Guest NEIL-D-WILLIAMS Posted August 25, 2012 Share #1  Posted August 25, 2012 Advertisement (gone after registration) I am starting to get peeved off with my ability to take anything decent with my M-9. I went out today and shot 165 pictures and got 6 keepers and out of that 6 keepers zero were what I would call great shots, below is my take on what is going wrong; 1/. Keep forgetting to focus 2/. Forget to change ISO 3/. Covering the sensors with my fingers  I am sure many "new to Leica" photographers have gone through these things as well, I just wonder at what point do they quite and go back to a DSLR?? One of my mates who also has a M-9 just bought a D800e and told me the M-9 is going to spend at least the next 12 months in the dry box as the D800e kicks ass.  I don’t want to quit and I won't quit but come on 3% success rate sucks. Maybe setting auto ISO for the next 3 months to take care of bullet # 2, the finger issue I guess will take time, but # 1 is tough Any tips advice would be much appreciated One peeded off Leica owner:( Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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andybarton Posted August 25, 2012 Share #2 Â Posted August 25, 2012 How long have you been using this camera? Â If you are used to a auto-everything camera, it's going to take you some time to get accustomed to doing most things for yourself. Â How many "keepers" would you expect to get? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest NEIL-D-WILLIAMS Posted August 25, 2012 Share #3  Posted August 25, 2012 How long have you been using this camera? If you are used to a auto-everything camera, it's going to take you some time to get accustomed to doing most things for yourself.  How many "keepers" would you expect to get? I have had it for 6 1/2 weeks 4 of that was on an Oil Rig without the M-9 My other camera is a D3s 20% would be a far number?? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andybarton Posted August 25, 2012 Share #4 Â Posted August 25, 2012 I don't get anything like 20% keepers Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
masjah Posted August 25, 2012 Share #5  Posted August 25, 2012 I don't get anything like 20% keepers  Nor I. 5-10% if I'm lucky. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sfage Posted August 25, 2012 Share #6 Â Posted August 25, 2012 Composition is a fickle thing. I often have to return to a site after I've let my subconscious "stew" upon an idea. Â My background is in music composition. If I were to have a day wherein I would be satisfied with 30 seconds to 1 minute of what I had written yesterday, this would be a VERY rare thing. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HouTexDavid Posted August 25, 2012 Share #7 Â Posted August 25, 2012 Advertisement (gone after registration) Upon the death of Alfred Eisenstaedt, I remember reading an article that included an estimate of the number of photos that he had taken during his lifetime. I've forgotten the number, but it was astounding. Yet, even for the "masters", the number of "keepers" - iconic images that are well known - can generally be counted on one or two hands. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Hiles Posted August 25, 2012 Share #8 Â Posted August 25, 2012 I would rarely press the button more than 30-40 times in a day, usually much less. I would be quite happy with 3-4 that are worth a second look. One of my tests is - "would I post an image on this forum?" I like showing something that at least some viewers might pause and perhaps look again or engage with. I think if you can generate 5 worthwhile pictures per day you must have a good eye. But you have to be selective. This has little to do with the camera you are using - take 45 minutes to become familiar with your camera so you don't have to waste mental energy on the mechanical stuff (this is much easier to do with a Leica vs. some over-complex DSLR). Then just keep doing the same technical thing again and again. Â Oh, and make your pictures in your mind's eye before raising your camera - take fewer pictures with more thought and I suspect you will still get 4-6 reasonable pictures in a full day of picture making, and your hit rate will go up. Don't press the button 160 times and hope for the best. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
keithlaban.co.uk Posted August 25, 2012 Share #9 Â Posted August 25, 2012 An average day shooting will see me making 1 or 2 images, an exceptional day perhaps a handful. It would be a disappointing day if I didn't achieve at least 50% keepers. Â I'm sure if I made 165 images in a day most would be rubbish. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpiritShooter Posted August 25, 2012 Share #10 Â Posted August 25, 2012 I have had it for 6 1/2 weeks ...20% would be a far number?? Â Holy majoly, Â I have been shooting for 40 years. Using Leicas since high school. Shooting professionally is a different story... I will spend hours setting up an architectural shot. But when shooting personally, I might shoot hundreds of images to get that one "Greatest Hit".....maybe! Â There is a huge variation in what would be considered a "keeper" to different people. Keep shooting, make lots of images and edit very discerningly. As time goes on, you "hit rate" will get better and better. Â You have had the camera for only a few weeks. Keep at it and check back after a "few years". I am teasing, but in all seriousness, don't get frustrated and don't get bummed, you can't possibly learn the camera in a few weeks. Â This AM, I taught the 4th session of a 6 week photo class. I made 40 images with the class, got home, downloaded the images. Opened them in Capture One and said, meh! Not one was a usable image in my minds eye. Â Keep shooting, but above all have fun. Mike Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyedward Posted August 25, 2012 Share #11  Posted August 25, 2012 I am starting to get peeved off with my ability to take anything decent with my M-9. I went out today and shot 165 pictures and got 6 keepers and out of that 6 keepers zero were what I would call great shots, below is my take on what is going wrong;1/. Keep forgetting to focus 2/. Forget to change ISO 3/. Covering the sensors with my fingers  I am sure many "new to Leica" photographers have gone through these things as well, I just wonder at what point do they quite and go back to a DSLR?? One of my mates who also has a M-9 just bought a D800e and told me the M-9 is going to spend at least the next 12 months in the dry box as the D800e kicks ass.  