# 2015 Monaco GP Lens Help Please



## 360_6pack (Apr 9, 2015)

I am going to the Monaco GP this year & have been told we have seats in grandstand K, but not yet seat number.
I have a 5dIII with the following lenses:
Canon 16-35 2.8L II
Tamron 24-70 2.8 IS
Canon 70-200 2.8L IS II
Canon 70-300L

Which lenses would you recommend for the day and are there any limitations on what you can take into the circuit?

We are touring France for 4 weeks & on a 5 night Azamara cruise which incorporates the ship berthing in Monaco for the day of the GP.

Any advice appreciated, including camera settings for the day.

Regards
Michael
http://canonrumors.com/forum/Smileys/default/smiley.gif


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## Roo (Apr 9, 2015)

Hi Michael

Very jealous of your trip and it looks like you'll be in one of the better stands for the race with views across the harbour to the tunnel on the left and to swimming pool on the right. Hopefully you'll be higher up in the stand as it looks like there are some excellent shots to be had shooting over the fence. 

I haven't seen any restrictions on camera gear for Monaco but even if it was like Melbourne's you'll have no problems with any of the gear you've listed. I'd be taking the 70-300 and either of the 16-35 or 24-70. If it was me I'd lean towards the 16-35 to get a nice panorama shot of the harbour with one of the cars blurring through the bottom of the frame. Although the 70-300 will give you decent reach, you should consider a 1.4 tele as well. As for settings, it depends on the type of shot and the available light but a quick set up for your 5Diii would be to put it in TV mode with auto iso (upper limit set) which will allow you to move between panning and fast shutter shots easily. High speed burst and ai servo should also be set. Others may have better suggestions. 

There are a few threads that cover motorsport shooting tips.

http://www.canonrumors.com/forum/index.php?topic=18034.0
http://www.canonrumors.com/forum/index.php?topic=18814.195

Enjoy the trip and don't forget to share some photos


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## 360_6pack (Apr 10, 2015)

Thanks Roo.
Looking forward to the trip.
What upper limit would you set for ISO if it's a sunny or cloudy day please?


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## TheJock (Apr 12, 2015)

Hi Michael,

I was in grandstand K 2 years back, pretty much in the middle, I had an excellent view of the whole marina, so the 16-35 will be nice (take a CPL as there are always great clouds mixed with the blue sky). I also had a great view of Tabac corner (and the spectacular Maldonado crash, pic's 1 & 2 below) so your 70-300 will be nice there but take a 1.4xII if you have one. I also had a great view of the crane over the St Devote corner when he recovered Grosjeans car (Pic 3), long reach essential at this point too. I was using my 24-105 and a Sigma 150-500 that I had at the time, if I were you I’d take all 4, make the wife carry two of em’ 
Photos below where all taken from grandstand K.
If you’re staying in Nice then the train is the ONLY way to go, DO NOT TRY to drive in to Monaco or you’ll miss the whole event!! On Sunday (race day) get to the train station for the first train, be there 30 mins early as the queue that forms is unbelievable and it can take 2 hours to wind your way to the platform, there are food/beer outlets directly behind grandstand K which is pretty much right outside the exit from the train station, they will open the gates and allow you on to the track at the end so you can walk the whole circuit, which I thoroughly recommend. Have fun, and I’m not jealous at all :'(


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## expatinasia (Apr 12, 2015)

Of the four lenses you mention I would take the:

Canon 16-35 2.8L II
Canon 70-200 2.8L IS II

And if possible a 1.4x or 2.0x mark iii TC.

Some above have suggested taking the 70-300L but that does not take Canon teleconverters well, and for my personal tastes I always prefer the Canon 70-200 2.8L IS II.

Have a nice trip.


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## 360_6pack (Apr 13, 2015)

Thanks Guys.
We are on a tour which includes a 5 day cruise with the ship berthing in Monte Carlo for the day, they say its a 10 min walk from the ship to the track.
"The Jock" you mention taking a CPL, what is this please?

Thanks for your advice & photos.

Michael


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## Valvebounce (Apr 14, 2015)

Hi Michael. 
A CPL is a circular polarising filter, it is used to help enhance skies or reduce reflections from water, glass and other reflective surfaces. It is used by rotating whilst viewing the scene through the camera, it can make the difference between seeing in to water if it is clear enough, to only being able to see reflections from the surface. 
Have a look at this link, https://photographylife.com/how-to-use-a-polarizer an easy to understand explanation of the benefits and uses, and where and how you can get it wrong too! 

Cheers, Graham. 



360_6pack said:


> Thanks Guys.
> We are on a tour which includes a 5 day cruise with the ship berthing in Monte Carlo for the day, they say its a 10 min walk from the ship to the track.
> "The Jock" you mention taking a CPL, what is this please?
> 
> ...


