50 f/1.4 great for Pit / Paddock... walkaround shots on the 5... If you can get a 500 f/4 IS (II weighs less than the I) for the "tight shots" and put that on a 7D (rent?)... and change out the 50 & 70-200 on the 5 with 200mm for track and anything else that looks good between 70 & 200... Have fun...
My first thought when reading the subject line of this thread was: "third!" But then I realized you weren't talking about what gear to drive the course in, but what PHOTO gear to take?
Take this with a grain of salt, because I've never shot a Grand Prix race, but based on the road course races I've shot I'd take something long like a 300/f2.8 or even a 400/f2.8. I'd rather go with glass that was on the long side, rather than have a glass that's too short. Yea, for the pits the short glass will work, but if you don't have long enough glass, you can use your feet to get closer onto the cars as they're racing.
Good luck and be sure to come back and share your images.
I thought the ultra-wide might be cool for pit/paddock, perhaps overall coverage from some vantage point. My 24-70 isn't very wide for that stuff.
I could get a 500 from Canon CPS, I think, but I don't really want to lug around a huge prime on a monopod if I can help it. I want to be faster and mobile (pun).
I've been giving the CPS option some thought, and I think I might RENT my gear. CPS gives you gear for 2 weeks, you pay shipping back. No insurance option available. I found a local shop that will rent gear at a decent rate for 10 days. Includes shipping to/fro and insurance!
I think I might opt to rent for this gig, mostly for the insurance, in case I get hit by a lug nut or something and damage the lens. If I go on vacation to shoot lighthouses or birds or something, maybe go with Canon...as lighthouses are less dangerous.
Thom,
I've shot the DBIGP previously and I use Nikon D3 bodies now, but the 70-200 and my 200-400 f/4 are the tools I would use. The 70-200 is the tool of choice for shooting corners and closer shots, the longer lens (ALWAYS with monopod) for shooting down the straight aways. If you're going to shoot the paddock area use your favorite wide angle lens, you'd be surprised how well 24mm covers that, knowing that you won't be getting really close to the driver, even the 70-200 works well. For the "hot area" in the pits, the 70-200 is good there too.
Take this in the manner that it is intended, but you're nuts!
Hand holding something like that is hard on the shoulders and elbows, not to mention your lower back to stabilize the gear. That and a lot of weight transferred to the lens mount of the camera will cause expensive repairs to that part of your camera body.
Do your body a favor and use the 'pod, and if you want a lot of movement just buy a head mount for it.
