Leica CL - Best Autofocus and Metering Settings?

[bherman01545]

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All;

 

For the Leica CL and for my upcoming trip, I'm setting up the camera and am looking for the best autofocus and metering settings.

My subjects will pretty much be static - landscapes and street photography.

 

I'm thinking about either the Spot AF or Mult-Field AF for the Focus Mode and either Centre-Weighted or Multi-Field for the Metering Mode.

 

Have any of you messed around with the various options, and if so, what do you recommend?

 

Thanks!

 

-Brad

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[jaapv]

Depends. For general use I prefer spot focus, and, given my M background, don't use shifting the focus point. Focus-recompose. I mostly use AFS. Having said that, I will change the setting according to my mood. Multifield is the lazy option, and quite well suited for holiday snaps.

For tracking focus I set the camera to AFC and electronic shutter.

When I hand the camera to somebody else I set it to multi-field.

 

In the end, it all boils down to personal preferences and and no hard-and-fast recipes can be given. There are no "best" settings.

[HeinzX]

I agree with Jaap - there is no best dicison for it under all circumstances. And the focal length of the lens used and its maximum aperture may influence the method used,

because of the depth of field linked with it. For me personally with the 18-56 multifield is a good solution sometimes combined withshifting focus point, if I find it necessary. But I might change it, if I will use the SL 24/90 on the CL - this I have to check, if I do so, but did not already it seriously. Yes, and I am a bit a lazy guy.

Edited August 8, 2018 by HeinzX

[Le Chef]

While I don’t have a CL yet, this question about “best” settings naturally leads to developing a set of different personally preferred profiles: a what’s “best” for landscapes profile, and a what’s “best” for street scenes profile. And it’s easy to experiment try them out and modify until you’re happy with them. Remembering to save them to a memory card you store safely somewhere...

[ramarren]

No single "best" settings exist ... There are settings that suit you best, and settings that suit particular types of subject matter best, etc. 

 

• I completely disregard autofocus settings because I don't own any T/TL/SL lenses anymore. It's a pretty simple solution to that question.
  
  Generally speaking, I prefer to train my eye to focus without any focusing aids most of the time. You get the best view of your subject that way. But depending upon the particular lens, lighting conditions, and subject matter, sometimes I find focus peaking essential to working quickly, and in other situations I use focus assist magnification. I use the latter more of the time, and with increasing frequency as I work with shorter focal length lenses. 
  
  BTW: I wish there was a simple, direct, one-button way to turn peaking on and off like there is with magnification. That would be a nice plus if Leica added it to what the two wheel buttons can be programmed to do. There are times when I'd switch the right button to be a peaking toggle rather than an ISO selector. 
   
• I have experimented with multi field, center weighted, and spot metering patterns. Spot metering pattern is most useful when working with backlit subjects and manual metering mode, for me. Differences between center weighted and multi field patterns are subtle with my R lenses and A priority metering; I leave it in multi field most of the time and adjust exposure with the histogram up and EV compensation set to the left wheel. 

I don't know that street photography is all that static ...

[albert]

All;

 

For the Leica CL and for my upcoming trip, I'm setting up the camera and am looking for the best autofocus and metering settings.

My subjects will pretty much be static - landscapes and street photography.

 

I'm thinking about either the Spot AF or Mult-Field AF for the Focus Mode and either Centre-Weighted or Multi-Field for the Metering Mode.

 

Have any of you messed around with the various options, and if so, what do you recommend?

 

Thanks!

 

-Brad

[albert]

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I took your advice and chose spot focus and AFS. Now, when I point at my subject I see just the one little cross in the center of the LCD or EVF. Before there were a flurry of green squats that kept moving around. I still don’t get that part, but I’m set for my trip to the lake country for ten days.

 

Thank all of You very much,

 

Al

[jaapv]

The "flurry of green squats"  are the places where the image is in focus.

[jaapv]

I took your advice and chose spot focus and AFS. Now, when I point at my subject I see just the one little cross in the center of the LCD or EVF. Before there were a flurry of green squats that kept moving around. I still don’t get that part, but I’m set for my trip to the lake country for ten days.

 

Thank all of You very much,

 

Al

Note, though, if you bump the triangle buttons you will move the cross around and in the worst case it will be hiding somewhere in a corner, just when you need it. The best way to resolve this issue is to set the LCD-EVF to "Auto" and double-tap the active LCD somewhere in the middle, which will recentre the focus cross.

[albert]

What setting makes them appear so someday I can learn how to use them? Sorry and appreciative for your patience. Now you know what it’s like to work in a care facility.

[jaapv]

You can change everything in the main menu. Experiment without photographing. But save your present settings as a user profile first, to be able to revert after you have messed everything up

[albert]

Hahahha.....great advice

[Louis]

Brad and Albert, I just finished a two weeks of road trip in few states of the US Mid West and here are a few steps I took, if it could be any help.

 

I had different situations; street shots, and quick landscapes because of the crowds and tourists. I tried different settings in my CL and finally, I found the following the most practical for my type of shooting. I precise “ my type of shooting” because I am sure it would be different for each person.

 

- I set the viewing to extended evf. It means I could only use the evf to see and compose and my screen was off except for changing any setting or viewing any shot.

 

- My exposure depended on the desired focus of the background, changing it with the right wheel.

 

- For me, the most important setting was the AF tracking. My subjects were moving; or, I was moving around. Therefore, my focusing also had to follow.

 

- The most annoying issue was that little focus square. As we have already discussed it several times before in different threads, it is not coming back by itself after each shot, and as my screen was off, I could not tap on it twice to bring it to the center. ( BTW, I must also note that even when my screen was on, tapping twice in hurry was not always working!). So, what I had to do was to use the little square where ever it was from the last shot to focus my subject and keep the release button half down while composing in order to keep the focus.

 

It was certainly not very comfortable and for me a confirmation that Leica should seriously consider this issue in future firmwares.

 

I hope the above would be any help.

 

Good luck,

 

Louis

Edited August 10, 2018 by Louis

[albert]

Much help