[Leica] Intro and question.

[douglas.sharp at gmx.de (Douglas Sharp)]

Welcome Bill,

This may actually be a problem with Canon Macro lenses.

I have their 60mm EF-S Macro, and it only rarely delivers decent results 
when used with AF.
In fact, Canon themselves recommend using it with manual focusing 
(perhaps an admission of guilt?).

Manual focusing delivers excellent results every time.

Turn off the AF and try again, it may help.

Cheers
Douglas

William D. Tallman wrote:
> I've been lurking for a while and have found the thread on anti-aliasing
> filters very instructive.
>
> I read here because I stumbled across a reasonable deal on a IIIf and
> Summitar, now at DAG; seems like it's time to dig out the darkroom
> stuff, get some TriX, and see how well I do at street shooting.  I
> suppose that's just justification, given that I've never been
> innoculated against the Leica-bug ;)  But now there are some real
> issues, so it seems.
>
> I'm (still) trying to learn something about photography, and have gotten
> a Canon 40D and some lenses, including a 100/2.8 macro; instant feedback
> teaches more effectively than waiting for film to be processed long
> after the scene is gone.
>
> It seems that I can't get a really sharp image.  Using a well weighted
> tripod, the macro lens at f5.6, MLU, remote release, and shooting a
> stationary well detailed target at about 15 feet, manual focusing via
> Live View at maximum magnification, I could not manage to get a sharp
> image.  Taking shots and reviewing them the same way shows no change.
>
> Absent the removal of the AA filter, or an investment in a Leica system,
> am I unlikely to ever get real sharpness from this (or any comparative)
> digital gear?
>
> I follow the anti-aliasing arguments, but certainly don't have the
> necessary information to make any judgment.  If the site with the
> comparisons between Nikon D200's is to be believed, the anti-aliasing
> filters are well below the Nyquist limitations, I would think.  Ergo, the
> argument about software capping output at that level is irrelevant.  Or
> am I not even in the right parking lot, let alone ball park?
>
> I'm thinking about acquiring a Pentax K7 to use with all my K series
> glass (have LX, etc), and so either of these two cameras might be a
> candidate for a filter removal.  I can't imagine that neither Canon nor
> Pentax have sensors equal in capability to the Nikon D200.  The question
> might be whether or not anyone knows how to get rid of said filters.
>
> Is this something that someone who can dismantle and reassemble a
> wrist watch movement might be able to do, given the tools, etc?  Or does
> anyone know?
>
> Thanks for reading.
>
> Bill Tallman
>
>
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