Tips on shooting with an M9

[thetoness]

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I just received my M9 yesterday and coming from a Canon Mark II I am thrilled. Just got sick and tired of lugging the monster around although it is a wonderful camera. Nonetheless, I would like to become proficient with my M9. Are there any tutorials, courses, books, tip sheets etc, or better yet this forums members suggestions, that would help me with the learning curve. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[likalar]

 

Dear Toness,

Congrats! My tip to you: If rangefinder viewing and focusing are new to you, keep the camera around your neck with you for the next few days. Raise it to your eye several times each hour to practice "seeing" first with your eyes, then through the viewfinder. Each time practice focusing with the rangefinder. The Leica system works beautifully, but takes practice and getting used to (I'm still learning after a zillion years; still not proficient!) Best wishes.

 

Larry

[Stefan-S]

Keep shooting!It's digital!Congrats!

[lars_bergquist]

After using rangefinder cameras for about half a century, my concise advice is:

 

(1) Use the camera with one lens only at first. Learn that camera-lens combo thoroughly until you can previsualize the picture it will take, already before you raise the camera to your eye. This is essential, and close to the essential difference between a RF camera and a SLR.

 

(2) Always set the lens to infinity between shooting sequences. This way you will not lose time trying to find out which way to turn to focus.

 

(3) Compose with your feet.

 

(4) When you move in for the kill, establish in your mind exactly what you're going to focus on -- again, already before raising the camera!

 

(5) Train yourself to focus the rangefinder on different objects. There are about three different techniques -- split image, coincidence and contrast maximizing -- all suited to different subjects. Learn them all, and learn about their strong points and their limits.

 

(6) Remember Robert Capa's dictum: If your pictures are not good enough, you're not close enough! Capa did finally get too close, and trod on a land mine in Vietnam. But used with some regard for life and limb, it is still a good rule.

 

(7) Learn 'stick shift exposure'. Auto is often right, but again, learn its limits. It may be a good idea to learn the camera on manual only, to get a real feel for the exposure system.

 

And yes, shoot a lot. Have fun. And do read the manual.

 

The old man from the Age of No-Meters

[Jeff S]

...and remember that you have a frame preview lever that you can use to visualize alternate FOVs...for when you're ultimately ready for that second lens.

 

Jeff

[gib_robinson]

If you get interested in quick candid shots, it's will be helpful to learn how to "zone focus" the camera.

 

Instead of using the rangefinder to focus on a specific distance, set the aperture, estimate your distance from the subject, and then use the distance scale on the lens to make sure your subject is in focus.

 

Coming from auto-focus SLR's it may seem difficult to master;, but I don't think it is, especially if you are outdoors and can use an f-stop of f/8 or f/11. It just takes some practice.

 

--Gib

[diogenis]

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What Lar's said except the manual: don't read it! As you progress you can check it a bit as a reference point (ok, read it if you wish )

tips:

use one lens at first, the 35mm summilux is about to be introduced according to rumors and it should be super for the M9!

Also,resist, avoid purchasing extras. It is a great product doesn't need enhancements

Consider the range patch also as the light meter for composition

Whatever programming modes exist on dSLRs are now in your brain. You can use them all according to situations and camera's limitations (It's not a gatlin camera) when in fully manual mode

Don't worry about the shadows, watch the highlights (burned that is)

 

oh.. and enjoy the camera

[lars_bergquist]

I admit that only the most basic technical things are described in the manual. But those too are worth knowing.

 

Still, nobody has written the book of rangefinder photography. Jonathan Eastland did not do it. Gunther Osterloh did not do it. The best prospective author would be Sean Reid: He is the thinking RF photographer, and though technically savvy, he is ultimately picture-oriented, not a gearhead. If he would write that book, I would surely read it with pleasure.

 

The old man from the optomechanical age

[jplomley]

There are no AF points spread out over the viewfinder that you can select allowing you to optimize the plane of focus. With the RF you must focus the centre patch and then shim to the left, right, up, or down in order to keep your sensor plane parallel to the subject. If you just swing the camera to recompose, your plane of focus will shift, and if you have not selected an aperture with sufficient DOF, you'll have a soft image, and than end up blaming your lenses or RF calibration. IMHO, it is this technique of recomposing that is most salient to RF photography.

[thetoness]

I am finding focusing in low light particularly challenging, any tips?

[diogenis]

I am finding focusing in low light particularly challenging, any tips?

 

Why? What is it difficult? how low light? You can still see the rangefinder patch right?

[thetoness]

Yes I can still see the rangefinder patch. I am learning to find a the highest contrast in the shot, regardless of the low light, and focusing on that. Think I am getting the hang of it

[diogenis]

I would suggest that you hunt for vertical lines at first. I dunno how Lars and Jaap can focus using contrast, obviously they are way more experienced than me, but I still work with lines matching and I do just a tiny bit of overshooting until I find the correct point. But I never lose a shot due to focus. It's all a matter of practice. The more pics you take the better. You get a feeling after your first 500-1k shots then you get the hang of it in the next k and so on.

