Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/09/05
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]> Alex wrote: >Paul, are you using only the normals(75 on the P645)? What about >portrait lenses(150 or 200 on the P645)? I have a 35mm, 75mm & 200mm for my 645. In most of my exposures I utilize the 35mm, then the 75mm, and rarely the 200mm. The 200mm gives me a great advantage in being able to distance myself from the subject, whereas I'm normally right on top of it. My work is street photography, then architectural or landscapes. >What film are you using in the P645 and the 35s? 99.9% of the work is done in TriX, with a smattering of TMY. >What about camera shake--the Ms and G2 should have a major advantage in >available light, no? Yes, the smaller cameras have that advantage but it curves out after a certain point; say 1/2 second. I've heard people brag about being able to hand hold 1 second and get good pictures- even with my M6 I find that hard to accomplish. Heck, leaving the camera on a tripod gets you half way to a good shot (even in broad daylight). [okay, I use quick shoes!] So you don't have to think about setting it up and concentrating on the composition is more important than thinking about holding the camera steady. Was once shooting the Mah Puja in a Hindu temple (in this case it is called 'available darkness'), the M6 was required for stealth and speed. I left it on a mini tripod and did my version of Vulcan structure link by placing the feet of the pod on anything steady. Those shots are incredible. They give the viewer a real sense of being there during this most holy right. Could not have been accomplished with anything but an M. >> the M3 was not as successful as the M6, for instance.] >Yet above, you state that the M3 and M6 were close seconds? Correct, but remember this is a subjective analysis of the 'keeper' ratio. The M3 had more 'lost' moments as I fumbled between meter reading and framing, whereas the M6 was convenient for metering simultaneously. I was commenting on how I noticed 'opportunity' lost in the M3 negs and not as much in the M6. Like, for instance, the P645 with the powerful feature of an incredibly accurate meter, and all the functions a touch away at the body. I can meter, adjust, and frame all at the same time- I can range the meter spot on the focus plane over my intended subject to get the proper EV, and time my exposure to coincide with the decisive moment. My eye never leaves the finder. It is then a matter of convenience promulgating a higher keeper ratio.