[Leica] step less shutter speed .. why? do see a

[Douglas Herr <Telyt@compuserve.com>]

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Message text written by INTERNET:leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us

"Please help me to understand why step less shutter speed gives better
results than half stop or automatic.  I don't understand that statement
unless you only shoot slides."


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I do use slide film almost exclusively.  I also run in to the maximum
aperture of the lens on a regular basis.

With color negative films the automatic modes of my R4sP are all I need but
for my wildlife subjects, where I'm often dealing with an extreme range of
brightness values (such as a bird with both black and white plumage) any
over- or under- exposure will cause me to lose detail in some area.  From
experience I cannot rely on an auto-exposure function alone to give me
correct exposures, and using exposure compensation has proven more
time-consuming than simply setting the shutter speed manually according to
prevailing light conditions.  With wildlife subjects I often don't have
time to spare.  Also with wildlife subjects I'm usually using a long lens
hand-held, so I want the shutter speed as fast as possible.  That means
leaving the lens at full aperture and using the shutter speed alone to set
correct exposure.  I do see a difference in a 1/4 stop exposure error.

Doug Herr
Sacramento
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/telyt