How to focus manually by Thorsten von Overgaard

[otto.f]

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The sloppy advice is as ludicrous as bags made of elephant leather and workshops of 1000€ a day. Especially in the context of using a Noctilux

Edited May 23, 2018 by otto.f

[bags27]

Pardon? That's pure nonsense! They intend their lenses to be used how the photographer needs to, to control exposure or DOF.

 

If Leica intended their lenses to be used wide open then they wouldn't bother to fit aperture blades.

This is widely stated in the reviews, so people repeat it. And, after all, on automatic everything, the Q does seem to default more often to 1.7 than any other aperture. But I couldn't agree with you more. Sure, DOF on a 28 is not nearly as great a consideration as when shooting a 50mm or longer. But good technique, even when shooting in SS priority or other priority, demands that we at least give a thought to aperture. This is really the case I find in macro work, where the difference between the default 2.5 and (say) f 11 will tell an entirely different story.

[Whitford]

Pardon? That's pure nonsense! They intend their lenses to be used how the photographer needs to, to control exposure or DOF.

 

If Leica intended their lenses to be used wide open then they wouldn't bother to fit aperture blades.

 

I'm repeating what I heard a rep from Wetzlar state to a local Leica dealer. "Stop telling people to stop down our lenses. We don't work tirelessly on them to shine wide open for people to spend all their time at f8."

[bags27]

I'm repeating what I heard a rep from Wetzlar state to a local Leica dealer. "Stop telling people to stop down our lenses. We don't work tirelessly on them to shine wide open for people to spend all their time at f8."

That's a commentary on sharpness, which is only one consideration. If you shoot all the time at f1.7 you have no control over depth of field. Sorry, WE are the artists. they "merely" make the cameras :-)

[Whitford]

That's a commentary on sharpness, which is only one consideration. If you shoot all the time at f1.7 you have no control over depth of field. Sorry, WE are the artists. they "merely" make the cameras :-)

 

Yeah you do, it's just shallow.

[jaapv]

Yes, but you are using it just because it’s there, not as a creative tool.

[Whitford]

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Yes, but you are using it just because it’s there, not as a creative tool.

 

 

And I eat steak cooked medium rare because it tastes a lot better than well done.

[Eoin]

Shutter speed controls the Exposure

Aperture controls the depth of field 

Basic photography!.

 

Peter Karbe says ... in relation to an interview on the 75 Noctilux http://blog.leica-camera.com/2017/11/29/introducing-leica-noctilux-m-75mm-f1-25-asph/

 

"Our predominant purpose in designing fast lenses is to give photographers the ability to achieve distinctive compositional effects with the aid of a shallow depth of field. The 75mm focal length makes it possible to fill out the frame when shooting from a sufficient distance, while emphasizing parts of the image through a conscious application of the depth of field, depending on the subject and creative intention. This is what the aperture is for – its purpose should not, by contrast, be to control the exposure. Also, there is no need to stop down in order to increase the imaging quality: our lenses are essentially designed to offer maximum performance at fully open aperture."

 

Not sure I agree with his comment "offer maximum performance wide open" perhaps he meant to say they are designed to give the best possible performance wide open. But to say a lens does not improve with stopping down before defraction sets in is not my experience with any leica lens.

Perhaps the 75 Noctilux breaks all the rules, but I'll never know.

[earleygallery]

Shutter speed controls the Exposure

Aperture controls the depth of field 

Basic photography!.

 

Peter Karbe says ... in relation to an interview on the 75 Noctilux http://blog.leica-camera.com/2017/11/29/introducing-leica-noctilux-m-75mm-f1-25-asph/

 

"Our predominant purpose in designing fast lenses is to give photographers the ability to achieve distinctive compositional effects with the aid of a shallow depth of field. The 75mm focal length makes it possible to fill out the frame when shooting from a sufficient distance, while emphasizing parts of the image through a conscious application of the depth of field, depending on the subject and creative intention. This is what the aperture is for – its purpose should not, by contrast, be to control the exposure. Also, there is no need to stop down in order to increase the imaging quality: our lenses are essentially designed to offer maximum performance at fully open aperture."

 

Not sure I agree with his comment "offer maximum performance wide open" perhaps he meant to say they are designed to give the best possible performance wide open. But to say a lens does not improve with stopping down before defraction sets in is not my experience with any leica lens.

