[Leica] Focusing a 280 F2.8??? piece of cake!

[Ted Grant <tedgrant@home.com>]

> On 29-07-2000 10:01 Frank Filippone wrote:
> 
> >Given the incredibly narrow DOF with these lenses, how do you focus?
> >Techniques?  I assume a tripod is a given with any subject.  What other tips
> >can you give?

Pascal responded:: 
> Get a camera with decent autofocus ;-)<<<<<<<<

Now now Pascal, no auto focus! That's a cheap cop out to learning how to
make it work! ;-)  Besides there are events where "no tripods are
allowed" and one must know how to make it work hand held.  Well Ok you
can use a monopod, but even that is a pain in the butt at times.

Quite frankly it's a piece of cake handling a 280 mm wide open, heck
I've probably shot more images wide open with mine since 1984 than I
have stopped down.  And to top that off, it's been hand held for most of
those images!  :-). 

Why would you need auto focus to shoot a non-moving object or a moving
object for that matter. Of course it takes practice, good bracing of
body technique which can only come from holding the camera and learning
how to set your feet "slightly apart" to spread the weight, learning how
to make the best use of your upper body muscles & shoulder muscles by
tucking the elbows well into the trunk of the body.

If you have a Leica SLR with motor it becomes a real piece of cake with
the shoulder brace & pistol grip with micro switch hooked into the
motor. You then hold the camera and lens with both arms, right index
finger on the micro switch, focus with your left thumb and plink away
like shooting clay pigeons! 

Now see how easy that was? :-)  Rush out, buy one and start plinking. :-)

Aaaaaaaaaaaah, but the piece de resistance?  Add the 1.4 extender, now
you have a 400 mm f4.0 and you can do the same thing.  Ready? Remove
1.4, add 2X and now you're working with a 560 mm f5.6, cool shooting
hand held and wide open.

Now get really daring, (Leica techs will tell you not to do this by the
way, don't listen, for they know not what they say)   Add the 1.4 to
lens first, then the 2X to the 1.4 and you have the magical 800 mm f8.0
hand holdable shooting wide open mega in your face Leica lens that
produces awesome reach to the likes you've never done before.  Not to
mention absolutely mind blowing pictures.

So Frank and Pascal, it's easy with a little practice.  First of all,
show no fear of the lens unless of course you happen to be one of those
125 pound weaklings advertised in body building commercials :-). But
like the body builder the more you just do it, the easier it gets.

Another item that comes with the 280 mm making ease of handling a piece
of cake, is the palm grip. Heck even without the shoulder brace, the
palm grip affords a very comfortable handling and focusing with your
left thumb rolling the lens back and forth while both arms and body take
the weight of lens.

Frank, here's a tip that can make you feel more comfortable handling
lens and camera without any kind of brace.  If you do this every day
_______ one handed times! ______ Lift camera & lens from at rest by your
side to up over your head as though you're pushing (a dumbbell weight)
until you can do it a hundred times with no sweat, particularly using
the arm taking the full weight of the unit, you'll strengthen the arm
and shoulder very well.

This immediately improves handling and ease of focusing wide open or at
any aperture.  In reality it shouldn't be any more difficult focusing a
280 mm @ 2.8 than a 100 mm macro.

Oh yeah and speaking of macro, try adding a macro adapter which changes
the focusing range of the lens to shooting macro wide open,  sharp
sharp. When you can do that then add the extenders and you'll go wild
with a whole new vision not to mention results.

See how easy it is?  Now get out there, be careful and just do it, wide
open of course! Thank you, I knew you'd like that. ;-)
ted