Film rangefinder newbie advice needed please!

[andyedward]

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I am awaiting a new MP, but have never used a rangefinder or film camera before. I've done some research, and am hoping you guys can can help me to fill in the gaps so I can hit the ground running.

 

I am aware of the basics of rangefinder focussing - line the two images up by rotating the focussing ring, then recompose. I'm guessing that when recomposing, focussing accuracy is increases when the subject is at a greater distance?

 

Having read that frameline accuracy changes with distance, I'm guessing this is what I'll have most difficulty in adapting to. I've read that the framelines cover a greater area at infinity than at minimum focussing distance, with the latter being the more accurate representation. How much of an issue is this in practice when using a 50mm lens?

 

I sold my d3x with its consistent 100% viewfinder, so this will take some adjustment. I imagine that not being able to examine the image immediately after capture will make for slower progress, but then the M9 has never appealed enough for me to buy it, and digital no longer appeals.

 

Parralax is another consideration again!

 

The metering won't pose a problem - Its the same as spot metering on a dslr, but how big is the spot on a leica M?! From what I've read in the PDF MP manual, the arrow indicates over or underexposure, and the dot confirms accurate exposure(?).

 

To take a shot then, I should(?):

1. Look through the viewfinder and frame the potential image with the framelines.

2. Compensate for frameline accuracy based on distance to subject

3. Point rangefinder patch at prioritised subject area

4. Line the patch up with the rest of the subject

5. Set correct exposure

6. Recompose

7. Press shutter release

 

There is a steep learning curve ahead of me, but I'm certain it'll be more than worthwhile!

[250swb]

 

There is a steep learning curve ahead of me, but I'm certain it'll be more than worthwhile!

 

Congratulations on your purchase, but yes, there is a learning curve ahead.

 

But before you even put a film in the camera you are making everything too complicated, run a few films through and then ask some questions. Focus the rangefinder on the critical thing to be in focus, and take a meter reading off a mid tone, thats all you need to do to get started. It is basic photography 101.

 

Steve

[Scarlet]

I sold my d3x with its consistent 100% viewfinder, so this will take some adjustment. I imagine that not being able to examine the image immediately after capture will make for slower progress, but then the M9 has never appealed enough for me to buy it, and digital no longer appeals.

 

Parralax is another consideration again!

 

The metering won't pose a problem - Its the same as spot metering on a dslr, but how big is the spot on a leica M?! From what I've read in the PDF MP manual, the arrow indicates over or underexposure, and the dot confirms accurate exposure(?).

 

To take a shot then, I should(?):

1. Look through the viewfinder and frame the potential image with the framelines.

2. Compensate for frameline accuracy based on distance to subject

3. Point rangefinder patch at prioritised subject area

4. Line the patch up with the rest of the subject

5. Set correct exposure

6. Recompose

7. Press shutter release

 

You're overthinking a bit, methinks.

 

Re. 1+2: Personally I find it better to allow for some cropping around the subject. Filling as much as possible of your intended subject within the framelines sometimes leaves important bits out.

 

As for metering, I've never read the MP manual but find the M6TTL manual very good at describing how the meter works, how the meter's field corresponds to the various framelines (for instance see my post here), and how to aim the camera while metering to avoid over- and under-exposure (see pp 28-35). I can't imagine that the MP manual would not explain how the meter works, including the size of the field.

 

Yes, the dot is correct exposure. Well, that is, assuming you've metered properly on the area you want to have properly exposed. Obviously the meter won't know how you imagine the subject to appear.

[Chuck Albertson]

Back up a bit. When your MP arrives (good choice, they last forever), read the manual and be sure to nail down the film-loading process, especially as it's your first film camera. Leicas load from the bottom, unlike nearly any other film camera. Nothing more frustrating than shooting a roll of film, only to discover that none of your shots made it onto the film because you didn't load it properly. It happens to everyone, so make sure you get that part right before moving on to focusing and metering.

