Cameraworld Live - 7 July

[Mike Farley]

OK, a bit late posting this but anyone who is on the Cameraworld e-mail list will have learnt of this a while back. At least three members of the club will be there, myself included. The event coincides with an Open Pitlane track day on the Indy circuit at Brands Hatch so there will be lots to photograph. Druids is a good spot. Tickets are £10 but but an advance booking £5 discount can be had using "CAMERAWORLD" as a promo code.

At the time of writing, there are still some Photowalk spots available for anyone who wants a bit of tuition about photographing motorsport.

https://www.cameraworldlive.co.uk/

See you there?

[Franke07]

Thanks Mike, all being well see you tomorrow!

[Mike Farley]

It was good to see some familiar faces at the event, the first since 2019 due to Covid. There seemed to be not quite as many companies present as I recall from previous occasions but maybe that is to be expected? Panasonic was a notable absentee. I had the opportunity to try the new Fuji X-H2S and 150-600 lens on a photowalk around the track. The camera's continuous autofocus and tracking modes were impressive, undoubtedly the best I have used. Later on, I was comparing the improvements against my own X-H1. Maybe that will result in a thread article when I have studied the results. I do not do much action photography but possibly the benefit for me will be better eye detect AF? I am not convinced that the X-H1 is that accurate. Unlike previous years when the track was being used for race practice, there were fewer and less interesting cars taking part in the track day. Nevertheless, it was an enjoyable outing.

[Franke07]

Thanks for arranging this Mike, it was a good day out! Motor sports isn't something I would naturally photograph, but I like to challenge myself and point the camera at new subject matter. On the arranged photo-walk provided by Camera world I thought I would see what the result of using a camera phone to capture a car moving at speed. I have to say it took me back to the early days of using my Olympus digital bridge camera! By the time I'd pressed the shutter the car was nearly out of frame! Still I'm impressed it caught it, clearly need to work on my panning technique! .

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While up on the roof terrace of the event I did happen upon a pair of the lesser spotted CCC members

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[Franke07]

Ron, I know you prefer to see pictures taken with a proper camera!

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So just for you

[Mike Farley]

This is one of the better shots taken during my photowalk with Fuji. I took it through the small gap in the fencing at the top of Druids. On busier days, it is a popular spot for photographers. I was using the new X-H2S and 150-600 lens that Fuji was lending to the photowalk participants. Looking through the other results, there are quite a few that are not quite sharp but I was using a relatively slow shutter speed of 1/400 sec. Maybe I would have had more success at 1/1000 or higher?

Noble at Brands Hatch

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[Mike Farley]

Sadly, after the photowalk, the Fujifilm people said that would like to have their camera and lens back. That left me with the gear I had brought for the day, a X-H1 and 100-400 lens. The X-H1 was a marketing oddity. Fujifilm introduced it as a flagship model with improved build quality and it was the first in the range to have IBIS (in body image stabilisation). The price at launch reflected its premium status. Yet within six months, Fujifilm brought out X-T3 which featured better autofocus but omitted IBIS. As many of the lenses had optical image stabilisation, lack of IBIS was not a concern for many. In the same year of its introduction, Fujifilm was heavily discounting the X-H1. It was a bargain and that is not just my opinion. Many others bought it for the same reasons as I did.

I have written here previously that I opted for the X-H1 over the X-T3 as I preferred the form factor and felt that the older AF performed well enough for my purposes. If I were to do a lot of action photography, I might have decided differently. It did mean, though, that I have never properly tested the X-H1’s capabilities in that regard and this was an opportunity to try it out. This time, after lunch I went onto the roof terrace with Frank and we both shot from there. Compared to the X-H2S, it took slightly longer to pick up the subject but then stayed locked on.

In most of my shots, I picked up individual cars as they drove along the back straight and took a shot as they went around the bend. Many of the shots were sharp, such as the example below. The success rate was on a par with the X-H2S although as the shooting conditions were different, I would hesitate to make a direct comparison.

Silverlake 466 at Brands Hatch

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After I posted the earlier shot taken with the X-H2S, I recalled a tip I had been given some time ago that showing the cars at an angle. This is the shot as taken. I think that it does make a difference. Having the diagonal introduces some dynamic tension which makes for a more dramatic result.

Silverlake 466 as taken

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Bottom line. The X-H1 performed better at tracking subjects than I had expected. Despite the technology in the X-H2S being two generations on, for my purposes I would gain little from an upgrade. The X-H1 has always been a good camera and the availability a newer model does not change that. Fujifilm has said that later this year there will be a X-H2 with a 40 MP sensor but, for me, having more megapixels is unlikely to make much of a difference. 24 MP is just fine for most purposes.

[toms]

An interesting day out tinged with a little disappointment. We expected some more 'sporty' cars on the track but were surprised to see a lot of family cars (still with number plates on) and other slower cars on track That said it was a brilliant opportunity to test out and learn better panning techniques.

At Your Own Risk

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When deleting about 100 images the above was a part of a larger scene. Funny how you can see an image within an image.

Tom

[Ronald Barker]

Just a bit of fun

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[toms]

I found that using the kerb markings helped to show some speed which is complemented by the movement in the wheels. Enjoy!