F1 Abu Dhabi after party

[jacopienaar]

Hi DPS readers,

I have stumbled upon the rare opportunity to be the photographer at the Brawn F1Team (Jenson Button & Rubens Barrichello) after party this Sunday. I am a bit nervous as this is my first shoot that I get paid for (I have done other but for favours - rugby sevens tickets, free booze, Golf Championships, Club launches etc.).

I did a shoot for some freebies last week at a launch of a new Lounge bar in Dubai and had some problems with my AF. This is my (crappy) kit:
Nikon D80
Nikkor kit lenses - 18-135mm & 70 -300mm
Nikkor AF-S 50mm f1.4
SB900

My camera found it hard to focus properly in the low light conditions even with my speedlight attached. This again will be in a club environment (Emirates Palace, Etoile) I just have a couple of questions:
1. What lens is best for this situations? Do I need a wide angle for ex. 10-24mm?
2. What is the best f-stop to shoot at and what is the best flash sync speed?
3. Any general tips you guys can give me?
4. Any shot suggestions welcome

I have a few more Q's but I think it's maybe a bit silly to ask them. Any feedback will be much appreciated!

Thanks

[OsmosisStudios]

If you can, bounce the flash. The IR beams from the SB900 should be able to AF the camera easily: I know they do from my 800 on my D80.

For club work I usually use the 18-70 but rarely go above 50mm. You should likely stick to the 18-135, just try to stay in the short end. You could try the 50, but its gonna be a bit long, especially on a crop body. UWA (like the 10-24) will just distort things and thats no fun.

I usually shoot around f/4-5.6, 1/60s. This captures some of the ambient light but uses mainly the flash for lighting.

The trick to anything in a club is to be open, friendly and fun. Enjoy it! And say hi to the drivers, if you can.

[Dakotax]

I can't help you with your questions, but I am looking forward to seeing these pics as I'm an AVID F1 fan. Enjoy the beautiful scenery.

[CaptainNH]

Your AF problems are simply suggestive of a slow lens in low light.

dSLRs focus with the aperture wide open then stop down to take the shot, so the faster your lens, the better your AF will work in low light situations.

Your IR focus beams from your speedlight should help, but, if I may say so, painting your superstar clients with red is not a really professional look - if nothing else, it'll annoy other photographers.

The real answer to your problem is fast glass - your 50mm might just do the job, but for group shots, it's going to be too long.

Since this is a paid job, is there money in the budget to hire something f/2.8 or faster? or you could try manual focus to cut down on the AF hunting.