Leica M/X/T/S/Q/CL/SL Picture Thread
p.1926 #1Leica M/X/T/S/Q/CL/SL Picture Thread
I have both the 50 1.2 Nokton and the 90 2 Cron APO and it took me a little while to really get good at focusing wide open with them but I got it and by far prefer it over auto focus. For anything I don't need to shoot wide ofrclose to wide open and I would argue that is most of the time I usually zone focus. Works great nad yo really learn to trust those DoF scales because they work. But that also takes a bit of practice to get good at.
Feb 23, 2022 at 10:58 AM
p.1926 #2Leica M/X/T/S/Q/CL/SL Picture Thread
1bwana1 wrote:
You are a brave man. I am just beginning my Leica experience as well. I invite you to participate in my Learning Leica M thread. I am sure we can learn from each other's adventures with Leica Range Finders.
That being said, I don't hold myself out as an expert by any stretch. So, read my thoughts below with that in mind.
If the EXIF data shown with your images is correct, you were shooting at very wide open apertures. This has two effects. It makes getting critical focus very very difficult with MF and Range Finders. It is probably unrealistic with...Show more →
Some great words by Bresson on sharpness
"I’m always amused by the idea that certain people have about technique, which translate into an immoderate taste for the sharpness of the image. It is a passion for detail, for perfection, or do they hope to get closer to reality with this trompe I’oeil? They are, by the way, as far away from the real issues as other generations of photographers were when they obscured their subject in soft-focus effects."
Henri Cartier-Bresson
"Sharpness is a bourgeois concept."
Henri Cartier-Bresson
You are a brave man. I am just beginning my Leica experience as well. I invite you to participate in my Learning Leica M thread. I am sure we can learn from each other's adventures with Leica Range Finders.
That being said, I don't hold myself out as an expert by any stretch. So, read my thoughts below with that in mind.
If the EXIF data shown with your images is correct, you were shooting at very wide open apertures. This has two effects. It makes getting critical focus very very difficult with MF and Range Finders. It is probably unrealistic with...Show more →
Some great words by Bresson on sharpness
"I’m always amused by the idea that certain people have about technique, which translate into an immoderate taste for the sharpness of the image. It is a passion for detail, for perfection, or do they hope to get closer to reality with this trompe I’oeil? They are, by the way, as far away from the real issues as other generations of photographers were when they obscured their subject in soft-focus effects."
Henri Cartier-Bresson
"Sharpness is a bourgeois concept."
Henri Cartier-Bresson
Feb 23, 2022 at 12:07 PM
p.1926 #3Leica M/X/T/S/Q/CL/SL Picture Thread
Heres some good info on manual focus. If you don't want to read the entire article (though it's all good BTW) scroll down to near to bottom manual focus section. It's the next to last section
https://www.artphotoacademy.com/the-leica-look/
https://www.artphotoacademy.com/the-leica-look/
Feb 23, 2022 at 12:23 PM
p.1926 #4Leica M/X/T/S/Q/CL/SL Picture Thread
+1
This ain't your grandpa's ISO, anymore.
The penalty for ISO increase is outweighed by the stop or two of dof when you need or want it.
Old school "f/8 and be there" never had it so good.
5.6 - 11 works, depending on focal length and subject distance, etc.
airfrogusmc wrote:
Big hint
Cranks up the ISO and use DoF scales and zone focus.
This ain't your grandpa's ISO, anymore.
The penalty for ISO increase is outweighed by the stop or two of dof when you need or want it.
Old school "f/8 and be there" never had it so good.
5.6 - 11 works, depending on focal length and subject distance, etc.
airfrogusmc wrote:
Big hint
Cranks up the ISO and use DoF scales and zone focus.
Feb 23, 2022 at 01:40 PM
p.1926 #5Leica M/X/T/S/Q/CL/SL Picture Thread
Wasn't it WeeGee that said that? And wouldn't f/8 on a large format speed or crown graphic be about the same DoF as about f/4 on 135 format?