I don’t want to quit and I won't quit but come on 3% success rate sucks. Maybe setting auto ISO for the next 3 months to take care of bullet # 2, the finger issue I guess will take time, but # 1 is tough Any tips advice would be much appreciated One peeded off Leica owner:(  If you think you have it bad, try using a film M as your first rangefinder like I am! No LCD screen on an M6, mate! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomB_tx Posted August 25, 2012 Share #12 Â Posted August 25, 2012 "Success rate" is very individual. I've used Leica Ms since 1968 and have a much higher rate of getting focus and exposure where I want than I do with an autofocus dSLR. Framing, composition, and other "artistic" elements are much more subjective, and as an old engineer, I've never claimed to have an artistic bone in my body. But the mechanics of using an M are now so ingrained that I know if I got what I wanted the instant I take the image. Give me a 36 exposure roll of film and I'm good for a weekend. Keep using an M, and it becomes "automatic." Or change back and forth to other cameras, and it will always be a challenge. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted August 25, 2012 Share #13 Â Posted August 25, 2012 I suspect that by 'keeper' the OP simply means in focus and correctly exposed. Â Stick it on ISO 160 and leave it there for now. Learn to hold the camera correctly (so you don't cover the rangefinder with your fingers) and remember to focus by maybe slowing down a tad. Â Practice a lot! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
farnz Posted August 25, 2012 Share #14 Â Posted August 25, 2012 Or increase your ISO, stop down and zone focus to increase your focus hit rate for a while until you're better acquainted with your thoroughbred camera. Â Pete. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wda Posted August 25, 2012 Share #15 Â Posted August 25, 2012 We all work to different criteria. Reaching a major decision on M9 photography after such a short period (6 1/2 weeks) tells us something about your expectations. The M9 is a precision instrument, much like a fine musical instrument. Each takes years to attain any standard approaching perfection. Â Pause. Take a long breath. Revisit the Leica Instruction Book and concentrate on basic operation. Then practice repeatedly to polish your basic technique. Don't assume that once mastered all will be well. After an interval, resume dry practice before attempting anything serious. Â It boils down to PERSEVERANCE and a WILL TO SUCCEED. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted August 25, 2012 Share #16 Â Posted August 25, 2012 There is a post on proper camera holding in the FAQ. In general, if you find that you need a tool that does the thinking for you, you need to go back to acquiring the skill. Don't forget that foolproof requires a fool to make sense. Otoh, if you simply don't mesh with a system, there is no shame in switching to a system that fits your style. These are simply tools to get the image and it is the image that counts. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted August 25, 2012 Share #17  Posted August 25, 2012 Or increase your ISO, stop down and zone focus to increase your focus hit rate for a while until you're better acquainted with your thoroughbred camera. Pete.  I didn't suggest that because I'm sure that given a little practice focussing (correctly) will become second nature. It's probably harder to learn how to zone focus IMHO! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichaelRabern Posted August 25, 2012 Share #18  Posted August 25, 2012 Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast. Take your time. I would try a tripod, start getting the fundamentals of the camera system better into memory.  V/r  Michael Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
roydonian Posted August 25, 2012 Share #19 Â Posted August 25, 2012 If you are used to a auto-everything camera, it's going to take you some time to get accustomed to doing most things for yourself. Â When I bought my M8.2, I spent a couple of days in the British Museum learning how to use it. The hardest lesson was remembering the basic rule "Focus, Dummy!" And that was after five decades with the Leica and only two years with an autofocus DSLR. Â When I went blind in my right eye two years ago, I had to learn to raise the camera to my left eye. Now that my right eye has been repaired, and my left eye is deteriorating, I'm finding it very hard to remember to put the viewfinder to my right eye - the eye I've been using with viewfinders since the late 1950s, and with M viewfinders since the early 1970s. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Geschlecht Posted August 25, 2012 Share #20 Â Posted August 25, 2012 Hello NDWgolf, Â The people who taught me photography thought it was better to concentrate on getting 1 good picture of what was important than many not quite as good. Sort of like picking 1 deer out of a herd & aiming @ that instead of shooting @ the whole herd. As a factor of that, when possible, I try to think of an M & its lens as a Kardan B on a Studex. Even while photographing hand held. Â Sometimes a 36 exposure roll might last a month or 2. 1 reason I sometimes prefer 12 exposure rolls. Â You might also try sitting & working all parts of your camera/lens in your spare time when you are not photographing until you are comfortable w/ the controls, etc. Â More keepers that way. Â Best Regards, Â Michael Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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