Spa Classic 2015 - with mirrorless cameras

[gary396]

The linked article may be of interest to anyone using mirrorless cameras for motorsports, particularly the Fuji X-series cameras. Not saying the results are particularly special or different, just my experience of using these cameras (from Spa spectator areas).

https://garyclarke.exposure.co/spa-without-mirrors

[Starfish Primer]

Thanks for sharing. Currently I´m not interested in changing my equipment, even with a 10 year old DSLR but If I have to start from zero I wouldn´t discard the mirrorless cameras.

[grantp]

An interesting article Gary. How did I miss it back in June?

I have to say I was impressed that you got the AF working with a Polariser fitted.

My experiences with Polarizers have suggested that the light reduction (about 2 stops usually but might be a bit less if not using full polarization) has been enough to make the AF slow enough, especially when tracking, to miss the intended focal point. So one goes for focus on the front of the car but get focus on the back - if lucky.

That's with a Pro spec Canon capable of AF down to f8, nominally.

In the end I decided the potential benefits and "look" were not worth erratic results for the type of image I was trying to achieve.

Given the right situation (right light, right angle to the sun, etc.) I might try it again at some point but using a preset manual point for focus. That said I'm not sure it would be worth the effort for fast moving subjects.

[Starfish Primer]

On panning I use the AF-Center mode and a bit in front of the car.