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## TheJock (Apr 14, 2015)

Hi Michael,

The CPL is the perfect accessory for the Marina in Monaco, and buy the best one you can get hold of, don't scrimp on this item as it may alter the colour of your final images if you buy a cheaper variant. I also recommend you have enough space on your memory card at the end of the race as all the boats in the harbour sound their horns and it makes for a nice video 
Remember and come back and post some of your photos so I can re-live my moments ;D

Best regards
Stewart


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## Hjalmarg1 (Apr 14, 2015)

expatinasia said:


> Of the four lenses you mention I would take the:
> 
> Canon 16-35 2.8L II
> Canon 70-200 2.8L IS II
> ...


+1, I agree. Also Canon 70-200 2.8L IS II focuses faster than the 70-300L


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## Roo (Apr 16, 2015)

360_6pack said:


> Thanks Roo.
> Looking forward to the trip.
> What upper limit would you set for ISO if it's a sunny or cloudy day please?



If I'm setting auto iso I'll usually set the upper limit at 3200. You can't get into too much trouble that way. I think on the overcast days the highest it hit was 2500 but that was late in the day too.


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## 360_6pack (May 6, 2015)

I have finally received our tickets for the GP. As far as I can make out this means we will be in
K8A Place 6 Rang N & Place 7 Rang N.
I assume this means stand K8A Row N Seats 6 & 7.

Does anyone know if that's high up giving us a good view of the track and which parts?

We leave Friday 7AM Perth time.
Michael


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## Mt Spokane Photography (May 6, 2015)

Looking at the photo of people holding iphones and cameras over their heads to try and get a shot, I think I'd take my G1X II with its tilting screen so I can hold it high and actually have a chance of composing a image. Using a big camera and a long telephoto in a crowd like that might be something for you to consider, it might just get knocked out of your hands. I did that at a summer concert and it worked well. The G1X is probably the best IQ for a point and shoot. Sometimes, a fantastic combination of a high end camera and lens does not work in a crowd. You can also remotely connect to it with a smart phone, zoom in and out, and close the shutter remotely. A 2 person operation, but it might give you a advantage (or not??).


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## Roo (May 6, 2015)

360_6pack said:


> I have finally received our tickets for the GP. As far as I can make out this means we will be in
> K8A Place 6 Rang N & Place 7 Rang N.
> I assume this means stand K8A Row N Seats 6 & 7.
> 
> ...



Assuming they do their seating the same way as Melbourne you'll be 14 rows up so you should have a reasonably elevated position and, more than likely, above the fence line. If you have a teleconverter go with the 70-200 but otherwise the 70-300 is a better bet as it is more compact and has the longer reach. Mt Spokane points out some potential problems but I've never found that in the time I've been doing it. Most of all enjoy yourself


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## FEBS (May 8, 2015)

Lens will be always to short. Due to the big protections rules, you can't find a circuit without fences nowadays. If you will sit then high on a tribune, then it's very hard to use a long lens like 500 or 600m. I went yesterday to an event of CPS Canon Belgium on the Circuit of Zolder (previously this circuit alternated in Belgium with Francorchamps, but after the dead of Gilles Villeneuve there in 1982, it's only Francorchamps anymore). I did use my 300 2.8 II on the 5D3/1Dx, but it was to short. I regretted not have taken my 200-400.

My advice would be look for renting the 100-400 II. That lens is performing very well. I agree that a CPL might improve your photos, however be aware that this will cost you 2 stops. If you have a rainy day, you can forget it for using a CPL. You need lens wide open, a shutterspeed of at least 1/1000, and iso as low as possible. I mostly use auto iso, with max 6400 on my 5D3. On my 1Dx I mostly place EC on 0.3 or 0.6. On the 5D3 this is not possible. So a 5D3, I would use Tv, shutterspeed, 1/1000 or 1/1600, auto-iso limited to 6400. I Also use AI-servo, high speed drive, center-weighted average metering, raw, fix WB to daylight( as it is raw, you can modify afterwards, and I don't want the camera to think/calculate there about), no internal noise reduction, no highlight tone priority, back-button focus, AF point with 4 points expansion, AF template 4 in AF1 menu.

Panning is possible, then a lower shutterspeed like 1/200 or lower might be used, but on rows 7 or 8 be aware that you must have done this before as the passing speed of F1 is *very* high.

But nevertheless, have fun over there !!!


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## Roo (May 8, 2015)

I found a vid on youtube from K8. Not sure what row it is tho.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGn2I3S9sT0


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## TheJock (May 17, 2015)

Panning in grandstand K is VERY  difficult as the cars are on the race line which is right underneath the debris fence in front of the grandstand. You can catch the cars entering Tabac corner, or exiting past the swimming pool. 
I had a Sigma 150-500mm in my backpack with other items and no one said a word to me. 
My seats were K6, Place 14, Rang P, so check my photos on the first page for some indication, or sign me up on Facebook (Stewart Kirkcaldy) to check out my Monaco album.
I’m not really jealous at all.......……NO!.................not in the slightest………………OK……………………….maybe just a little bit ;D
Looking forward to seeing your images. 8)


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