Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2008/09/26
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Philip Forrester offered: Subject: Re: camera shake was: Re: [Leica] a serious question >>The rangefinder always gives the shooter an advantage by simple fact that there is no blackout and you can hold more still then. The body won't "wander" as much while you're looking through the VF of the rangefinder as it would if you were watching a blacked out VF.<<<< Hi Phil, Just how slow a shutter speed are you referring to that hand holding the camera, and due to the mirror blackout the camera will wander? The slowest shutter speed I ever used hand held with pistol grip and shoulder stock with a motor driven Leica SLR was at the closing ceremonies of the 1972 Munich Olympics in the evening during the solemn moments honoring the murdered athletes! A hand held motor driven SL with a 560 mm f6.8 lens .. "1/15th of a second" wide open and it was as sharp as if it were on a tripod! That was when I was still a young lad of 44 years! :-)! Did I have doubts it would work? You bet and it wasn't until the middle of the night after the KODAK lab finished processing did I know the shots had worked. Did I lose any? Yep A few! I believe the more one works with their gear the better their ability! The reverse is the amateur who shoots on the weekend without hard nose editors screaming in your face "QUALITY..QUALITY! I WANT QUALITY!" And you had better not have any wimpy excuse why you don't give it to him, or her as the case maybe. And if you ask . "why didn't I use a tripod?" Well at the Olympics and all international sports events you are not allowed to use tripods no matter who you or your organization are! Monopod, yes. And no I didn't have it with me so I just winged it. I think the "wavy navy wander shakes are more to do with the handler than the equipment" Regular day to day shooters know how to do sharp pictures due to experience rather than relying on internal gizmos. If you'd like to see examples of hand held no monopod shooting. My son Scott is a professional sport action shooter who hand holds a 400mm f2.8 lens manual focus all the time. He has amazing upper body shoulder strength that accounts for this ability. If you'd like to see some of his work" / http://www.sixsixsix.ca/ IMAGE COMMUNICATIONS and check out his portfolio. I don't have any doubt you'll be surprised even if he's my son. :-) ted