Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2003/08/07
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]> Hi, Ted, > > Since you mention sports photographs, let me ask you, in most cases are you > taking a few frames of an event, trying to capture the perfect moment? Or are > you simply following the action with your camera with your motor drive > pounding > out as many frames per second as possible? > > It seems that most sports PJ's are doing the latter, figuring that in a 10 > second 100 meter dash, they'll have at least one keeper (or more importantly, > one to publish) out of 80 shots taken in that race. If that's the way one > photographs a sports event, then shutter lag isn't really an issue, is it? > > If you really are aiming at the "ultimate peak" in action, I wonder if you're > in > the minority among sports photographers. > > Or am I completely wrong here? > > cheers, > frank ...well Frank, I do not know how you or Ted does sports action shots, the way I use to do it 30 years ago was with two Nikon F bodies and two lenses, a 50mm and a 200mm. No auto-focus, no motor drive, no program modes. Had hundreds of photos like this published: http://www.streetphoto.net/images/im130.jpg Back when I took this picture of 15-time world champion Giacomo Agostini at the Daytona 200 1974, sports photography was a craft that had to be learned. You had to learn how to expose and learn manual focus. You had to learn how to compose because you were not going to get many chances to make the shot. It was a challenge compared to today's high-end, bloated point-'n-shoot high-end Pro SLRs. I know that if I say that there has been a massive 'dumbing-down' of photographers in the last 30 years I will upset a lot of people, but there, I said it anyway. sl sl > > Ted Grant wrote: > >> Hello David, >> I don't doubt that for a moment, however I don't re-call it ever being >> something of concern simply because I never knew it existed until I heard >> people with digi cams mention something about lag between tripping the >> shutter and the picture being taken. >> >> Which I took to mean a failing with digital cameras. End of thought about >> lag. UNTIL! Oops, it happens with a Leica? Well gee whiz eh, it never >> happened to me. Or I believed so, maybe! >> >> However, what I still can't understand is, if it's such a big topic, OK >> certainly with el-cheapo digi cams and some P&shoots, that it's never been a >> high ticket item of using cameras until I start reading it on the LUG from >> concerned folks. >> >> I'm not trying to be a nerd here, I just can't get overly excited over >> something that in 50 plus years I'd never known about and yet still been a >> successful sports photographer. I suppose in one's wildest imagination I may >> have missed the "ultimate peak" action of a Carl Lewis or Ben Johnson, or >> who knows. But what I did capture were still award winning photographs >> without any knowledge of "lag time." Obviously not all of them, but a fair >> number. >> >> Now if I should ever go digital, not likely, I am now fully aware of this >> lag factor folks have explained. And to those who've coped with me during >> the past 24 hours trying to get lag through my head as a real thing to >> understand, I thank you for your patience. >> >> And once again the "old dog" has learned a new trick or two. >> ted >> - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html