Most accurate focusing

[nunnzzzz]

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I am a new 240 owner and I love it. I am wondering what focus method should yield the most exact focus...either thur the rangefinder or focus peaking?

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[MTWIZARD]

Hello,

 

EVF2 and Focus Peak

[diogenis]

You have bought an incredibly fast and bright optical viewfinder that is also extremely accurate. Therefore for like 99.99% of your shots you should use that instead of the focus peeking. The later is for those special cases the optical attachment wont help you: like if you want to take a macro shot, provided you have the lenses, or you have an extra telephoto and you want to shot tripod. Trying to find accurate focus of an 5x or 10x mag image is no easy task, especially if you also use large lenses.

[Stealth3kpl]

should yield the most exact focus...either thur the rangefinder or focus peaking?

 

Should yield= focus peaking. Apparently, though, "Does yield"= rangefinder (at least from early reviews)

Pete

[Bobitybob]

The later is for those special cases the optical attachment wont help you: like if you want to take a macro shot, provided you have the lenses, or you have an extra telephoto and you want to shot tripod. Trying to find accurate focus of an 5x or 10x mag image is no easy task, especially if you also use large lenses.

 

One of the benefits of the M is the ability to use macro and telephoto lenses that are outside the 'normal' rangefinder lengths.

 

Interestingly however, Leica seem to have limited the automatic focus assistance (peaking comes on when you turn the focus ring) to 6 bit coded lenses. You therefore have to press the button on the front to turn it on and I've found this can cause you to move from your focus point. I don't have a Leica R/M adaptor only, so can't say if it works with this but it doesn't work on my M with either third party R/M and FD/M adaptors.

 

Hopefully they will amend this in a later firmware release.

[tobey bilek]

Any camera, use live view and with Leica, EVF.

[MTWIZARD]

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Hello,

 

I agree, when I want to focus quickly I use the Range Finder, as I have for the last 42 years (ouch I an 52 now). When I use my Noctilux .95 and the 1.0 before I always had trouble focusing, with the EVF I can Focus!

 

Hope this helps

MTWIZARD

[farnz]

Hello,

 

EVF2 and Focus Peak

Not if:

 

- the subject is away from the centre of the picture

- you're using older, lower contrast lenses when focus peaking may not show

- the aperture is small and focus peaking puts red lines on everything (yes, everything will be in focus to a greater or lesser extent but you won't be able to discern the plane of sharpest focus as you would with the rangefinder).

 

In my opinion the M's focus peaking certainly has it's uses but it's not always the best tool.

 

Pete.

[dante]

Automatic magnification is not linked to 6-bit coding. It is triggered by movement of the RF cam.

 

Dante

[dugby]

I find that once you have focussed on the intended subject object using the RF,

then I slightly rock forward/backwards I can more quickly nail the focussing, than by twisting the focus ring back/forwards/back/forwards.

[Bobitybob]

Automatic magnification is not linked to 6-bit coding. It is triggered by movement of the RF cam.

 

Dante

 

Thanks, I never thought of that, and suppose it makes obvious sense.

 

Perhaps any firmware update could include a PERMANENT category to go along with manual and automatic settings. I know this would use more battery life but would negate the need to keep switching this on via the front button after every shutter actuation.

[Keith (M)]

Horses for courses... Last night, I was sitting in Stygian gloom at my desk (lit by a 40W Anglepoise plus light from the PC's LCD monitor, browsing the forum. Out of curiosity I turned my newly arrived VF-2 on and aimed the M at the framed pictures on the far wall, 3m away. I was able to see every detail and quickly focus with the focus-peaking facility. Exposure was 1/4sec, f2 @ ISO 3200. Through the OVF, I could hardly make out anything at all and focussing was impossible.

 

So, as we advance into winter there are likely to be occasions when the EVF comes to the fore and enables shots to be taken with ease in otherwise almost impossible circumstances. Black cat in a coal cellar, anyone?

[Gibbo]

Dead or alive?

[farnz]

Was it Schrödinger's?

 

Pete.

[Dannybuoy]

Bit of both. RF is great for general shooting. I tend to find myself using the EVF for more casual family shots. LV with focus peaking is really handy when you want to get framing perfect. Taking critically framed shots with the RF is hit and miss compared to the EVF or screen. I love the flexibility I have now and focussing seems to be spot on with both options. Lovely

[keithlaban.co.uk]

Before buying into the Leica M system my main concern was the rangefinder. Since buying into the Leica M system the rangefinder is my greatest joy.

 

Focussing the M240 when using a well calibrated rangefinder results in zero ambiguity, it’s rather like the best split focus screen ever made. I wish I could say the same about the EVF and or focus peaking where there is often a degree of doubt as to the exact point of focus.

 

Where the EVF scores is for the ability to critically frame and compose.

[tom0511]

whats focus peaking?

I use the vf2 on the X-Vario, the only time I have used it on the M was to check if my lenses are focusing correct…they do. I much prefer the optical viewfinder/rangefinder for focusing and for framing.

I might use it if I had lenses which are not calibrated correctly or which suffer from focus shift, but I don't own such lenses any more.

[george +]

I started off with validating my lense/rangefinder combinations to check focus shift.

 

Once done that, I mostly use the rangefinder up to 135mm.

 

As to focus-peak, it seems to work with all lenses, coded or uncoded.

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[microview]

I'd already come to the conclusion that rangefinder focusing was quicker and more accurate than with the EVF, and was wondering if getting one was a complete waste of money. But I hadn't used a tripod. Did this today and of course it's a pleasure to use the EVF and magnified image. So if you are using a tripod then fine, but hand-held and the image shifting all the time if you move the camera by so much as a whisker – well that's no fun. Necessary of course if you are not using a rangefinder coupled lens.

[chris_tribble]

For me, for all lenses from 28-50, RF is best. From 90 + (I don't own 75 any longer) EVF CAN be useful, but the functionality of the M240 reduces... Overall, I very rarely use the EVF - but I'm so glad it's there when I use lenses like the 18 Zeiss or the R 28 PC at one end, or the M 135 A-T f3.5 or R 80-200 f4.