How to speed up technique using M6

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Used leicas (M6's) during mayday protests yesterday, very slow to focus, or hard to focus. Any suggestions... the lighting was low, working in deep shadows between buildings. Should I use faster film, (ie: push that baby to its limits), close down lens as far as she'll go, try to keep speed above 125 and then roughly focus and blast away. I was told that is how the old decisive moment guys did.

-- lux (lux@nyc.com), May 02, 2001

Answers

Response to m

Lux,

You should have been using real slow film, a tripod and a cable release. That way the police could have easily caught up to you and clubbed you senseless. This would then have allowed other Leica photographers to decisively capture the moment.

-- Sergio Ortega (s.ortega@worldnet.att.net), May 02, 2001.


Response to m

To address the question more seriously, use a reasonably fast film (Delta 400 for B&W?), use a wide-angle lens, use the best hyperfocal setting possible given the lighting, freeze the focus there, and "walk into" the hyperfocal range for each shot. Don't worry about focusing at all. That's why "getting close" is so important to that kind of photography.

-- Ken Shipman (kennyshipman@aol.com), May 02, 2001.

Response to m

May I suggest a Nicanoltax with 24-500 Tagmakina überzoom?

PS "hard to focus" does *not* characterize any M.

-- antilux (antilux@nyc.com), May 02, 2001.


Response to m

WoW! this place can get rough!

-- Paul Nelson (clrfarm@comswest.net.au), May 02, 2001.

Response to m

I think we're seeing some fallout from a recent thread started by "lux" which was removed by our illustrious moderator due to heated controversy.

First, I don't even know if this is the same "lux" as before.

Second, even so, let's practice what we preach - live and let live. Let's move on, not dwell on it. Let's address *this* thread, not ancient history.

-- Ken Shipman (kennyshipman@aol.com), May 02, 2001.



Response to m

Sergio, what you said was classic!

-- eric (grigoriane@yahoo.com), May 03, 2001.

Response to m

thanks ken, this hyperfocal -please explain. I understand walking into the focus, so I just set it at 1m.

-- lux (lux@nyc.com), May 03, 2001.

Response to m

P.S dear antilux when you do have one extremely large unionist trying to push you away, and several rather aggresive police knocking you over, not to mention several hurt anti - globalisation protesters beneath you, a photographer from a rival paper with a nikon D1 and flash jostling with you just shooting everything, while his other D1 with some 800mm lens is literally kissing you, while a moving sea of humanity and opportunistic camera crews come crushing in. The M is difficult to focus. It makes you think, how do those guys and gals that use M's in such situations and come away with remarkable images do it. My respect to them. In those situtaions we could all learn something.

-- lux (lux@nyc.com), May 03, 2001.

Response to m

The hyperfocal range for a situation is determined by 1) the lens you use and 2) the aperature you set on that lens. It is really just a procedure for taking maximum advantage of the depth of field characteristic of the lens. All Leica wide-angle lenses still have DOF scales on the lens barrel to facilitate this. The procedure is simple...

1) Set the smallest aperature possible for the lighting situation. Pushing the B&W film a couple of stops will help you get down to, say, f/11, in dim situations.

2) Locate the "right-hand" f/11 hash mark on the lens barrel opposite the focusing scale. ("right-hand" mark for Leica lenses. Nikon lenses turn in the opposite direction, so you have to reverse the marks as well).

3) Now set the infinity mark of the focusing scale to that f/11 mark. Acutally you should stop just short of the f/11 mark to give yourself a little margin. Say between the f/8 and f/11 mark.

4) Now LEAVE the focus set at that position. Put a small piece of tape on the lens barrel to temporarily hold it there if necessary, so you don't accidentally change the setting. That's all there is to it.

5) Now note the *minimum* distance on the left-hand f/11 hash mark. Let's say on your lens that it corresponds to the 6-foot mark. Then at that focus setting and aperature, *everything* from 6-feet to infinity is in focus! That's your hyperfocal range for this situation. It's kind of a zone-focus you've defined for your particular situation.

To apply this to your shooting session, you just need to "walk into" your subject until everything important is within your hyperfocal range, in this case 6-feet to infinity, and shoot away. As long as your subjects fall in this range, and you don't change the aperature, you don't have to pay any attention at all to refocusing. If you can handle changing lighting conditions by adjusting the shutter only, you can still maintain your hyperfocal range for as long the light holds out. Even if you do have to change aperature, it's a quick process to readjust to a new hyperfocal range with the new aperature setting.

