Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/06/10

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Subject: Re: [Leica] soft focus?
From: Rick Dykstra <rdandcb@cybermac.com.au>
Date: Sun, 11 Jun 2000 11:09:29 +1000
References: <e3.5677e0f.266fcdf3@aol.com>

HotRodVon@aol.com wrote:
> 
> I love my M6...Until recently!   I bought a new 90 2.8 Elmarit...and no
> matter what, I can't seem to get any sharp results.    Does anybody have a clue why this is
> happening?   

The 90mm lenses are quite tricky to use with an M, in my experience.

Lately I've been using the 90 apo Asph, and my technique with portraits
is to focus on the eyelid line, and then tweak the lens to a slightly
closer focus, a minimum of movement clockwise.  This greatly reduces the
number of shots where the focus ends up behind the subject (children
tend to droop forward as your setting up the shot, specially if you've
asked them to sit up a little straighter).  Look carefully at the ears
and hair of your subjects in your unsuccessful photos.  Is the focus
behind the subject's eyes and more on the ears?


I'm also using a telescopic rod with a ball head on the end, to provide
the M6 with more support - gives a dramatic improvement - so much so
that shots are sharper at 1/125 than at 1/250 without the brace.  This
allows me to use f4 to 5.6 instead of f2.8 to 4 in our Aussie ambient
light in shady conditions with 100 speed Reala.

let us know how you go, please.  I'm always looking for clues on making
better portraits with a 90 and M.

Regards

Rick Dykstra

Replies: Reply from "Dan Post" <dpost@triad.rr.com> (Re: [Leica] soft focus?)
In reply to: Message from HotRodVon@aol.com ([Leica] soft focus?)