I'VE JUST BOUGHT AN M3 AND WANT SOME GOOD TIPS ON THE BEST FILM AND SHUTTER SPEED FOR REPORTAGE WORK. WHEN I PUT SOME KODAK GOLD IN IT, CLICKED THE SHUTTER SPEED ON 250 AND SET THE F STOP AT 5.6. EVERYTHING CAME OUT JUST BLAND AND NOTHING SPECIAL. I'VE GOT A COUPLE OF POINT AND SHOOT CAMERAS AND AT THE MOMENT THEY ARE OUT IN FRONT OF THE LEICA QAULITY WISE.WHAT AM I DOING WRONG DO I NEED A BETTER FILM, SLOWER SHUTTER SPEEDS OR WHAT SOMETHINGS WRONG AND I CAN'T FIGURE IT OUT. HELP..

-- Ed Edwards (ededwards@fallon.co.uk), July 27, 2001

Answers

Response to SHUTTER SPEED

F5.6 @ 1/250 sounds good to me. I suspect that your processing may be at fault. Why don't you try to shoot a roll of transparency film and see if your results are still "bland". You didn't mention what lenses you were using. Although, Leica lenses of any vintage are capable of yielding good results.

-- David Page (pagedt@attglobal.net), July 27, 2001.

Response to SHUTTER SPEED

Well for a start...stop shouting. Second...get yourself a decent lightmeter - it's no good shooting everything at 1/250 @ 5.6 in all lighting conditions; neg film has a certain amount of latitude but not that much. Third...create a benchmark photograph - good light, properly exposed (with the lightmeter), nicely focused - everything by the numbers. Look at the negative - is it well defined and crisp instead of thin and weedy? If so then this could be somewhere to start.

-- KC (kevintcable@hotmail.com), July 27, 2001.

Response to SHUTTER SPEED

Many of the older generation lenses are now fogged inside form age, and this can kill the contrast in the images. Check the inside of the lens carefully by shining a flashlight in there to make sure the glass is clear. If not, sometimes they can be cleaned for $100 to $150.00 by a Leica lens expert.

The other problem you can run in to is the rangefinder being out of whack, so all the images will be slighlty out of focus. Focus on something miles away like a distant radio tower, and make sure infinity on the lens lines up with it in the finder.

-- Andrew Schank (aschank@flash.net), July 27, 2001.

Response to SHUTTER SPEED

Is there a place near you where you can take a photography class? I get the feeling you have no technical experience at all in photography, and you're going to need it to run that camera! Right now you're in the position of having been put in an airplane and havning only been told that pulling the wheel makes it go up, pushing makes it go down. There's much, much more to it, and if you can hook up with a good class it'll be worth its weight in gold to you.

-- Michael Darnton (mdarnton@hotmail.com), July 27, 2001.

Response to SHUTTER SPEED

Ed

You are a little out of your depth and I assume you have inherited the Leica or something, I rather hope you have not paid big bucks for it, as using these cameras requires a good deal of expertise (to put it mildly). No M-Leica is a point and shoot. Many people have Leicas for many years and they are still learning how to use them even after 10 years or more (and that includes me). I really suggest you buy a good "how to" photography book and take it from there, or join a local photography club. If this seems like a bore to you, then you might like to consider selling the M3 and sticking with a P & S. Many of us find that Leica photography is a most absorbing hobby and can produce a tremendous amount of satisfaction, but it needs time to learn and the Leica will not produce good instant results - unlike a P & S or even a modern "do it all" SLR camera.

-- Robin Smith (smith_robin@hotmail.com), July 27, 2001.

Response to SHUTTER SPEED

1/250@f:5.6 is grossly overexposing any Kodak Gold film in daylight, even Gold 100. Get a lightmeter, kid, and a used copy of the Leica Manual, and READ IT! (Or at least pay attention to the exposure directions inside every box of film).

-- Bill Mitchell (bmitch@home.com), July 27, 2001.

Response to SHUTTER SPEED

My guess is that you either badly over exposed or underexposed your film. If you were shooting outside in bright sunlight with Gold 100, you overexposed by 2 stops and worse if you were shooting with 200 or 400 speed films. If you underexposed by shooting in low light at those settings, your pictures would have looked murky and grainy. I'm no expert and have a lot to learn about photography myself but it appears you have fallen prey to that beginner's belief that a better camera makes better pictures. You must first understand that cameras don't make pictures, photographers do. You've heard it said about computers, "garbage in, garbage out" right? Same thing with cameras. The great thing is, you've picked a camera that INSIST on you using your brain and improving your skills instead of something you can set in "dummy mode" and get mediocre results from. I think it's great that your first real camera is a Leica and wish mine had been. Just don't expect to get good results until you've learned the basics of exposure, etc. Why don't you start by looking up the Sunny 16 rule and applying it to any print film combined with a good lab. You'll get good results that will spark your interests in learning this hobby. BTW, according to the sunny 16 rule: Bright Overhead Sunlight + 100 ASA film = f16 @ 1/100 or f11 @ 1/250 or f8 @ 1/500 or f5.6 @ 1/1000, and any wider fstop is going to be beyond the range of your shutter speed.

-- JLee (jlee@sccoast.net), July 27, 2001.

Response to SHUTTER SPEED

Great Ed, a nice way to start photographing with an M, it is the best of photographic tools, but to use it you must be on command of it, there is no other way, film packages use to explain the rule of sunny 16th, printed inside the film box, you can start with it, then get to know with the focusing system, you can buy some book expecialised in the leica M, there are some that can be very helpful, "Leica M compendium" is a good example to start with, and this forum is by far the best place you are going to find in the net, so be wellcome.

There is a LOT to read, good luck.

-- r watson (al1231234@hotmail.com), July 27, 2001.

Response to SHUTTER SPEED

I agree. You are overexposing your images. Sunny 16 rule: F16 @125sec for ISO 100. You are exposing at f 5.6@250/sec=F8@125/sec. You are 2 stops overexposed. Try a good lightmeter and lab. Don't give up.

-- Don M (maldos@home.com), July 27, 2001.

Response to SHUTTER SPEED

Practice . . . a lot.

-- Cosmo Genovese (cosmo@rome.com), July 27, 2001.

Response to SHUTTER SPEED

All cameras should be point and shoot. If yours isn't... Go out and practice! For a Leica, this means get a hand held meter, preferably incident, and learn to use it.

For a more detailed rant, click here.

-- Tom Bryant (boffin@gis.net), July 27, 2001.

Response to SHUTTER SPEED

I don't usually bother with a light meter for print film. Look inside the box that the Kodak Gold came in, it'll tell you what exposure settings to use. Memorize them. When you've practiced that, then try using reciprocity - 1/250 at f5.6 gives the same exposure as 1/125 at f8, except with more depth of field and with less "stop action". Lastly, learn how to adjust the exposure settings for different film speeds. Good luck, and enjoy the M3.

Joe

-- Joe Buechler (jbuechler@toad.net), July 28, 2001.