Car guy who wants to bring it back

keiffti · Feb 9, 2021

My primary hobby is cars and guns, and the social group is pretty homogeneous.

I've wanted to take 35mm photos of our shenanigans much like those before me, and being 30 I have an attachment to the age of old.

My gear selection so far is a Nikon FE2 with Kodak colorplus 200. Unknown lense for usage case

Usage case is 7pm-dusk. I'd like a lense that can handle late evening to 'street lighting' as my goal is to perfect the gear I get rather than buy more gear.

From what I've seen this hobby is highly inviting and I applaud y'all for being the example of what a hobby should look like.

Many thanks, Keith

removed account4 · Feb 9, 2021

Hey Keith!
Sounds fun what you want to do
I hate to suggest more gear it look for a flash called a sun pack auto thyrstor. I think I have the 411 model it has a filter pack so you can use it with a wide angle lens, it takes 4 AA batteries and allows you to adjust your output from 1/8 to full throttle. It has a electric eye so you can figure out an “auto” type function. Not very expensive works greAt.. It might take some fooling around to learn but I’m sure If you can change the rotor and points on a car from yesterday you won’t have a problem.
Have fun
John

Christopher Walrath · Feb 9, 2021

A large aperture, fast film and fill flash will be your best friends. Yes, a flash can add light when you need it and is something that is well worth looking into if you do not have one already. And the Sun Packs are great flashes. But there are less expensive ones to be had. I lived and died by a Vivitar 3800 for years. Same power pack but it did well enough for my purposes. A large aperture will allow you to use faster shutter speeds. Anything that can keep you at the 1/60 or faster shutter speed range will reduce movement in the photograph by your subject due to something as simple as you breathing. If you want to get another lens, look for something with at least f/2. And a fast film will get you there as well. ISO 400 should keep you going in lower light and you could even push your exposure to 800. Your color plus might be able to be pushed to 400 on your camera to little or no ill effects. If you do, make sure that whoever is processing your film knows about that change so that you do not get underexposed shots. And above all else, share your photographs with all of us here. Looking forward to seeing what you bring to the table.

And welcome to the group.

Ariston · Feb 9, 2021

Hey Keiffti,

I love guns, too. And film photography. I have an FE and love it, also.

I have wanted to experiment with pushing color negative film for some time, and I think that would give some cool results for what you are looking at. Share some photos once you get going!

BradS · Feb 9, 2021

Hello and welcome!

keiffti · Feb 9, 2021

jnantz said:
Hey Keith!
Sounds fun what you want to do
I hate to suggest more gear it look for a flash called a sun pack auto thyrstor. I think I have the 411 model it has a filter pack so you can use it with a wide angle lens, it takes 4 AA batteries and allows you to adjust your output from 1/8 to full throttle. It has a electric eye so you can figure out an “auto” type function. Not very expensive works greAt.. It might take some fooling around to learn but I’m sure If you can change the rotor and points on a car from yesterday you won’t have a problem.
Have fun
John

I certainly hope to post some good content once the weather provides. Would that flash unit work in long distance shots? My biggest concern using flash is that most of the content I'm photographing is beyond 20 feet

Les Sarile · Feb 9, 2021

I'm mostly a prop airplane kinda guy and daylight conditions allows me to use any film I want but took a few night time car shots. But of course there must be all kinds of different night time car events with different lighting - or lack of.
If you can use 200 speed film then it sounds like there will be plenty of light.

For example, in seemingly bright stadium lighting conditions, I was able to use Kodak Portra 800 speed film with my f2.8 zoom lens wide open but at relatively low speeds handheld. Portra 800 is supposedly push processing friendly which I probably should have done to get more useful shots. If I only had 200 speed I would be in the single digit shutter speeds so would have definitely pushed the film..

