[Karenfreer]

Hey everyone,

I usually stick to my 28mm or 50mm lens for most things but I am going to a Roller Derby game next weekend and bought a 200mm lens because I want to be able to get closer to the action.

I have never shot fast moving objects with a film camera before so I was wondering if anyone has any tips or lens recommendations?

I use a Pentax ME Super and Pentax Super A.

The 200mm lens I have is the SMC Pentax-M 200mm F4.

Thanks in advance

[torashi]

The only reason for getting the A instead of the M would be if you need to shoot in shutter priority (Tv) instead of aperture priority (Av), which can be very important for sports since you need faster shutter speeds. I can't seem to recall if the ME super has automatic aperture control. I know the Super A has automatic shutter speeds. That would make it Av.

[Adam]

The ME super does not, but the Super A does. IMO, no reason not to get an A lens if you can take advantage of the auto aperture.

[reh321]

With these manual focus cameras, you may need to go totally "old school" manual. Pick a spot where you expect to take photos, focus on something in that spot, set aperature and shutter speed appropriate for that spot, .... and wait. Under that discipline, 'A' and 'M' are essentially the same, but 'A' would give you flexibility for other situations.

[Karenfreer]

The only reason for getting the A instead of the M would be if you need to shoot in shutter priority (Tv) instead of aperture priority (Av), which can be very important for sports since you need faster shutter speeds. I can't seem to recall if the ME super has automatic aperture control. I know the Super A has automatic shutter speeds. That would make it Av.

In Manual mode you can select the shutter speed you want, I will be shooting with B&W Ilford 3200 so I will be able to select a fast shutter speed, I am not sure which aperture to use, I was thinking around f/8-f/11?

[Just1MoreDave]

If the indoor lighting is typical, it isn't as bright as you want. You probably will be forced to use the lens at f4 just to get a little more shutter speed. That will limit your depth of field, so your focus has to be on-target. You may want to have some high speed film in case the lighting is bad. Your shutter speed can't be too low because of the action.

[MaineNative]

I used to shoot basketball from the floor with film using a Pentax P30t. I used a Vivitar Series 1 28-90 f2.8 “Stovepipe” shooting Fuji 800 speed film and no flash. That let me shoot at 1/250-1/500 to stop action with acceptable grain. It really depends on the lighting. For basketball, the players and court are very well lit but the stands would be very dark.

I would shoot in full manual (manual exposure and manual focus) so there was no delay when I hit the shutter button. If there is a delay waiting for focus to lock or light meter to adjust apature, you can miss a shot. I shoot hockey with similar settings on my K-5 and K-1.

[Not a Number]

What speed film will you be using?

[rognone]

I would say absolutely A lens over M lenses: yes, you pay a little more, but also
you will have a very "comfy" lens to use on digital camera (or "modern" film cameras)
and on the used market it will be very more easy to resell if you'll ever need to.

Pentax A 70-210 F4 would be my choice: 70-80 bucks for a lot of good glass!

[aaacb]

I used film only once to shoot sports, it was a tennis match, coincidentally with the same kit, super program and m 200 f4. My usual digital kit at the time was k3ii and da* 60-250. It was challenging but knowing the game helped "fish" by waiting for the players to enter the distance where I was focusing.

[vics]

I would refer you to the wonderful bullfight photographs of Ernst Haas from the early 50s. He was shooting Kodachrome in his Leica and it was ISO 10! He used slow shutter speeds and let it blur and he went for big saturated color. It's not really Sports Photography, it's more art photography. Under low-light with those colorful costumes I think that would work great.

[pschlute]

On a film camera (fixed ISO) aperture priority and shutter priority are just different ends of the same piece of string.

do some metering before the action starts and work from there.

[jpipg]

I would refer you to the wonderful bullfight photographs of Ernst Haas from the early 50s. He was shooting Kodachrome in his Leica and it was ISO 10! He used slow shutter speeds and let it blur and he went for big saturated color. It's not really Sports Photography, it's more art photography. Under low-light with those colorful costumes I think that would work great.

As an aside to the thread, thank for you sharing the beautiful works of Ernst Haas, I am feeling inspired!

[torashi]

In Manual mode you can select the shutter speed you want, I will be shooting with B&W Ilford 3200 so I will be able to select a fast shutter speed, I am not sure which aperture to use, I was thinking around f/8-f/11?

Your aperture will depend on how much light there is available if your shutter speed is going to be fixed. Indoor vs. outdoor field, good or bad lighting, sunny or hazy day… artificial lighting certainly keeps conditions stable, whereas a sunny day with some clouds passing under the sun can constantly throw your exposure around.
I guess most, if not all, Roller Derbys are held indoors, so measure the light before the match starts and you're good to go. I would also recommend getting some Fuji 1600 if you can get a hold of it before the game. Some teams are all about color in their uniforms and hair.
You won't need an A lens until you use a body which can control aperture in the "A" setting.

[torashi]

I would refer you to the wonderful bullfight photographs of Ernst Haas from the early 50s. He was shooting Kodachrome in his Leica and it was ISO 10! He used slow shutter speeds and let it blur and he went for big saturated color. It's not really Sports Photography, it's more art photography. Under low-light with those colorful costumes I think that would work great.

This wasn't certainly low light, you can tell they were taken on a bright day. Bull fight arenas are open, completely outdoor scenarios. This would have required 1/10 s going by the sunny 16 rule.
Showing speed with motion blur can lead to cool end results. Mixing flash with lower shutter speeds can be an interesting approach if it doesn't disturb the players (in bright scenarios that wouldn't be a big problem) and leave some motion trail leading from a frozen main position.