acavill Posted September 23, 2009 Share #1 Posted September 23, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) Being new to the rangefinder thing with my 8.2 (and loving it), and being used to a canon EOS 1 Mk3, I am keen to get ideas/tips/tricks when it comes to quick focussing with a rangefinder - a challenge to be mastered for "spontaneous' and discreet photography. I assume it is just lots of practice and a perhaps a bit of depth of field....look forward to your thoughts. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted September 23, 2009 Posted September 23, 2009 Hi acavill, Take a look here Focussing Tips. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
jimleicam3 Posted September 23, 2009 Share #2 Posted September 23, 2009 Practice, practice, and then practice some more. I have had my M8 for more than a year, and had used the M3 before that. But it still just takes practice. Good luck, and welcome to the club! Jim Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julian Thompson Posted September 23, 2009 Share #3 Posted September 23, 2009 OK - my first personal tip (as someone also working hard to learn!) towards learning the art of capturing the moment is this: The moment will not wait for you regardless of how long it takes you to focus. So disconnect your shutter finger from the focussing ring and take the shot at the right moment - focussed or not. Then, with time, learn to focus faster. There are 2 disciplines going on - capturing the moment and focussing. You don't want to miss shots just because your focus was not right - and at least the spoiled ones where there isn't any DOF leeway will help you see how close you were to where you wanted to be. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ptarmigan Posted September 23, 2009 Share #4 Posted September 23, 2009 Well I'm new since the end of July and I think I am doing OK, just a few missed opportunities due to poor focus. I try to keep the 35mm cron (my only lens) set to f4 or 5.6 and at hyper focal distance to cover around 6ft to 20 ft. I can then shoot with the camera around my neck if I want without focusing. It's also a good starting point where I can manually focus from. If I see a shot where I want a wider aperture it's easy and fast to open this up before I focus. It just takes practice as has been said. The killer for me is the moving quickly towards/away subject where you need to snap focus quickly. But I am getting better. Doesn't help that I wear specs! Welcome and good luck. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Kelly Posted September 23, 2009 Share #5 Posted September 23, 2009 In addition to the hyperfocal or zone focussing set-up, I recommend that you should always return the focus setting to infinity. That way you only have one direction to turn and don't have to 'hunt'. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
footnoteblog Posted September 23, 2009 Share #6 Posted September 23, 2009 Also, most Leica lenses are prefocused at 4.5 feet when the focus tab is dead-center on the bottom. But, Terry's advice is better. As is everyone else's advice (though Julian, my shutter finger is never the same one as the focus ring ). Also, if you start opening up for even shallower depth of field, you start to get a feel for where the challenging focus DOF range is (especially on a handy preview-able digital rangefinder!) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
zimboom Posted September 23, 2009 Share #7 Posted September 23, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) Most Leica lenses have a tab on the focusing ring, so that you can focus by feel, a technique I call “tab focusing.” When the tab is at 6:00, you’re focused at 10 feet; when it’s 7:00, you’re at 15 feet and at 5:00 you’re at 7 feet, and so on. With practice, you can quickly adjust focus a split second before shooting and get your subject in focus. Bernard Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wstotler Posted September 23, 2009 Share #8 Posted September 23, 2009 Practice, practice, and then practice some more. +1!! And everyone else's advice is solid, also. I worked pretty hard to be able to "speed snap focus" in an automatic fashion. Here are some tips on that, if you want to concentrate on getting better at focusing manually, fast. * Challenge yourself with shooting things that are in motion. * Make decisions about your aperture/speed/ISO, dial them in, then forget about them until you must change them due to radical shift in your light. * Shun DOF. Work with your lowest available aperture to develop the skill. (You can switch back to f/4 or f/5.6 once your skill is automatic.) * Concentrate on developing the following combo move until it is automatic: "'focus, reframe, shoot." As fast as you can say the phrase. * Remember: If your subject hasn't moved but you're already focused, it's just: "reframe, shoot." As fast as you can. * Realistically expect that you will need to take several thousand photos of people moving, moving objects, etc., before you have an automatic level of skill. * Expect to miss shots. You will. But every missed shot is an opportunity to think more about why you missed it. * Anticipate the shot. The more you can think through what you're focusing on and how you'll frame before you do, the faster you'll be able to do it. This is about getting better with the snap focusing--all the normal rules about getting "the moment" (per Julian's advice) still apply. Good luck! Thanks, Will This is an extreme case--taken at f/1.2 of him swinging, full-tilt: I Swing Happy on Flickr - Photo Sharing! I focused on the eyes during two concurrent backswings, waited for his eyes to return into the RF patch to confirm, reframed, and then shot him at the right moment on the fourth. It would only need a touch of sharpening before being made into an 8x12. And. . . . Welcome to the forum!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sean_reid Posted September 23, 2009 Share #9 Posted September 23, 2009 If you know that a subject is moving and about to be at a certain distance, focus on something already at that distance and let the subject come into the focus plane you've set. Cheers, Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ptarmigan Posted September 23, 2009 Share #10 Posted September 23, 2009 If you know that a subject is moving and about to be at a certain distance, focus on something already at that distance and let the subject come into the focus plane you've set. Cheers, Yeh, no problem with that. This is what kill s me.......... He rushed by and I grabbed a quick shot but well OOF. Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/97797-focussing-tips/?do=findComment&comment=1047795'>More sharing options...
