Hey everyone,

I've been a dedicated iPhone Pro Max user for car photography for quite some time now, but I'm thinking about making the switch to Canon Mirrorless. Recently, I had the opportunity to rent a Canon R10 from a local shop, and I was quite pleased with its performance. However, after doing some more research, I've learned that the Canon R8 is considered a step up, mainly because of its full-frame sensor.

As a beginner in car photography, I'm curious about which camera would be preferred overall – the R10 or the R8? Any insights would be greatly appreciated!

Sample Canon R10 Photo

 

Any camera can take a decent picture nowadays. What you really need to focus upon (sorry for the pun) is atmosphere/backdrop.

Where do you want to illustrate the vehicle? Can you get a shot without a telephone pole or trees growing through the roof or fender? Think of sun positioning/washout. How are the wheels positioned? And then more fine details, but work on those, first. An iPhone can take a better pic than most of what was out there 15 years ago.

 

I have been doing Automotive Photography for quite some time (IMSA, NHRA, TranAm, Superbikes etc...) and there are a few things to keep in mind. NOTE: I am assuming you are talking about static/posed cars and not race cars because that requires totally different gear.

1) Technique is more important than equipment. Understanding HOW to Compose and Expose critical for decent photos. There is a lot of learn...assuming you want to CREATE photos vs. taking Snapshots, but it is a fun journey. Also need to understand how to properly do post processing (touching up marks on the car, dirt, hot spots from the sun/flash, removing distracting items from the background)

2) If and when you buy equipment a few items I would call essential then many others which I would classify as Luxury (not 100% needed but will give you better/more unique results)
Essential: A DSLR/Mirrorless camera body that you can change lenses, a lens/lenses that allow you some telephoto range for subject separation and a wide angle lens for more "distorted" pics and a CPL Filter
Luxury: Full Frame over Crop Body, Fast Prime lenses f2.0 or faster, at least (2) 400ws Studio Strobes with softboxes, remote flash trigger, Skrim/Gobe

I could literally give a few thousand examples but here is just a quick one. This photo was used for the Hero Card and Poster of the reigning NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster World Champion "Julie Nataas". The photo looks really simple right? Well I could only get this done in the middle of the afternoon in harsh sunlight. So I had to position the sun behind her and the Dragster then light her and the car separately to even out the exposure. I used (3) 600ws strobes all on soft boxes. I need a lens wide enough to get in both her and the dragster then the skill/knowledge to remove all of the distractions in the background. This is not an overly complex photo but it takes a bit of experience to pull it off well enough that you can make money on the work. Below is the before and after for reference.

 

Marry your lenses and date the camera bodies. Buy the best glass you can afford and get a descent body to get you started. Unless you want the best dynamicc range and low light performance a crop sensor is perfectly fine. If you like the canon line check out the r6. Again buy the best glass you can. As already stated above, if you’re not looking to do moving subjects, and all you need is a camera that takes good pictures of still life, you can actually get away with using an older camera with an older auto focus system, because you’re not worried about tracking and face or eye detect. those features are fantastic but it doesn’t sound like you need it, yet. It’s what you need at the moment. If you want to future proof your purchase so that you get a camera to grow into the canon, R5 full frame is a fantastic choice as well and it’s going on discounts now, because the version 2 will be coming out in a few months.

I am a Sony shooter and I know I’m the minority here but I like the system plus you have a lot of options for high-quality cheaper glass with companies like Sigma, and Tamron.

if you’re looking for a Sony and looking at a crop sensor, look at either the a6400 or the a6600. Pair that with a sigma 56 DC DN lens. If you shop smart and used, you might be able to find that somewhere in the $1k - $1100. I have a friend that has that exact set up and it is wild how good it is.

oh and a CPL (circular polarizer filter) is fantastic for car photos during the day at shows or meets

 

It's really all about the overall " Composition "

In your Photo . . . It is Cold ~ Barren ~ and Gives off a feeling of being deserted in an alley behind a strip mall ~ ( Your Background ) . .

No Leaves on the Trees . . OK ~ Expolit that . . . contrast the Car to the Ugly Weed Trees ~ use them block out the Dumpsters at the Strip Mall

I'm NO Expert ~

But " frame the picture " so it captures an overall awesome composition . . . .

Below is an Ugly Setting ~ but . . . Overall . . . The Composition is somewhat intriguing



Think of . .. . " Depth " ~ " Shadows " ~ " Scale " ~ " Lighting Playing on the Subject " ~ . . . Experiment ~ find your favorite settings and back drops . . . .



Below is an Ugly Grandma Car in the Dead of Winter ~ But the " Big Picture " helps Grandma's Car not appear to be just an Ugly Grandma Blue Buick . . .



And the Greatest thing about Cell Phone Pics is the " Crop " Feature . . Crop out the Garbage Cans and Various Signage and manmade clutter in your " Compositions "



Again, I'm just a dude with a Cell Phone in my Pocket ~ but sometimes . . . you see something that might make a descent pic ~ . . Snap it

 

In your post, you asked a specific question so I will offer my opinion and hopefully relevant reasons why.
I feel the full frame camera will give slightly cleaner images and less distortion in the corners. I also think a full frame camera is more suited to a higher end lens because of the larger sensor.
The crop camera might be a little more versatile due to the added reach the sensor gives. The crop camera is sometimes preferred by wildlife photogs because on the extra reach.
I am not familiar with either model you mentioned but I shoot an EOS R6 and imagine the fit and function would at least be similar to the R8 or R10.

