M3 not sharp??

[mtnbst]

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Just got my M3, Excellent condition. Its gorgeous, shooting with a 50mm cron V3. It feels like my focus is off, my pictures are not looking crisp. Am I doing something wrong? Here is a link to my blurry M3 set :/ ok...there are 2 or so sharp pictures in here. The majority of the pictures are crap :/

 

leica M3 - a set on Flickr

 

any feedback would be great!

[250swb]

Welcome to the Forum!

 

I picked up my divining rods and set out to your Flickr link, but came back empty handed. Without any exposures clues, like film type, approx. shutter speeds, approx. aperture, it is very hard to even find the place to start at.

 

Two things occur. Have you actually sharpened the images at all? You should never scan with sharpening switched on, but film will take a lot of sharpening in post processing to look sharp. Many of them seem to have an element of camera shake, so use a faster film if you need faster shutter speeds, but try not to go below 1/60th even if you hear the myth that a Leica M can be hand held at 1/8th.

 

Other than that your rangefinder may need adjusting, but some pictures are sharp, so are they the accidents? Was the scanner focused? It can be an endless search without some clues.

 

I final thought, looking at them again, the most recently posted seem to be consistently sharper than earlier postings, so are you just getting the hang of the focusing better, a learning curve?

 

Steve

[NZDavid]

+1 and likewise, welcome! That's a shame as Leica glass and M cameras will reward you with top-class results. I also found it puzzling why some shorts are sharp and some aren't. Have you got lab prints from the film, or did you scan directly from the negs? It would definitely be with having a very close look at the originals (possibly with a high-powered loupe) to see if there is a focusing error -- or simply have them printed or examined by a good lab. A flatbed scanner may indeed be at fault. I tried one once and returned it because I just wasn't happy with the results, and even professional scanning can be variable.

 

You could also try different lenses on your M3 to see if the rangefinder or the lenses themselves might need adjustment.

[mtnbst]

+1 and likewise, welcome! That's a shame as Leica glass and M cameras will reward you with top-class results. I also found it puzzling why some shorts are sharp and some aren't. Have you got lab prints from the film, or did you scan directly from the negs? It would definitely be with having a very close look at the originals (possibly with a high-powered loupe) to see if there is a focusing error -- or simply have them printed or examined by a good lab. A flatbed scanner may indeed be at fault. I tried one once and returned it because I just wasn't happy with the results, and even professional scanning can be variable.

 

You could also try different lenses on your M3 to see if the rangefinder or the lenses themselves might need adjustment.

 

Thank you for the response, I need to jot down speeds and fstops on my next roll. Yes I am scanning the negatives on a flatbed epson. I am using a professional lab. Thank you for the feedback I am going to investigate this further to determine the culprit. thanks again

[too old to care]

My two cents, on the ones that are sharp there is also grain visible, along with some dust. This is what I expect to see when I scan from a negative, or even from a larger print, say 8X10. On the ones that are soft I do not see either. My impression that it may be a scanning error, especially in the B&W shots. I would love to have a look at a couple of the soft prints done via wet process, I think they may be sharp.

 

Wayne

[pico]

I agree with Wayne. Try looking directly through the film using a loupe. An inexpensive 8X will do.

[mtnbst]

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I want to thank you all, the scanner was the issue. I am scanning with the emulsion side up, this has seemed to resolved the problem. I am so thankful it was not an issue with my M3. I am now excited to get out and use it again!