Need Advice Manual Focus Contax RTS III for Sports

[bwcolor]

My RTS III's mirror started to hang soon after purchase. A couple of months ago I sent off for repair and now back from Japan. They also replaced the finder LED, which I think was a preventative measure and full cleaning and adjustment.

I want to shoot some of my daughter's soccer with the Contax 100-300mm f/4.5 zoom lens. I've only shot using my 1DMKIII, so manual focus with fast (hopefully) moving subjects is new to me. I've two focusing screens, the matte with vertical and horizontal lines and the FV screen with the central split with surround but central only fresnel.

Any suggestions as to which screen to use and how to capture fast moving kids would be appreciated.

 

[funkydog]

Any chance of acquiring a plain matte screen? Either of the two screens you mentioned aren't suitable for small aperture tele action shots. They can be used but there're better options. The grid is just distracting and the two halves of the split screen will take turns going dark as you swing the camera around.
You could use the matte outer area of the split screen to prefocus on the area where you predict the action will be headed and the position your daughter is playing - striker, goalie, midfielder,etc. I personally wouldn't be able to follow focus a ball game with a 100-300/4.5.

 

[bwcolor]

Thanks.. I'll use the matte screen with lines.. since it sounds like the better of the two. I might not have any luck.. will try.

 

[MartinP]

Also, you may find that a monopod is a good idea. It gives some stability (especially braced against the camera-strap slightly) but can still be easily pivoted and twisted - every little helps! The only other thing might be to use faster rather than slower film, but that's pretty obvious I guess.

It would also be a good idea to get a couple of rolls of the cheapest film (same speed as the Portra, or whatever you will use) and developing you can, and practice with the setup before you have an 'important' shoot. That way you get an idea of what will work and what not.

Remember this used to be done with 4x5 rangefinders and Tele-Rolleis !!!
😉

 

[ColSebastianMoran]

bwcolor, May I ask where you sent your Contax body for repair?

To your question, I shot my daughter's sports with a 300mm lens. The monopod helped a lot. And, as others have said, don't try to follow-focus. Instead prefocus on a predicted spot and shoot when the action arrives there.

 

[bwcolor]

All good suggestions.. I have a couple of good monopods.

I sent the Contax to Tocad.. via Sally @ Tocad .. she is the person that gets the camera off to Japan. Repairs were much cheaper than I had expected.

 

[bwcolor]

OK.. all set. Taking Manfrotto 682B monopod, RTS III set for spot metering/matte-grid focusing screen and six rolls (3 games) of TMY-2. I'm out of C-41 chemistry and unless overcast won't shoot E-6 (E200). I think that I can shoot at f/8 rating the film at EI 320 and that should give me around 1/1000 shutter speed. So, the only issue is my ability to focus.