RE: rangefinder focusing

[Jorg Willems <jorg@mindspring.com>]

Paul,

I agree with everything you said having used M cameras for years.
Ralph Gibson stressed the point that the use of our equipment should be 
second nature to us, like an extension of our body.  He demonstrated how he 
is holding his camera winding the camera strap around his arm, etc. and 
some of his little tricks how to shoot fast (I think that's what he called 
it).
The reason that this is standing out in my mind is that I don't quite 
understand it.  His pictures don't leave the impression with me that he is 
in a great hurry taking them.   I have been to his www and I find the 
concept how he presents them interesting.

Jorg

From:	Paul Schliesser [SMTP:paulsc@eos.net]

>I don't remember that he said that he (Ralph Gibson)
>uses always wide apertures, but I do remember that he stressed how
>important it to return camera controls to the same position after you
>shoot.  That means for the next picture focussing and aperture adjustments 
>are always turned into the same direction.


Jorg,

One great advantage that the Leica has (and one that I've never seen
mentioned in print anywhere) is that you always know which way to turn
the lens to focus, depending on whether the rangefinder image is offset
to the left or to the right. I realized this one day, and discovered that
I have aware of this and have been using it automatically for years. I'm
sure that most experienced M users also use this, although you also may
not do it consciously. With an SLR, you need to hunt back and forth to
determine if you are focused too close or too far. The comment on setting
your focus at infinity, IMHO, is pointless with a rangefinder camera but
useful for an SLR.

- - Paul