New-b with a question, please help

[BMWJNKY]

Well this is my first post here and hopefully someone can help me find an answer to my question. I need help selecting the right 35mm film to use for shooting a night race at Laguna Seca. The problem I see is that there will be low light but the cars are going fast. I want clear pictures but I don't want the cars blured. So do i go with a lower speed film and hope the cars don't blur or do i go with a higher speed film and deal with grain? I'm fairly new to photography and have never been in this situation before. I have a Nikon N75 with a Nikon AF Nikkor 28-80mm 1:3.3-5.6 G lens. Thanks for any help you can give.

[Clemmie]

Between the low light and fast moving subjects, you have only one choice: higher speed film and deal with the grain.

Fortunately, most high speed films today have much tighter grain than they used to, so you don't sacrifice as much in the quality department. While they're definitely not as sharp as, say, a 100 film, they no longer look like you're projecting the image on a gravel driveway, either.

I'll suggest Fuji Superia 800 for this one. Widely available, good tight grain for an 800 film, and good color response.

Will also point out that you need to be real close to the retaining wall for this, unless you have a longer lens available. You'll see soon enough just how limiting a 28-80 can be - most Race shooters I know use a zoom with reach to 200-300mm on the high end.

Even if the shots prove to be wider than you'd like, because of the lens limitation, it'll still be good night action practice for you. Good Luck, and let us know how it turns out.

[another view]

Low light and fast action is a tough combination to work with. I would add to the above that you might want to "zone focus". Focus the camera manually on the spot that you'll shoot at, and then pan the cars as they go by. When they get to that spot, release the shutter. A smaller aperture (maybe f5.6 or 8 instead of f2.8 or f4) has enough depth of field to give you some room if the cars aren't in the exact spot when you release the shutter. You'll need a fast shutter speed to stop the action, at least 1/500 - but this will make them look parked too because the wheels won't be spinning. Problem is that even with ISO800 film you may not get 1/500 at f5.6, there won't be enough light to get it. At this point, you have to choose what's important given the amount of light you have to work with (did I say it's not going to be easy? ;)

Take some like this if you want to, but try some with slower shutter speeds (like 1/60 or so) panning the cars as they go by. If you get it right (not an easy thing to do, it usually takes a lot of film to get a good one), the car will be sharp but the wheels and background will be blurred.

[BMWJNKY]

Thanks for the tips. I'll post the pics sometime next week after they get developed.