which colour film for low light

[w rollinson]

hi all im going to lemans 24hour race in two weeks and want to do some late night and early morning shots which colour film do you recomend .i will be using a dynax 7 with 400mm f5.6 lens with a converter i will also be using black and white but i will be using my normal films for that ,across and hp5 thanks in advance ,wayne

 

[Gary Holliday]

Are you photographing cars or landscapes? You'll need flash for the cars and any slow film and a tripod for the landscapes. Fuji Velvia.

 

[w rollinson]

i will be doing both really my main thing will be the cars for the 24 hour race but i have a few more days for the landscapes

 

[gr82bart]

I've used Kodak Ektachrome 200 pushed a couple stops in low light and for fast moving objects. I know there's Kodak Portra 800 film available a well, though I rarely shoot with negative film. I've only used my free brick of samples of this last film with my Holga (and it was in 120 format).

I use to shoot with Kodak Ektachrome 320T a lot in twilight. I should have stocked up on that film last year.

You could try a long exposure (say 1 or 2s depending on the available ambient light condition) combined with a flash and Kodak Ektachrome 64T film in twilight. Should make for some interesting shots. Use a decent meter.

Whatever film you decide to use, post some images in the gallery when you get back.

Regards, Art.

 

[waynecrider]

hi all im going to lemans 24hour race in two weeks and want to do some late night and early morning shots which colour film do you recomend .i will be using a dynax 7 with 400mm f5.6 lens with a converter i will also be using black and white but i will be using my normal films for that ,across and hp5 thanks in advance ,wayne

So the effective focal length of your 400mm lens with the teleconverter is going to be what?

Not knowing the lighting condition as to where you are going to be standing, or the light available by the pits at night, it seems that you would need the fastest color negative film and pushed, with your lens. Morning shots might be different.

 

[HerrBremerhaven]

Offhand it sounds like the long lens and teleconverter will make for some slow shutter speeds, unless you use a very high ISO (or push processing). If you are panning shots with that long lens, then slow shutter speeds can actually give you some unusual shots. Where high ISO and short shutter speeds can be good is for in the pits shots.

Mostly I have done nightclub or nightlife shots at high ISO. Even then, a fast lens (faster than f2.8) can often mean very slow shutter speeds. Obviously longer lenses can be tougher to hold steady at slower shutter speeds, unless you can brace them, or use a tripod.

I use to use Kodak Ektachrome P1600, which you can have push processed out to ISO 6400 with reasonable results. Unfortunately it is now very expensive film, so unless you need ISO 6400, I would not recommend it. My most used nightlife film is Kodak Ektachrome E200, which I have used out to 4 2/3 stops push (actually closer to ISO 2000 to 2500 with compensation). This film blue shifts on extreme push, negating the need for a strong blue filter (an 82A works fine, about 1/3 stop loss). Kodak don't list anything beyond 3 stops push, so I advise some sort of test before you do this, though I can recommend some good settings. The other choice would be Kodak Portra 800, which can be push processed one or two stops. Check with your lab first to see if they actually do push process C-41, because when the can do that it will reduce apparant grain over simply processing normally and trying to compensate in the print. I have tried the newest Portra 800 at ISO 1600 (one stop push processing) and the results were quite nice, though with more apparent grain than pushed E200.

Filtration is another matter. I have found that often an 82A or 82B can function better than an 80A, and is much easier with an SLR to actually see through. Racetracks will have some unusual lighting, and it will probably give an interesting effect to let some of the track lighting produce some unusual colours. You could also use a blue gel over your flash when you do those types of shots, instead of having the filter on your lens.

Ciao!

Gordon Moat
Dead Link Removed

 

[keithwms]

Apart from renting a faster lens and/or not using the TC, let me suggest fuji nph and npz. Personally (and I know this will cause some people to throw eggs) I don't see much point in shooting colour neg film past 800 or so in 35mm format.

I rate nph at 320 and npz about 600 or so, by the way, and get snappy colours.

Then there is provia 400x, with that you'd be able to do very nicely saturated ~400 speed and maybe a stop or two push if you're desperate. Slightly underexposing won't hurt too much and may benefit the saturation.

It sounds like the main issue here is the f5.6 lens plus TC, that really sets you back. Might you try longer exposures and perhaps panning the action shots?

 

[midlife crisis]

Like others I would suggest you use the 800 films from Fuji or Kodak. I have used them in the past, but not for some time, and they have always given good results. Whatever you use you need as much colour saturation as you can get. Le Mans is a colourful spectacle and that needs to be show off to its best.
There is a lot of light around the pit area throughout the night but once you move away from there it all gets a bit dark. I know its been done a thousand times before but this area should be good for light trails.
As the light fades you could aim to be at the bottom of the hill below the Dunlop bridge. This is possibly the best time and place to catch the glow of the brakes as they slow for the left-right.
Flash may be of some use but remember those cars will be nice and shiny at first so you may just get a load of glare.
Also you should have time to experiment a little with different films in your local area before you go.
Whatever happens I hope you have as good a time as I have had in the past.

Regards
N

 

[roteague]

Fuji Provia 400X if you can get it.

 

[w rollinson]

hi thanks for all the help i managed to get some fuji 800 today i already had some velvia for the landscapes , i like the sound of the glowing brakes that should be great i do have some faster lenses to try but that ones the biggest i have also i have a1.7 and 2 times converter but if its too difficult i will proberbly do withought thanks once again i cant wait, there is ten cars going in our group all in fancy dress if anybody sees a scary gene simmons lookalike with dripping makeup that will be me all the best ,wayne