Range Finder Focusing

[freitz]

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Kind of a General Question.

 

I am new to Leica's and Range finders. The first couple days I've used the camera in bright sunlight and inside with good light coming from inside and outside. I was able to nail the focus. Tonight I went out to dinner in a restaurant with the slight dim to the lights and I found that I missed focus on every picture. Is this something that gets better with practice or is there another way of looking at it to nail the focus? Anyone else run into this issue?

 

Thanks for the help.

[jbl]

What sort of exposure times were you looking at and what lens were you using?

 

It’s definitely something that gets better with experience.

 

-jbl

[jaapv]

This question ( and many others ) is addressed in the FAQ that sits on top of this forum, just a few threads above this one:

 

http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/leica-m-type-240/308500-leica-m8-m8-2-m9-m9p.html#post2554274

[indergaard]

Kind of a General Question.

 

I am new to Leica's and Range finders. The first couple days I've used the camera in bright sunlight and inside with good light coming from inside and outside. I was able to nail the focus. Tonight I went out to dinner in a restaurant with the slight dim to the lights and I found that I missed focus on every picture. Is this something that gets better with practice or is there another way of looking at it to nail the focus? Anyone else run into this issue?

 

Thanks for the help.

 

This is where the EVF is very handy. The rangefinder works great during good light. But it's also very limited in low light, and for focusing on certain subjects with repeating patterns (tree bark, gravel, fabric, etc). After some use you will be able to guesstimate the approximate focus distance required when shooting under these conditions, but this takes time cause you need to become familiar with focusing distance, distance scale, and just knowing how the rangefinder works. Good vision helps too!!

 

Instead of trying to learn how to deal with it I would just get the EVF, or use Live View, for those very low-light situations, where you also might have had a couple of beers or some wine.

[Echo63]

This question ( and many others ) is addressed in the FAQ that sits on top of this forum, just a few threads above this one:

 

http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/leica-m-type-240/308500-leica-m8-m8-2-m9-m9p.html#post2554274

 

a very descriptive post in the FAQ - personally i find the "broken line method" the easiest and most accurate in poor light, and the "contrast pop" method the most accurate in good light.

[jaapv]

This is where the EVF is very handy. The rangefinder works great during good light. But it's also very limited in low light, and for focusing on certain subjects with repeating patterns (tree bark, gravel, fabric, etc). After some use you will be able to guesstimate the approximate focus distance required when shooting under these conditions, but this takes time cause you need to become familiar with focusing distance, distance scale, and just knowing how the rangefinder works. Good vision helps too!!

 

Instead of trying to learn how to deal with it I would just get the EVF, or use Live View, for those very low-light situations, where you also might have had a couple of beers or some wine.

 

Once mastered, the rangefinder is both easier and more accurate up to and including 90 mm both in good and ( especially) low light. It is worth practising.

[freitz]

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Once mastered, the rangefinder is both easier and more accurate up to and including 90 mm both in good and ( especially) low light. It is worth practising.

 

Thanks for everyone's comments and help.

 

I know this will take some practice just wanted to get everyone's thoughts before jumping to conclusions. I will check out the FAQ posts.

[edwardkaraa]

I agree with Jaap that the RF is easier and more accurate. I rarely miss focus even in low light but I tend to focus more carefully in difficult light. It would be worthwhile checking if the lens used is well calibrated though.

[TomB_tx]

I have always found RF to be more accurate in low light, but now find I can focus the A7 better in VERY low light as its EFV stays bright and sharpness is well defined. Focus peaking is not as accurate as judging the sharpness (on the A7), but at times the magnified view is also a help.

Perhaps my eyes are getting too old, and it's time for a magnifier for my M cameras.

[indergaard]

Once mastered, the rangefinder is both easier and more accurate up to and including 90 mm both in good and ( especially) low light. It is worth practising.

 

Yup, but in a scene with no contrast, like a face in the shadows in a dark pub, you can't even line up the eyes, cause you can't see them in the viewfinder. In such a scenario, the EVF would make it easy with magnification. I don't like focus peaking, it is very inaccurate on all cameras, but EVF's with magnification features are superb, especially for tricky conditions.