Welcome aboard and sounds like fun!

keiffti · Feb 9, 2021

Christopher Walrath said:
A large aperture, fast film and fill flash will be your best friends. Yes, a flash can add light when you need it and is something that is well worth looking into if you do not have one already. And the Sun Packs are great flashes. But there are less expensive ones to be had. I lived and died by a Vivitar 3800 for years. Same power pack but it did well enough for my purposes. A large aperture will allow you to use faster shutter speeds. Anything that can keep you at the 1/60 or faster shutter speed range will reduce movement in the photograph by your subject due to something as simple as you breathing. If you want to get another lens, look for something with at least f/2. And a fast film will get you there as well. ISO 400 should keep you going in lower light and you could even push your exposure to 800. Your color plus might be able to be pushed to 400 on your camera to little or no ill effects. If you do, make sure that whoever is processing your film knows about that change so that you do not get underexposed shots. And above all else, share your photographs with all of us here. Looking forward to seeing what you bring to the table.

And welcome to the group.

I can Agree but I have no clue what flash can and lense for a Nikon FE2 that I need.

keiffti · Feb 9, 2021

Les Sarile said:
I'm mostly a prop airplane kinda guy and daylight conditions allows me to use any film I want but took a few night time car shots. But of course there must be all kinds of different night time car events with different lighting - or lack of.
If you can use 200 speed film then it sounds like there will be plenty of light.

For example, in seemingly bright stadium lighting conditions, I was able to use Kodak Portra 800 speed film with my f2.8 zoom lens wide open but at relatively low speeds handheld. Portra 800 is supposedly push processing friendly which I probably should have done to get more useful shots. If I only had 200 speed I would be in the single digit shutter speeds so would have definitely pushed the film..

Welcome aboard and sounds like fun!

That's a really good shot. One of the reasons I want an FE2 is the 4k shutter speed.

I'm genuinely a car grug that wants to see more anologe tech everywhere. Be the change you want to see.

grain elevator · Feb 10, 2021

Before gear, you should think about how you'll get your film processed and scanned, or if you want to do it yourself. Drugstore scans are rarely satisfactory.
For low-ish light shooting, the 1/4000 shutter speed is no use, and in daylight, you only need it if you want to shoot with wide apertures, which tends to get old fast.
We can't really help with what lens because selection of focal length is very personal. If you have no idea, maybe show us some examples of what you'd like to get. Or remember that the camera in your phone probably as a focal length that's equivalent to 24-28mm, when you're not zooming in. Do you enjoy that or a narrower file of view (zoomed in)? For low light photography, most of us will not recommend a zoom as those typically don't collect so much light.

removed account4 · Feb 10, 2021

keiffti said:
I certainly hope to post some good content once the weather provides. Would that flash unit work in long distance shots? My biggest concern using flash is that most of the content I'm photographing is beyond 20 feet

Hi Keith
hmmm.. further than 20feet ....
That might put some restraints on you, but nothing that enough money and will can't solve

There are a handful of different things you might be able to do. What sort of "look" do you want? Do you have examples of similar photographs
you have made with your phone or other digital camera ( or others have made)?
Are you looking for wacky dreamy surreal hallucination looking photos? or something that looks more like an advertising photo or movie still ?

John

Les Sarile · Feb 10, 2021

jnantz said:
Hi Keith
hmmm.. further than 20feet ....
That might put some restraints on you, but nothing that enough money and will can't solve

And if you're target is shiny then either make sure you're at an angle or the bounced light will grossly underexpose everything else or compensate appropriarely.

Wallendo · Feb 10, 2021

I am not quite clear what the target is for the OP?
Lens (and possibly) flash selection depends on distance to the target as well as whether the cars are still or moving.
If the cars are moving rapidly in the evening, a fast lens will be needed. If you are reasonably close to the target a 50mm f1.4 or f1.8 lens should be adequate. If you are further away, consider a fast 85mm lens.
At 20 feet or more, flash would not likely be helpful. I also find flash photography of automobiles to be problematic and the glass and chrome often reflects so much better that the rest of the car.
I would recommend Portra 800 for color work. (I personally would probably shoot TX-400 at ISO 800 in B&W). I enjoy shooting daytime auto shows in Fuji Velvia or Kodak E100, but between 7PM and dusk, a lot of the impact of brightly painted cars is lost.

Older Nikon 50/1.4 lens are fairly inexpensive, and I would start with that. From there, shoot with whatever film you prefer and see what works and what doesn't. If you find you need a longer lens, you can always pick one up later, but just about every photographer should have a good 50mm lens anyway. If you find yourself shooting fairly slow shutter speeds, invest in an inexpensive monopod. They are easy to carry and can be useful (and also can double as a walking stick).

keiffti · Feb 10, 2021

Here's some examples of what low light I would deal with. Having a focal plane for individual shots works be nice, but not if I'm spending heeps of money.

