Re: [Leica] M6 Neophyte-Focus Questions

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

Sandy:

I will put on my flame proof suit, but:  I have never heard of a focus
adjustment problem on an M6 that was bought new by an experienced
rangefinder user.  I think alot of this is just user error.  For example to
check infinity, you must focus on a distant object say a quater mile away.
A good thing to use is a distant street light at night. 

The second complaint is the focus not being right.  We have just heard from
Walt that if the infinity is right, the rest is correct.  What this
probably means is the inexperienced user is just not focusing on the right
thing in the picture or they or the object is moving before the exposure is
made.  These days most new users are coming from auto-focus systems with
relatively slow lens with F4 or F5.6 as their maximum aperture.  The Leica
M's on the other hand tend to have F2 or faster lenses with the resulting
shallower depth of field.

In your case just practise.  A good trick when dealing with closer objects
or people is to get it in focus and then rather than move the focus on the
lens as they move a bit fore or aft, you just move your body fore or aft so
the image stays aligned.  Its called the Leica sway.  Potraits with a fast
lens is an example where you need to do this if you want to keep the eyes
in focus.

These are just a few of my ramblings and I am sure others can add to list
of hints for using Leica rangefinders.

Regards,

Robert Stevens

At 01:31 AM 12/7/98 GMT, you wrote:
>Thanks to all of you who encouraged me to "ask first and forget the
archives." 
>(I hesitated initially, since, at a web site that I frequent, individuals
are 
>often chastised for asking a question that could have been answered by
doing a 
>search.) In reading all of the focus alignment posts, I've become a bit 
>nervous, since I, too have found that focusing is more of a challenge with
the 
>M6 than with my SLR system. I had been attributing this step in the learning 
>curve to the fact that I wear glasses and am used to using an eyecup on my
F5; 
>seems as if I'm sometimes contending with extraneous light bouncing around
in 
>the M6 viewfinder. For those of you who acquired the M6 after primarily
using a 
>SLR, did you find that it took awhile to become accustomed to M6 focusing 
>(especially in low light)? Just how pervasive is the misalignment problem? I 
>plan to do the tripod test as soon as my RRS plate arrives; however, in the 
>meantime, should I be concerned about alignment problems, or am I
experiencing 
>normal challenges inherent in a system change?  
>
>Thanks for any advice,
>
>Sandy (who's already trying to decide which lens to order next....)
>
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