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Using a 21mm lens - is a tripod always necessary ?


jimbo035

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I'm on the verge of buying a 21/f4 Super-Angulon for my Leicaflex SL, and there will be times when using it I'd prefer to leave the tripod at home. (Relative inconvenience)

I'd be pleased to hear from users of such a lens that hand-held shots present few problems - say at at a minimum shutter-speed of 1/125. (I'll be taking it where using a tripod is forbidden, e.g. UK Stately Homes)

Edited by jimbo035
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why would you need a tripod at 1/125 ?

 

 

In my opinion use of a tripod even at 1/125 & in conjunction with a spirit-level would instil confidence that unintended distortions are eliminated from the image with a wide-angle lens.

 

I may be wrong, so await input from other contributors to this thread...let us see what the general consensus might be.

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I'm pretty unsteady, so I use a tripod a lot, even with wide angles. It does seem to 'force' me to take a second and third look at my compositions when I use it. But if I'm just out and about, at a festival or something, I usually don't take the tripod but I may not go over 90 mm for focal length either.

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In old photography books is said, if you use shutter speed equal 1/focal lenght of lens, you can go without tripod. That is, if you use 21mm lens, shutter speed 1/30 and faster don't require tripod. If you want to be on safe side, tripod and cable release will help.

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A mio parere l'uso di un Treppiede, anche uno e 1 / 125 in collaborazione con uno spirito di livello Potrebbe infondere fiducia nel Fatto Che Le Distorsioni indesiderate Vengono eliminare l'immagine con una lente Grandangolare .

 

I PUÒ sbagliato essere, così attendono input da altri intervenuti A questo thread ... Ciò che vediamo il consenso generale Potrebbe essere. [/ Quote]

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I have used a 21mm lens a lot on a SLR camera, and I am using 18mm occasionally with my M. The problem is not usually camera shake, but levelling. Mostly around the 'dive axis' (nose up -- nose down). One trick is to create an 'artificial horizon' by mentally marking a spot opposite you which is exactly the same height above the floor / ground as your eyes, and see to it that spot appears at exactly mid-level in the finder.

 

The old man from the Age of the Hologon

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I shoot my SL2 frequently with the 21mm Super-Angulon ... I don't think I've ever taken a shot with that lens from a tripod. I find it to be a great lens and it gives me generally solid handheld results ... if there are problems with any of my shots, I'm confident they're from "operator error".

 

As a matter of fact, I'm pretty sure my avatar image to the left was taken with the 21mm and the SL2.

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I have used a 21mm lens a lot on a SLR camera, and I am using 18mm occasionally with my M. The problem is not usually camera shake, but levelling. Mostly around the 'dive axis' (nose up -- nose down). One trick is to create an 'artificial horizon' by mentally marking a spot opposite you which is exactly the same height above the floor / ground as your eyes, and see to it that spot appears at exactly mid-level in the finder.

 

The old man from the Age of the Hologon

 

Voigtlander list an interesting spirit level (Wasserwaage) for 149 Euros in their Classic Collection of Accessories (Zubehor) that may well help to level that 'dive axis". I guess its basically a circular spirit level with a central ring to centre the bubble.

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Edited by jimbo035
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I would love to know how the Voigtlander level works. What do you see in the "viewfinder" on top--the subject or the level or both?

 

I bought a hotshoe level to use off-tripod, but using it off-tripod is silly, in hindsight. So I do as Lars suggests.

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I would love to know how the Voigtlander level works. What do you see in the "viewfinder" on top--the subject or the level or both?

 

I bought a hotshoe level to use off-tripod, but using it off-tripod is silly, in hindsight. So I do as Lars suggests.

 

The Voigtlander level is designed to be used with an adapter plate that has two accessory shoes side by side. The viewfinder goes in the right-hand shoe and the level in the left one. The eyepiece on the level is turned 45 degrees to the right so you can look through the viewfinder and also check the level simply by glancing to the left.

 

There are pictures at Voigtlander Bessa RF Accessories. Scfroll up a bit to see the best ones.

 

The problem is that it's hard to see the bubble except through the angled eyepiece, so it's not much use as a general-purpose level for SLR use.

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I'm with Chris on the WATE finder. The level is as useful than the finder. Also a simple $35 level on the flash shoe allows me me hold the camera level while bracing the camera against my chest and shooting at 1/4 second. Makes for a very discrete shot.

Net, a level is more important than a tripod with an M.

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The WATE finder has a little spirit level built into it that I find really useful - I use this with Leica 21 Elmarit and Zeiss ZM 18.

Please tell those among us just exactly what a WATE is. Even though I've had an M or two in the now distant past, and have been known to wear a Leitz-Wetzlar tie... I never came across this acronym until I joined the forum.

 

Even "Chron" and "Lux" may puzle others.... Does Leicaspeak include "Elma" I wonder ?

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