When do you not use your M8?

[Guest guy_mancuso]

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I think a nice excercise for folks would be try putting the DSLR in the closet for a month and use only the M8 on everything. Really a awesome way to learn to shoot the M8 with the limitations and how to get around them. Be fun to hear how folks did after the month

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[larry]

I use a Canon DSLR for macro and long lens work, a Panasonic FZ7 for whatever comes along (its home is in my briefcase), and my M7 for shooting B&W film. All my other cameras have become doorstops.

 

Larry

[jonoslack]

Theoretically:

Telephoto and action

Macro

 

Practically:

I don't shoot action, and precious little telephoto - the 90mm f4 macro elmar get's me close enough for most things and far enough too.

 

I've found the M8 to be excelllent for landscapes.

 

It's such a joy to be going around with such a small bag.

[Photoskeptic]

When I'm shooting film:D

[arthury]

All of you who do weddings purely on an M8, how on earth do you focus so fast for a 3-4 sec impromptu situation that just happened without you being able to predict. I understand that prefocusing is the key but it only works with HC-B style where you've found a spot and you are there waiting for things to happen. If you guys can throw some light on this, it would be well appreciated.

 

Thanks!

[Guest guy_mancuso]

Arthur , grab the M8 and stick a leica lens on it like the 50 lux with focusing tabs. Now on the tab bring it to the very bottom of the lens . Now read how many feet that is, it should be about 4 ft or so. Now go grab another leica lens lets say any of the 28's do the same thing , it will say 4 ft. Every leica tabbed lens and even Zeiss also when set to the bottom will read 4ft or so. Now keep this in your head and go walk around the house and think 4 ft and go right up to the subject and your proabbly right there than walk back about 10 ft than from the bottom point got o focus to 10 ft . Notice a very short throw to ten.

 

So with this in mind it is always good when your shooting to be thinking how many feet in your head. practice this and you will start to learn where you need to be almost instinctively. When I figured this out my jaw dropped and is probably the most important feature in RF shooting

[mikeadams]

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Yesterday, for graduation, because everyone wears a black gown and they are purple on the M8. (still waiting for my 39mm IR) For this I used my 70s era Nikon FM and Nikkor 20 F 2.8, Kodak Gold 200:

 

http://www.tvradiofilmtheatre.com/tour89.html

 

Also for stage plays in my department, the D-200 and a zoom:

 

http://www.tvradiofilmtheatre.com/tour83.html

 

Otherwise I carry daily the M8 and 35 Sum ASPH, a combo that works for 95% of what I do.

 

Mike

http://www.mikeadams.org

[rvaubel]

I think a nice excercise for folks would be try putting the DSLR in the closet for a month and use only the M8 on everything. Really a awesome way to learn to shoot the M8 with the limitations and how to get around them. Be fun to hear how folks did after the month

 

Guy

 

That's what I essentially have done. The supposed limitations of a rangefinder with telephoto have been overblown at least up to 90mm. About the only real limitation I still feel is the macro capacity. But, from everything I've seen, the 90mm/macro will solve that problem. Especially since my idea of "macro" is really "close up" . I was never really one for taking pictures of bugs at 1:1

 

As for the supposed advantage of autofocus with action shots, true enough for telephoto sports. But I don't do much of that. For shooting the kids running around, mastering zone focusing is just the ticket. It takes a lot of practice, but eventually you will get more keepers than with autofocus.

 

I haven't used my 20D and 20K worth of lenses in 3 months. But I'm afraid to sell the kit because I'm afraid I'll need it. Maybe 3 more months of gathering dust will change my mind.

 

Rex

[jackal]

only when i want to shoot some neopan or tri-x

and then i use M7

[jlancasterd]

I think a nice excercise for folks would be try putting the DSLR in the closet for a month and use only the M8 on everything. Really a awesome way to learn to shoot the M8 with the limitations and how to get around them. Be fun to hear how folks did after the month

 

I've only taken 3 shots with my R8+DMR in the 6 weeks since I got my M8 - and that's only because I needed to use the SF24 flash on camera and I hadn't got my M8 lenses coded, so couldn't use TTL/GNC mode at the time.

 

I've used a 28mm Ultron for most of my shots. Most of the rest have been with the 15mm Heliar or a 35mm Ultron and only a few with a 50mm Nocton or 90mm Lanthar. Looks like the 28mm Elmarit will be my first Leica lens for this camera...

[arthury]

Arthur , grab the M8 and stick a leica lens on it like the 50 lux with focusing tabs. Now on the tab bring it to the very bottom of the lens . Now read how many feet that is, it should be about 4 ft or so. Now go grab another leica lens lets say any of the 28's do the same thing , it will say 4 ft. Every leica tabbed lens and even Zeiss also when set to the bottom will read 4ft or so. Now keep this in your head and go walk around the house and think 4 ft and go right up to the subject and your proabbly right there than walk back about 10 ft than from the bottom point got o focus to 10 ft . Notice a very short throw to ten.

 

So with this in mind it is always good when your shooting to be thinking how many feet in your head. practice this and you will start to learn where you need to be almost instinctively. When I figured this out my jaw dropped and is probably the most important feature in RF shooting

 

Guy,

Does this technique still work if the aperture is a f/1.4 for the 50mm Summilux? It should not be a problem with the 24mm and the 28mm. Do you use a different aperture for the 50mm?

