[Leica] Fast lenses, fast shutter speed

["Robert G. Stevens" <robsteve@istar.ca>]

Eric:

Talking about fast lenses and auto focus.  I was shooting at a colledge
football game yesterday and found it very dark in the rain.  I was using
E200 pushed to 640 and was able to shoot at 750th to 1000th at 2.8.  Some
of the EOS Photographers were using 300 2.8's with a 1.4x converter.  They
had to shoot print film a stop faster than me to get the higher shutter
speeds.  This is a case where lens speed counts.  A link to some of my
pictures from yesterday is here:  The pictures the thumbnails are linked to
are rather large at about 100K.


http://home.istar.ca/~robsteve/photography/AtlanticBowl.htm

The dark images of the winners were taken sans flash and on Fuji Provia 400
pushed two stops.  I probably could have developed that roll longer.  I did
not have a flash as I tend to carry on the 400 2.8, camera, 35mm Summicron,
and film.  I found it was just too much to carry any more than that.  Next
time, I will bring a flash if it is going to be after sunset when the game
ends.

I am going to try basketball for the first time next week.  I think I will
use the R7 plus a 90 2.8, 60 2.8, and maybe even an M6 with Noctilux for
the basket shots.  If the M6 works out at the basket shots, I might have to
get a rapid winder.

Now for the autofocus link.  My Leica 400 2.8 is very bright and easy to
focus quickly because of this.  I imagine a faster lens provides more
focusing contrast to autofus cameras and allow them to focus a little
quicker compared to a lens one or two stops slower.  I would buy a Leica
autofocus R if it came out and used the existing R lenses plus some new
autofocus lenses with the ultrasonic motor technology. 

Regards,

Robert





At 05:14 PM 11/22/98 -0600, you wrote:
>>can likely be hand-held at 2 to 3 stops slower than the 100/2.8
>>on a reflex, making it comparable to an f/1.4 or faster reflex lens, as
>>is also the case with its dim-light focussing ease.
>
>That is if the subject isn't moving. One reason to have wider apertures is
>to use a faster shutter speed. A lot of good it will do to use an
>"equivalent" of 1.4 in a 2.8 lens if at the same time the shutter speed is
>the equivalent of 1/15 sec. instead of 1/60. One of the many, many issues
>to struggle with.
>-- 
>
>Eric Welch
>St. Joseph, MO
>http://www.ponyexpress.net/~ewelch
>
>
>