Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM + 2x Extender (II or III)

I thought I'd better contribute to this thread. Saturday, the Red Bull Cliff Diving competition was jumping from the roof of the Copenhagen Opera Theater.

I was shooting from the general public viewing area, from the other side of the harbor - about 180m away. I guess I could have used a 600mm + 2x TC to get closer ;D

First diver is Mike Hunt (UK, and the winner of this event), the second is Michal Navratil (CZ, 6th place)
 

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Mikehit, Jack Douglas, thanks for your kind words.

FWIW, they're diving from 27m above the seawater.

I think the second shot was my best from the day. The series of 8 shots of that dive are just nailed, contrary to a lot of the other dives. This was my first time shooting cliff diving, and not just shooting but processing them have been an interesting learning experience.

For one thing, the most advanced/highly scored dives certainly isn't the most photogenic dives. The 'simple' dive in the second shot makes this quite easily.

Secondly, the beginning of the jump is the best part, from a shooting point of view. Once they pick up speed, you can almost just not bother shooting as the picture will get 'too busy'.

I should have done a DoF calculation before the start (DoF=30m!), set the focus on the edge of the platform and be done with it (MF).
 
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Valentino Rossi getting the elbow down through Turn 3 (Ossebroeken) of the TT Assen circuit during the MotoGP Free Practice 3 session.
Cropped shot, 1/1000s, f/11, ISO 1000 (overcast).
Shot with 1DX and 300mm f/2.8L II + 2x III.

I love this combo, but I really need a longer lens to get the tight shots. The pro's were generally using 600mm+1.4x on FF cameras, and I'm on the far side of the safety fence with "only" 600mm :(
 

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Jack Douglas

CR for the Humour
Apr 10, 2013
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2,602
Alberta, Canada
kaihp said:
Valentino Rossi getting the elbow down through Turn 3 (Ossebroeken) of the TT Assen circuit during the MotoGP Free Practice 3 session.
Cropped shot, 1/1000s, f/11, ISO 1000 (overcast).
Shot with 1DX and 300mm f/2.8L II + 2x III.

I love this combo, but I really need a longer lens to get the tight shots. The pro's were generally using 600mm+1.4x on FF cameras, and I'm on the far side of the safety fence with "only" 600mm :(

Not that I know much but I'd say you're doing just fine. It's mind boggling how the bikes don't slide out. Guess the rider keeps the angle just vertical enough.

Jack
 
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Jack Douglas said:
Not that I know much but I'd say you're doing just fine. It's mind boggling how the bikes don't slide out. Guess the rider keeps the angle just vertical enough.

Thanks Jack. It's just a game of "I want more". The 1DX has significantly stepped up the quality and number of keepers, so now it's the reach I'm looking at. A less expensive option is to work on my panning skills and lowering the shutter speed :)

As for not sliding out, the outright record for lean without crashing is ~68 degrees (Marc Marquez), and seeing 64 degrees during the race weekends is common. Tires, bike weight, weight distribution (and hence: acceleration), tarmac, banking and elevation changes all impact the lean angle you can carry.

What I have heard is that even with standard slicks (=tires without threads), ordinary trackday riders can touch down the elbow. There's a 5 year old video on youtube where a rider drags his helmet for fun.

I gonna post up a few more shots later.
 
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Jack Douglas

CR for the Humour
Apr 10, 2013
6,980
2,602
Alberta, Canada
kaihp said:
Jack Douglas said:
Not that I know much but I'd say you're doing just fine. It's mind boggling how the bikes don't slide out. Guess the rider keeps the angle just vertical enough.

Thanks Jack. It's just a game of "I want more". The 1DX has significantly stepped up the quality and number of keepers, so now it's the reach I'm looking at. A less expensive option is to work on my panning skills and lowering the shutter speed :)

As for not sliding out, the outright record for lean without crashing is ~68 degrees (Marc Marquez), and seeing 64 degrees during the race weekends is common. Tires, bike weight, weight distribution (and hence: acceleration), tarmac, banking and elevation changes all impact the lean angle you can carry.

What I have heard is that even with standard slicks (=tires without threads), ordinary trackday riders can touch down the elbow. There's a 5 year old video on youtube where a rider drags his helmet for fun.

I gonna post up a few more shots later.

Thanks for that. Very interesting. I used to ride; Hondas, 300 for many years -> 750/4 -> 500 Silver Wing then gave it up. Never like that or I'd be dead for sure. Only later in life did I rationalize that the bike needs to be more vertical than the body.

Jack
 
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TT Assen, Turn 3 again. Bradley Smith (Yamaha) followed by Dani Predosa (Honda), Alvaro Bautista (Aprilia) and Danilo Petrucci (Ducati). If you think this is riding close, you're wrong; this is just free practice. During races a few (gentle) bumps is often seen.
Camera: 1DX, 300mm f/2.8L II + 2x TC Mk III.
Shot settings (from EXIF): 1/1000s, f/11, ISO1600.
 

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