[SiMPLiFY]

Lessons from another noob:

 

1. Take the lens cap off

 

2. Watch the youtube on film loading and practice a few times with a cheap roll to throw away.

 

3. I shot my first roll after remembering these two things but had no idea that my lens was collapsible. I never uncollapsed it and thought I'd gotten a broken camera. The second roll with my lens uncollapsed turned out fine. Live and Learn

 

4. Enjoy looking "out the window"! I love looking out the window of my Leica! It's so different than SLR.

 

HAVE FUN!!!!

[Pangur Ban]

Superb choice, enjoy.

 

Treat it as a point and shoot at first: take your time before learning those sort of details. My first Leica roll of film was terrible (on my M3 - got the exposures all wrong). I wondered what I had done; the second film was no better. Then on the third roll, amongst the usual duff shots, there was one shot that stunned me. It all became worthwhile. Don't expect perfection for a while, just enjoy it when it all comes together.

 

Reminds me of a story about Olivier. After one breathtaking night's performance he was later found in a foul mood, angry and upset. "But you were magnificent" said someone, "Yes," he replied, "but I don't know why." You'll find it's the finding out the "why" a particular photo worked, whilst others were ordinary, is the thing that'll absorb, tease, tantalise and reward you the most, in my experience anyway.

[SiMPLiFY]

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I bought a used book called "Leica Manual" 14th edition by Willard Morgan and it is all about the M2, lenses and text on everything possible on 35mm rangefinder photography. It's almost 500 pages with photo examples. You may eventually want to find one for your specific camera era after you read the regular manual and use the camera a bit. I find it fascinating to read.

 

They have different editions. My copy is from 1962.

[01af]

I bought a used book called "Leica Manual" 14th edition by Willard Morgan [...] They have different editions. My copy is from 1962.

The first edition of this book appeared in 1935, the 15th and last in, uh, dunno, mid or late '60s.

 

You can download a facsimile of the 2nd printing of the 3rd edition in PDF format for free from here. Beware!—it's a huge download, almost 100 MB. Written in 1938, it does not cover any M models yet but screwmount Leicas and lenses only. Reading about the Leica and miniature photography (as 35-mm-format photography was called back then) from a pre-war point of view is fascinating stuff! The only annoying thing that I found after quickly browsing through it is the author's constant confusion of "depth-of-field" with "depth-of-focus" which actually are two different things. So while reading, always replace "depth-of-focus" with "depth-of-field" in your mind.

 

A funny anecdote is how the author acquired two Leica cameras for himself and his wife, Barbara, in 1928. He just wrote a letter to the Ernst Leitz subsidiary in New York City and asked for two Leicas plus some accessories in exchange for a series of illustrated articles about the Leica and miniature photography—and Leitz agreed! These articles helped a lot to promote the Leica and the whole idea of miniature photography in the USA. Later, he became a Leitz employee in New York and still later, wrote this book which was re-printed and re-edited many times until his death in 1967.

[Michael Hiles]

Andy, don't concentrate and waste time on the wrong things.

 

1. Learn how to reliably load film (play for 10 minutes)

2. Learn how to focus (play for 10 minutes)

3. Learn how the meter system works (play for 10 minutes)

 

Then go and make pictures. Finding and composing pictures is done in your head, not in the camera.

 

Finish with the technicalities (play for 30 minutes), make them your tool kit - not your boss. Just make pictures with your mind's eye - then pick up the camera and press the button.

[AB007]

Please make sure the lens cap is off while shooting. Few rangefinder newbies have done that especially shooting meter less Leicas

[iphoenix]

Superb choice, enjoy.

 

Treat it as a point and shoot at first: take your time before learning those sort of details. My first Leica roll of film was terrible (on my M3 - got the exposures all wrong). I wondered what I had done; the second film was no better. Then on the third roll, amongst the usual duff shots, there was one shot that stunned me. It all became worthwhile. Don't expect perfection for a while, just enjoy it when it all comes together.