[A miller]

Yup, but in a scene with no contrast, like a face in the shadows in a dark pub, you can't even line up the eyes, cause you can't see them in the viewfinder. In such a scenario, the EVF would make it easy with magnification. I don't like focus peaking, it is very inaccurate on all cameras, but EVF's with magnification features are superb, especially for tricky conditions.

 

The dilation of the eyes from the drinks enjoyed at the pub also tends to blur the vision.

 

In bright outdoor situations, i would commend zone focusng with a good 28mm as a style of shooting that can be fun, and even liberating. At f11 with a zone of reasonable focus from about 4-5 feet to 100 feet, the leica M is better than any autofocus camera in terms of stealing moments.

[indergaard]

The dilation of the eyes from the drinks enjoyed at the pub also tends to blur the vision.

 

In bright outdoor situations, i would commend zone focusng with a good 28mm as a style of shooting that can be fun, and even liberating. At f11 with a zone of reasonable focus from about 4-5 feet to 100 feet, the leica M is better than any autofocus camera in terms of stealing moments.

 

I agree. But you can also set AF camears to MF and zone focus in the same manner Is it as enjoyable and straight forward as on the M's? Nope. But it's just as possible.

[FlashGordonPhotography]

It took me a good 6 months before I felt the RF became second nature to me. Now I can even track some moving targets with good results. In dim light I prefer the RF to any other focus system, even AF.

 

A few hints I was given when I started.

 

1. Try to focus from one direction rather than racking back and forth. A bit longer to learn but faster in the long run.

2. Learn where the focus tabs are (if you have them) when at the bottom of the lens. They can are a great guide to approximate focus distance. Very useful in a dim room.

3. Keep the RF windows clean and learn how to properly hold the camera so you're not putting fingerprints on them all day. A grip or "Thimble" can help.

4. Practice daily. It's a skill, not a gift. After a while you'll get a feel for the camera and each lens.

 

Also, a left eyed shooter for my whole life I retrained myself to use my M's with my right eye. Took a couple of months and I'm very glad I did it. Everything feels better when using my right eye to focus. Now after 3 or 4 years it's completely natural.

 

Gordon

[jbl]

Also, a left eyed shooter for my whole life I retrained myself to use my M's with my right eye. Took a couple of months and I'm very glad I did it. Everything feels better when using my right eye to focus. Now after 3 or 4 years it's completely natural.

 

How did you go about doing this? I’m a left-eyed shooter and have been wanting to switch just for the benefits of shooting with both eyes open, for not having my nose crunched against the screen and to feel like the rest of the world feels (I’m left handed too).

 

I had thought about buying an eye patch, but I thought that might be a bit weird.

 

-jbl

[Exodies]

Aaaaargh, there be nowt weird about pirates, jbl lad.

[FlashGordonPhotography]

I just did it. For exactly the reason you cite. The first month was hard. I constantly used my left and then had to switch consciously. It took a few months to be normal and a few more to be natural. It's nothing more than persistence. But it comes slowly.

 

Would love some feedback on the pirate technique. :-)

 

Gordon

[farnz]

How did you go about doing this? I’m a left-eyed shooter and have been wanting to switch just for the benefits of shooting with both eyes open, for not having my nose crunched against the screen and to feel like the rest of the world feels (I’m left handed too).

 

I had thought about buying an eye patch, but I thought that might be a bit weird.

I changed from left-eye to right-eye a couple of years ago after I started wearing glasses and discovered that I'd had a slight astigmatism in my right eye all my life. The glasses compensated for the astigmatism but made shooting left-eye even more awkward and I just found right-eye shooting more convenient. Perhaps the most 'difficult' bit was convincing my brain to regularly position the correct eye in front of the viewfinder because force of habit didn't want to budge.

 

I think the answer is like the ad says: just do it. And keep doing it until it's second nature.

 

I normally only shoot with both eyes open with an M3 because the 0.91 viewfinder gives the closest to normal view for an eye.

 

Pete.

[farnz]

Aaaaargh, there be nowt weird about pirates, jbl lad.

I can hear your parrot (oh alright - pigeon) avatar crying "Pieces of eight! Pieces of eight!" in the background.

 

Pete.