag

http://www.crumpler.eu/index.cfm?seite=photo-sleeves&productID=7862&sprache=EN

Think I'll stick to do my own though, if nothing else so for the joy of making it

might sound like a stupid question, but what's the least you can spend on a set up to get shots like this:

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KrQhujKWpg0/TjGow5q1FlI/AAAAAAAAN_U/5OjIeoKsQMY/s320/downhill%2Bmountain%2Bbiking%2Bwallpapers-2.jpg

basically I'm using a canon 500d with a 75-300mm cheapo lens and I want to know if getting a perfectly sharp image of a subject moving this fast is down to skill and a bit of luck, or if I had a 4 grand set up would it be easy to get a clear image with nice bokeh etc.

also, anyone got any advice about the standard settings for this sort of shot, assuming there's enough natural light to not need a flash. ISO, shutter speed etc.?

For a start, your 500D is fine, as long as you can live with the frame rate.
The lens will probably cause some problems as it's very slow focusing so I'd prefer something like a 70-200 f4 IS. It's relatively affordable and is THE sharpest zoom canon make. Sharper than a lot of primes even and it focuses nice and fast.

The only cross-type focusing point is the centre one so just track carefully using that.
The basic AF is going to make you work pretty hard though but it should be fine. Having something like a 1D just guarantees more in-focus shots.

Use continuous firing mode with ai-servo which tracks moving subjects. There's a custom setting for adjusting the shutter and focus bias which some people play around with but just leave it and see what your keeper rate is like.

Maybe keep the camera in shutter priority mode too and set it something that freezes action.

Tl;dr - its all about the lens and ai-servo mode.

ok I'll try and work my way through all that jargon and see what results I can get haha

would fixing the focus on a point point, for example the jump that guys ^^ on make the difference or is my current lens just not up to the job?

meant to say 550d, don't suppose that makes a difference

setting up manual focus where you know the rider will be could work, and make sure you have enough depth of field to get a few sharp ones on auto fire

i've always had in my head that taking one more accurate shot would be better rather than having it on continuous. If I was at about 200mm with shutter priority (set at around 1/1000th) the lens is going to stick the lowest possible aperture on though, would f5 give me enough depth of field? just thinking aloud, practice is going to make perfect i think!

The 550D has all cross type focus points but the centre one is the most sensitive. Your main issue will be with the lens and the buffer filling up.

Manually focusing on a single point and waiting for the subject to hit it can work but ai-servo mode will track the subject continuously while you're holding down the shutter and it works fantastically well with fast zooms. That shot you posted was almost certainly tracked in ai-servo or the Nikon equivalent.

I just don't think your current lens focuses fast enough for tracking something coming at you at 30 mph.

Yeah that's what I thought my problem would be... Can't justify spending that much on a new lens really though, I need to save money for uni not spend more! Got new wheels and forks on the way for my mtb too...

Well there's no point in not trying with your current lens, it might just work!

If you are in a situation like a race where you will have people coming down constantly and you can pick your spot then the focus trap technique (focusing on the point then waiting) can work quite well as you have loads of chances to tune it in properly. Also the faster the shutter the better

You can calculate the depth of field using this :-
http://www.dofmaster.com/dofjs.html

At 200mm you have a tiny depth of field to play with wide open, you have a better chance of cropping a wider fast prime lens but a 50mm will need good light to freeze the action, and the depth of field is shallow at 1.4.

Don't forget a higher ISO can help.

might sound like a stupid question, but what's the least you can spend on a set up to get shots like this:

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KrQhujKWpg0/TjGow5q1FlI/AAAAAAAAN_U/5OjIeoKsQMY/s320/downhill%2Bmountain%2Bbiking%2Bwallpapers-2.jpg

if I had a 4 grand set up would it be easy to get a clear image with nice bokeh etc.

Yes, because you need a fast lens. Possibly a zoom and they contain a huge amount of expensive glass. Like the big ones you see sports photogs with.

also, anyone got any advice about the standard settings for this sort of shot, assuming there's enough natural light to not need a flash. ISO, shutter speed etc.?

In bright light like that photo you could shoot 1/1000 at f5 iso160, but your zoom length will cut down the depth of field and base aperture. You should 'zone focus' as others have said. Manually focussing at the point you want to take the photograph and wait for the rider to reach that point then shoot 5 or 6 frames as fast as possible. If your body has aperture preview you can check the zone of focus on the ground or nearby post etc.

If it were me I'd try with a fast 135 prime on a full frame body, probably get 1 in 100 decent photos though! As money's an issue try an f2 50mm manual focus and crop them or get closer to the subject if possible.

I've got the cheap 50mm f1.8 canon lens, and a stock 18-55mm the camera came with. Not sure if that's what you mean though. I've mainly been doing street photography and the odd landscape but thought it would be fun to give this sort of thing a try.

Thanks for the advice, didn't think I'd get this much of a response to be honest!

Would it be an idea to underexpose the shots a bit so I can shoot a bit faster and then bring it back in Lightroom?

At 200mm you have a tiny depth of field to play with even especially wide open

..fixed.

...made it not make sense.

...fixed.

Wide aperture = narrow DoF
Tiny aperture = deeper DoF

Tina Kino post made sense to me

Would it be an idea to underexpose the shots a bit so I can shoot a bit faster and then bring it back in Lightroom?

Probably not but -1/3 EV usually produces more natural exposures on the rebel bodies due to quirky metering. Its better to have it a bit over than under though, as you'll introduce noise when you start lifting shadows.
Doing the opposite actually reduces noise.

...fixed.

Hey you rascal, how about you get a basic grip on how cameras work?

Play around with this: http://camerasim.com/camera-simulator/
and read up on topics like 'focal length', 'depth of field' etc. -
before you continue to ask for help and then make smart-arsed comments mkay?

Probably not but -1/3 EV usually produces more natural exposures on the rebel bodies due to quirky metering. Its better to have it a bit over than under though, as you'll introduce noise when you start lifting shadows.
Doing the opposite actually reduces noise.

Of course Well it is has pointed out the problem with dynamic range and shadows, you will likely clip the shadows underexposing so when you raise the exposure in lightroom they will still be black.

It still works very well as a technique because Lightroom has superb noise reduction algorithms. You can go up to three stops underexposed which makes a huge difference shooting at night. The other problem with exposure metering at night is the camera trying to make the picture a certain brightness when you are trying to capture the night time feeling.

It's very useful for high contrast black and white applications.

Hey you rascal, how about you get a basic grip on how cameras work?

Play around with this: http://camerasim.com/camera-simulator/
and read up on topics like 'focal length', 'depth of field' etc. -
before you continue to ask for help and then make smart-arsed comments mkay?

calm down matey I'm only little

There are a few seemingly counterproductive exposure techniques that are specific to digital. The more I understand digital the more I realise how different it is to film.

I found this very interesting: 'Expose to the right' on Luminous Landscape. You do need to check the histogram for this techinique, which makes it tricky/risky on DSLRs in variable light but very easy to do on Fuji X cameras with a histogram in the viewfinder.

ETTR has its problems too. Saturation of the sensor can result in unrecoverable highlights. Shadow detail is also not recorded. There is a built in 1/2 stop of headroom in most camera metering systems.

Bracketing several exposure values can help, then you're only one step from HDR.