[Leica] Monochrom metadata and uncoded lenses

[mark at rabinergroup.com (Mark Rabiner)]

I'd heard of guys who had continual logbooks going of all their exposures
usually with medium format or sheet film commercial jobs I never could get
that organized. If I got my slides back two hours later as was often the
case I'd often have a pretty good idea of most of my f stops and that was
pretty helpful in terms of when things go right what were the settings to
use again and when things go wrong the settings to not use some more.
Decades of this but then in the last ten years its all there for me to look
at automatically in the metadata on my computer screen.. And I do look at
that information as I look over my previous weeks pix... Which iso' s f
stops and shutter speeds I'd used in those shots so I could see why things
were looking bad or good. Too soft or too noisy. Not enough in focus or too
much.  Which lens did I use?  The time of the day I look at so I know if its
dusk than  its a darker picture and perhaps by how much I print the thing
down.
When I look at scans I made with my scanner which are in those same folders
its frustrating for me to not know what the exact date the picture was taken
on. I go crazy not knowing that. I look at my calendar and hope I had it in
there so I can put it in later. If not I'm not so happy.

I think someone could claim to not be so fond of the digital "look" but be
happy about some of these kinds of perks in the workflo.
Its more than grabbing the decisive moment which makes a shot.
Its also having the camera's settings set right when that moment is
captured. And its nice to check those out later. Sometimes much later.

On 2/13/15 8:16 PM, "John McMaster" <john at mcmaster.co.nz> wrote:

> Even in film days some people were interested in this sort of thing; sheet
> film photographers for lens/aperture/exposure/development, portraitists for
> lighting and aperture etc.
> 
> I have been doing tests with Leica lenses recently. Would you have guessed
> that until it is stopped down to f8 the Modular 400/4 lens is outperformed 
> by
> the 280/4 with 1.4x convertor? Neither is a cheap lens but the 280/4 is 
> more
> available and less than half the weight...
> 
> I like to know how my equipment performs before I use it, I will shoot some
> (non-Leica) lenses wide open but I know that they perform better stopped 
> down
> two stops. That lets me know that I can shoot wide open but to stop down 
> if I
> can or image quality is more important on a static subject. Likewise, 
> stopping
> down too far degrades the image, so does that happen at f8 or f11? After 
> all
> we have spent the serious money on Leica as they produce amongst the best
> lenses, what is wrong with knowing how to use them well?
> 
> Of course this does not apply in sports or fast paced news scenarios, how 
> many
> people on this list shoot either?  And in this day and age how many of 
> those
> photographers use Leica??
> 
>  EXIF is automatic in all digital cameras, even yours, why get so agitated
> about what others do?
> 
> john
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: LUG [mailto:lug-bounces+john=mcmaster.co.nz at leica-users.org] On 
> Behalf
> Of Ted Grant
> Sent: Saturday, 14 February 2015 1:08 p.m.
> To: 'Leica Users Group'
> Subject: Re: [Leica] Monochrom metadata and uncoded lenses
> 
> OK LET's try a few things on how I use and handled my cameras while 
> covering
> my assignments during the past 60 years? And never been a techie ever! WHY?
> 
> 
> Well I was and still am, a photojournalist of little or no camera 
> questioning?
> Nor rarely read camera instruction manuals. :-)
>  
> 1/ Open back of camera snap in a roll of film. A quick hand meter reading 
> for
> shooting light! After that it was all "BY GUESS, GUT AND GOD!" :-)
> 
> 2/ DOING TESTS OF CAMERAs OR LENSES OUT OF THE BOX? They were LEICA's why 
> in
> heavens' name would you bother testing them. Once in awhile with long 
> teles I
> might pop a few frames wide open and a few stopped right down just to see 
> the
> effects. THAT WAS IT! After that I knew what to expect and if I used the 
> Super
> Wide 15mm on either the R cameras or the 15mm for M body many were flying 
> it
> looking through the LENS view finder for a quick check. CLICK!
> 
> And all this stuff that many of you pay so much attention to as in EXIF? OR
> WHATEVER? And other considered bells and whistles. I ask myself?....  "What
> the hell is that stuff and I don't know nor ever think about simply 
> because I
> don't have a clue where in the camera you set it! Nor do I see horrible 
> images
> because I don't know, nor care what the hell it's all about.
> 
> And due to not knowing what these techie things do nor do not do? Are my
> published photos not any good? Or when during a screening presentation the
> audience during the course of the presentation give me wonderful "STANDING
> OVATIONS DUE TO THE IMAGES THEY'ER LOOKING AT!"
> 
> Once again lads & ladies may I ask? Is it really absolutely a need to know 
> all
> this techie stuff for better content photographs?
> 
> What it does or doesn't do in maybe capturing the most "Fantastic Content"
> one could hope for? Because the "BOTTOMLINE WILL ALWAYS BE THE CONTENT
> CAPTURED!" And if not using, nor setting all these bells and whistles will 
> I
> be a failure as a photographer?
> 
> All I know is this EXIF or Whatever the hell it is along with all the other
> symbols etc.?? At the blink of my eye to the "CLICK" of my reaction to the
> fleeting real life split second moment? Because I don't know nor willingly
> know how or what to set? "How is it my photos just kinda look cool fine?"
> :-)
> 
> I'm not trying to bug you technical astute folks by my nearly always 
> appearing
> to challenge all the in camera technologies that to me and my photo results
> are completely meaningless drivel! But then that's me and my total belief 
> of a
> "KISS PHOTO-LIFE!" :-)
> 
> And that's it since 27 May 1950 when my dear wife Irene gave me my first
> camera! An Argus A2 35mm film camera and my photo life began. :-)
> 
> cheers,
> Dr. ted :-)
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
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-- 
Mark William Rabiner
Photographer
http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/lugalrabs/