My opinion is to get the full frame camera and top it with the best quality standard zoom lens you can find.

What ever you decide on, don't be a stranger to the forum. Post up some of your images and ask as many question as come to mind. There is also a monthly contest on the forum with a theme chosen by the previous month's winner. The contest is all in good fun and it's interesting to see different interpretation of the theme from different photographers.

Good luck, Jerry

 

Two key elements -- skill and equipment. Rick has the skill to shoot this assignment two dozen ways and make each one look good. Fortunately, he also has the equipment necessary to make the picture work when conditions aren't ideal. In my mind, it is the light on the driver that made this picture work. It made her "pop".

Concur for static photos. If you had your choice of location and time to shoot this picture, you could come pretty close on Rick's assignment with an iPhone. In Rick's world, you often find yourself in a situation where the subject dictates the where and when. His posing skill, equipment and post-processing compensated for less than ideal conditions.

Start with a simple or plain background if you aren't going to do a scenic background. I shot some WoW pictures for a friend several years ago, using a plain wall behind a convenient WalMart. Worked great without the need for much post-processing.

Last year, I shot some pictures of my '65 as a requirement for display with my local Corvette club at last year's Chattanooga Motorcar Festival. I didn't go to a lot of trouble. My car is a driver, not a show car. And I thought it was crazy that I had to submit pictures to include the car in a club display.






They accepted the car for display, but told me I'd have to pay $276 to get the passes necessary to display the car. I told them to forget it. I was going to drop out. A few weeks later, they got back and said the car had been accepted for display in their concors d'elegance arena at no cost to me. I told them I was glad they liked the pictures, but the car was driver quality and I didn't want to embarass me or them by putting it on display with some of the million+ dollar cars they were going to have on display.

The point being, you can make an average car look good if you want to.

A couple of other things can distinguish your car photography: light and unusual angles. For a change, shoot at dusk with the parking lights on.

One thing Vader_C5 did that I like was to get the reflection of a tree branch and a few clouds in the paint on the car. That adds "depth" to the paint and shows it off best.

 

What did you wind up choosing?

 

I am still working with the local camera shop, leaning toward the Canon R8 at this time.

 

seems like a solid choice!

 

What lens are you leaning towards? Since you are still locked into Canon RF mount lenses at least for a little while till canon lets Sigma and tamron use their mount.

 

Update: I went back to the shop and rented a Sony a7III paired with a 24-70 GM ii lens- initial impressions: the a7iii is very heavy with the particular lens being out of budget.

Considering both cameras (R10 and a7 iii) impressed me with their ability to capture fantastic photos, delivering significantly higher detail compared to my iPhone 15 Pro Max, just as I had hoped. However, I'm struggling with finding the right balance between ease of use, superior image quality, portability, and staying within my budget of around $1,500 all-in. The R8 is still an option with the kit lens.

I would greatly appreciate any insights or recommendations from those experienced with these cameras or similar options. Feel free to ask any questions if additional information would help you provide better advice. Thanks in advance!

 

Did some more photo capturing yesterday, examples attached (cars are courtesy of @NJVette117 , @njpete19 and @vettes ). Following up on the above, my initial thoughts on the Sony remain - it was quite heavy, and the learning curve is a little overwhelming as a beginner. I returned to the camera shop today and did another assessment with the folks there, and we feel that the Canon R8 is the best for me at this time, which we tested with a wider-angle lens. More to come...

 

Wanted to get into professional photo taking with all the whistle and bells equipment but lost interest. My android phone does a good enough job to satisfy my needs.

 

Dint get sucked into the expensive 2.8 lenses at first. You will most likely be taking car pics at f5.6 -8 anyway.

 

I agree that expensive lenses are not a necessity to shoot good automotive shots...that said check out the shot I did for one of my clients. The general wisdom (and what you see 99% of the time in automotive photography) is a wide angle lens shot at around f8 so everything is in sharp focus. The only issue with that is the background is then also sharp and can be more difficult to give that proper subject separation. All of that said in the image below I took that using the opposite of conventional wisdom and used a 135 f1.8 Prime Lens...shooting wide open at f1.8. No right or wrong here...but it gives a very unique look that is impossible to duplicate with a wide angle and deep depth of field.

Before anyone ask that is NOT some post production "photoshop" magic. Using (3) Strobes to illuminate the car and the model.

 

Sorry I can't help with your camera choices but had a couple of things to offer about car pics. Backdrop and using the environment to stage for the pic is crucial. I'm no pro but in these pics, I found a place with no traffic but had a bold yellow line that adds to the composition. In the group pics (Fathers Day car tradition) I used a nearby park for its neutral but pleasant backdrop. Also....I've found that turning the front wheels one way or the other adds to the "drama" (?) of the car and picture.

 

so.... have you gotten to use your new gear yet? let's see some pics.

 

Dense Fog Over the Vast Lake ~ a Pink 1930s Florida House in Indiana ~ the Vernal Equinox Casting Shadow ~ Seemed Like A Quickie Cell Phone Op . .



Beginners Stuff ~ yeah . . Perhaps in Retirement to occupy my time ~ Will move into a Camera ~ but until then . . . Keeps these tips coming for the Amateur Wannabes

 

Just pulled the trigger on a Canon R8. Stay tuned...