Edited on Feb 23, 2022 at 02:32 PM · View previous versions
Edited on Feb 23, 2022 at 02:32 PM · View previous versions
Feb 23, 2022 at 02:18 PM
p.1926 #6Leica M/X/T/S/Q/CL/SL Picture Thread
1bwana1 wrote:
You are a brave man. I am just beginning my Leica experience as well. I invite you to participate in my Learning Leica M thread. I am sure we can learn from each other's adventures with Leica Range Finders.
That being said, I don't hold myself out as an expert by any stretch. So, read my thoughts below with that in mind.
If the EXIF data shown with your images is correct, you were shooting at very wide open apertures. This has two effects. It makes getting critical focus very very difficult with MF and Range Finders. It is probably unrealistic with...Show more →
Thank you all! And thank you Steve for the kind words and help. I've enjoyed your M experience thread. I definitely love the colors. Now that I've cleaned the viewfinders (they were filthy) and it's brighter out, and I don't have tired eyes or wine in my stomach I can focus much better now.
I've been stopping down the lens some as suggested and it's much more forgiving. I've also played around with zone focusing and will continue to do so. The hit rate is obviously lower now than with an AF body, but I'm sure it will improve. But the experience of shooting with it is much more enjoyable and somewhat addictive.
I ordered a mint used m10r in silver as I really do like it and feel I need more than just a few days of a rental to get the hang of it. I will keep my SL2-s/Sony for AF needs but may sell my Q2.
Regarding zone focusing, my CV lenses don't have the focusing tab like the Leica lenses do, so those are a little harder to zone focus without looking at the lens. At least it has nice hard stops.
Sorry to clutter up the image thread with text. I'm sure I'll be sharing some more images soon.
You are a brave man. I am just beginning my Leica experience as well. I invite you to participate in my Learning Leica M thread. I am sure we can learn from each other's adventures with Leica Range Finders.
That being said, I don't hold myself out as an expert by any stretch. So, read my thoughts below with that in mind.
If the EXIF data shown with your images is correct, you were shooting at very wide open apertures. This has two effects. It makes getting critical focus very very difficult with MF and Range Finders. It is probably unrealistic with...Show more →
Thank you all! And thank you Steve for the kind words and help. I've enjoyed your M experience thread. I definitely love the colors. Now that I've cleaned the viewfinders (they were filthy) and it's brighter out, and I don't have tired eyes or wine in my stomach I can focus much better now.
I've been stopping down the lens some as suggested and it's much more forgiving. I've also played around with zone focusing and will continue to do so. The hit rate is obviously lower now than with an AF body, but I'm sure it will improve. But the experience of shooting with it is much more enjoyable and somewhat addictive.
I ordered a mint used m10r in silver as I really do like it and feel I need more than just a few days of a rental to get the hang of it. I will keep my SL2-s/Sony for AF needs but may sell my Q2.
Regarding zone focusing, my CV lenses don't have the focusing tab like the Leica lenses do, so those are a little harder to zone focus without looking at the lens. At least it has nice hard stops.
Sorry to clutter up the image thread with text. I'm sure I'll be sharing some more images soon.
Feb 23, 2022 at 02:24 PM
p.1926 #7Leica M/X/T/S/Q/CL/SL Picture Thread
On most Zeiss and Voigt lenses the DoF scales are easier to read than on Leica.
Feb 23, 2022 at 02:34 PM
p.1926 #8Leica M/X/T/S/Q/CL/SL Picture Thread
lifeandmylens wrote:
Rented a M10r a few hours prior and risked my daughters 1st birthday pics with a rangefinder. I was worried they'd all be out of focus. I was right but only slightly.
Tired eyes, dark interiors, dirty viewfinder, a glass of wine, a baby that moves and no experience with a RF was quite the experience!
That said, any tips for using the focus patch on faces?
If in doubt, slightly front focus because it looks better than slightly back focused. And at wide apertures, as already suggested, focus bracket by moving your body back and forth slightly.