[timswan]

My 3rd generation 35 Simmcrin reads about 7 feet when I put the tab directly at the bottom of the lens, so I guess this isn't 100% true.

[andym911]

i don't use the M8 when:

 

1. I am being paid for the shoot

 

2.I do not have a back up camera

 

3. When I need the shot

 

I use it when:

 

1.It works

 

2.I have no commitments

 

3.I am having fun

 

Andy

[macusque]

I use my D200 for:

 

1. Long lenses up to about 500mm (300/2.8 VR + 1.7x)

 

2. Close-up (55 Micro and 85 PC-Micro)

 

3. Tilt & Shift (85 PC Micro and 28 PC Leica in Nikon-F mount)

 

4. Landscape when zoom is useful for framing (17-35 and 70-200, along with the M8) or if I need to make panos, using the shift lenses.

 

5. Vacation (18-200 VR along with the M8)

 

Anything else I use only the M8, mostly lowlight shots, when I want to travel really light or when I want a minimal approach (only one or two primes).

 

The M8 is just a unique tool, it's not honeymoon with it anymore, but I'm sure it's going to be a long, solid marriage

 

Marco

[arthury]

My 3rd generation 35 Simmcrin reads about 7 feet when I put the tab directly at the bottom of the lens, so I guess this isn't 100% true.

 

 

I think he meant to say that whatever your lens says when the tab is all the way to the bottom, remember that number as a reference to do your focusing so that it will be faster.

[woodyspedden]

I think a nice excercise for folks would be try putting the DSLR in the closet for a month and use only the M8 on everything. Really a awesome way to learn to shoot the M8 with the limitations and how to get around them. Be fun to hear how folks did after the month

 

Guy

 

I think this is a terrific idea and one we should all follow whether the camera is an M8 or one of the other brands. Any new tool takes time to learn and the M8 is no exception. Even when taking portraits for example can be a major exercise as shown in the forum where you were shooting with longer lenses (i.e. greater than 50mm) and Jamie Roberts was shooting portraits with lenses such as the 24mm! Completely different approaches and both valid for the intended purpose. Both you guys got specacular results by the way. So one could spend the entire month just seeing what is possible with these great lenses and then figuring out what your priorities are and thus what lenses you personally need. I also agree with your comments about the macro 90 but I would point out that the 75 cron also focuses down to 0.7 meters which is very close to the 90 Macro Elmar so it can be used for a 1:3 macro shot.

 

Thanks for the great advice

 

Woody Spedden

[Guest guy_mancuso]

Thanks Woody and essential that is what i am saying is force yourself to work the M8 hard and make it as primary as you can, this will teach you much better techniques and also get your hands and mind working together. Do this with any system, figure out the quirks that anyone of them have . No M8 or Canon is ever the same exactly , each one has essential the same parts but a M8 and all the lenses in Leica out there are hand made and when you put working hands building this stuff there is slight differences. Example you should be able to close your eyes , mount a lens and focus to 10 ft without looking. You simple can't do that without practice and working these tools. That was what i am trying to encourage folks to do. Hate the word but i will use it become intimate with the tools you have and make them work for you. The best journalist i have ever known, never have to look at there camera to know it's ready status to shoot. Everything is set by feel

 

 

Arthur what i am saying at any aperture it will simple stop you from fishing around and focusing like crazy , so when something is coming up it maybe a very small tweek to nail the focus than go from a dead stop to all the way around the lens to get focus. the idea here is to be so close with your knowledge of where the spot is on the camera for a given footage that you are almost perfect and just a small touch and you hit the critical focus point.

[eudemian]

Sorry to make you work even harder Guy but I must be obtuse because I cannot understand everything you write about the tabbed focusing. Bear with me.

 

I understand the bit about the tab at the bottom meaning that everything within 4ft is in focus. Go to your subject, learn what 4 ft is and a very minor tweak will give you precise focus. That is wonderful, thank you for that.

 

What I failed to graps was the remark about the 10ft

"your proabbly right there than walk back about 10 ft than from the bottom point got o focus to 10 ft . Notice a very short throw to ten."

 

I cannot work this out, please help.

 

Feel guilty about working you even harder;)

 

Tom

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[Guest guy_mancuso]

No problem . Okay now you know were the 4ft is , than put it on 10 ft given the lens it will be slightly different but lets say you have a 28 cron on the camera to go to ten ft. maybe a slight push to the right and knowing that amount in your head is good to know just like 4ft straight down now you know maybe 10 ft is at 4 o'clock and infifnity at 2 o'clock. Just think 4ft the setting is at 6 o'clock than okay 10 ft 4 than infinity 2 o'clock. what this does is get you very close without fishing around. All about instinct. picture this guy and girl walking down the center of the church as they get closer your thinking with your head 10 ft is about where i want to shot make your setting as they approach that spot your already set at 10 ft than lift touch focus and bam your in. This takes practice but after awhile it will just come to you and you can shoot very fast just knowing were to go instinctively.

 

Hope that helps , just go out and try this idea. Now 75 , 90 and 135 with no tab it's back to guess work but a lot of shooters set there lens at infinity and work backwards here

[MrEd]

When do you not use your M8?

 

How about when you ain't got one....... .

 

.........sorry, I just couldn't resist........

 

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