Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2008/09/26

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Subject: camera shake was: Re: [Leica] a serious question
From: tedgrant at shaw.ca (Ted Grant)
Date: Fri Sep 26 10:14:10 2008

Philip Forrester offered:

Subject: Re: camera shake was: Re: [Leica] a serious question

>>The rangefinder always gives the shooter an advantage by simple fact that
there is no blackout and you can hold more still then. The body won't
"wander" as much while you're looking through the VF of the rangefinder as
it would if you were watching a blacked out VF.<<<<

 

Hi Phil,

Just how slow a shutter speed are you referring to that hand holding the
camera, and due to the mirror blackout the camera will wander?

The slowest shutter speed I ever used hand held with pistol grip and
shoulder stock with a motor driven Leica SLR was at the closing ceremonies
of the 1972 Munich Olympics in the evening during the solemn moments
honoring the murdered athletes! 

A hand held motor driven SL with a 560 mm f6.8 lens .. "1/15th of a second"
wide open and it was as sharp as if it were on a tripod! That was when I was
still a young lad of 44 years! :-)! 

Did I have doubts it would work? You bet and it wasn't until the middle of
the night after the KODAK lab finished processing did I know the shots had
worked. Did I lose any? Yep A few!  

I believe the more one works with their gear the better their ability! The
reverse is the amateur who shoots on the weekend without hard nose editors
screaming in your face "QUALITY..QUALITY! I WANT QUALITY!" And you had
better not have any wimpy excuse why you don't give it to him, or her as the
case maybe.

And if you ask . "why didn't I use a tripod?" Well at the Olympics and all
international sports events you are not allowed to use tripods no matter who
you or your organization are!  Monopod, yes. And no I didn't have it with me
so I just winged it.

I think the "wavy navy wander shakes are more to do with the handler than
the equipment" Regular day to day shooters know how to do sharp pictures due
to experience rather than relying on internal gizmos.

If you'd like to see examples of hand held no monopod shooting. My son Scott
is a professional sport action shooter who hand holds a 400mm f2.8 lens
manual focus all the time. He has amazing upper body shoulder strength that
accounts for this ability. 

If you'd like to see some of his work" / http://www.sixsixsix.ca/ 

IMAGE COMMUNICATIONS and check out his portfolio. I don't have any doubt
you'll be surprised even if he's my son. :-)

 

ted

 


In reply to: Message from photo.forrest at earthlink.net (Philip Forrest) (camera shake was: Re: [Leica] a serious question)