I have an old but good Minolta SRT 201. I will be taking pictures of the Zephyr as it goes behind the house. I will be outside. The train has flood lights on both sides. I currently have 400 speed film in it. The train moves really slow. Should I change to a slower speed film?
Faster is better under limited light, unless you are an O. Winston Link and can get the RR to stop and pose for you.
Graininess notwithstanding, I’d be tempted to set my camera for 800, then get the film “pushed” when it was developed. Not a job for the lab at your local superstore. Kodak used to do that, it may no longer be available, though.
A tripod is a must, a cable release a really good idea.
If you don’t mind using up a little film, run some test shots on whatever goes by (even the cars) and see how you make out. Try some different aperatures and shutter speeds, and take notes.
I’m not familiar with that camera. Does it meter for you? AE?
Well, just make sure you have plenty of light, A large lens opening, and a fairly fast shutter speed to prevent blurring. Also, depending on the shutter speed you use, you should use a tripod. a good rule of thumb is anything slower than 1/60sec or slower than the focal length of your camera, you should use a tripod. Your film speed should be ok, just remember, the higher the ISO number the faster the film records the image, but the faster film is grainer that slower speed films. So if you are in doubt you may want to go with 800 or possibly even 1600 speed film.
Hope that helps, Maybe Chris can help a little more than me as well.
I’ll be using a tripod and the camera has a trip timer on it so I don’t need a cable. The train usually moves really slow. It just creeps along most of the time.
It sounds like this is a regular event. You should have the opportunity to try many different settings over the course of a year, comparing the resultant images.
We look forward to the results of your efforts. [4:-)]
Don’t rely on your meter-it will be useless. As I recall, the SRT series cameras have average meters, which are even less than useless in low light since the contrast range is so great. Also, CdS meter cells(such as you find in the SRT and other cameras of its vintage) quit working at around EV 3.5, and you’ll almost certainly be darker than this.
Someone also mentioned pushing the film. Pushing generally isn’t a good idea with color negative film, as it can cause some weird color shifts. If you need to, go ahead and expose it at 800 but develop normally. Aside from a little bit more grain and a little less contast, it will be fine. I once switched from TMAX 3200 to Fuji Superia 400, and forgot to change the ASA. Although the results certainly weren’t great(with normal development), they were usuable, and probably would have been more so with work in Photoshop.
You may not be able to get a sharp photo. The best thing to do might just to be let it blur and get some nice headlight streaks. A tripod and cable release will be your friend.
Yep the Zephyr heads back into downtown going by the house between 9:30 and 9:50. The picture will be from the back end without a headlight or even a dimmed one. Just the flood lights on both sides of the train. The meter is pretty useless at night. It uses 3 points in the frame to get its reading. Sometimes you can tell where they are when small lights spike the meter. Now I’m wondering if I can find some chart of the time and arc of the moon. Cause if I could take a picture in this one spot with the moon overhead, now that could be really cool if it developed well.
While Link did have the help of the railroad, many of shots were taken with moving trains. He would set up dozens of flash bulbs before a train came. Looking at his lighting diagrams is an amazing experience. I think one of his books showed a couple of them. It literally took hours to set up for some of his shots.
As for the OP’s question, I think I’m actually against everyone else in here. If he’s moving slowly, and is well lit by floodlights, I’d try to get away with the slowest film I could use. I’d stick to ISO 400, and use ISO 200 if possible. Film grain is terrible stuff, and I don’t miss it a bit.
If Depth of Field isn’t a concern, I’d use fast glass (a 50mm f1.4 for example) wide open, or (if there’s enough light) stopped down a little bit.
Metering is obviously going to be the hardest part. If you have a handheld meter that is more sensitive, it’d be a big help. If not, the best advice is bracket like crazy (shoot with different EV’s by adjusting the shutter speed and/or the aperture). In fact, you might spend one night just bracketing the exposure. Get a reading from your meter as best as possible (as other’s have said, meters aren’t accurate in dark light, but I’ve always found that could at least get me in the ballpark). Shoot the scene at a constant aperture, and vary your shutter speed. Don’t worry about motion for now. Be sure to take good notes about which exposure is which. When you get your prints processed, make sure they don’t adjust the prints (e.g. print straight from the negative).
When you get the prints back, pick the one that looks the best, and check your notes for what exposure you used to get the shot. You now know what your EV needs to be. If there is some motion blur, you’ll have to adjust your shutter speed to the point that you don’
Unlike us, though, he could bring the train back for another shot… After he and his helper changed all those flashbulbs. I’ve seen several articles about his work (not to mention having a book or two of it), and you’re right, it was pretty amazing.
I’ll go along with the slower film if conditions permit. There’s only one way to find out. As for the metering, if you can borrow a meter, go for it. Can’t hurt - just watch out for trains.
Chris,
I certainly won’t dispute your much greater experience and advice.
You do mention grain, though. In my experience, most modern negative films are great in this regard. Kodaks new Portras(just a few months old) are essentially grain free at 8x10 from a 35mm negative. Even the new 800(about a year old) shows only a slight hint of grain at 8x10. While I prefer slides for my personal stuff(I can’t wait for Provia 400x, by the way), I’ve been doing some paid work lately where negative are the film of choice. I would have absolutely no qualms about handing over an 8x10 from Portra 800 to a paying customer.
The one time I used Superia 1600, I didn’t find the grain offensive. Sure it was visible in a 4x6, but overall not horrible. I exposed part of the roll at 1250, which did help some, but even those exposed at 1600 weren’t overly grainy.
By the way, as of December 25, I’m an F-1N owner, which I recall you saying was one of your favorite film bodies. I absolutely love it!
Ben,
Try shooting a 20D or a 5D sometime at ISO 1600, and all ISO 400+ film will look like it has grain the size of golf balls! Shoot almost any modern DSLR (even the noisy 10MP models) at ISO 400 or below and all film will look terrible. 
BTW, yes, the F1N was one of my favs. Just remember that if the battery dies, you have to pull it out to access the manual shutter speeds (1/125th and above as well as the flash synch (1/90th). BTW, are you still looking for FD glass? I have a few lenses I might be selling. Let me know off list if you are interested.
Chris,
Thanks. E-mail sent. I’m always looking to buy FD glass.
G’day, Y’all,
Even OWL wasn’t above going back and re-shooting a train. If you have an electric train, you might put it in a dark room then light it on both sides with flashlights to see how it looks. If you are serious about shooting trains at night, then you need to invest in some slave units which will fire flashes which are not on the camera. try eBay for these. Personally, having been a newspaper shooter for 25 years and having worked in a camera store processing operation, I would go with fast film because Ben10Ben is quite correct about the lack of grain of modern films. They now sell filters which make the film appear grainy. Is that crazy or what?