Shooting in bars - film- what would your set up be?

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GarageBoy

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I shoot in dark locations quite often and while I love my F2AS with Type K (split/microprism screen), I can barely focus due to the dark screen and often miss shots.
Generally in places where I'm at F1.4-F2 1/60s ISO3200
I'm using Nikon 50 1.4 and 105 2.5 lenses

Is it time for AF, a later camera with a better screen/microprism spot? Should I get a type G or type H screen?

Thanks
I'd like not to waste my last dozen TMax 3200
 
I do this often. I really like my J screens personally. I love microprism spots if I'm going to use an SLR.

Even AF struggles in some of the situations I've shot in.

That said I personally prefer my Nikon SP rangefinder to an SLR. I've shot in places before with f/2, 1/30, and pushed TMZ to 6400.
 
RF time. M, 35 Summilux. Why mess around with the wrong camera, unless it's all you have?

His dictis (these things having been said), I got good pics with both the 58/1.4 and the 21/4 when they were all I had. Use what ya got.

Film: pushed HP5 or Delta 3200.

Cheers,

R.
 
My MP can be just as hard to focus under bad light as an Slr. I have had very good results with my Nikon Df and 50 1.2. Film wise I'd go with something like an F100 with a 50 1.2 and 1600 film or push HP5 a stop or two.
 
When it's really dark I like shooting f/2 on a f/1.4 lens so that I can do things like focus using the edge of the subject's face (high contrast vertical line so the split-image works) and keep the eyes in focus. This of course usually requires pushing the film another stop.

A 35mm f/1.4 lens at 1.4 has more DOF than a 50mm lens does at f/2 at the same distance. Another advantage of a 35mm lens is that you can usually shoot 1/30 without hand induced blurring. This is a potential 2 stop advantage, and allows the technique I mentioned above. If you go to f/2 you have enough DOF that you could even use the eyeball distance and zone focus method.

I don't know much about Nikon focusing screens, but I know in the Olympus world changing screens or switching to an OM-1 will get you a little more light to see by.

-Greg
 
Delta 3200, rated at 1600 if you have enough light, at 3200 if you need to. Expect grain. "Artistic" grain. :D

EDIT - sorry, that didn't answer the question did it? I see you already have TMax 3200.
 
Last edited:
DamenS said:
The Konica Hexar AF will auto-focus quickly with no light at all.
Click to expand...

Yes,

8156011411_6f132d1820.jpg
 
Your best bet is a RF with at least a sharp 1.4 lens, so ideally for low light Zeiss Ikon+35/1.2 Nokton. Alternative would be F100 with some AF lens like sigma 50/1.4, but frankly, in B&W the Japanese SLR lenses are quite a disappointment. I'd go with Tri X or HP5+ in Acufine, Xtol, DD-X, or Diafine, if the contrast is high (light sources in the frame, etc).

ZI+Nokton 35/1.2
20090122 by mfogiel, on Flickr
 
In such situations I can rely on the autofokus of my Nikon F6.
It is doing an excellent job.
Much better than any RF I've used so far.

Cheers, Jan
 
I'm not completely up on my Nikon focusing screen nomenclature, but I think I have the Type B (matte fresnel w/fine ground glass central spot) on my F2 (plain prism) & it works fine for me in low light (same as or darker than your example) using 50/1.4, 50/1.2, 35/1.4, etc.

Still prefer a good RF for available darkness, though.

GarageBoy said:
I shoot in dark locations quite often and while I love my F2AS with Type K (split/microprism screen), I can barely focus due to the dark screen and often miss shots.
Generally in places where I'm at F1.4-F2 1/60s ISO3200
I'm using Nikon 50 1.4 and 105 2.5 lenses

Is it time for AF, a later camera with a better screen/microprism spot? Should I get a type G or type H screen?

Thanks
I'd like not to waste my last dozen TMax 3200
Click to expand...
 
Thanks
My main issue is that in the dark, there's not enough discernible contrast for me to see if the object is in focus, and certain microprism patterns still shimmer a bit when in focus
I'm hoping AF will help, or I'll give the full microprism screens a shot
 
My experience, autofocus has a hard time working properly in dark venues. It can spend time searching, locking on to something I'm not interested in having in focus. Most of the time I turn it off.

If you develop your exposed film, another variable to help can be the type & length of time with the film developer.
 
Hope I'm not beating a dead horse, or being too parochial here; but this is where the Konaca AF's infrared AF shines (pun not intended).
 
I just picked up a Nikon F4 with a Sigma 24mm f/1.8 lens for this kind of shooting. The AF seems to work quite well in low light, and the camera has a "silent" shooting mode, which while not as quiet as the silent mode on a Hexar AF, is still much quieter than a regular SLR. The 24mm has an advantage over the 35mm Hexanon in close quarters (small restaurants and bars in Tokyo are indeed small).

IMG_0612.jpg
 
For the dark time of the day: F or F2; Lens 50/1,2 or 1,4; Screen G2 or H2; Film Tri-X @ 800 or 1600 or Delta 3200 @ 1600 or 2300 developed in Promicrol.
 
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