Jump to content

michael_stern

Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    35

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Posts posted by michael_stern

    Soft release isn't soft on M7

    in Leica and Rangefinders

    Posted

    Maybe there's a law of physics that explains this, but just as a soft release amplifies the smoothness of the shutter release on the M6, it seems to amplify the detente (at the exposure lock point) on the M7, giving it a real ratchety feeling. In other words, for me, the soft release makes slow-speed, hand-held exposures more difficult. I took it off and while the detente in the M7 shutter release is still palpable, it isn't nearly as disturbing. I wonder if anyone else has had this experience?

    Has anyone used the M7? Thoughts

    in Leica and Rangefinders

    Posted

    I'm not comfortable simply pointing and shooting, so I take a reading

    by aiming the camera at something close to 18% reflective in the

    frame and use the exposure lock (shutter release halfway down). I

    suppose that saves me the few fractions of a second I would have used

    turning the shutter speed dial on an M6, but it's no big deal. On the

    other hand, in two outdoor portrait situations (one of my dog, the

    other of a person), being able to use a very wide aperture for

    shallow D.O.F. and a shutter speed of 1/500th or 1/1000th has been a

    godsend (although at least so far, a very slow process).

    HSS flash with M7

    in Leica and Rangefinders

    Posted

    As I understand it, the Metz 54 is currently the ONLY flash that will

    allow you to use the M7's High Speed Synch and Rear Curtain Synch

    (and also strobe) features. Yes, it is expensive ... but I managed to

    justify it because I needed a good TTL flash for my Canon outfit, so

    I also bought the Canon module.

     

    <p>

     

    Also, for what it's worth, maybe I'm just slow but the fact that you

    have to manually adjust the aperture and the flash output to use HSS

    makes this a feature to use only for still lifes or people that don't

    move!

    HSS flash with M7

    in Leica and Rangefinders

    Posted

    At the risk of getting murdered (again) for posting a pet picture, I thought I'd put up this picture of My Darling Clementine because it was something I couldn't do with a pre-M7 RF Leica. It was taken on 400 ASA negative film at 1/1000 sec, F:1.4 with HSS flash. Without the HSS, I could never have had the thin plane of focus, nice backlight, dark-face detail, and eye highlights as well. This would work on a beautiful model as well as my dog!

    <center>

    <img src="http://www.photo.net/photodb/image-display?photo_id=681128&size=md" width=518 height=750>

    </center>

    Off-Center Voigtlander lens on Leica M?

    in Leica and Rangefinders

    Posted

    Thanks to all who responded. I feel a lot better, and the pictures I

    took today at F:1.9 at .7 meters appear sharp. As Michael Darnton

    pointed out, <I>Position of the lens, within reason, when seated has

    nothing to do with focus, since that's determined by the thickness of

    the adapter, not the placement of the threads in it.</I>

    Off-Center Voigtlander lens on Leica M?

    in Leica and Rangefinders

    Posted

    I recently got a 28mm screw-mount Voigtlander and the adapter to fit it on an M-mount Leica. When I insert the adapter as instructed, then screw in the lens, the lens tightens with the dots on the D.O.F. scale and the aperture ring just a few degrees <I>beyond 12 o'clock</I>, i.e. not exactly plumb. I'm shooting a test roll to try to see if this apparent misalignment has any effect on focus (although with a 28, it might be moot), but I wonder if anyone else has seen this and, if so, is it going to present a problem with critical focus when I am 2.5 feet away and F:1.9?

    35'lux or Noctilux - which is better all-rounder?

    in Leica and Rangefinders

    Posted

    As I see it, the 35 Summilux and 50 Noctilux are each so different

    that the choice cannot be either-or. The unique properties of the

    Noctilux aren't only seen in indoors / low light situations. I took

    this picture on a bright sunny day at F:1, 1/1000 sec. I suppose I

    could have done the vignetting in Photoshop, but the soft foreground

    grass wouldn't have happened, even with the 35 Summilux wide open.

     

    <p>

     

    <center>

    <img src="http://www.photo.net/photodb/image-display?

    photo_id=630001&size=lg" width=707 height=473>

    </center>

    Fill flash & 50mm Summilux bokeh (try again)

    in Leica and Rangefinders

    Posted

    There is scientific evidence that pets lower peoples' blood

    pressure. Clearly that's not true of photos of pets. Nevertheless,

    I do apologize for my vague subject line and promise to be more clear

    about exactly what I'm posting in the future. Just to veer back to

    the topic of photography and photographic equipment here, I have

    found that Leica Ms are great for taking pictures of potentially

    nervous animals (birds and horses in particular) for the same reason

    they're good with people who might otherwise be intimidated by

    noisier gear. One thing's for sure with such critters: you learn to

    focus fast!

    Fill flash & 50mm Summilux bokeh (try again)

    in Leica and Rangefinders

    Posted

    <I>Please comment about the bird's eye color. I think I see some

    redeye. Everytime I use flash with my pets (dog and cat) I get

    tremendous redeye. Does your original show redeye? Does the parrot

    have a colored pupil or is it black?

     

    <p>

     

    Is there strong backlight coming in from the window or is this

    reflected flash?</I>

     

    <p>

     

    Hi, David Smith;

    There is no red-eye in the parrot picture (perhaps amber-eye, as that

    is what her eye color is around the pupil). I've photographed a lot

    of parrots, including a few in dark places with direct flash, and

    never had a problem with red-eye. I'm guessing their retinas don't

    reflect light the same way our mammal ones do. And there was lots of

    back light from the window, which is why I needed flash. As for dog

    and cat red-eye (which from my dogs is actually green-eye), if the

    ambient lighting is low, those glowing retinas are inevitable. In

    fact, that's why I got the Metz 32-Z2 ... because you can bounce the

    light and get nice, lovely eyes like these on Allstar's Darling

    Clementine:

     

    <p>

     

    <center>

    <img src="http://www.photo.net/photo/626973

    " width=828 height=735>

    </center>

×
×
  • Create New...