Photographing a Twilight Criterium bicycle race using Capture One for post processing
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In July, the city of Boise host the Boise Twilight Criterium bike race yearly and I usually attend to see what I can capture with Nikon’s current best in class hardware, currently being the Z9 with the Nikon NIKKOR Z 600mm f/6.3 VR S and the Nikon NIKKOR Z 400mm f/4.5 VR S lenses. All photos processed with the latest version of Capture One.
There is no better way to test autofocus on a camera then getting up close to bicyclist going 30 plus miles per hour around a one mile square course.
Guessing what focus mode to use, I tried several arrangements, from 3D to Auto area, all with continues AF. I finally settled on Auto Area, Continues AF with Auto Subject Detection and stayed with this choice for the remainder of the day with the following results:
In the middle of the pack. Nikon Z9 with the NIKKOR Z 600mm f/6.3 VR S lens
The NIKKOR Z 600mm f/6.3 VR S lens allows me to get right up to the riders as if I’m standing in their way but trust me, you would not want to get in the way of these racers, I’m sure it would lead to severe injures.
Enthusiastic rider. Nikon Z9 with the NIKKOR Z 600mm f/6.3 VR S lens
One thing with the NIKKOR Z 600mm f/6.3 VR S lens is that the bokeh can be inconsistent. This is caused by the fact that the lens is a Phase Fresnel type lens. This type of lens helps keep the size and weight down and is why the lens is small and light. The shot above shows what I think is good bokeh from the 600.
The women’s start. Nikon Z9 with the NIKKOR Z 600mm f/6.3 VR S lens
The shot above shows what I think is not great bokeh. It’s not terrible but could be better. It was also over 100 degrees when I took this photo so we also have heatwaves in the background which doesn’t help any.
An accordion of racers. Nikon Z9 with the NIKKOR Z 600mm f/6.3 VR S lens
My other relevant camera settings on the Z9 were shooting lossless RAW files, my low frames per second was set at 5 and the high rate was set at 10 FPS. I rarely shoot at the Z9’s maximum 20 FPS RAW format.
I took about 1,400 photos and my selects totaled 135. The difference between the total and selects were not the result of photos that were not in focus (although there were a few that were not in focus) but because I was looking for expressions on the racers faces that represented the true grit that you need to successfully complete the race.
Overall, I was pleased with the results with the Z9 and the 400 and 600mm lenses.
Let’s look at a few more shots from the race:
Keep going. Nikon Z9 with the NIKKOR Z 600mm f/6.3 VR S lens
Nearing the end of the race. Nikon Z9 with the NIKKOR Z 400mm f/4.5 VR S lens.
Leader of the pack. Nikon Z9 with the NIKKOR Z 400mm f/4.5 VR S lens.
Looking ahead. Nikon Z9 with the NIKKOR Z 400mm f/4.5 VR S lens.
Let me know in the comments below (no sign-in required) if you have any questions for me or comments about the photos.
In July, the city of Boise host the Boise Twilight Criterium bike race yearly and I usually attend to see what I can capture with Nikon’s current best in class hardware, currently being the Z9 with the Nikon NIKKOR Z 600mm f/6.3 VR S and the Nikon NIKKOR Z 400mm f/4.5 VR S lenses.