RE: [Leica] Focusing lag time with Leicas

[Five Senses Productions <fls@5senses.com>]

Yes, the Nikkor 85/1.8 and the 85/1.4 are excellent lenses and I got great
results with them.  I loved being able to shoot at 1.4 during the day at
1/4000,
something that simply cannot be done with the M6 using 100 film.

Some of you have agreed with me that focusing the M6 takes time, and some
of you have said that you whip it into focus in a second with only one pass.
Are you guys who do it so quickly really concentrating on one certain point
on an object or are you just rolling the focusing ring until the center RF
square
is generally sharp?

Even though I complain sometimes about focusing an M6, I don't think I'll ever
go back to using any other camera as my primary body......not unless they
accept Leica lenses!!!  Leica lens quality is the only thing that keeps me
from
going back to AF.






At 10:40 AM 5/23/98 +0200, Alan Ball wrote:
>On Saturday, May 23, 1998 6:23 AM, Five Senses Productions 
>[SMTP:fls@home.com] wrote:
>> This is the same thing I have found since I converted to Leica from 
>Nikon.
>> AF is VERY helpful when shooting people.....especially models.  I used to
>> shoot models with an F5 and I could point the center spot at an eye or
>> other important bodily part and focus with the AF-ON button, then compose
>> the shot and shoot with the shutter release all within 2-3 seconds.
>
>Last year, I had the chance to use a F90x during a few months, with the 
>85mmf1.8 AF. And this also was a great portrait shooting machine. By this I 
>mean perfect focusing on all (or almost all) the roll and near to perfect 
>metering on all the roll.
>
> >  NOW,
>> with the M and R cameras, it is a whole different story.  With the M6, I 
>have
>> to point the RF square at an important feature, slowly maneuver the lens
>> until I have precise focus (this takes the longest), recompose, then 
>shoot,
>> and hope the model has not given up on me and changed her facial 
>expression
>> or moved an inch or two backwards so that focus is off again.  This whole
>> procedure takes me up to 8 seconds per frame.
>
>This is my experience as well, with the 90mm lens or with the 50mm at the 
>wider apertures. The average 'portrait' tools. Careful focusing with these 
>lenses in those conditions does (and should) take some time and 
>concentration and once you focussed on that &##@#! near eye it is sometimes 
>faster to bend back and forward looking through the M6 to follow the 
>model's movements than to keep on turning the focusing ring.
>
>This is not the best way of using the M system. You are shooting with MF 
>requirements (or handicaps) with none of the MF advantages. But I do get 
>some great portraits with my M system anyway. Would not want to rely on 
>that tool to make a living in that field nevertheless.
>
>> Since I started shooting models with Leica, I have noticed a higher 
>percentage
>> of out of focus shots than I got with the F5.
>
>I've been happy with the reliability of focusing with the M: it takes a bit 
>longer with the lenses mentionned hereabove but I get a low rate of 
>failures. Much lower than what I got with a G2 in the same conditions. 
>Again, any modern AF SLR will do just as well (or better) and faster. I 
>would probably opt today for a Canon +85mm f1.2 + 135mmf2 for 35mm pro 
>portrait photography.
>
>Why use a M6 then ? For street photography, travel photography, indoors 
>flashless discreet photography, also for the pleasure and the tactile 
>feedback. But certainly not for studio portraits or outdoors glamour 
>sessions...
> 


Francesco Sanfilippo,
Five Senses Productions
webmaster@5senses.com


http://www.5senses.com/