How Do I Take Good Car Shots?

[TI3VOM]

This is in comparison to what? They take a better photo compared to what exactly? Wax Paper as a lens?

In my opinion they take a better car shot from a distance as opposed to a wide angle lens close up they both provide great results but I just like the pictures taken from the telephoto-zoom lens's.
A lot of people say to take good car shots you need to have a relatively wide angle lens to do so.

 

[TI3VOM]

erm, 2 types of lenses, zoom and prime, not sure what your getting at here, but a high end prime will always slaughter a high end zoom regardless of WHAT type of shots you take..

My bad I was meant to say telephoto-zoom lens's zoomed in to more than 70mm as opposed to a very wide angle lens.

Prime lenses are usually sharper yes due to the fact they have less glass in them and they don't distort cause you aren't moving the lens elements in and out but they don't always slaughter the zooms in overall quality you need more than just sharpness to make a lens provide good results. (but you did say high end so that's a different story)

Hmm, i'd be careful using flash during the day unless it is through a softbox or off an umbrella to spread the light. You are better off moving the car to find even light in the middle of the day rather than introducing more light

If you can adjust your flash power turn it down so it does not over power the natural light use it as a fill in flash.

 

[minux]

If you can adjust your flash power turn it down so it does not over power the natural light use it as a fill in flash.

My point is, a portable flash unit such as a 580 or 430 for example sends out a "small" direct beam of light, even using fill the distance to subject etc will show fall off. Better off either using natural light or providing a bigger light source such as a softbox.

 

[TI3VOM]

Using natural light plus fill in flash to get detail in the shadows does the job just fine.
I'm still getting used to my flash setup 580 EXII and the 430EXII so don't flame me for this.
Either of the two flashes you have talked about have a built in diffuser to spread the light out over a more wide area if they are showing signs of fall off crank up the flash output with the diffuser down wouldn't that help.

 

[Doctor Sodways]

In my opinion they take a better car shot from a distance as opposed to a wide angle lens close up they both provide great results but I just like the pictures taken from the telephoto-zoom lens's.
A lot of people say to take good car shots you need to have a relatively wide angle lens to do so.

So what your talking about then, is that the telephoto style static photos of cars are the TYPE of photo that you prefer to see, not a wide angle photos... How does this make the telephoto style photos a better quality one?

So the rest of the people here know whats going on... ill use some examples of how focal length can change the perception of a car, starting at wide

10mm

17mm

21mm

85mm

100mm

220mm

Take into account the crop factor, and those are actually.... 16mm, 27.2mm, 33.6mm, 136mm, 160mm, 352mm, and all of them, at 100% are sharp as

Im sure i have some somewhere of 400mm as well...

So if you wern't talking about QUALITY and in fact your PREFERENCE... might want to make that clear in the future...

 

[davey g-force]

^^ Damn they're some awesome pics mate, well done!

I wish I could take pics even half as good as that! lol

You can take shots of my car any day...

 

[TI3VOM]

So what your talking about then, is that the telephoto style static photos of cars are the TYPE of photo that you prefer to see, not a wide angle photos... How does this make the telephoto style photos a better quality one?
So if you wern't talking about QUALITY and in fact your PREFERENCE... might want to make that clear in the future...

SHARPNESS ISN'T EVERYTHING THAT MAKES ONE IMAGE BETTER THAN THE OTHER.
I never said I prefer one over the other it's just the different results that can be had between the two. Distortion is one thing that comes to mind with the very wide angle lens's you get images where the buildings, walls, trees, light poles are bent (distorted) even the car/cars you are taking the pics of as you have shown in the 10mm photo now with that said it can be quite pleasing with a lot of shots but it gets very old very quickly if that's the only style you shoot with.

I was mainly referring to the back round blur or (Bokeh) depends on the quality of your lenses as well but I'm just talking about the kit lens's that come with the camera I suggested for OP to purchase.

The Canon EOS 400D can come with two lens's a 17-55mm f3.5-5.6 and a 75-300mm f4-5.6 standing further back with a longer focal length lens at around the same aperture as opposed to a very wide angle lens close up can provide a more attractive blurred back round whilst showing the car off at a lower or higher angle yet still providing all the detail in the car from front to back with very minimal or no distortion.

Blurred back round's make the point of interest stand out more which is more pleasing to me and in my opinion an image that is more pleasing to me is a better quality photo (THAT'S MY PERSONAL PREFERENCE) it's not to say the other style of photo is $hit a lot of the time very wide angle shots can be better.
I just think a more blurred back round with great detail from front to back (of the car) at a lower or higher angle with little or no distortion appeal's to me more.
Cheers Glenn.

 

[davey g-force]

G.C. do you have any examples of car pics you've taken?

I feel like looking at some car porn now lol

 

[TI3VOM]

The firs two were shot at 70mm+ the third was shot at 17mm and the last at around 40mm.
In the last pic the car makes 900+rwhp.

 

[Trennaa]

Excuse my thread hacking.. but how exactly is that street legal, you can't close a bonnet down on those turbo's?