[whiplash]

this maybe a stupid question, what are the best settings to have a Ks1 with a Sigma Lens 18-250mm F3.5-6.3 DC MACRO HSM to be shooting Lure Coursing dogs that will be a good distance away. I have seen shots of Nas cars & they are stunning.
Ok I am probably a bit out of my depth being a newbie with being involved in the sport, we do not have a club member that is willing to take the plunge & have a go yet, so I am willing to step up to try & learn. I will be for ever gratefull for some help

[Snydly]

I've been having a lot of trouble getting decent focus on my K1/DFA 70-200 combo. I go in the back yard and use my mutt as a model, and most of the time I manually focus on a spot on the ground and snap the shot as she passes it. It's hit and miss.

[SBeck]

Snydly's advice is pretty sound, assuming you are photographing keen dogs that follow the lure well... As long as you can see the line or at least know where the lure is heading, you can prefocus and wait for the dog to approach. If you have a long straightaway you may be able to pan along with the dog's movement. Good technique can absolutely compensate for the 'lesser' autofocus of a Pentax camera.

Honestly you're going to be at a disadvantage with both reach and light. You will be at the telephoto end of that lens almost the entire time and you will need to use very fast shutter speeds to freeze movement.

I have the K-1 and use the tamron 70-200/2.8 to shoot oval and straight racing. For the most part, my shots that are most consistently successful are of the dogs breaking from the boxes and crossing the finish line - shots where you can plan the shot out, prefocus and patiently wait... I suspect you will have a similar experience with lure coursing, getting shots of the dogs being slipped and of the dogs going in on the lure as it slows to a stop at the end...

[SpecialK]

You might practice your panning technique as well, which will let you use a slightly slower shutter speed. This will produce some background blur and the subject will stand out.

[aslyfox]

Look at # 5 in this link

3 Ways to Blur the Background of a Photograph - wikiHow

Another source


https://digital-photography-school.com/mastering-panning-to-photograph-moving-subjects/

Another source

https://www.digitalphotomentor.com/motion-shutter-speed-freeze-blur/


Practice, practice, practice

Experiment as well

Let us know how it works please

[SBeck]

Just to show you some photos in a similar setting, although I'm *much* closer to the dogs than the distance lure coursing will take them...

For those suggesting using slower shutter speeds and panning - hopefully these photos give some perspective on why that would be a nonstarter. These are dogs running 30+ mph and freezing motion on both the extended and contracted phases of a gallop are crucial to the composition...

[aslyfox]

1 you know best

2 I successfully caught Walter Payton, of Chicago Bears fame, racing in a Trans Am series race at the Road America Road Course in Wisconsin with the background blurred, car in focus except for the tires which were blurred because of motion. I pretty sure the vehicle was exceeding 30 - 40 miles per hour at the time since it was a straight part of the course.

now it was a Pentax film camera not dslr

3 you know best

good luck

did I mention that you know best???

[SBeck]

You missed my point - the challenge is not focusing on an object traveling in excess of 30mph; the concern is that unlike a car, if you blur the 'tires' on a dog you've missed the shot. No matter if panning or capturing a fixed position on the field, shutter speed needs to be fast enough to stop all motion ideally.

[aslyfox]

You missed my point - the challenge is not focusing on an object traveling in excess of 30mph; the concern is that unlike a car, if you blur the 'tires' on a dog you've missed the shot. No matter if panning or capturing a fixed position on the field, shutter speed needs to be fast enough to stop all motion ideally.

I mistook you for the original poster, sorry about that.

of course, you have the experience, thanks for sharing it with us

no offense meant, just sharing my own experience

I didn't think the dog's legs would be blurred but again I have no experience so it was just a WAG on my part.

[SBeck]

Yeah, no I just shoot as a hobby similar photography to what the OP will be shooting - I usually am helping keep these sorts of events running smoothly so I rarely get the chance to dedicate myself to photographing the events. Those were just mostly unedited photos, just to illustrate the type of environment... fast moving dogs, both running in tight groups and individually, with little to no shade... capturing details in focus such as the placement of the legs and on long coated dogs getting sharp detail on the fur as it moves with the dog... it's not easy! And while my photos are taken with dogs running a straight line or oval, the OP will be taking photos of dogs on courses that could be as simple as a figure 8 to something more elaborate.

[whiplash]

Just to show you some photos in a similar setting, although I'm *much* closer to the dogs than the distance lure coursing will take them...

For those suggesting using slower shutter speeds and panning - hopefully these photos give some perspective on why that would be a nonstarter. These are dogs running 30+ mph and freezing motion on both the extended and contracted phases of a gallop are crucial to the composition...

SBeck these are the sort of shots I'd love to take, your pics are supurb, the furtherest the dogs will be is about 500 meters if that helps with the distance. I shall have play this Sunday coming as we are having Lure Coursing fun day, mostly to show & train stewards what they have to do & train up the machine operators,

[aslyfox]

SBeck these are the sort of shots I'd love to take, your pics are supurb, the furtherest the dogs will be is about 500 meters if that helps with the distance. I shall have play this Sunday coming as we are having Lure Coursing fun day, mostly to show & train stewards what they have to do & train up the machine operators,

I can't wait to see what you come up with

[K David]

Your shutter speed needs to be FAST. Like about 1/2,000th and faster, to freeze the dogs' motion. I use a Takumar 500mm f/4.5 with my K-3 for lure coursing. I believe that all the digital photos below were taken with the 500 4.5.

The most important thing is your angle. Get low to the ground and set up so that you can capture the dogs coming around the cones. Also, fastest burst speed. Also, a big SD card so that you can just hold down the shutter button. I assume you have a tripod that can go near-flat. You'll want to use it if you have it.





Dogs turning into the photo are much more interesting than profile shots.



Also, use manual focus and pre-focus on the area where you plan to take the shot. As the dog approaches, hold down the shutter button until you overrun the buffer or it passes.

Also, shots with the handlers are great if you can get them.

One thing to avoid, no one wants photos of a dog's butt as it runs away from the photo.



And, if you have a chance to get dog portraits after the running, that can be good, too.

*These are from a dog show, but the idea is the same.









And if you feel brazen and like you want a challenge, grab a film camera and some fast film for a few rolls.

[whiplash]

Your shutter speed needs to be FAST. Like about 1/2,000th and faster, to freeze the dogs' motion. I use a Takumar 500mm f/4.5 with my K-3 for lure coursing. I believe that all the digital photos below were taken with the 500 4.5.

The most important thing is your angle. Get low to the ground and set up so that you can capture the dogs coming around the cones. Also, fastest burst speed. Also, a big SD card so that you can just hold down the shutter button. I assume you have a tripod that can go near-flat. You'll want to use it if you have it.





Dogs turning into the photo are much more interesting than profile shots.



Also, use manual focus and pre-focus on the area where you plan to take the shot. As the dog approaches, hold down the shutter button until you overrun the buffer or it passes.

Also, shots with the handlers are great if you can get them.

One thing to avoid, no one wants photos of a dog's butt as it runs away from the photo.



And, if you have a chance to get dog portraits after the running, that can be good, too.

*These are from a dog show, but the idea is the same.









And if you feel brazen and like you want a challenge, grab a film camera and some fast film for a few rolls.

WOW they are magic photo's K Davis, I gather you must live in USA. yes we do have a couple of tripods, & I do prefer to be down on the ground at the dogs level sorry we don't have any 35mm camera's here

[SBeck]

A photo my wife took, on a Nikon camera (I believe D5300 with their consumer 70-300 lens, so fairly comparable to your setup)... this has always been one of my favorites: