Tips on composing & shooting

[Steve66]

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Hi , I have not long acquired a M8 and would be grateful for tips and composing and placing the image through the view finder so that everything is where it should be on the finished image.

 

Many thanks,

 

steve.

[wda]

Steve, it sounds as though this is your first rangefinder camera. If so, your best route is to practise, practise and practise. With a digital rangefinder you have the great advantage of being able to review your pictures immediately.

 

Framing is not so easy as in SLR cameras because of the unavoidable parallax problem. The viewfinder axis is above and offset from the lens axis although the rangefinder does try to compensate for this offset. Parallax varies with camera to subject distance. Generally you capture slightly more than you see in the viewfinder.

 

Pick a typical static subject at around 2 meters range; then another at mid-distance and a final one at or near infinity. Shoot and scrutinize picture content and framing relative to what you saw in the vf. Learn from your experiences and you will soon master rangefinder framing.

[Jeff S]

Also depends on whether your M8 frame lines have been upgraded (as on M8.2). Here's a quick explanation...M8 or M8.2?

 

Framing with a RF is not an exact science. But, you'll learn your cameras and lenses with experience.

 

Jeff

[Vern Dewit]

Framing is not so easy as in SLR cameras because of the unavoidable parallax problem. The viewfinder axis is above and offset from the lens axis although the rangefinder does try to compensate for this offset. Parallax varies with camera to subject distance. Generally you capture slightly more than you see in the viewfinder.

 

I'm also a new M shooter (M8.2) and the funny thing is that I don't find the Leica any harder to shoot or frame with than my previous DSLR's. The only time that parallax would cause issues is if you are really fussy on getting exact crops out of camera. I guess I'm just not fussy about that stuff on most of my shots. I love the freedom of not having a restricted view of the scene.