Canonette Results

[mark_lapolt___new_haven__c]

Sorry for the delay folks, but it's been just a little swamped around

here. I wanted to post a couple of example shots from the wedding I

recently used my Canonete rangefinder at.

<br><br>

Overall impressions:

Used within it's niche, a great little camera for up close

documentary style shots. The 40mm lens is just wide enough to include

a small party at a reasonable shooting distance, but not so wide as

to introduce too much perspective distortion.

<br><br>

The in camera meter works well, but is easily fooled. In this shot, I

caught a strong back light from a window at the edge of the frame,

and underexposed the main subject by about 2 stops. TCN 400 has great

lattitude as you can tell. The bride and her attendats wandered into

the foyer of the church where I hadn't take any incident readings, so

I had to rely on Tv AE.

<br><br>

Great camera for handholding, and nearly silent. This was taken at

1/15s, f4 or so, don't remember exactly where the little meter needle

landed, and is still very reasonably sharp. I'm pretty sure they

didn't even know I took this, because the leaf shutter is dead silent.

<br><br>

Focusing isn't as easy as my 35mm and MF gear. It takes some getting

used to, especially in low light. I've found that I sometimes have to

focus the camera in one orientation (vertical/horizontal) in order to

catch a line to focus on, then rotate to the orientation I want the

shot framed in. Practice is the key here.

<br><br>

I'll be bringing this little guy along from now on. It's small, and

easy to sling over the shoulder. It's not a camera for every image,

but can take some great shots.

<br><br>

A couple more can be found <a

href="http://www.photo.net/photodb/folder?folder_id=465742">here</a>

<br><br>

Mark<div></div>

[mark_lapolt___new_haven__c]

Sorry about the attachment, forgot the 500 pixel rule.<div></div>

[al_kaplan1]

Very nice! Has the urge to get a Leica or two struck yet? You soon enough get used to shifting the camera to get the best angle for focussing the rangefinder.

[tom_s.]

Focusing:

 

I use a manual SLR occasionally, and found the Canonet slow and clunky to focus at first compared to it. But after a while, I found that I was able to focus the Canonet faster and more accurately than the manual SLR. In poor lighting, the difference was even greater - a rangefinder is easy to focus, an SLR, forget it! So I think focusing the Canonet (or any rangefinder for that matter) is simply a matter of practice and familiarity.

 

Meter:

 

Yes, the meter is easily fooled, and it requires a mercury battery to give "accurate" readings (which are still probably wrong). I grew tired of switching to auto to get a general reading, then back to manual to compensate based on my experience. So, I bought a Gossen Digiflash meter. It's tiny, and is a great tool to have if you use any older cameras with questionable metering. Heck, an external meter is a great tool to have, period! I use it for all sorts of ways, far beyond simply getting an average exposure reading.

[mark_l]

another canonet example<div></div>

[cjogo]

Mark

That last shot is a wonderful natural shot, down the aisle. I only wish my clients would except this PJ type work. They see it as "out of focus, & crooked." Can't sell them on the idea yet. Very traditional crowd we get. They tell us >> they are not paying for "someone to shot their shoes or hands adoringly" or pay good money for a photographer "who can't keep their camera straight."

[stacy]

Here's one from the Canonet- so what's in focus? ummm- nothing :) I am still bad at focusing in dim light- especially shooting wide open and at dancing children. I keep trying though!<div></div>

[mark_lapolt___new_haven__c]

Al, shifting perspective to focus is a common rangefinder trick? Yes, the urge has struck. Unfortunately for my urges, I still haven't hit the lottery, but I'll keep saving. <G> Still, those Bessa rangefinders sure look neat.......

 

Tom, you're dead right on, it's just a case of practice. I'd been using the camera off and on for about a year, but weddings present some unique ambient lighting conditions that I just need to learn how to focus under. I'm had good meter 'accuracy' with Wien cells, but i had the unit CLA'd and the light seals replaced when I got it, the meter's been calibrated. It's just darn easy to fool. I had take ambient readings in every other part of the church, but the foyer where the bride was waiting, and my meter was (shamefully) back with my bag and other gear.

 

Stacy, you're far focused in your shot, I do it all the time. See?<div></div>

[al_kaplan1]

You don't need to waste film to practice getting in focus. Carry the camera EVERYPLACE for a few days. Focus on various things, assorted distances, high contrast, low contrast, and then check the distance scale on the lens to see if you're in the ball park. Don't fiddle back and forth with it! Keep the lens set close to infinity, so you always know which way to turn it to focus on your mostly closer subjects. Get used to working with the depth of field scale. Unless you're close up and wide open it might not be necessary to refocus every shot. Learn to follow people around on the dance floor, keeping the same distance. When you move on to the next couple don't refocus, get the same distance away!

 

With practice and a bit of experience you won't have those focussing problems. Just spend some time practicing!

[stacy]

That's good advice Al. Thanks you!

[steve_muntz]

Thanks for posting this. I've got one and haven't used it for weddings but the idea of doing it is interesting. I'd probably want to use fast film in it - probably TMZ at 1600 - but the ISO scale only goes to 800. Is the best plan just to take incident readings and shoot manually?

[mark_lapolt___new_haven__c]

Al, I like the trick of leaving the lens at infinity focus. I'll have to remember that. :) Alot of shots I take are alot closer to infinity focus than near focus.

 

Steve, you'll definately want to get some idea of the light levels with an incident meter before hand, especially if you're operating beyond the meters film speed range.<div></div>