Shooting a D70 like a rangefinder...variant on prior thread

[craig_bridge]

Pick up a 24mm f/2.8 AFD (best equivalent to a 35mm on an RF). Add your own f/5.6 and f/8 marks as f/11 is the widest pre-printed. This particular lens still has a useful distance scale and f/11 to f/22 markings.

[patricks]

D70 will have a $100 rebate as of Nov 7 here in the US.

[abufletcher]

Peter, I think I've fallen into the common trap of using the term RF to refer to all

"manual focus -- do it all yourself" cameras be they RF, SLR, or TLR. Just like

other people seem to have fallen for the "digital" equals "auto everything"

myth. BTW, I'd say this is what is a the heart of most film vs. digital posts

when the posters admit it or not.

 

For me there are only a couple of things that makes a RF any different to use

than my FM2 and these are the omni-focus view through the rangefinder

which can be somewhat liberating, the ability to see beyond the frame (with

some lenses), and it's virtually silence operation (but less silent that most

TLR's).

[jonas_yip1]

> a BUMMER with Nikon DSLR is that they won't even METER with a<br>

> Manual Focus Lens :( (so of course, no AE).<br>

<br>

I think this is only true of the D70. My D1X will meter with anything attached to it (albeit only center-weighted or spot).<br>

<br>

j

[johnmarkpainter]

Jonas,

 

I have the D100...same bummer as the D70 unfortunately. You have to pay $$$$ to meter

with your old lenses.

 

jmp

[EricM]

Peter, i like your style man.

[over exposure]

A digital camera can be a good companion to a Leica M...just an advice...the 45mm, that I used on my D70 (before selling her), is really hard to focus perfectly, that's for the viewfinder, really small...maybe is just me, but i haven't been able to adapt myself to it..just get an af lens, like the 20-24 and enjoy it!

 

ciao!

[nedevermac.com]

The closest thing I've found for RF like shooting with my D70 is custom setting the AE-Lock button to activate the AF. The thought process is very similar of focusing, re-framing, and shooting when the moment strikes rather than when the lens happens to snap into focus. I would still much prefer standard SLR manual focusing but it's very hard to discern precice focus with the D70s tiny viewfinder.

[dean_g]

On the 10D I assign the af to a button on the back to separate it from the AE function which I leave activated by the shutter button. Don't know if the D70 can do that, but I imagine it can. Then the af process becomes rather like manual focus with a RF center patch. Camera stays at that focus and then you frame. So far I find framing with my DSLR actually faster than with the RF viewfinder, as pleasant as it is, because the DSLR viewfinder eliminates the need to "mentally subtract" the elements you see outside the RF framelines. One less thing to think about, yet there's something about the openess of the RF viewfinder seems to inspire a slightly different way of looking.

[jeff_rivera5]

You could do the finder and zone focus if you want to.

 

With the crop factor, remember that a 24mm = 35 field of view. At f4, you've already got decent DOF. I'd shoot AE using the AF center spot (use it just like an RF patch) and not worry about it. Works well with my Pentax DSLR.

[christopher_moss]

The D70 focuses quickly enough on AF that I could simply crouch down and grab this

while my son walked towards me.

[christopher_moss]

Ouch! Too much JPG artifact: the original is at:

http://www.photo.net/photo/2834765

[jmack]

I try to shoot canon d10 with zone focus with a 28mm but becomes longer due to crop factor ,have always found auto focus unreliable for fast and close street shooting due to solid colors and won't fire or delays and the shot is gone.l always go back to the leica for the speed and agile I feel using it. Negative film has the latitude for street work with the digital ,have to use manual exposure as automatic can fail at anytime also feels bulky. Jmac

[jsbc]

Donald:

 

Now that you have redefined your Manual focus expectations, my experience with the D70 is that it is quite difficult to Manual focus: even though there is an electronic rangefinder, on accoun of its small VF. The VF is actually quite bright, but not optimised for manual focus. I have a 35 F1.4 and I mis-focus a lot at the wider apertures.