Julian Thompson Posted September 23, 2009 Share #11 Posted September 23, 2009 As the dad of a very wriggly and energetic 11 month old boy I am getting a free course in fast focussing :-)) Will has some great advice there - I read on here once that years ago the photo journalists used to say 'f8 and be there' - I tried that and it works very well ! No more missed shots especially with the wider lenses. My 21 elmarit is almost autofocus wheras when you're using the 75mm or so you've got much less room for error! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fotomiguel Posted September 24, 2009 Share #12 Posted September 24, 2009 I've read some good tips, but please if you want to get nice shots, don't shot without focus. Otherwise you'll get one good shot from hundred and your photography will be lucky photography. You'll have to shoot thausands of shots to get one good. It's better to shoot the less possible waiting for the nice subject with a bit of luck as well. For me every lens has a different technique. Wide lenses are quite easy but I like street photography with a 50mm (66mm on M8). This lens needs to be very quick focusing and accurate. Sometimes you have to shoot wide open. You have to train and get the feeling for different distances. Always starting from infinitive. For moving objects, if you train a lot you can follow them. If not you may prefocus where you think you want to get the shot. Street photography needs a lot of training and feeling with one lens. If you don't shoot for some time, is better to train a bit before. Otherwise you can get a bit discouraged. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
M'Ate Posted September 24, 2009 Share #13 Posted September 24, 2009 Use the Henri Cartier-Bresson technique: 1. Never use the rangefinder, always estimate the distance. 2. Add a marker to the lens distance scale to enable quick identification of pre-defined distances. 3. Set the lens to f8. 4. Concentrate on the image in the viewfinder. Further, know what distance the lens is set at when the tab is at bottom dead centre - usually 4 feet and move the lens there in preparation for close-ups. Otherwise set the lens to infinity and learn how far it needs to rotate to bring it to 12 feet. Smaller lenses are easier and quicker to focus. Compare 50mm Elmar-M to a Summilux and discover how much quicker it is to focus accurately. Make sure that eye deficiencies are compensated for. Took me ten years to buy a diopter correction lens to overcome unsharp pics. Add your prescription to the VF and do not account for the -0.5 viewfinder rating, it's there to activate your eye. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shootist Posted September 24, 2009 Share #14 Posted September 24, 2009 Most Leica lenses have a tab on the focusing ring, so that you can focus by feel, a technique I call “tab focusing.” When the tab is at 6:00, you’re focused at 10 feet; when it’s 7:00, you’re at 15 feet and at 5:00 you’re at 7 feet, and so on. With practice, you can quickly adjust focus a split second before shooting and get your subject in focus. Bernard Either your clocks turn in the opposite direction then all others I've every seen or your numbers are backwards and off in some way. At 6:00 (bottom) 4.5', at 5:00 about 7-8 feet, at 4:00 15-20 feet. that is on a 50 Lux ASPH. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
zimboom Posted September 24, 2009 Share #15 Posted September 24, 2009 Either your clocks turn in the opposite direction then all others I've every seen or your numbers are backwards and off in some way. At 6:00 (bottom) 4.5', at 5:00 about 7-8 feet, at 4:00 15-20 feet. that is on a 50 Lux ASPH. Sorry, my lens is a 28mm Summicron, so 6:00 is 10 feet and so on. 50mm is a different, but the principal applies. This is the technique that Garry Winogrand used for street photography. . Bernard Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shootist Posted September 24, 2009 Share #16 Posted September 24, 2009 Either your clocks turn in the opposite direction then all others I've every seen or your numbers are backwards and off in some way.At 6:00 (bottom) 4.5', at 5:00 about 7-8 feet, at 4:00 15-20 feet. that is on a 50 Lux ASPH. Sorry, my lens is a 28mm Summicron, so 6:00 is 10 feet and so on. 50mm is a different, but the principal applies. This is the technique that Garry Winogrand used for street photography. . Bernard What I really meant was you have the numbers backward. As you turn the lens, in clock terms, to 7-8-9 O'clock from bottom, 6 O'clock, the focusing distances get shorter not longer. If you turn the lens to 5-4-3 they get longer. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
zimboom Posted September 24, 2009 Share #17 Posted September 24, 2009 What I really meant was you have the numbers backward. As you turn the lens, in clock terms, to 7-8-9 O'clock from bottom, 6 O'clock, the focusing distances get shorter not longer. If you turn the lens to 5-4-3 they get longer. Agreed! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fotomiguel Posted September 24, 2009 Share #18 Posted September 24, 2009 Use the Henri Cartier-Bresson technique: 1. Never use the rangefinder' date=' always estimate the distance. 2. Add a marker to the lens distance scale to enable quick identification of pre-defined distances. 3. Set the lens to f8. 4. Concentrate on the image in the viewfinder. .[/quote'] Cartier Bresson used different techniques depending on the situation and difficulty. If the subject was moving or not, far or near, etc. He was incredible. This technique works really good if you (like a golf player) calculate the different distances with your eyes. At the begining is difficult but when you are used, you get more precise and there is nothing quicker. For me the one problem is how to mark the different distances without damaging the lens. Any idea would be very helpful. I've tried different ways but not very successful. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dtoh Posted September 27, 2009 Share #19 Posted September 27, 2009 May i suggest this, i started off spending the whole session on the street shooting on just one setting, allowing myself to only shoot at F2.8,fixed range at 2.5m, i only adjusted the shutter speed.., & if need to, ISO..That kinda forced & speed up my learning curve.. hope that works for u too. such as this, taken with 28elmarit, F2.8, 2.5m+- . Am new to this forum, please to meet everyone here. Daryl Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wstotler Posted September 28, 2009 Share #20 Posted September 28, 2009 Hey, dtoh. Good advice! Glad to see you here, too. Welcome to the forum! Your Flickr work has been quite good and always interesting! Cheers, Will Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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