 

Reminds me of a story about Olivier. After one breathtaking night's performance he was later found in a foul mood, angry and upset. "But you were magnificent" said someone, "Yes," he replied, "but I don't know why." You'll find it's the finding out the "why" a particular photo worked, whilst others were ordinary, is the thing that'll absorb, tease, tantalise and reward you the most, in my experience anyway.

Well said.

[iphoenix]

Please make sure the lens cap is off while shooting. Few rangefinder newbies have done that especially shooting meter less Leicas

Also well said and good advice. My first experience with rangefinder cameras was in 2003, when I took a newly purchased Nikon S2 (rangefinder from 1955) with me to the U.K. on holiday. I had previously only used SLRs. Sent all films for processing on my return to Australia. Around 10% of negs were blank; guess why? I now always use a lens hood, sometimes a UV filter and NEVER a lens cap.

[JBA]

Congrats on getting an MP. "The pinnacle of rangefinder perfection", as one forum member once put it.

 

Agreed that you are overthinking things. You need to be careful about three things in particular that you can get very wrong with any Leica rangefinder:

 

1. Misloading the film (already mentioned). Fold over about 10cm of the film leader end and thread it into the three-toothed winding spool. Make sure the perforations in the film engage the winding sprocket teeth.

 

2. Close the "barn door" camera back and tuck it firmly into the camera bottom when you've loaded the film. Nothing like getting through a roll of the best photos you ever took to find that the barn door is swinging open and you get a whole roll of fogged photos or nothing at all.

 

3. If you use a lens cap, remove it before taking a photo (as mentioned). If you don't use a lens cap, avoid pointing your rangefinder into the sun. You can burn a hole in the shutter more easily than you think. I always thought, "it can't happen to me" until it did. You can pay for an awful lot of film & development with what it costs to replace an MP shutter!

 

As for the metering, another forum member once described the Leica M internal meter (M6, M7, MP) as a "fat spot meter". The MP's meter is intuitive, which is to say it's nearly fool-proof. See for yourself.

 

Don't worry about parallax. Leica M rangefinders compensate for this. You'll be able to see this if you watch the framelines as you focus from infinity to minimum focusing distance. The framelines will move toward the lower right as you focus down.

 

Most of all, enjoy your MP and take lots of photos. Developing your photographic eye is a much steeper learning curve than simply learning to use a rangefinder, which is as simple (and difficult) as Focus, Compose, Expose.

[Scarlet]

2. Close the "barn door" camera back and tuck it firmly into the camera bottom when you've loaded the film. Nothing like getting through a roll of the best photos you ever took to find that the barn door is swinging open and you get a whole roll of fogged photos or nothing at all.

 

Umm this has got to be difficult to do... If one attaches and locks the bottom plate without having closed the rear lid fully the lid will swing open very easily. Plus one feels it quite distinctly when holding the camera.

[jdsheepdog]

Please make sure the lens cap is off while shooting. Few rangefinder newbies have done that especially shooting meter less Leicas

This is by no means restricted to newbies!

 

Remember, there are only three settings on any camera, including digitals, shutter speed, f stop, and focus.

 

For quick response, preset your aperture, typically f 11 or thereabouts and set the shutter speed accordingly, now set infinity, or your furthest anticipated distance, to the f 11 mark on the lens, and check the other end to see what is in closest focus.

 

Now you have the equivalent of a point and shoot. Press the button, wind the film, that's it. You don't even have to look through the viewfinder if you don't want to. For street photography, taking the photo without even raising the camera to your eye, or pointing it backwards, opens wonderful opportunities.

 

When you see a picture that needs more care, take your time, and focus carefully. I commonly focus by distance estimation directly on the lens barrel. At f11 it is hard to be too wrong, and maintains the "stealth." You have a wonderfully manual camera, and by using it more and more manually it just gets better and better.

 

And, before someone else jumps on this, it is a technique that really only works well with wide angle lenses, and not at all with anything much above 50 mm.

