Weddings, Events, Live Music - M10, lenses and second body?

[dancook]

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I would not like the so saturated colours and the (too) high contrasts. To me the photos are quite sharp indeed but somehow artificial.

 

Please do not take that as a statement against your abilities or skills. It is just my personal feeling when looking at your colour pics.

 

Last Friday night I had a similar decision to make: I had the order (Auftrag) to document an outdoor concert in the evening. The stage was rather dark with a few strong spotlights. And I decided to take the 5D with the 70-200 plus 50mm prime. Before my decision I thought of how I will move around there (I was allowed to go onto the stage too very near to the musicians): As usually I go to a position which is most often in front of some people, there I try to shoot a few shots and disappear quickly not to disturb people behind me too much. The same on the stage: Appear, shoot and disappear. It has to go fast.

 

My main settings were f/2.8 70-200mm (whole range of the zoom) 1/200 to 1/500s at ISO 800 to 3200 and a correction of -1¾ AV. Some shots I did with 50mm at 1.4 with the same correction and corresponding ISOs. Like that I had all faces perfectly well exposed without any blown highlights. The lens had image stabilisation and fast AF. The AF worked extremely well on the Canon and I was very fast in my work. The result is splendid: About 500 very crisp and sharp images. 

 

A few weeks ago at a similar event I was brave and I took the M10 with 50mm Lux and the 75mm Cron. I would not say that I struggled but I had many shots out of focus. Or else it took me too long to shoot and I did not feel well. I want really to appear in front and disappear quickly. People should not start to think what this guy is making there . . .

 

But I think that you did well after all. Congratulations. It will take me longer to do what you did. Next time I will try to take Canon AND the M10 . . .

 

I haven't given the processing too much thought, I just applied the SL preset I created, which actually doesn't work as good on the Q as the SL - and maybe I need something a little different for the M10 too - we'll see

 

When i wanted to be a bit more conspicuous, there was the odd moment i used the LCD to take the shot.

[Peter H]

I would not like the so saturated colours and the (too) high contrasts. To me the photos are quite sharp indeed but somehow artificial.

 

Please do not take that as a statement against your abilities or skills. It is just my personal feeling when looking at your colour pics.

 

Last Friday night I had a similar decision to make: I had the order (Auftrag) to document an outdoor concert in the evening. The stage was rather dark with a few strong spotlights. And I decided to take the 5D with the 70-200 plus 50mm prime. Before my decision I thought of how I will move around there (I was allowed to go onto the stage too very near to the musicians): As usually I go to a position which is most often in front of some people, there I try to shoot a few shots and disappear quickly not to disturb people behind me too much. The same on the stage: Appear, shoot and disappear. It has to go fast.

 

My main settings were f/2.8 70-200mm (whole range of the zoom) 1/200 to 1/500s at ISO 800 to 3200 and a correction of -1¾ AV. Some shots I did with 50mm at 1.4 with the same correction and corresponding ISOs. Like that I had all faces perfectly well exposed without any blown highlights. The lens had image stabilisation and fast AF. The AF worked extremely well on the Canon and I was very fast in my work. The result is splendid: About 500 very crisp and sharp images. 

 

A few weeks ago at a similar event I was brave and I took the M10 with 50mm Lux and the 75mm Cron. I would not say that I struggled but I had many shots out of focus. Or else it took me too long to shoot and I did not feel well. I want really to appear in front and disappear quickly. People should not start to think what this guy is making there . . .

 

But I think that you did well after all. Congratulations. It will take me longer to do what you did. Next time I will try to take Canon AND the M10 . . .

 

 

Sometimes switching between AF and MF really makes using manual focus much harder than it needs to be.

 

When you get used to autofocus to the point that it works for you all the time, as you seem to have done, it's not surprising that you struggle a bit when you switch to manual focus. All the little tricks and habits that you develop when you use only MF, the muscle memory, the instincts and reflexes at work in your brain, they inevitably get subdued and work less well and some may be lost entirely.

 

Maybe if you left your Canon at home and didn't touch it for a year and relied solely on your M10 for everything you'd find you could go to a wedding or another event and get at least  500 perfectly in-focus photos at settings that gave you just the look you like. But it would be difficult experiment at first, and need a great deal self-confidence and determination. And an appetite for risk!

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[M11 for me]

Sometimes switching between AF and MF really makes using manual focus much harder than it needs to be.

 

When you get used to autofocus to the point that it works for you all the time, as you seem to have done, it's not surprising that you struggle a bit when you switch to manual focus. All the little tricks and habits that you develop when you use only MF, the muscle memory, the instincts and reflexes at work in your brain, they inevitably get subdued and work less well and some may be lost entirely.

 

Maybe if you left your Canon at home and didn't touch it for a year and relied solely on your M10 for everything you'd find you could go to a wedding or another event and get at least  500 perfectly in-focus photos at settings that gave you just the look you like. But it would be difficult experiment at first, and need a great deal self-confidence and determination. And an appetite for risk!

