Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2005/11/18
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Hi Rose, I've not ever really noticed much trouble with focussing the Noctilux (though Mark thinks my bowling balls are in and my girl's eyes are out. It's coz the bright balls have nice edges ;-) ) A little extra care is needed, that's all. The softness that comes from shooting at F1 in dim light and lower shutter speeds tends to make slightly missed focus a non-issue. IMHO. Where I have found myself thinking "oh, I'm not sure I like that" was a session where I was shooting a team of young women in their new soccer touring outfits. I took a couple of head and shoulders shots of each in bright overcast with the Nocti at the 1m close focus, at f1 and 1000th. The slice through space looked extraordinary but it didn't look natural. Too much separation between IF and OOF within their faces. And their eyes were a little kooky, slightly cross eyed, due to the short distance. They laughed. I preferred the 90mm shots. Focussing the Nocti? Same as any other Leica lens - though mine is stiff to turn. Swaying the body works, back and forth. Never use a Leica lens with the focus turned 'fully close'. Back off a little. The focussing mechanism of the body has a little lash at the close focus point and doesn't translate that last bit of focus to the rangefinder. Maybe this is why people complain about missing focus with the Nocti. Rick. On 18/11/2005, at 3:25 PM, Rose Scollard wrote: > A couple of Noctilux questions (three, actually): 1) Have their > been any significant changes in design/construction (and, > comcommitantly, performance) since the lens was first produced? 2) > Is the Noctilux at f1 more unforgiving in its demand for critical > focus than the Summilux 75 at f1.4? 3) Are there any general > feelings of (dis)satisfaction with the CV 35mm 1.2 lens? I'd be > most interested in answers on any of these points. thanks, David > Scollard > > ----- Original Message ----- From: "Mark Rabiner" > <mark@rabinergroup.com> > To: "Leica Users Group" <lug@leica-users.org> > Sent: Thursday, November 17, 2005 2:17 PM > Subject: Re: [Leica] A Noctilux and Velvia ... > > > >> On 11/15/05 3:30 AM, "Rick Dykstra" <rdcb37@dodo.com.au> typed: >> >> >>> Every now and then the Nocti catches something that makes me >>> think it >>> was worth it. >>> >>> It was dark enough in the bowling alley at the kids' party. Then >>> they >>> turned the lights down and put on the swirly coloured mirror ball >>> thingy. >>> >>> My daughter was about ready for the party food I think. >>> >>> Leica MP, Noctilux, f1, 1/15th, Velvia 100F. >>> >>> http://members.dodo.com.au/rdcb37/bowling.jpg >>> >>> >> I like the shot a lot! >> >> Some missed focus shots I've got in my stack of prints I show people. >> I try not to be such a hard ass and know that a shot can work >> without the >> focus nabbed. >> Your bowling balls one row towards us are a bit sharper than the >> model if >> you notice so your focus so you were racked out a tad too much. >> Not the end >> of the world in this case. >> But it got me thinking about dark indoor shooting with 100 speed >> film. >> And the odd thought that a lens like this could somehow be designed >> optimally to work with "fast" film thicker emulsion. Probably not but >> there's an off chance. Having 100 film in a Noctilux is not a >> weird thing as >> if you want to do my shooting during the day wide open its not >> going to >> happen with 400. So I put 100 in mine. (right behind the aperture >> blades). I >> figure just as long as I feel a little bit bad about it its ok. >> This is a soft shot. Nothing seems go be sharp although those two >> bowling >> balls if you obsess on them are as I say a tad sharper. No ones >> going to >> notice that except photographers obsessed with nabbing their focus. >> Not only is everything out of focus but there is camera movement and >> possibly subject movement to add flavor. Eye of newt. Makes a perfect >> combination. I'm a low saturation guy but I like the high >> saturation on this >> shot. >> I spend time on my large light table with most films and then go >> outside and >> it's like you're reading a book about thunderstorms and you go >> outside and >> it's a sunny day and you're amazed the sun is out. Real life is >> not the >> same. The sky dos not look like neon. >> So I use Astia and still Kodachrome. >> Nowadays color saturation wise it doesn't matter what film you use >> anyway >> because that's tweaked buy yourself anyway command U in Photoshop. >> So I don't sweat the sat. >> >> >> >> Mark Rabiner >> Photography >> Portland Oregon >> http://rabinergroup.com/ >> >> >> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Leica Users Group. >> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information >> >> > > > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information >