Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/09/20
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]He was that far (infinity) away? This is where knowing your camera and lens really well helps, and also where some of us berate the loss of those focusing tabs on Leitz/Leica lenses. The first lens I got to know intimately in that respect was a 35/2.8 Summaron for my IIIb. You knew where infinity and 1m were obviously, but the best, most used, distance for people photography was about 6 feet away and that was with the tab at 6 o'clock, immediately below the lens - I got some great pictures like that. Beaumant Newhall describes (in his autobiography, 'Focus') a lovely cafe scene where he was with H.C-B and without looking at his camera the exposure and focus were set for a portrait of someone across the tables. In an instant the scene was recorded because H.C-B knew what the exposure would need to be and he knew how to prefocus his camera, these are the techniques of a craft which are sadly not learnt by a modern generation of photographers. Jem (sounding older by each post...) - -----Original Message----- From: Joseph E. Hayes [SMTP:jeh50@earthlink.net] In one instance, it was a small boy on the US-Mexico border crossing at Tijuana...he refused to allow me to take his image without paying...kept hiding his face...I finally got the photo by setting the lens on infinity and holding the camera at my hip... Joe Hayes