I definitely plan on bringing the 600-1000 for my K1000, if nothing else for the fun/experience of shooting with a big manual focus lens.
Photography by Colin Wood
I sit on my perch, trying to take in the last of the fleeting warmth offered by the setting sun, when I hear my target approaching.
My chilled fingers scramble to their positions, as my narrow focus sweeps the terrain.
There. I spot the glint I’m looking for.
It’s moving quickly, so I have little time to ready the shot.
Closer. Closer. Hold on.
I hold my breath to steady my aim, my finger hovering over the trigger.
Almost. Almost. Now.
I take the shot. The target continues on its high-speed trajectory.
While most hunters would be disappointed that their target got away, I’m really just in it for the hunt–the hunt for the perfect photograph of a race car, of course.
Why not just spray and pray that I get the perfect shot?
Because I’m shooting with film, and I only get 24 or 36 shots, depending on the film used, before I have to reload a new canister. And, unlike the old saying, film is not cheap–not anymore, at least.
On top of that, it will be a week or two before I know if any of these shots even come out correctly, as that’s how long it can take to get my film negatives back from the developers (Shout out to Harmon Photo), but I’m cool with that.
In fact, the delayed gratification of shooting with film is the primary reason why I even bother to go through the added time, effort and expense.
It’s kind of like reaching into a pair of pants you haven’t worn in a while and finding $20 in your pocket or going to an extended family member’s house after Christmas for even more presents or thinking you are all done eating and discovering that there’s still another enchilada on the plate. (Okay maybe that last one is just me.)
At any rate, the Rolex 24 at Daytona is one of my favorite events to photograph, especially on film, simply because there are so many great opportunities to capture some truly fantastic photos–whether you are shooting down into the pits from the top of the garages, pressed up against the fence lining the International Horseshoe or even high up in the stands with a near-perfect view of the entire track.
[IMSA Rolex 24: What you need to know | Schedule & Entry Lists]
Since the green flag is fast approaching, it’s time to decide what cameras, lenses and film I’ll be taking with me this year–and I'd like you to help me decide.
First up is the ever-trusty Pentax K1000. While I need to set everything manually–which can add an extra layer of difficulty when photographing fast-moving cars–I at least have a light meter that helps me key in an aperture and shutter speed setting that will at least get me a half-decent shot.
[Vintage cameras: the most accessible way to experience the past?]
Then, I have my Canon Rebel T2. Unlike the K1000, the T2 has settings for automatic focus, exposure and shutter speed, all of which are really nice to have when I don’t feel like fiddling with the settings or I don’t have the time to do so–because, you know, race cars. Another added benefit of the T2? The plastic construction of the camera means it’s very light and much lighter in comparison to the K1000.
As for what lenses I have on hand, here’s the current lineup:
What film do I have? Not much. Currently, I have only two rolls of Cinestill 400D, a roll of Fuji 200, and an expired roll of Lomography Berlin B&W 400. So, I have some film shopping to do.
While I plan on bringing both cameras and already have a loose plan of what lenses and film I plan on taking (the 135mm is more than likely staying home and some 800-speed film is already in my cart for nighttime shooting), but I’d love to hear your thoughts before I commit to anything just yet.
If you are also heading to the Rolex this year, feel free to share what cameras, lenses and film you're taking (if applicable).
I definitely plan on bringing the 600-1000 for my K1000, if nothing else for the fun/experience of shooting with a big manual focus lens.
Ideally, you want a Kodak disc 4000...
A Kodak 110 with flash cube...
And a Kodak Advantix C800.
Anything less and you will be unprepared.
Colin Wood said:I definitely plan on bringing the 600-1000 for my K1000, if nothing else for the fun/experience of shooting with a big manual focus lens.
My buddy always takes "Big Bertha", his giant, heavy prime lens (200 - 500mm?) for his Pentax DSLR. The experience of hauling around a large lens may lose it's luster quickly, from what I've seen my pal go through. His back pack must weigh at least 30 lbs, which gets heavier and heavier as the day goes on - on Saturday we are usually at the track for around 15 hours and normally cover around 10 miles walking to all the different vantage points. Just something to consider...
That said, it's great having a telephoto. I'm not shooting with film, but I just take a 16 - 80 and 55 - 300 kit lens, and it's all I've ever needed. One advantage of digital is the ability to crop a LOT, so the 300 mm lens works out great for me. It being a kit lens, it's not the ultimate fast lens, but it is really light and compact.
Manual focus for fast moving things like race cars does not seem like a great choice to me -- at least, not if you want to capture them on track.
I'm not going to the Rolex (If for no other reason than that I'm going racing at Buttonwillow instead), but if I were going I'd bring my Canon 7Dmk2, 17-55 f/2.8 and 70-200 f/2.8. And for long-range daylight shots either my 100-400L or maybe splurge and rent something like a 200-400 f/4 or 400 f/2.8 prime.
Manual focus isn't that hard to deal with; you just have to plan ahead. I normal pre-focus on the spot where I intend to shoot, then just track the car(s) into it and fire.
Think about your potential EVs and how much flexibility you'll have with the apertures of the lenses you're carrying. The 600-1000 is going to want shutter speeds of 1/500 or faster unless you're well-supported; in anything but bright sun, you're out of options almost immediately with 400-speed film. If you're set on bringing that, I'd load the camera with 800 or, better yet, push some B&W up to 3200 or more.
I prefer working with set combinations, ideally not changing lenses at all, and certainly not often if I do. Partially because this makes the process more intuitive, and partially because I don't like carrying tons of equipment around. I'd go with the K1000 with the 50 and the T2 with the 75-300. Depending on your plans and shooting style, you might swap the 50 out for the 28; I'm a natural 50 shooter, so for the track I tend to go with a 50 and a 135 (I shoot rangefinders, so that's about the upper limit of focal length), but I've also done the 28 and 85 combo when I plan to shoot more of the paddock and crowd than the track.
Infrared?
I think my dream photography kit for going to something like the GRM Challenge again (I can't go this year due to a schedule conflict) would be one of my film cameras with 28mm and 50mm lenses, and then my Fuji X-H1 crop-body digital and a long telephoto zoom like one of the 100mm to 400mm options that are available today or the 18mm to 300mm superzoom that I see advertised and have read good things about.
My two cents; film is fun but it can be very frustrating as well, and having the flexibility of a modern digital camera is so hard to ignore.
In reply to 02Pilot :
That's the focusing technique I used last year with a shorter lens on the K1000. Not ideal, but it's certainly an added layer of fun.
I'm definitely planning on packing as much higher-speed film as I can, especially for the big lens.
I hear you about the set combinations, and I feel like that's the way to do it. The 28mm on the K1000 served me well in the pits last year, so I'm tempted to leave that one attached to the camera for most of the race and then switch to the big lens when I'm in the bleachers.
In reply to VolvoHeretic :
I haven't tried infrared yet, but this might be the best time to try it.
I'm cool with experimenting, even if that means some/most of the shots don't turn out well.
This will be my first year trying out shooting on film at the Rolex. I am thinking ill keep the 50mm on the film camera and shoot mainly with that but also pack a telephoto lens just in case I want to try to shoot action with manual focus. Maybe its time to get more film.
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