Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2006/01/20
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Richard The main hint is: shoot, shoot, shoot. As already posted on the flickr discussion about this lens, the rules for superwides are quite simply to remember but not that simply to applicate: - level the camera well*, when a horizont or anything rectangular or architectonic is in the picture (*or, when you tilt it, tilt it significantly, so that it looks like a compositional intention and not just a framing imprecision). - keep faces in the middle of the picture or it looks like <http://mogool.com/311/images/posaune.jpg>this (see top right). - when landscapes, meter the ground not the bright sky to prevent underexposure. - when landscapes or wide space, find an object for the foreground. For correct framing, many superwide aficionados use spirit levels. Personally I gave it up as the CV spirit level is built for the height of the higher 12mm finder not the lower 15mm, so you have to move the eye too much, and anyway a spirit level does not fit my speedy shooting style (and I never use tripods). As graphic designer I might have a more elaborated feeling for parallels so the finder's borderlines and the horizon are enough for me (which does not mean that I have not shot tons of tilted pictures ;-) I admit these rules can lead to strongly symmetric compositions quite often, like in my <http://www.flickr.com/photos/40833360@N00/50219862/>ferry or <http://www.flickr.com/photos/40833360@N00/50217592/>cathedral shots. The challenge is to find a way to break the symmetry in a interesting way, without getting the strong distortions this lens can produce when used wrongly. Hm, did I mention "level the camera well"? Have fun with your Heliar Didier >Didier - Having just bought a 15mm Heliar myself, I looked at the first >three of >these shots with fascination. You seem to have figured out how to use the >lens while avoiding the usual obvious distortions. Any hints for an >extreme >wide angle beginner?