Re: [Leica] M rangefinder focusing techniques

["Mxsmanic" <mxsmanic@hotmail.com>]

I looked at this and it is very intriguing, but where is the "optical
depth-of-focus indicator" mentioned in the manual?  I don't see anything in the
diagrams of the viewfinder in the manual, nor did I notice anything in my own
M6.  Where is it, and is it present on the M6 as well as the M3?  It sounds very
handy, if it works for all focal lengths.

- ----- Original Message -----
From: "Logan Reinwood" <reinwood007@hotmail.com>
To: <leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us>
Sent: Monday, July 30, 2001 15:30
Subject: Re: [Leica] M rangefinder focusing techniques


>
> You should look at a M3 manual, in the latest M3 and M2 there was some help
> for DOF preview at f5.6 and f16 for 50mm lens (the RF zone was not a
> rectangle but somethin like:
>
> __,---,__
> !         !
> !         !
> !---,_,---!
>
> This should give you an idea of how accurate you have to adjust the RF
> depending on the f stop you use and the DOF implied.
>
> look at: http://www.fortunecity.se/jarlkullen/jarnekskogen/105/m3manual.htm
> on page 9.
>
> BR,
>
> logan
>
> >From: "Mxsmanic" <mxsmanic@hotmail.com>
> >Reply-To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
> >To: "Leica Mailing List" <leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us>
> >Subject: [Leica] M rangefinder focusing techniques
> >Date: Mon, 30 Jul 2001 14:38:16 +0200
> >
> >I notice that when focusing my M6, I spend about thirty seconds checking
> >and
> >double-checking to make absolutely sure that the two little images in the
> >rangefinder are perfectly aligned.  I'm pretty sure that this is overkill,
> >but I
> >don't know how much accuracy is really necessary.  I'd like to know from
> >those
> >who have much longer experience with the M body just what sort of technique
> >you
> >use for focusing so that something is indeed in focus without having to
> >spent
> >two minutes verifying things.  I presume that there is some point at which
> >"close enough" is identical to "perfectly lined up," but how do I know
> >reliably
> >where that is?  Rules of thumb or similar suggestions for speeding up the
> >process are most welcome.  I've tried checking the DOF indications, but
> >that
> >takes as long as my attempts to get things perfectly aligned, so that
> >doesn't
> >seem to work very well.
> >
> >For example, when focusing at something 200 feet away, I note that the
> >focus
> >point isn't really at infinity, but in fact is very, very slightly short of
> >infinity, but I'm never quite sure if I should try to make the adjustment.
> >
> >It's different from an SLR, in which the image is as sharp as it looks.  In
> >a
> >rangefinder, the focusing is extraordinarily accurate for shorter focal
> >lengths,
> >and apparently a large discrepancy in the rangefinder may correspond to a
> >virtually infinitesimal difference in the actual focus plane of the lens.
> >Not
> >knowing how close I _really_ am to acceptable focus gives me enough of a
> >complex
> >that I miss some shots while I try to see if those two images are
> >_perfectly_
> >aligned.
>
>
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