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No aperture settings on EXIF, how do you keep track of Fstops


tonyniev

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Some people believe that this is not a bug but feature. I share with you yours pain. For me this is problem too. There is no serious solution for it. You may refer to recent discussion on this subject to

 

135/f3.4 APO M lens 6-bit code question

 

https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?share_fid=3888&share_tid=273726&url=https://www.l-camera-forum.com/index.php?/topic/273726-135-f3%2E4-APO-M-lens-6-bit-code-question&share_type=t

 

:-(

 

 

Wysłane z iPhone za pomocą Tapatalk

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I understand there are no electrical circuits on th elens except to tell the body the type, this is an issue remembering and embedding in file. Must device a workflow in LR inport or exporting to place the info. Remebering could be notes or writing down and then shooting to keep with photo file.

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First time to process images today and LR EXIFs do not have Fstops, only  iso , focal lenght and shutter speed; how do you keep track of aperture settings?

This question has been asked before.

You don't.

Or you write them down, or you remember them.

 

Even if the camera were to guess at the f-stop it would not be a reliable number, as there is no way to read the aperture from the lens. Previous digital M cameras estimated the f-stop from ambient light and exposure, but as the M10 is designed to  appeal to a more nostalgic section of the customer base (no video, fake rewind knob, frameline lever) Leica left this feature off to evoke more of a film experience.

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Its a part of the Leica 'mystique' ;) . Perhaps we need a thread on 'which notebook' to jot down relevant (or indeed, utterly irrelevant) information about settings, subject matter and so on. It could evolve in a similar fashion to the 'which bag' treads. Personally I favour Leuchtterm 1917 notebooks but this is only because I'm an awkward person who still actually uses a fountain pen at times :D . You can still write in them using modern pens but you know it really isn't the same as proper ink, and writing doesn't convey the same sense of moment with anything other than a fountain pen :o .

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I realize that it simply reflects a comparison of ambient light to exposure so is more of a t-stop than an f-stop and even then approximate.  However, it is the only feature I have missed since getting the M10.  It can be useful to help remember where your mind was at when you are reviewing a picture later or if you inadvertently moved the aperture from where you thought you set it (and wrote in your notebook).   I do really appreciate the better menus and overall focus on what is essential to photography that the design of M10 has embraced.  However, including the estimated f-stop adds no complexity,  It does not require an additional menu item, display or button.  It does not change the way you use the camera or take a picture.  Excluding its recording to invoke a film like experience could also imply leaving off much of the other EXIF data.  Approximate as it is I do hope Leica reconsiders and adds it back.

Edited by AandW
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This question has been asked before.

You don't.

Or you write them down, or you remember them.

 

Even if the camera were to guess at the f-stop it would not be a reliable number, as there is no way to read the aperture from the lens. Previous digital M cameras estimated the f-stop from ambient light and exposure, but as the M10 is designed to  appeal to a more nostalgic section of the customer base (no video, fake rewind knob, frameline lever) Leica left this feature off to evoke more of a film experience.

Jaap, there appears to be an ambient light sensor on the M10. When the M10 was first introduced the exif data showed wildly inaccurate numbers and was removed. Leica just needs to fix the problem.
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Jaap, there appears to be an ambient light sensor on the M10. When the M10 was first introduced the exif data showed wildly inaccurate numbers and was removed. Leica just needs to fix the problem.

 

Like they fixed the 'spirit level' facility in the recent FW upgrade :lol:  :lol: .

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Thanks for all the replies, I sometimes need the camera settings when sharing with a small  FB photo group....I can devise a way but taking notes will be a good start, now only if I can find my old Mont Blanc fountain pen :-)

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I remember reading an article from a respected photography writer years ago and he said that when he posted an article and had to put the data for the photo he just guessed or made it up, it really did not make that much difference in the grand scheme of things.

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I know some Getty photographers record by voice the names of models/celbrities they cover at red carpets, I may record by voice on the iphone the f stops frst kept in brain memory while resting between shoots.

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I remember reading an article from a respected photography writer years ago and he said that when he posted an article and had to put the data for the photo he just guessed or made it up, it really did not make that much difference in the grand scheme of things.

 

 

I agree completely. 

 

The reason that I can use my memory to remember the aperture settings is that, in practice, I tend to almost always use the same specific aperture setting for each of my lenses because I like how the lenses render at those settings. That means I've become very used to the focus zone of each particular lens at the 'usual' aperture setting, and I can tell almost instantly when I look at a photo if I used a larger or smaller lens opening. The usual change is two stops larger (since I mostly shoot at two stops down from wide open) or two stops smaller... It makes estimation very very easy and pretty darn accurate. :D

 

Recording the names and contact info of celebrities and other subjects of note is much more important than camera settings if you're building portfolios of photos for sale. For this reason, I used to always have a voice recorder or notebook in my camera bag. Those functions are now all contained in my iPhone, more conveniently. 

Edited by ramarren
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You could find one of these - or replicate it and print out some pages for your own use: http://www.apug.org/forum/index.php?attachments/p1000099-jpg.18350/

 

If I am comparing two apertures (which I don't do much, just when "learning" a new lens) with the M10, I just compare shutter speeds (assuming the total exposure is the same). The picture with the higher recorded shutter speed is the picture with the wider aperture. If the pictures are two different exposures with the same shutter speed, then the lighter picture is the wider aperture.

 

And, of course, there is the "sunny 16" rule - a good exposure in sunlight should be very close to a shutter speed of 1/(ISO) and f/16. From which one can use the data that IS recorded in EXIF (ISO and shutter speed) to extrapolate the aperture used to within ± 1/2 f/stop (at least as accurate as the M digital "estimates.") E.G. Sunny day, exposure was ISO 100 and 1/2000th second = aperture was about 4.3 f/stops more open than f/16, or about f/3.5. Hazy day, start from f/11; thin overcast, start from f/8; heavy overcast or in deep building or tree shadow, start from f/4.

 

Some "illustrated" tables for the Sunny 16 rule (from Kodak and Rolleiflex), from which one can reverse-engineer the approximate actual aperture used.

 

https://d1ro734fq21xhf.cloudfront.net/attachments/00TqHn-151119584.jpg

 

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/93/Rolleiflex_exposure_guide.JPG/400px-Rolleiflex_exposure_guide.JPG

 

I won't rehash our discussion that big_lynx linked to, but I suspect the absence of (approximate) aperture information from the M10 is mostly a question of firmware - and with enough feedback from users, Leica may write the functionality back in.

Edited by adan
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Take notes?  As I recall the purist argument for the M-D revolved around losing the distractions that caused lost shots.  Doesn't whipping out a notebook to record aperture fall into that category?  

 

I'm no purist, I'm a pragmatist. Bring it back says I.  Yes, its an estimate.  Yes, its almost never right.  Yes, some don't like it. Just make it configurable and have it off by default. Others can ignore it entirely or implement what ever complex solution they care to. I just want a value at a glance without having to think about it too much.  I find it useful for a number of scenarios.  Oh, and the e-level?  Bring that back to!  

 

 

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