framelines 75mm

[rdubois]

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I've just bought a new 75mm APO Summicron but am having framing difficulties on my M8 with upgraded framelines. At close distances up to 2 metres they seem way off. Otherwise a great lens.

 

Any advice?

 

Thanks

 

Dubois

[ho_co]

What does "way off" mean?

 

The original M8 frames were set to be accurate at the closest focus distance, 0.7 or 1.0 meters depending on the lenses represented.

 

After hearing a lot of complaint that in most cases, images included more than the framelines included, Leica changed the framelines in the M8.2 and allowed people to upgrade the M8's framelines to the same set used in the M8.2.

 

The M8 upgraded and the M8.2 have framelines set to include what the lens will include at a distance of 2 m. Beyond that, there's more in the frame than the framelines show; at distances less than 2 m, there is less in the image than the framelines show. That is, at distances closer than 2 m, the lens will crop the edges of what the framelines show.

 

That's how it's supposed to work. Is your problem with the 75 mm frames different from that?

[hoppyman]

I've just bought a new 75mm APO Summicron but am having framing difficulties on my M8 with upgraded framelines. At close distances up to 2 metres they seem way off. Otherwise a great lens.

 

Any advice?

 

Thanks

 

Dubois

Dubois, my experience with that lens on my upgraded M8 is that the frame lines are very good in the typical range of 2 to 3 metres. Better than with the original M8 certainly. The frames themselves are of course just minimal corners so you need to estimate the edges. Leica have improved the 75 frame lines in the M9, btw.

Take some time and practise getting your eye position central and consistent. Also the 1.25 magnifier is very helpful in my experience.

Try shooting a couple of frames with the camera on a tripod and a subject with some lines carefully aligned (e.g. frame up a print or a computer screen carefully). This should tell you how much discrepancy you are getting.

It is a stunning lens combination with the M8 and well worth the effort to get to know its characteristics there.

sg27

Now I'm ten!

Just to be an evil Leica pusher it happens to be superb on the new camera too:D

Spiral Ginger, Costas comosus by M9

[rdubois]

Thanks Howard and Hoppyman

 

Yes, less than two metres and I'm cutting off the top of peoples heads. Beyond 2 metres and I'm getting rather more in the frame than expected. I guess therefore it's working to spec but it is a bit of a guessing game. I've had nothing longer than 50mm so have not really had an issue with framing until now.

 

I agree that it is a superb lens and I suspect I need to learn how to use it. As far as the M9 is concerned I'm still sitting on the fence as my other lens which remains on the M8 most of the time is the exquisite 24 Lux and I am somewhat uncertain about working with an external finder. Mostly I use lenses at their maximum aperture and I think focusing would be an issue for me with balancing framing through an external finder and focusing from the viewfinder and switching between the two. I know the 35mm lux is also superb and that it would work on the M9 much as a 24 on the M8 but I've got so used to the M8/24 combination that I'm a little reluctant to change.

 

I'll spend much of this dreary English day with the M8 and 75mm on a tripod to get experience of how to estimate framing.

 

Thanks for the advice and links.

 

Dubois

[rob_x2004]

Find a fence and work out where your frame lines are, top bottom, left and right at all the ranges you usually like to shoot. With digital feedback it should take you all of two minutes.

 

The second thing that is important is find something like a chain wire fence with a flat horizon behind it at infinity. Notice how your framelines move top left to bottom right for parallax? Well Ive got some staggering news. Your lens doesnt wobble round. Infinity view doesnt change. Through the viewfinder, line the horizon up with the top of the fence and shoot that at the distances you commonly use and note where the horizon really is against the parallax adjusted framelines. Knowing the horizon at infinity will save you putting an horizon right through someones ears.