I was there earlier this year for the 24 Hour Grand Am race, had a blast.

I'll be going there again in January and am trying to decide between a 300 2.8 and 400 2.8.

I was using a 5D2, 1.4x, and 70-200 2.8 and occaisonally using a friend's 300 2.8. I absolutely loved using the 300, my favorite photos from the weekend were taken with it.

But now I want to have my own, and I don't think I'll need IS since I'll either be on a monopod or doing panning shots anyway, BUT, there were occaisons where I wish I had had a little more reach.

And before you say something about the 400 2.8's weight, I'm a fairly big guy, I don't believe I'd have a problem with throwing it over my shoulder on the monopod and walking to a few spots. I'll be using either a 1d2n or a 1d3.

Has anyone shot there before that might be able to give me some advice on which would be the better focal length?

Will you be renting the 300 or 400 - or buying?

If buying, I would think that more situations comes to mind in making your decision than just one weekend.

You can look at it a few ways:

70-200/2.8:
- lightest
- cheapest (already have)
- variable zoom
- with 1.5x gets you 280/4
- with 2x gets you 400/5.6

But I assume you like the IQ, DOF and/or lower light capabilities of prime

300/2.8 is:
- lighter (than 400)
- cheaper (than 400)
- some would say faster focusing - but either one is fast enough
- with 1.4x, gets you 420/4
- with 2x, gets you 600/5.6
- will never shoot at 200

400/2.8:
- more expensive
- heavier
- will never be a 300 or 200
- shoots tighter... all the time
- another full stop (or 2) at 400
- 560/4 with 1.4
- 800/5.6 with 2x

For me, it was easy to get the 400. I already had a 200/1.8 that makes an easy 280/2.5. The 400 was a decent jump up to then put 1.4 and 2x on for more reach.

So it depends on your shooting style. I like the 400 as my main lens to assure getting tight and then a second body with 70-200 for the closer stuff.

At Daytona, you certainly have plenty of time to get to different places. So you could go either way on more reach, or more time to get someplace. Generally, a longer lens lets you do less walking, but if you're around the chicanes or there are things in your way, you'll have to be closer anyway.
Personally, I'd go for the 400 as it would be farther away from the 200 you already have, keep things tight and more useful for additional shoots (if buying)

Thanks hammy for that great reply. You raise a good point about being able to use the 70-200 and then jump to the 400 if I need it for those areas where the cars are further away. And being able to use two 1.4x's stacked to get to 800mm would be amazingly wonderfully handy as I'm getting them crossing the start/finish line at the beginning and end of the race.



Oh and I should add that I'd be buying the lens. I shoot enough races now where I'm tired of wasting money on renting them.

Check our Mark Rebilas' blog, specifically the category for shooting at Daytona. Along with his shots he posts lens and body info so you'll get a feel for what you can get with various setups.

http://markjrebilas.com/blog/

Dumb question: Do you need a press pass to go around or are you able to get close enough without one?

Ariel Bravy wrote:
Check our Mark Rebilas' blog, specifically the category for shooting at Daytona. Along with his shots he posts lens and body info so you'll get a feel for what you can get with various setups.

http://markjrebilas.com/blog/


Thanks a lot! Great info there.

voltaire wrote:
Dumb question: Do you need a press pass to go around or are you able to get close enough without one?


We grab a foldable small ladder from the Home Depot a mile away from the track to get up over the chain link fence. The fence is just about 6' high most of the way around the infield portion of the track, and a lot of people get a small ladder or something just to get the lens barrel up over the top, and you can get some cool angles, especially of them heading into, through and out of the first hairpin:



Leaving the infield, coming back onto the banking, shooting through the fence -



Also, a little ways after they get back onto the high banking you can stand in the infield and shoot them up on the banking which is a pretty unique angle. That angle is one where I really wanted some extra reach because they're a little far away:



And then you can sit in the stands of course as they come down off the banking into turn 1, but there's the HUGE fence there infront of you that you'd have to shoot through. At the end of the race we sat in the stands way up to get over the fence and get shots of them on the winners podium -

Interesting... they let the devil himself get the center shot!


Will Patterson wrote:

Hammy wrote:

Interesting... they let the devil himself get the center shot!


Will Patterson wrote:




lol.. here's a HUGE original, 300 2.8 + 1.4x + 1.4x on a 5D2 @ ISO1600 -

http://www.willp-photo.com/photos/VictoryLaneHUGE.jpg