I very much like your approach. As a matter of fact a few months ago I could so easily decide to buy the M10 because of my experience some 50 years ago. I started with Voigtländer and had nothing else than MF and 50mm with probably f/2.8 fixed lens. Indeed I said it several times that I love to work with the M10. Its just perfect and its like as if I got my Voigtländer back. And whenever I do NOT feel rushed I have only my 10 with my 3 lenses. And before the M10 alrady I tried to reduce weight and for traveling I often had the 5d with only the 35 and 135 fast primes. That was a brave decision one time too. But I did not feel that I had not enough. For me the yesterdays concert is still something else. But I am very much prepared to use in almost all other situations only the M10. The next event that I have to document is a political session in a large hall with mainly speakers. I have as well the freedom to walk around and as each speach lasts at least ½ hour I have plenty of time to "practice". Still there is then the aperitif when all people walk around and talk. In the past for these situations I used the 50mm prime at f 1,4. Distances are always between 2 to 3m maybe a bit less. And people like to be photographed but they do not like to wait me to be ready :-). Well I'll try next time.

[jaapv]

Just three words: Practice makes perfect.

[robert blu]

Years ago there was a thread about wedding photography with rangefinders camera, the digital was in that time the M8, the name of Riccis comes to my mind. Unfortunately I'm not able to find the original images but out off curiosity this thread can be interesting to read. Another thread about M cameras as weddings  tool is from the Overgaard's site.

Maybe this helps   
robert

Edited August 14, 2017 by robert blu

[dancook]

Thanks everyone, I've gone ahead an ordered the M10 and a set of lenses - I've also kept the SL and Q - maybe in 6 months time I will review my equipment to see if I want to sell anything not getting use.

Edited August 15, 2017 by dancook

[chris_tribble]

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Sounds sensible if your finances can make it work.  What M lenses?

[dancook]

Sounds sensible if your finances can make it work.  What M lenses?

 

24mm 1.4 asph, 50mm 1.4 asph and 90 2.0 apo asph

 

 

Also got the EVF, and a total of four batteries.

[dancook]

posted elsewhere sorry, but lenses arrived!

 

SL with Leica-M Lenses by dancook1982, on Flickr

 

SL with Leica-M Lenses by dancook1982, on Flickr

[robert blu]

@ dancook: just curious half an year later any thoughts about your experience? 

robert

[dancook]

@ dancook: just curious half an year later any thoughts about your experience? 

robert

 

Well I'm still juggling my gear to find a perfect harmony, that may not exist, which distracts me from going out and taking photos and likely impedes my development as a photographer.

 

I have shot the last 4 weddings with only the Leica M10 with 50mm Lux, and Leica Q - and for the most part i've been pretty happy.

 

But I did then shoot some school performances, a play rehearsal and a fashion show, which gave me two issues:

• Limited positioning (don't want to keep changing lenses)
• Speed of action (manual focus workout phew!)

 

My current gear consists of

 

Leica SL + 90-280mm

Leica M10 + 24mm 1.4, 35mm 1.4, 50mm 1.4, 90mm 2.0

Leica Q 28mm 1.7

 

I am currently advertising my M lenses for sale, 24/35/90 - since I carry my M10 with the Q, I prefer not to have the weight of the 24/35 on my person if I'm rarely going to use them.

 

Once sold, I will buy a 24-90mm for the SL, and use that for more demanding photography work. I will probably use it for weddings too, and possibly have the M10+50mm 1.4 along side it.

 

I've also been considering the 50 cron apo, or 50 noct 0.95 - just because

 

 

 

I don't have the wedding photos online typically, but here's a couple of 50 m-lux shots which were from a friends wedding.

 

 

[douglas fry]

In my view, the 'best' wedding combo is a pair of rangefinders, with a 35 cron on one, a noctlux on the other and a 21mm Super Elmar in your pocket. The advantage a rangefinder has over the SL is speed of focus (assuming M lenses on the SL) as I know which way to turn the focusing barrel with a rangefinder, with the SL the image is just a bit blurred and its hard to know which way to go to achieve focus, and its heavier. I think too that the M's are better suited to M lenses.

 

So I have the 50mm on the M10 and 35 on my battered old M240 and it works well for me. The 35 is good for the family groups as anything at the edges is still sharp with no lens aberrations and the 50 for isolating people from their surroundings and low light obviously. The 21 is good for scene setters and the larger groups. I have loads of other stuff in my roller bag (just in case) but rarely use it. Well the Elinchrom flash is brought out for those dingey venues we get in UK to get a nice light over those family groups.

 

Like with all these things, its all a matter of personal taste and shooting preferences

 

Here are a few from my recent wedding in London earlier in January

 

 

 

 

 

[dancook]

In my view, the 'best' wedding combo is a pair of rangefinders, with a 35 cron on one, a noctlux on the other and a 21mm Super Elmar in your pocket. The advantage a rangefinder has over the SL is speed of focus (assuming M lenses on the SL) as I know which way to turn the focusing barrel with a rangefinder, with the SL the image is just a bit blurred and its hard to know which way to go to achieve focus, and its heavier. I think too that the M's are better suited to M lenses.

 

So I have the 50mm on the M10 and 35 on my battered old M240 and it works well for me. The 35 is good for the family groups as anything at the edges is still sharp with no lens aberrations and the 50 for isolating people from their surroundings and low light obviously. The 21 is good for scene setters and the larger groups. I have loads of other stuff in my roller bag (just in case) but rarely use it. Well the Elinchrom flash is brought out for those dingey venues we get in UK to get a nice light over those family groups.

 

Like with all these things, its all a matter of personal taste and shooting preferences

 

Here are a few from my recent wedding in London earlier in January

 

 

 

 

 

 

I like it, maybe something to consider down the line - it would be a bit of a jump for me right now, but i could use a noctilux (if i buy one) on the SL

 

I feel I need the 24-90 on the SL still for other stuff, and will probably try it out at weddings for now.