Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2009/10/21

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Subject: [Leica] CV 15mm and Panasonic GF1
From: clive.moss at gmail.com (Clive Moss)
Date: Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:39:29 -0500

Just to keep assure everyone that this is still on topic, the CV 15mm
is a Leica Thread Mount mounted on a LTM to M adapter mounted on a CV
M to micro 4/3 adaptor. So thats two Leica standards mounted on a
single modern camera!

The gallery of what I shot today using only the 15mm CV with the two
adapters on the GF1 is here:

http://tinyurl.com/yfb6896

Many images wide open, a few stopped down some.

The images are all uncropped, processed by Lightroom with using the
"General - Punch" and "Sharpen - Landscapes" presets, with no other
processing. I find Lightroom's standard processing for the GF1 a tad
bland, at least in today's weather.

When I look at the corners in Lighroom, they look way less sharp than
I remember. More testing needed.

They are all focussed by guess - mostly at or near infinity - because
I forgot the voodoo formula for manual focus assist when I left home.
The voodoo is:
"For manual lenses, for focus assist, press the left arrow on the back
of the camera, followed by the ok (center button.)" Apart from this,
and the menus, the camera is pretty voodoo free.

The same lens on a film camera with drug store scans produced these pics:

http://clive.smugmug.com/Exhibition/Highland-Park-Images/Spring-15-with-a-15mm/3160978_zia6L/1/173714196_5HR6T

The difference is the 2x. 15mm on a full frame frame = 30mm on a half
frame (which is what the 4/3 sensor really is, in width)
I guess I will just have to get the 7-14mm F4. Its small enough that
SHMBO will never notice.

Initial observations after a few days of use - Panasonic has put a lot
of thought into some features that are useful, but have little
advertising impact.
1) Power management is great. I can set the camera to power down the
LCD after 15 or 30 seconds, and go into Power Save mode after between
1 and 10 minutes. Restarting takes just a touch of the shutter release
- no fumbling for on/off switches, and no signifiacant delay to come
alive. This shot:

<http://clive.smugmug.com/Exhibition/Highland-Park-Images/Fall-with-a-15mm-and-GF1/10047351_J4ygK/1/#688582581_hUTGM-A-LB>

was grabbed when I heard a noise coming up behind me with the camera
in Power Save mode - off, for all practical purposes. I had just
enough time to turn and frame the shot. My M8 with power off would
have missed the shot. It is slow to wake.
2) Automated chimping. I can set the review display after a shot to
off, or for 1, 3 or 5 seconds. Nothing unusual about that. I can then
set the display to enlarge the focus spot for 1, 3 or 5 seconds, just
to be sure the I nailed it. No big deal, but actually veru useful.
3) Very intuitive (for me) +- exposure, aperture, and shutter speed
adjustment without menu navigation, using a push and turn control
wheel.

On the other hand, when I get into the menus, I get lost. They are not
logical to me - translated, that means they are not the same as the
Nikon menus that I now understand.
The manual still sucks.
No vertical mode sensor without a VR lens mounted - I still need to
flip them by hand.

Now all I need to do to take good pictures is to stand in the right
place in front of the right subjects and push the button.
--
Clive
Blog: ?http://clive.moss.net/blog
Photographs: http://clive.smugmug.com
Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/clive.moss


Replies: Reply from bamboozld at gmail.com (K Landdeck) ([Leica] CV 15mm and Panasonic GF1)