On of the highlights of the Kamakura Festival is the horseback archery that takes place within the grounds of Hachimangu Shrine.
Three square wooden targets are placed at intervals along a tree-lined path. A rider gallops along the path and tries to hit all three targets. The event is free for people who are happy to stand on the target side of the path. If you book in advance you can buy tickets on the opposite side of the path with a better view of both rider and target. A small area was roped off for press photographers next to each of the three targets. I was stood in the third of these areas.
I love my Pentax 67II, but at an event like this (high speed sports photography), I was somewhat jealous of the lady next to me using a Canon 5D Mark II. As I have to manually wind the film on and manually focus the camera I could take a single frame for each of the dozen or so archers as they fired at the third target. I prefocused the camera on the target, set the exposure for the shafts of sunlight coming through the trees, then pressed the shutter as the rider galloped through one of the shafts of sunlight.
Just one shot came out with the horse and rider in clear focus.
Yabusame / Horseback Archery at Kamakura
However, in another frame the horse and rider are blurred, but I caught the exact moment when the arrow passed through the target.
Yabusame / Horseback Archery at Kamakura
Images were shot with Provia 100F pushed to 400.
TRAVEL 67 : Chris Willson Photography 
It’s hard to tell from the small web images, but with the arrow in mid-hit and the horse with only one hoof on the ground the blur fits in the second image. It seems to add to the feeling of motion in a very natural way.
With that said, for this kind of event I would maybe choose a different camera. Of not – you do get a somewhat different take on it after all.
I don’t think you need a different camera.
It’s just a different approach to the same situation.
If you have a digital one, like that Canon of course you can take more shots and focus yourself on the moment instead to think about camera parameters.
I’m mainly a digital user but I’m coming back to the analog world again, with a Mamiya RZ67 and planning to take a Nikon F4. Why? Well of course with the digital you can shot the whole day and with that speed maybe you can get 10 good shots over 1000. So where is the point?
You took your time and that has the collateral effect that, even you cannot be fast as that Canon lady, you meditate more about the situation and you have the opportunity to understand the whole thing. So it increases your capability to predict what is going to happen and to catch the right moment. Sometimes I realize that using a digital camera makes me a crazy shooter.
Take your time, your pics are great!
Nice, I agree the blur adds to the effect and the eye is drawn to the splintering wood anyway so thre is good drama there. Looks difficult lighting. Glad you had a good time.
Will catch up again soon
Damon