ruca Posted October 22, 2018 Share #1 Posted October 22, 2018 Advertisement (gone after registration) Dear Sirs, my name is Rui Correia, I live in Portugal and I'm new here in the forum! I've done amateur photography for hooby for a few years now. About 2 years ago I tried the analog photography of which I am increasingly fan! At the beginning of this year (2018) I decided to invest in the purchase of a better equipment and then I bought an M6 Panda body and then an Elmarit 28mm lens. I have photographed with the machine, but certainly because of my difficulties the final results have not been very good! So I would like to ask your help. I have read the manual of the camera but I continue with doubts about the "steps" to photograph.... the question is, what are the procedures to take a picture normally what I’m doing is .... 1st I define a speed that I understand adjusted to the conditions 2º I pull the film ahead 3rd I press the trigger a little to activate the measurement 4th I will adjust the correct measurement with the aperture ring and then I will take the Photo Is this the correct procedure? Our can I do the reverse: 1 set the aperture 2 pull the film 3 set the correct measurement with the speed or is there another way? I appreciate all your help. best regards rui correia Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted October 22, 2018 Posted October 22, 2018 Hi ruca, Take a look here Steps to shoot with the M6. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
Mute-on Posted October 22, 2018 Share #2 Posted October 22, 2018 Rui You can use either procedure. The first is prioritising the shutter speed to control the impression of movement (or to freeze movement), so the aperture is secondary. The second is prioritising aperture to control depth of field, so the shutter speed is secondary. Both are correct, but one is preferable over the other, depending on your priorities for the photo. 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
spydrxx Posted October 22, 2018 Share #3 Posted October 22, 2018 You forgot the part about focusing the lens. As far as the procedure you describe, different people do it different ways depending on the subject one wishes to photograph. If you want to stop a fast moving subject, typically you would decide the appropriate shutter speed first, but if you wanted to do a flattering portrait with a blurred background, you typically would initially decide of a large aperture first. I encourage you to get a good book on photography to help you get over the early learning phases more quickly. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted October 22, 2018 Share #4 Posted October 22, 2018 Welcome. Procedures to take a photo? Assuming you have a camera loaded with film and ready; 1. Find a subject matter. 2. Decide on your composition. 3. Take a light reading. 4. Set the focus and exposure depending on your own preferences (shutter speed to control 'movement' or aperture to control depth of field). 5. Take photo. 6. Wind on to next frame. 7. Return to step 1. Really there is no right way of doing things. I think you need to learn more about exposure and why you should choose the shutter speed or aperture in a given situation. As suggested already buy a book on the general principles of photography - lots of bargains to be found in the secondhand bookshops. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
alb59 Posted October 22, 2018 Share #5 Posted October 22, 2018 You say “the final results have not been very good.” Can you describe the photos you have taken? 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
frame-it Posted October 22, 2018 Share #6 Posted October 22, 2018 why not post some photos you shot 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruca Posted October 22, 2018 Author Share #7 Posted October 22, 2018 Advertisement (gone after registration) Hello everybody, thanks a lot for your kind comments! Maybe I did not express myself well about the real difficulty. Control shutter speed, aperture or even iso, to known what to do with them are not the problem. As I said before I do digital photography for several years now, only recently have I been shooting in analog. The concept of speed and aperture are assimilated. The problem, if that's what we can call it, has more to do with the "process" until you click to take the photo ... From what I noticed by reading the manual, it’s indicated that we must do: set speed, pull film, press the measuring button, adjust the aperture and take the picture. My question is whether, for example, in a normal situation I can set the aperture, pull the film, activate the measurement, adjust the speed and then decide that after all I want to adjust all again the aperture and speed, having the film already pulled, and whether the measurement is done correctly? I have an idea that I cannot do this. Situations in which I did so and the measurement was all shuffled and the photos were all in higkey or lowkey. It is a banal situation in digital (and even in another analog machine that I have_konica hexar af) but I think with the M6 this process has a chained way of being done .... I think after pulling the film I cannot change again on speed and aperture. Maybe I'm saying something outrageous, and I'm sorry for that, but I would like to listen the opinion of those who had this experience. can find here some of my photos (taken with the M6 are very few, as said the experiences have not been very good best regards rui Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hilm3 Posted October 22, 2018 Share #8 Posted October 22, 2018 You can advance the film before or after you set aperture and speed. You can set aperture or speed before you click the shutter even if you have already advanced the film. What I don't understand is when you say that you "press the measuring button". It makes me think that by half-pressing the shutter, you think you are setting exposure. Not so. On an M6 you set exposure by adjusting speed, aperture or both by lighting up both dots in the meter. Not clear what you mean. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
carbon_dragon Posted October 22, 2018 Share #9 Posted October 22, 2018 Leicas with a meter often have aperture priority mode (but not shutter priority mode). In those cases setting the aperture first then allows you to read the shutter speed (or have it set for you depending on model). Other than that, you can set shutter speed and aperture in any order. You have to wind the film before you press the shutter release to take the picture, but it can be done anytime before you press the button. Exact order hasn’t been critical since the Leica I/II/III days when you had to wind the film before setting the shutter speed. From the M3 on, that hasn’t been a problem. No exact ordering is needed. You have to wind the film from the last exposure, set the shutter speed, and set the aperture, but order is up to you. And as said above, make sure you remember to focus the camera (and take the lens cap off!). Essentially the film Leica Ms operate exactly like any manual focus camera made in the pre-digital era. Except for film loading maybe. But count your blessings, Leica IIIs are even more exciting to load! 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruca Posted October 22, 2018 Author Share #10 Posted October 22, 2018 Thanks hilm3 That is my doubt! From what I had tested it seemed to me that to be changing the speed or aperture, after already having pulled the film, this would be shuffling the measurement of the camera. At least I associated that later with the final result of the photos, which was not the best. What I meant with the "press the measuring button" it's as you well explained … by half-pressing the shutter the camera active the measurement that allowed me to look at the arrows on the meter, and then adjust for the correct exposure. From what you say I can pull the film and then set to taste the aperture and speed to the desirable. All the best Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
alb59 Posted October 22, 2018 Share #11 Posted October 22, 2018 With a manual film camera like the M6 every setting you've made prior to pressing the shutter does not have any effect until you press the shutter button fully and hear a click. It is only when you press the shutter button fully that you create an image. Prior to pressing the shutter button fully, you have not created an image and any of the aperture and speed settings can be changed however you wish. