Film speed

[seaninsurrey]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

Hi! I've been using my Leica M2 + Canon 1.4/50mm for just over a month now. Lately, I've been wondering if it is better to use a slower film with the lens wide open or a faster film with a smaller aperture? I read that most lenses don't perform their best wide open? I'm currently using Ilford FP4. Thanks for any info - new-to-film user here!

[Advertisement]

The Leica Q3 is available for pre-order at B&H Photo Video and Adorama

[DBerens]

Wow. The answer to this depends on what you want. Decision making time.

 

And we don't know what you know already about general photography.

 

I think Leica lenses perform very well at large apertures. The out-of-focus elements are beautiful in my opinion. But it's a stylistic decision. If you want shallower depth of field during the daytime you might want a slower film such as (at least) 100.

 

If you want front to back (as much as possible) sharp images you are going to want a faster film such as 400 if you're shooting moving (or if YOU are moving) subjects. That way you can stop down and increase your depth of field. This also allows you to "zone focus" if you're trying to shoot a rapidly changing situation. Here's a little entry on that technique:

 

Photography Tutorials: Zone focusing

 

If you're shooting still subjects then you can go either way - use a slow film on a tripod and stop way down. Or open wide up and isolate your subject from the background.

 

And, of course, the faster the film you use the more grain you have. So you have to decide if you like grain or not.

 

My suggestion is to buy a bunch of film, shoot the hell out of your camera, and keep notes of your exposures so you can reproduce the effects you like.

 

Hope this helps. -DB

[treeplanter]

As DB just mentioned, it all depends on the type of photography you like. I love taking pictures of people, either portraits or street photography, and usually shoot wide-open, or nearly so, because I like shallow depth-of-field and how it makes the subject stand out from the background/foreground. Slow ISO film is what I use the most.

 

On the other hand, a friend of mine specializes in scenics and landscapes and uses his lens stopped down to F8 or smaller because of the large depth-of-field those apertures give. It's very important to him to have foreground and background in focus.

 

It really all depends on your style.

 

Jim B.

[kodaktrix]

Sean,

I use that lens myself.

In general one can say that lenses in traditional construction (non aspherical) increase in quality if you stop down to medium apertures, whereas modern constructions often give maximum quality almost fully open.

I do quality tests with all my lenses. My Canon 1,4/50 was at maximum quality between F2,8 to F4. But F1,4 and F2 are still working apertures, in quality just slightly worse.

 

Regards

 

Oliver

[seaninsurrey]

Thanks for all the info everyone.

[maitrestanley]

I'm a street shooter so I normally shoot with 400iso film: Tri-X or HP5. They're each very versatile and tolerate pushing and pulling quite well. I also keep rolls of Acros 100 and Delta 100 in my bag..

 

Again, it depends on application, desired look, even the weather (eg: sunny day vs rainy).

 

As for shooting wide open, Leitz glass is reputable for providing good results wide open..