Rex Photography

what is the best film for action/sports photography?

A friend of mine asked me to take a few pics of him playing football but I usually stick with landscape/nature photography so I'm not sure what film I should use or speed for my lens (I have a Nikon N75 and the AF 28-200mm f/3.5-5.6 lens). Any advice is greatly appreciated!

Public Comments

1. If it's a daytime game, you may be OK with ISO 400 film, but if it's an evening one, get IS0 800 or higher. Here's a few pics I took during the afternoon and evening at a college game. I was using a Nikon D50 and started at ISO 400 at the begining of the game and later moved up to 800 and 1600 as it got darker. I was shooting with a Nikon 75-300mm f/4.5-5.6 wide open, allowing me to freeze the action as much as possible. Your lens is not as long, but you'll probably be closer than I was. http://tinyurl.com/2l7saa Sports photography is very different from landscape/nature as the subject(s) are constantly moving. Try to anticipate the action as much as possible and try not to zoom in too tightly, as the players will often 'run off the frame'. If you don't zoom in too tightly, you have a better chance of captureing the full action and can crop later. One strong suggestion - use a monopod as it gives you some stability, but is easier to move around than a tripod. If possible, practice shooting one of the team's practices first. I hope this is helpful for you.
2. Try a couple of rolls of FujiFilm PRESS 800. Its surprisingly good quality for that ISO. Fuji also offers an ISO 1600 color print film. I'm afraid you may have problems with your zoom at the long end. f5.6 is slow and it may be even slower since the light has to pass through so many elements. If you could find a bargain on an older Nikon lens of maybe 300mm and f4 that would give you an extra stop. You'll need to keep your shutter speed at least at 1/125 or higher. ISO 800 and your present lens might work. Maybe you can take some meter readings at ISO 800 and 1600 and see what shutter speed you get. Don't expect the highest quality at 1600 though.
3. If the football is being played during the day, you can use the same film as you use shooting landscapes. Using your lens at 200mm and wide open (f/5.6) using 100 ISO film your shutter speed would be about 1/800th sec. Good enough to stop action. I shoot American Soccer and have had no problem capturing the action with shutter speeds of under 1/500th sec. Sometimes I induce some blur to enhance the sense of action.
4. You should use a 400 speed film.