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Gave myself a test--M9 and 75 'lux


wparsonsgisnet

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I have used the 75 'lux for many years now and find it difficult to focus, so naturally, when the bride and I went to a dance concert last weekend, I thot I'd give myself a difficult task.

 

The following pictures are from more than 100 feet away. Normally I use 1/250 for dance shots but we were far enuf away that I used 1/175 to get a little more light. The 75 was set at f1.4 or f.2; I think most of these were taken at f2.

 

The 1st, 2nd, and 4th are at 1250; the 3rd and 5th, at 1600.

 

In all but the last pic, the dancers were spinning or leaping. It's clear how narrow the DOF is.

 

Crop, W/B, and some extra exposure for a couple and highlist adjustments (HDR settings) for the last 2. All processed in C1 V5.0.1 Pro.

 

After seeing these pix, the bride gave the M9 her blessing. She commented on how far away we were and was even excited by the pix.

 

There are a few more here:

 

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hi bill

 

...as usual nice shots...especially shows how good the M9 is at 1250 and 1600....the more i use it the more i'm blown away by it....

 

...questions for you Bill....do you always use a monopod? (which one) and now that you have the 9 are you still using the M8?

 

mike

mikecettadotcom

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My Lux is on its way to Allentown NJ to have its focus adjusted and six bit coding added, otherwise to properly answer this thread all I would need is ten people willing to have their photo taken with none of their feet on the floor!

 

Chris

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hi bill

 

...as usual nice shots...especially shows how good the M9 is at 1250 and 1600....the more i use it the more i'm blown away by it....

 

...questions for you Bill....do you always use a monopod? (which one) and now that you have the 9 are you still using the M8?

 

mike

mikecettadotcom

 

Hi, Mike. I almost always use a monopod. Some years ago I was shooting my regular annual Xmas concert and noticed (film and M4/6) that half the shots were out of focus. Then I realized that the problem was that they were blurred. I got the monopod and use it all the time. It's amazing how heavy camera and flash get during a wedding shoot.

 

The real benefit for dance shots is that I can slam the shutter down when I want the shot.

 

I use a Manfrotto and have a man-size hankering for a carbon fiber one.

 

I am using the M8 for a backup camera at the moment. Next big dance shoot I might use two bodies and put the 35 on the M9 and the 50 on the M8 giving me short and long.

 

The M9 is a real step up for me. The extra detail is fantastic. All these shots were cropped between 50 and 70% -- that is the image here is only 30 to 50% of the frame captured.

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Hi, Mike. I almost always use a monopod. Some years ago I was shooting my regular annual Xmas concert and noticed (film and M4/6) that half the shots were out of focus. Then I realized that the problem was that they were blurred. I got the monopod and use it all the time. It's amazing how heavy camera and flash get during a wedding shoot.

 

The real benefit for dance shots is that I can slam the shutter down when I want the shot.

 

I use a Manfrotto and have a man-size hankering for a carbon fiber one.

 

I am using the M8 for a backup camera at the moment. Next big dance shoot I might use two bodies and put the 35 on the M9 and the 50 on the M8 giving me short and long.

 

The M9 is a real step up for me. The extra detail is fantastic. All these shots were cropped between 50 and 70% -- that is the image here is only 30 to 50% of the frame captured.

 

 

thanks Bill...and yes to the extra detail....it has the MF look of detail that i see in my 22 mp 5dii files only with the same unique Leica 'look' that the m8 files have....

 

...i'm thinking more about the monopod as my hands don't seem to be getting any steadier -now thst i've just turned 60- and it makes sense to use for slower speeds...

 

mike

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You say the 75 lux is hard to focus, yet you have made some brilliant shots. I also have two questions:

1. Would this assignment be easier with the 90 cron apo? I'm asking since you shot most at f/2 and you gain some length.

2. Do theaters have a problem with you sitting there with a monopod? Just asking, because I'd really like to try this sometime.

 

Thanks for contributing this posting

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You say the 75 lux is hard to focus, yet you have made some brilliant shots. I also have two questions:

1. Would this assignment be easier with the 90 cron apo? I'm asking since you shot most at f/2 and you gain some length.

2. Do theaters have a problem with you sitting there with a monopod? Just asking, because I'd really like to try this sometime.

 

Thanks for contributing this posting

 

Hi, Mac. The 75 is my longest lens, since my son in C--------a has my 90 'cron (still only f2).

 

Some shots were at f1.4, I just don't know which ones.

 

As to the monopod, I always check to make sure I can photo before a concert. The bride teaches where the shots were taken and is the adviser for the dance group. When I shoot in "alien" territory, I ask first.

 

However, ANY M-camera on a monopod is not very visible. In this case -- I was near the back of the theater (can't believe how far away I was!).

 

Truth be known, the 35 'lux is my lens of choice.

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I don't understand why you seem to assert that the 75 lens would be easier to focus on a M9, rather than an M8, or any other M.

 

These are the first M9 shots I've seen at the higher ISO and I have to say that there appears to be a degree of noise (but how much of this is down to web-compression issues?). My interest in higher ISO stems from my recent purchase of a Nikon D700, a camera which is, like the M9 so-called full-frame digital. I have to report that, if your shots are typical, the Nikon seems to be light-years ahead of the M9 wrt high ISO performance. The "normal" range of settings runs up to 6400, at which level, I'd say it performs better than the M9 1600 (agian, based upon your shots here) and it runs up to 25600 ISO, which reminds me of my Digilux2 at 400 ISO. :eek:

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Bill, I wonder if you've shared any photos with the dance group(s). I'm sure they would enjoy them, and perhaps could benefit from an instructional viewpoint. I guess, though, that they already videotape their routines to fine tune choreography.:)

 

Jeff

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I don't understand why you seem to assert that the 75 lens would be easier to focus on a M9, rather than an M8, or any other M.

 

These are the first M9 shots I've seen at the higher ISO and I have to say that there appears to be a degree of noise (but how much of this is down to web-compression issues?). My interest in higher ISO stems from my recent purchase of a Nikon D700, a camera which is, like the M9 so-called full-frame digital. I have to report that, if your shots are typical, the Nikon seems to be light-years ahead of the M9 wrt high ISO performance. The "normal" range of settings runs up to 6400, at which level, I'd say it performs better than the M9 1600 (agian, based upon your shots here) and it runs up to 25600 ISO, which reminds me of my Digilux2 at 400 ISO. :eek:

 

In my view, the 75 is hard to focus, period. It works the same way on all the M's I have used. There is no assertion with regard to the M9.

 

Yup, Nikon and Canon have noise well under control. They also use the CMOS chip which handles noise well.

 

The CCD in the M9/8.x works a little differently. And there is no AA filter in the Leica. I apply noise reduction after the fact and believe that I get excellent results. No NR was applied here because I wanted to show the starting point of the 75 'lux from a god-awful distance.

 

Typically, I shoot a dance concert from the apron or the front row, and usually in dress rehearsal. I also only use M-cameras. Never used an SLR.

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