Perhaps the 75 Noctilux breaks all the rules, but I'll never know.

 

Perhaps Mr Karbe could explain why all the lenses perform better stopped down in that case?

 

I think his comments were more aimed at increasing sales of their more expensive lenses.

[earleygallery]

And I eat steak cooked medium rare because it tastes a lot better than well done.

 

But it should be eaten raw. Raw steak is the equivalent of a lens used wide open. Medium rare is f8. Why aren't you eating it raw? That's the way all meat was intended to be eaten, after all wild animals don't cook their meat do they!

[Whitford]

But it should be eaten raw. Raw steak is the equivalent of a lens used wide open. Medium rare is f8. Why aren't you eating it raw? That's the way all meat was intended to be eaten, after all wild animals don't cook their meat do they!

 

Did you just try to hijack an analogy?

 

EDIT: Nevermind the try part, I think you did it quite successfully. 

Edited May 23, 2018 by Whitford

[bags27]

Yeah you do, it's just shallow.

well, that's one kind of shot. And it highlights Leica's sharpness and bokeh. But frankly, sharpness today is an easy target to hit. Lens correction within the camera and PP help correct and increase sharpness. A lot of folks see sharpness as the equivalent of clean dynamic range in digital music--and then go out and buy $12K turntables and $100 LPs because they produce what they perceive of as a "warmth" that is a happy trade-off for brightness and technical accuracy.

 

So, Leica's sharpness is a small advantage. Leica's advantage resides in micro-contrast and the lens' ability to be relatively sharp through 2 dimensions that begin to appear like three dimensions. That's the Leica advantage and that's best got with depth of field. 

 

If you don't believe me, go to the SL or CL threads and look at the photos produced by the amazing 16-35 SL zoom. It looks like you can walk into those photos and never come out. 

[Keith_W]

Perhaps Mr Karbe could explain why all the lenses perform better stopped down in that case?

 

I think his comments were more aimed at increasing sales of their more expensive lenses.

 

Laws of physics? All lenses, Leica included, will perform better when stopped down. What you pay for is the design and tight manufacturing tolerances that give you the OPTION of shooting wide open with minimal loss of performance, compared to lesser lenses. 

[Hwaet]

Mr. Karbe was saying that there's no need to stop down to improve image quality--that is, the lens is beautifully sharp at a wide open; it's not a compromise for speed (the way it is on many other lenses). He's not saying not to stop down at all--go ahead and stop down the aperture if the desire is to increase depth of field.

 

Edited January 18, 2019 by Hwaet
clarity

[bags27]

4 hours ago, Hwaet said:

Mr. Karbe was saying that there's no need to stop down to improve image quality--that is, the lens is beautifully sharp at a wide open; it's not a compromise for speed (the way it is on many other lenses). He's not saying not to stop down at all--go ahead and stop down the aperture if the desire is to increase depth of field.

 

Hallelujah Thank you. As a first post, it was a wise one. Welcome to the forum.

[prk60091]

On 5/23/2018 at 4:32 PM, earleygallery said:

 

But it should be eaten raw. Raw steak is the equivalent of a lens used wide open. Medium rare is f8. Why aren't you eating it raw? That's the way all meat was intended to be eaten, after all wild animals don't cook their meat do they!

Medium rare is closer to 2.4 or 3.5 than f8

 

[Viv]

I know how to focus. Sloppy focus will give sloppy results. It's not that hard to do it right.

[jaeger]

My RF focus secret is different.  I shoot summilux wide open most of the time so I can't be sloppy, but I nail it most of the time. 

Edited December 3, 2019 by jaeger

[jaapv]

On 5/25/2018 at 7:56 AM, Keith_W said:

 

Laws of physics? All lenses, Leica included, will perform better when stopped down. What you pay for is the design and tight manufacturing tolerances that give you the OPTION of shooting wide open with minimal loss of performance, compared to lesser lenses. 

Sorry, not true - for diffraction limited lenses.

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica Q

[IkarusJohn]

36 minutes ago, jaapv said:

Sorry, not true - for diffraction limited lenses.

Only when you hit the diffraction limit.  Otherwise the statement is perfectly true.