MotoGP Silverstone 2017

My first time attempting to photograph superbikes. I went prepared with the Sony a6500, the 100-400 GM lens, and the 1.4x teleconverter.

Silverstone is not the most photographer friendly of circuits, getting close to the action here is difficult without a long lens, and even then you are often fighting with the catch fencing. You can shoot through the fencing if you are close enough to it and the fence is dark, but often you will still see the faint outline of the fence in your images.

So here’s a collection of images from my first attempt at this sport. I’ll be the first to say that they aren’t brilliant, but practice makes perfect!

560mm | 1/250 sec | f/11 | ISO 100

400mm | 1/1000 sec | f/5.6 | ISO 500

560mm | 1/250 sec | f/8.0 | ISO 100

560mm | 1/200 sec | f/10 | ISO 100

400mm | 1/60 sec | f/18 | ISO 100

400mm | 1/100 sec | f/5.6 | ISO 320

400mm | 1/160 sec | f/8.0 | ISO 100

400mm | 1/640 sec | f/5.6 | ISO 320

560mm | 1/250 sec | f/11 | ISO 100

560mm | 1/250 sec | f/9.0 | ISO 100

I was very happy with how well the 1.4x teleconverter worked together with the FE 100-400mm GM lens. I noticed no difference in focus speed or subject tracking when I used the lock-on autofocus mode. With the 1.5 crop sensor in the a6500, the 100-400 lens, and the 1.4x teleconverter, you get a 35mm equivalent focal length of 840mm!

I will definitely be attending more superbike events this year, so hopefully my motorsport photography skills will improve a little more with each event. I know that my panning needs to be a lot smoother, and I also need to experiment with different angles and slower shutter speeds.

If you also love shooting superbikes or any other sport with your Sony Alpha camera, then I’ve setup the Sony Alpha Sports Shooters Group on Facebook where you can share your photos with fellow sports shooters.