Everyone should know how to set the hyperfocal range because it is useful in so many situations for so many subjects. Wide-angle lenses obviously lend themselves to this more than standard or tele lenses, due to the characteristic depth of field, of course.

-- Ken Shipman (kennyshipman@aol.com), May 03, 2001.


Response to m

Thanks ken, I'II be trying it today.

-- lux (lux@nyc.com), May 03, 2001.


Response to m

I recently used the method that Ken described above for an extensive project photographing the exterior architecture and landscaping of a school. I took about 150 photographs with a 35mm lens using this method for nearly all the shots. I think I have about 95% in focus and those that aren't were probably from accidentally moving the focusing tab on the lens.

It's for this specific purpose that I started using a 35mm lens again. It allows me to use the Leica M much more quickly than I can with my 50mm, as I don't need to 'fine focus' the lens, especially if I'm using f8, or smaller.

-- KL Prager (www.pragerproperties@att.net), May 05, 2001.


Just to add to Ken's suggestion. You don't necessarily have to set the distance a infinity every time. If you want to work in closer than 6' and say, shoot at 3' or 4', then instead of setting the hyperfocal distance at infinity, you would set it at 6' on the right side of the exposure dial and (on the 35mm Summicron), you will notice that at F11, everything between 6' and 3' will be in focus. This is good if you know or intend to work in very close.

-- Alan curson (acurson@bellsouth.net), July 04, 2001.

Also, when people are walking and you need to get them in focus, you can focus on something or someone at the same distance. It could be another person, a lamp post, or something on the ground: a cigarette butt or a crack in the sidewalk. When your subject comes even with your prefocused point, you shoot. You can also fake people out by focusing on something else that you estimate to be the same distance as your real subject. The estimate should be close enough.

-- Bob Fleischman (RFXMAIL@prodigy.net), July 07, 2001.

Lux, your problem is you can't focus so you need to practice.Hyperfocal focusing is very useful at times but it is a patch for your problem.You need to sit in your lounge and play with your camera.Focus on your feet then the tv then over there and over here.You get the idea.Learn to look for a high contrast area of your subject like a belt buckle or the rim of glasses or a glint in an eye, anywhere there is a change in contrast.When you get good at that then load some film and shoot wide open.To every one who said to stop down to gain focus through depth of field I disagree.2 things dictate the look of a photograph ,the focal length and th f stop. You should be choosing your f stop to give the photo the look you want not just to get the shot in focus. To an extent i could not give a damn what my shuter speed is but i always know what f stop i am using an for what reason. That to me is why apature priority is the only auto setting worth having on a camera. PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE!

-- Tim (timphoto@ihug.com.au), August 17, 2001.

Lux, I was at the demonstrations in Oxford Circus, London - and I can sympathise. I agree with Tim on issue of achieving the look you want through aperture. Sometimes, though the action just happens too quick. I had real problems trying to capture fluid shots at a Tae Kwan Do championship comps. They moved too quick for me too catch all the action. An M-winder might have been handy. Fast focusing is a problem, you either have to have gun-slinger speed fingers in working the rings and shutter dial, be patient and line up the 'in-between' shots or do this hyper-focal thing, - but will you be happy with an 'all-in-focus' result? I mean street photography can look great wide open, and we all know you got to get the focus dead on if you want that shot at that plane of focus. And if its a 'movement' shot you want to achieve, that may mean a slowed shutter speed to a point where you may have to stop down, in which case the hyper-focal option becomes a happy coincidence.

-- Sparkie (sparkie@mailcity.com), August 17, 2001.


If you can't focus with an M Leica, you need 1) a Canon EOS, and 2) a seeing-eye dog.

-- Bill Mitchell (bmitch@home.com), August 17, 2001.

It may just be a matter of technique. Every Leica lens I have ever run into was silky smooth. With the index finger of my right hand on the shutter release, and the thumb of the right hand under the camera to brace it, set the camera on the palm of your left hand. I brace the left side of the camera with my left thumb. With the camera on the palm of your left hand, the focus and apperature ring of the lens should easily fall on your left index finger. Now all you need to do is run your left index finger under either the focus or apperature ring to turn either without moving your left hand. With the M, this technique is as quick as any auto camera. The big problem in handling comes when one tries to move the left hand around for a two fingered grip of the focus or apperature ring.

-- Leicaddict (leicaddict@hotmail.com), August 21, 2001.

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