I do not mind if it's obvious that I shot the picture on film. I personally like the impurities that can pop up using it over digital.

Les Sarile · Feb 10, 2021

keiffti said:
Here's some examples of what low light I would deal with. Having a focal plane for individual shots works be nice, but not if I'm spending heeps of money.

I do not mind if it's obvious that I shot the picture on film. I personally like the impurities that can pop up using it over digital.

If stationary cars are the object then you can use a tripod with any speed film. If you don't care about blurring people then ISO100 film and any speed lens will be just fine and you won't need flash. If you can't use a tripod then faster lens and film will be needed.

Alan Gales · Feb 10, 2021

Les Sarile said:
If stationary cars are the object then you can use a tripod with any speed film. If you don't care about blurring people then ISO100 film and any speed lens will be just fine and you won't need flash. If you can't use a tripod then faster lens and film will be needed.

+1

Get yourself a carbon fiber job if you want something really lightweight.

TheFlyingCamera · Feb 10, 2021

I'd say shoot 400 film rather than 200, for starters - it will give you a little extra cushion either in terms of hand-holdability or in exposure error. Second, given the shots you posted as examples, a fast fixed prime like a 35 1,4 or 28 f2 would stead you well. Barring that, again depending on your budget, one of the classic f2.8 zooms would be a good option. I know NIkon made 35-70 f2.8 zooms for a LONG time and they were staples of the wedding industry. Nikon has now made a 24-70 fast fixed-aperture zoom. If that fits your budget, then look for one of those. The downside will be that it will be BIG and HEAVY compared to a fixed fast prime.

Wallendo · Feb 10, 2021

Based on your examples, consider B&W film. If you are taking it to a lab, you could use Ilford XP-2 Super, a 400 ISO black and white film that can be developed by color processes.

Color images taken under artificial light will display weird colors in many cases. This can often be corrected with filters, but that is complicated by the fact that different light sources have different color temperatures. Depending on how you process these images, the color shifts can be corrected either by the lab during the scanning process if desired. When shooting digital, the camera will frequently correct the colors for you.

The color shifts my or may not bother you. The only way to find out is to shoot a roll and see how it works out. B&W isn't everyone's preference, but when you pick a lens, try shooting a roll of XP-2 and see if you like it.

film_man · Feb 10, 2021

Based on those image samples, looks like you can get close. So
1. get some faster film, Portra 400 can be shot at 1600. Portra 800 is grainier but looks nicer with mixed lights. And obviously BW is always there. XP2, HP5 or even TMax 3200. Cinestill 800T is another option but not to everyone's liking.
2. doesn't look like you need a long lens, so take your pick, 28/2, 35/1.4, 50/1.4, 50/1.2. They will all do the job
3. you could even use a tripod for some cool long shutter shots

As someone else said, the most important thing is how you'll process and scan/print the film. All the above won't matter much if you give the film to some cheap lab that auto scans it to death.

Sirius Glass · Feb 10, 2021

TheFlyingCamera said:
I'd say shoot 400 film rather than 200, for starters - it will give you a little extra cushion either in terms of hand-holdability or in exposure error. Second, given the shots you posted as examples, a fast fixed prime like a 35 1,4 or 28 f2 would stead you well. Barring that, again depending on your budget, one of the classic f2.8 zooms would be a good option. I know NIkon made 35-70 f2.8 zooms for a LONG time and they were staples of the wedding industry. Nikon has now made a 24-70 fast fixed-aperture zoom. If that fits your budget, then look for one of those. The downside will be that it will be BIG and HEAVY compared to a fixed fast prime.

Wise words. But 50mm and 28mm lenses. ISO 400 film shot at box speed.

beemermark · Feb 10, 2021

Have you tried photographing a blued gun yet? One of the most difficult items I have ever attempted to photograph. (1) get the colors right, especially if case hardening is involved (2) no shadows (3) nail the exposure, even with digital a 1/2 stop can be bad (4) macro lens is needed (5) Lots of depth of field needed, say F11 or F16 and (6) all this calls for a tripod.

Car guy who wants to bring it back

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