Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/11/04

[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]

Subject: RE: [Leica] Re: Greg Bicket's focus thread
From: Austin Franklin <austin@darkroom.com>
Date: Sat, 4 Nov 2000 12:28:03 -0500

> >Now as long as we're considering the remote possibility of photographer
> >error, let me jump to confess that after lots of trying with the 80mm R, 
I
> >could never consistently put the focus plane where I wanted it.  Some 
rolls
> >would come back with hilariously misplaced planes of focus.  One by one
> >revealing that while there was indeed a razor sharp focus plane, and
> >beaucoup bokeh, often nowhere near I intended it.  I got it right 
between a
> >third and half the time!  There were even shots that turned out 
interesting,
> >but fully unintentional in terms of what I had attempted to do.
> >Compliments about the unintended focus plane in a particular photograph 
made
> >it worse!

I use the 75/1.4 (my favorite lense) with the M, and find focus with that 
camera really a charm!  Even in very low light, I manage to get what I want 
in focus...sometimes, much to my surprise...and I shoot full open a LOT.

> This, to me, is why autofocus is useless to the photographer-artist,
> commercial/illustrative photographer, amateurs who want to control what
> gets put on the film, etc.

Bingo.  I just sold my one autofocus (Fuji GA645...and bought a GS645 fully 
manual rangefinder) camera, because it just didn't focus or expose the way 
I wanted it to...and it was difficult to override.  I guess some automatic 
cameras are better at manual controls than others...

If you want point and shoot, that's what you are going to get, and the 
results will show it!