When you receive your 'new' M10-R, sit down with it and all your M lenses and shoot focus tests with all of them. Easiest way is to use the EVF, focus with it in magnified view, then look at the RF patch and see if it's perfectly lined up. If not, make a mental note of how far off it is and when shooting with a given lens at or near wide open, 'mis-focus' the RF patch by this amount. From my experience, the wide open focus hit rate can be surprisingly good considering you're not viewing through the lens. If any of your lenses have focus shift, repeat the test 1, 2 and maybe 3 stops from wide open to determine how much more you'll need to compensate the RF patch alignment.
You may also benefit from a viewfinder diopter correction eyepiece, depending on your eyesight. It certainly helped me a lot. Don't bother with the viewfinder magnifiers. They're a hassle to use and IMO just get in the way.
At normal viewing distances and sizes, slight mis-focus usually isn't noticeable. Also, most non-photographers react to the emotional content of the image rather than the technical quality, so it helps to view images in this light when making your selects.
M240 & 50 Lux ASPH
Edited on Feb 23, 2022 at 03:29 PM · View previous versions
Rented a M10r a few hours prior and risked my daughters 1st birthday pics with a rangefinder. I was worried they'd all be out of focus. I was right
but only slightly. Tired eyes, dark interiors, dirty viewfinder, a glass of wine, a baby that moves and no experience with a RF was quite the experience!
That said, any tips for using the focus patch on faces?
If in doubt, slightly front focus because it looks better than slightly back focused. And at wide apertures, as already suggested, focus bracket by moving your body back and forth slightly.
When you receive your 'new' M10-R, sit down with it and all your M lenses and shoot focus tests with all of them. Easiest way is to use the EVF, focus with it in magnified view, then look at the RF patch and see if it's perfectly lined up. If not, make a mental note of how far off it is and when shooting with a given lens at or near wide open, 'mis-focus' the RF patch by this amount. From my experience, the wide open focus hit rate can be surprisingly good considering you're not viewing through the lens. If any of your lenses have focus shift, repeat the test 1, 2 and maybe 3 stops from wide open to determine how much more you'll need to compensate the RF patch alignment.
You may also benefit from a viewfinder diopter correction eyepiece, depending on your eyesight. It certainly helped me a lot. Don't bother with the viewfinder magnifiers. They're a hassle to use and IMO just get in the way.
At normal viewing distances and sizes, slight mis-focus usually isn't noticeable. Also, most non-photographers react to the emotional content of the image rather than the technical quality, so it helps to view images in this light when making your selects.
M240 & 50 Lux ASPH
Edited on Feb 23, 2022 at 03:29 PM · View previous versions
Feb 23, 2022 at 03:22 PM
p.1926 #9Leica M/X/T/S/Q/CL/SL Picture Thread
Control burn (atleast I hope so) in the forest surrounding our small neighborhood.
M240 & VM 21mm f3.5 Color-Skopar
M240 & VM 21mm f3.5 Color-Skopar
Feb 23, 2022 at 03:29 PM
p.1926 #10Leica M/X/T/S/Q/CL/SL Picture Thread
rscheffler wrote:
but only slightly.
Tired eyes, dark interiors, dirty viewfinder, a glass of wine, a baby that moves and no experience with a RF was quite the experience!
That said, any tips for using the focus patch on faces?If in doubt, slightly front focus because it looks better than slightly back focused. And at wide apertures, as already suggested, focus bracket by moving your body back and forth slightly.
When you receive your 'new' M10-R, sit down with it and all your M lenses and shoot focus tests with all of them. Easiest way is to use the EVF, focus with it in magnified view, then look at the RF patch and see if it's perfectly lined up. If not, make a mental note of how far off it is and when shooting with a given lens at...Show more →
Ron, real content is what Bresson thought important. Not so much exact focus and I would say he was a no non-photographer. He just put his priorities in the right order and the proof is in his amazing photographs.
lifeandmylens wrote
Rented a M10r a few hours prior and risked my daughters 1st birthday pics with a rangefinder. I was worried they'd all be out of focus. I was right but only slightly. Tired eyes, dark interiors, dirty viewfinder, a glass of wine, a baby that moves and no experience with a RF was quite the experience!