With lines Im more confident

[diogenis]

I admit that only the most basic technical things are described in the manual. But those too are worth knowing.

 

Still, nobody has written the book of rangefinder photography. Jonathan Eastland did not do it. Gunther Osterloh did not do it. The best prospective author would be Sean Reid: He is the thinking RF photographer, and though technically savvy, he is ultimately picture-oriented, not a gearhead. If he would write that book, I would surely read it with pleasure.

 

The old man from the optomechanical age

 

Yea! we should bug Sean to right a nice book about RF. And he can also issue it using Apple and the new iPad

Come on Sean! Do it! stop being lazy:D

[REberhard]

Lars,

 

I just read your seven rules, and absolutely love them. I could not think of anything else.

 

But please explain, what are the three techniques: split image, coincidence and contrast maximizing?

 

Roland

[jaapv]

On focussing: There are three types of rangefinder focussing - the coincidence of lines. which is the simplest method, the coincidence of a pattern, which, once mastered, is the most used, and the maximizing of contrast, which is the most precise.

To the last: when you have focussed according to one of the coincidence methods, a minimal adjustment will cause the image in the rangefinder window to "snap" into maximum contrast. That is when you have achieved maximum focus.

 

And read the manual. Then read it again.

[lars_bergquist]

Jaap described it well.

 

Coincidence is when you focus on the highlight in a person's eye, e.g.: When the two highlights in the RFpatch, one stationary and one moving, fuse together, you have focus.

 

Split-image is when you focus on a line or edge that is long enough to be seen both inside and outside the patch: When inside and outside make one smooth unbroken line, you have focus.

 

Contrast: If there is an irregularly patterned surface in the patch, like gravel or a cornfield, the two non-aligned patterns make for low contrast. When the images coincide, contrast does suddenly jump to a maximum, and you are focused -- unless you try to focus on a regular repeating pattern, like wallpaper, for then you could well be wildly off!

 

I disagree with Jaap that the contrast method is the most precise, but I am willing to believe that he has a supernatural eye for texture, so that he will never be fooled. That is a talent you sometimes want in your dentist. But sometimes contrast is the only method that will work -- in a cornfield, for instance.

 

The old, old man with two crowns and one bridge

[Fotomiguel]

After using rangefinder cameras for about half a century, my concise advice is:

 

(1) Use the camera with one lens only at first. Learn that camera-lens combo thoroughly until you can previsualize the picture it will take, already before you raise the camera to your eye. This is essential, and close to the essential difference between a RF camera and a SLR.

 

(2) Always set the lens to infinity between shooting sequences. This way you will not lose time trying to find out which way to turn to focus.

 

(3) Compose with your feet.

 

(4) When you move in for the kill, establish in your mind exactly what you're going to focus on -- again, already before raising the camera!

 

(5) Train yourself to focus the rangefinder on different objects. There are about three different techniques -- split image, coincidence and contrast maximizing -- all suited to different subjects. Learn them all, and learn about their strong points and their limits.

 

(6) Remember Robert Capa's dictum: If your pictures are not good enough, you're not close enough! Capa did finally get too close, and trod on a land mine in Vietnam. But used with some regard for life and limb, it is still a good rule.

 

(7) Learn 'stick shift exposure'. Auto is often right, but again, learn its limits. It may be a good idea to learn the camera on manual only, to get a real feel for the exposure system.

 

I find all these tips really important and essential when using a RF. I would add a couple more:

- Learn with a 50mm lens. Wider lenses are really easy to focus and most of the times you just set the distance in the lens. The 50mm will give you a nice feeling when you get used.

-When focusing moving subjects that are approaching to you, is better to set focus ring in a short distance and move it to infinite.

-Is really good to shoot a lot to train but when you look for a good picture, just shoot in the right moment.

[diogenis]

Jaap described it well.

 

Coincidence is when you focus on the highlight in a person's eye, e.g.: When the two highlights in the RFpatch, one stationary and one moving, fuse together, you have focus.

 

Split-image is when you focus on a line or edge that is long enough to be seen both inside and outside the patch: When inside and outside make one smooth unbroken line, you have focus.

 

Contrast: If there is an irregularly patterned surface in the patch, like gravel or a cornfield, the two non-aligned patterns make for low contrast. When the images coincide, contrast does suddenly jump to a maximum, and you are focused -- unless you try to focus on a regular repeating pattern, like wallpaper, for then you could well be wildly off!

 

I disagree with Jaap that the contrast method is the most precise, but I am willing to believe that he has a supernatural eye for texture, so that he will never be fooled. That is a talent you sometimes want in your dentist. But sometimes contrast is the only method that will work -- in a cornfield, for instance.

 

The old, old man with two crowns and one bridge

 

I am only confused when I try to focus on tree foliage. Then indeed, I find myself hunting for focus because, like gravel you can't really tell when the two leaves of that particular point match. This is where it helps with contrast as Jaap says, but the confusion still remains. oh well no system is perfect and in the end one can find to circumvent. but tree foliages are my waterloo lol

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[Steve Ash]

I would like to change no.3 to:

 

(3) Compose with your whole body.

 

There are some nice images of Bixi working this way.