Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/04/04
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Ernie: I've been shooting Division I college hockey for about 20 years (how time flys!). Just this year I started phasing in my R8/Motor/280f2.8/180f2/80f1.4 . As a general rule, the ice is a 90% white card, or 2.5 stops more reflective than a middle gray. However, the condition of the ice changes with the action. NHL rinks are lit for TV so the light will be quite good. If you shoot through the glass, find a CLEAN piece to work with. Keep close to the glass to minimize reflections from around you. This aspect can be more difficult than you might expect. The working press usually share holes cut into the glass at various locations where short to medium lenses can work reasonably well. You may also shoot from the crowd with longer lenses (>=200mm), though you may inconvenience those sitting around you. If the team is doing bad, attendence may be light and open seats plentiful. The lower contrast inherent with Leica lenses makes hockey easier to print and scan. There is a huge difference between my Leicas and my Canon L series lenses with regard to contrast. The current trend in film is the Fuji 800 which can be pushed to 1600 or even 3200. I use the 1600 push with good results. In short: Fuji 800 pushed to 1600ISO, meter 2 stops off the ice (NO AUTO EXPOSURE) for starters. I left out many details, so let me know if I can add anything. Hockey is a tough game to shoot well, but a lot of fun and very gratifying when things go well. Regards, Dave Strang dstrang@up.net