That said, any tips for using the focus patch on faces?
When you receive your 'new' M10-R, sit down with it and all your M lenses and shoot focus tests with all of them. Easiest way is to use the EVF, focus with it in magnified view, then look at the RF patch and see if it's perfectly lined up. If not, make a mental note of how far off it is and when shooting with a given lens at...Show more →
Ron, real content is what Bresson thought important. Not so much exact focus and I would say he was a no non-photographer. He just put his priorities in the right order and the proof is in his amazing photographs.
Feb 23, 2022 at 03:42 PM
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p.1926 #11Leica M/X/T/S/Q/CL/SL Picture Thread
San Francisco Bay with X-Vario.
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Feb 23, 2022 at 07:55 PM
p.1926 #12Leica M/X/T/S/Q/CL/SL Picture Thread
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M240 & VM 35 1.4 MC II Nokton Classic
M240 & VM 35 1.4 MC II Nokton Classic
Feb 23, 2022 at 09:18 PM
p.1926 #13Leica M/X/T/S/Q/CL/SL Picture Thread
airfrogusmc wrote:
Ron, real content is what Bresson thought important. Not so much exact focus and I would say he was a no non-photographer. He just put his priorities in the right order and the proof is in his amazing photographs.
Thanks, I appreciate that about Bresson. And that was kind of my point - that most non-photographers won't really care if a photo is a bit out of focus. They're drawn by emotionally compelling content. But we're in an equipment/technical discussion forum and this question comes up from time to time. Some want to be able to get perfectly focused photos of their cats, dogs, kids, etc. wide open to satisfy their pixel-peepiing desires.
Feb 23, 2022 at 09:34 PM
p.1926 #14Leica M/X/T/S/Q/CL/SL Picture Thread
rscheffler wrote:
most non-photographers won't really care if a photo is a bit out of focus.
Yes Bresson didn't care much about that either.
airfrogusmc wrote
Ron, real content is what Bresson thought important. Not so much exact focus and I would say he was a no non-photographer. He just put his priorities in the right order and the proof is in his amazing photographs.Yes Bresson didn't care much about that either.
Feb 23, 2022 at 10:05 PM
p.1926 #16Leica M/X/T/S/Q/CL/SL Picture Thread
Heresy, I know, but I've never been an HCB fan. As Robert Frank said about HCB: "You never got the feeling that he cared about anything except how beautiful it looked."
Feb 23, 2022 at 10:30 PM
p.1926 #17Leica M/X/T/S/Q/CL/SL Picture Thread
genji I'm a big fan of both. Some truth in what Frank had to say but Bresson images speak for themselves.
Feb 24, 2022 at 07:16 AM
p.1926 #18Leica M/X/T/S/Q/CL/SL Picture Thread
rscheffler wrote:
If in doubt, slightly front focus because it looks better than slightly back focused. And at wide apertures, as already suggested, focus bracket by moving your body back and forth slightly.
When you receive your 'new' M10-R, sit down with it and all your M lenses and shoot focus tests with all of them. Easiest way is to use the EVF, focus with it in magnified view, then look at the RF patch and see if it's perfectly lined up. If not, make a mental note of how far off it is and when shooting with a given lens at...Show more →
Thank you!
If in doubt, slightly front focus because it looks better than slightly back focused. And at wide apertures, as already suggested, focus bracket by moving your body back and forth slightly.
When you receive your 'new' M10-R, sit down with it and all your M lenses and shoot focus tests with all of them. Easiest way is to use the EVF, focus with it in magnified view, then look at the RF patch and see if it's perfectly lined up. If not, make a mental note of how far off it is and when shooting with a given lens at...Show more →
Thank you!
Feb 24, 2022 at 08:53 AM
p.1926 #20Leica M/X/T/S/Q/CL/SL Picture Thread
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M240 & TTArtisan 28mm f5.6
M240 & TTArtisan 28mm f5.6
Feb 24, 2022 at 01:39 PM