Ello,

Does anyone (Andy, bradley etc. :D) know where I can rent a 300F4 IS or 400 5.6 lens for a few days. Needs to be in around London, Sussex area as I want to take it to Brands Hatch.

I've tried Fixation but they only have the 300 2.8 IS and the 400 2.8.

Darren

Calumet (was KJP), Leeds Photovisual, Teamwork as starters for 10 - I'll have a look later at home :)

Darren,

See here: Calumet Rentals (http://www.calumetphoto.com/ctl?PAGE=Controller&ac.ui.pn=common.IncSel&ac.ui.if=text/rentaldest.jsp). There is a PDF available on this page explaining hiring/charges etc. They do list the Canon 300 F4 at around £28 a day.

Never used Calumet myself, generally go to Fixation when needed.

Cheers

Ian

Sorry, I only know of Fixation that does rentals, and they're awfully expensive. I guess that's why you don't want the 300/2.8 or 400/2.8, right?

How about the 100-400L IS instead? That's my motorsports lens of choice. If you get a space anywhere near the track you won't want 3-400mm anyway. Sometimes I actually find I want wider than 100 as the cars come past - next time I go to a motor race I'll probably take my 70-200 f/4L instead and fit a 1.4X TC if necessary.

Probably for a one-off hire they'd want to put the full purchase amount of the equipment on a credit card ust in case you didn't go back and then you'd get a refund to the tune of full value minus hire fee, insurance etc...

I hired a couple of things from KJP in Leeds (before they closed down :( ) and because I'd bought stuff off them previously without problem, they waived the full "deposit" :)

Andy, the 100-400 IS is almost a dream long lens setup for me if I go back to 35mm - how many stops would you guess you can get away with using the IS? I'm not looking to do motorsports stuff so don't need high shutter speeds but am likely to be using it in overcast / dull lighting :(

Andy

IS on the 100-400L is good for about 2 stops, though it's still not really much of a substitute for a good tripod. I do use it hand-held, but then again my pictures have never been the sharpest around...

I would agree with Andy. The 100-400L is a great motorsport lens and running mode 2 IS is great for panning shots. I have however used it on a tripod, at dawn using the 2x convertor to try and get shots of perigrine falcons nesting 300ft up a cliff. Shots were usable, and certainly better than from any other lens I own.

However, I still believe it is only really good in bright light. That is where the pictures that come out have that great Canon L sharpness and contrast.

Best lens for motorsport in general ? I.e. all weather conditions ? The Canon 300mm F2.8 IS. Absolute corker of a lens and perfect length for all UK tracks apart from maybe Silverstone during F1. Just wish I could afford one of them. :(

Cheers

Ian

I've used a Canon 350L & before I purchased one, I hired it from The Pro Centre, in Mallow Street, London EC1 - http://www.ephotozine.com/directories/detailkithire.cfm?centre_id=6

http://www.goorey.com/Pics/49-1.JPG

What you going to see? Have you got a press pass? What you want to get pics of?

Thanks for all the replies guys,

I'll looked on the Calumet a few times recently and somehow managed to miss the rentals page. Doh

I ideally wanted the 300 F4 or 400 5.6 as I'm looking at buying one early next year (funds permitting again :rolleyes: ) and want to evaluate for my self what the quality is like. I've also got the 100-400 on the list but I can obtain one of those from a local camera store to test, but they don't have the 300 or 400. I'd prefer the 300 2.8 IS but that's mega bucks and it is sooo heavy. Not a lens I'll be able to afford any time soon, hence why the baby brother (F4 IS) is on 'my list'.

I've been checking the race news at Brands Hatch (http://www.motorsportvision.co.uk/race-calendar/event-listbh.asp?s=1a&circuit=bh) and I see they have a few touring car dates coming up in August as well as a Porsche festival which I wouldn’t mind attending.

Another website someone mentioned to me was http://www.msauk.org/ which lists ALL racing related events, be it auto testing, hill climbs, track racing, banger racing etc. etc. etc.

Puff, it might sound daft but I'm not really sure what I want pics of yet.

I'm not a huge bike fan (prefer 4 wheels) but I do like the fact that the bike races that I've seen are almost always competitive and nail biting to the very last minute so there should be a few grudge battles throughout the pack of riders to capture.

I'm happy just to go about to shoot of some pics and then come back and review. I won't have a press pass this time round as my company can only get me press passes at our own company events and we have not get one planned for a quite a few months now.

Darren

Try & get a test of the 350L I mentioned - can't remember the exact numbers but it is really easy to use in a motorsport environment. Sold mine to someone on here :(

Brands is a great circuit but hard to get decent amateur pics from the sidelines as there is too much fencing. Pic above was on the outside of Druids but Press/Marshall view. Inside of Clearways is another good place. I found I got frustrated by speccy shots so I blagged a press pass somehow ;)

Puff,

The shot above is the kind of shot I'd be happy to end up with at the end of the day. Do you have any idea of the focal length when you took the shot?

I've read that the 35-350L is very soft above 200. Would you say this is fair?

Darren

Also what does everyone do with regards to insurance whilst using hired equipment?

The Calumet states that if the lens is damaged, lost, stolen, etc. you have to pay full price. My house insurance does cover single items upto £3000 but I'm not 100% sure that covers items out of the house.

Darren

I bought the 35-350 from Puff :)

It is apparently soft around the edges with film, but doesn't seem too bad with digital - something to do with the smaller sensor I think.

I've also got a 24-70 2.8L, 70-200 2.8 IS L and a 100-400 IS L

The 35-350 is an excellent all round lens and gives incredible flexibility - ideal if you only want to carry one lens with you. The down sides are - no IS and it won't work with the 1.4 & 2x convertors.

The 100-400 is a really nice piece of kit, but sometimes you need to go that bit wider than 100 - not much else wrong with it though !

The 70-200 focusses like lightning - I've also just bought a 2x convertor and am starting to have too many options now !

A 300IS with 1.4x TC seems a good choice; although not as flexible as the 100-400, it seems to give better results.

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1029&message=8471214