 

Have fun, and welcome.

[Messsucherkamera]

Congrats on getting an MP. "The pinnacle of rangefinder perfection", as one forum member once put it.

 

Agreed that you are overthinking things. You need to be careful about three things in particular that you can get very wrong with any Leica rangefinder:

 

1. Misloading the film (already mentioned). Fold over about 10cm of the film leader end and thread it into the three-toothed winding spool. Make sure the perforations in the film engage the winding sprocket teeth.

 

2. Close the "barn door" camera back and tuck it firmly into the camera bottom when you've loaded the film. Nothing like getting through a roll of the best photos you ever took to find that the barn door is swinging open and you get a whole roll of fogged photos or nothing at all.

 

3. If you use a lens cap, remove it before taking a photo (as mentioned). If you don't use a lens cap, avoid pointing your rangefinder into the sun. You can burn a hole in the shutter more easily than you think. I always thought, "it can't happen to me" until it did. You can pay for an awful lot of film & development with what it costs to replace an MP shutter!

 

As for the metering, another forum member once described the Leica M internal meter (M6, M7, MP) as a "fat spot meter". The MP's meter is intuitive, which is to say it's nearly fool-proof. See for yourself.

 

Don't worry about parallax. Leica M rangefinders compensate for this. You'll be able to see this if you watch the framelines as you focus from infinity to minimum focusing distance. The framelines will move toward the lower right as you focus down.

 

Most of all, enjoy your MP and take lots of photos. Developing your photographic eye is a much steeper learning curve than simply learning to use a rangefinder, which is as simple (and difficult) as Focus, Compose, Expose.

 

The above is good advice. I would like to add the following -

 

When you are finished shooting for the day (or the week or month), put your MP away with the shutter in the fired position.

 

Just remember when you make your last exposure for the day, don't advance the film. This leaves the shutter uncocked and all the springs untensioned. This is the way you want to store your MP - or any Leica. This tidbit comes from Sherry Krauter (Google Sherry Krauter Golden Touch for more info.).

 

The MP meter is of the classic center weighted metering configuration. It is simple and effective once you learn to use it. Again, Google center weighted metering to learn more.

 

I have come to the conclusion that the MP meter is set up for optimal use with black and white film. In comparing my MP meter with my Nikon F100 and Sekonic L508, the MP meter wiil either indicate the same exposure or indicate +1/2 EV compared to the other meters. B&W film cannot cope with underexposure as well as it can overexposure so the MP meter tends to open up the shadows a bit by adding +1/2EV. This seems to indicate a metering bias that favors B&W film.

 

Taking off the lens cap is good advice - but if you forget, the MP exposure display will blink rapidly as a warning. The metering spot is on the shutter curtain, so if this spot is getting no light due to the lens cap being on, the meter will know this and warn you.

 

The MP is a truly magnificent camera - and it is extremely easy to learn to work with. Don't overthink things and learn by shooting g with the MP. It is as simple as a camera can be these days and produces truly staggering results whether you work with B&W or color emulsions.

[dtoh]

Congrats to a first time MP owner/first time RF user. You probably read enough about what you got is to some of us, the instrument of choice. I believe many of us truly take pleasure in the mechanism precision, the emotional factor and the confidence of the MP. I hope you will soon discover this too. I kinda struggled a bit initially when I first took on a RF. I “endured” it only because I read much about it and I needed to experience it first hand before I throw in the towel, but all is well now. I am sharing this because my friend gave up on a leica M after only less than 10 shoots, anyway..

 

Shooting a film M for the first time is like putting on a leather pants for the first time, something’s just amiss, somehow the next guy look so right.. just have to give it a go. (By the way, some of us do get away with short sleeves and ties, I mean just some of us..) Enjoy your new gear.

 

Among other things i hope you will enjoy shooting with a RF. In a very bias way, the motivation to shoot with a film M can be poles apart, but its for you to decide later.

 

Regards,

Daryl

http://dtohphoto.com