Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/05/14
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Harrison Wow! That image is superb and your mastery of the R8 is evident. I think the message that comes through here is to change ones style and, as you say, practice a lot. Just need someone to lend me an R8 and some lenses. A quick comment on your statement << But on the long lenses AF can be more of a pain as it will refocus close if someone runs between me and the subject of the photo...happens a lot in football. With MF I/my eyes keep the subject sharp even though someone crossed the zone of focus. >> The focus Lock-On on my SLR will not refocus if something comes between the camera and the subject (at any focal length). It stays focussed on the subject as it knows from the distance information provided by the D lens that you do not want the intruding element to be in focus. It sounds iffy but it works superbly. Thank you for sharing your experience. One last question - how do you scan in your images to look that good. I use a Coolscan LS30 and I cannot get that quality. Simon Harrison Mcclary wrote: > once upon a time Simon Lamb wrote: > > > Now, don't shoot me down in flames. As I have said, my new M6 is great and I > > love it but it is not the tool for the job IMHO for the scenario above. My F5 > > is. So, as so many have said before, the picture counts and I know what will > > give me the best chance of getting it. > > > > I would be interested in finding out how others with M6 or R8 would approach > > this > > situation. I know that many have said they were sports action photogs before > > AF > > existed, so I would be interested to learn of any techniques that could work > > in > > this type of scenario. > > Simon, > > A photographer who shoots with a manual focus camera generally has the art > of follow focusing down pat. Focusing is "automatic". You do not think > about it, it just happens. Your hands/fingers keep the image your are > looking at sharp with out conscious effort. This may sound odd to you, but > if you work as a professional with a certain camera you learn it inside and > out and you simply learn how to focus very quickly. > > Kind of like how a shooter with a pump shotgun can shoot as quickly and > accurately as one with a semi automatic. > > The AF stuff is very nice and I have used it on my EOS gear...it comes in > handy shooting NFL football, esp on my 70-200 with the 1.4x on it as I can > hang that camera around my neck and when action happens close I can shoot > with one hand. But on the long lenses AF can be more of a pain as it will > refocus close if someone runs between me and the subject of the > photo...happens a lot in football. With MF I/my eyes keep the subject sharp > even though someone crossed the zone of focus. > > Now I do admit that today I am not as good with MF as I was 8 years ago, but > I shoot sports only 2 or 3 times a year so I am VERY rusty now and AF would > help me get more sharp photos. But back when I was shooting sports 3 times > a week I would get NFL pass receptions sharp with ball at finger tips > regularly. See: http://home.earthlink.net/~hmcclary/spts.html > > The photo in the lower left of Deion Sanders and Gerry Rice was made with a > Canon F1n/400 2.8L with 1.4x (effectively about a 600 f4) wide open. All > manual focus. On AF if I was not paying close attention to where the focus > dot fell the stadium seats would have been sharp and the players out of > focus...a lost shot in other words. > > If you want to learn to follow focus go to a highway with a lot of film and > a long lens and photograph cars...following focusing on them as they > approach. After a few days of this you will see a large improvement in your > abilities. That is how I and many others learned the skill. Practice, > practice, practice....it really works, even with a Leica. ;) > -- > Harrison McClary > http://www.mcclary.net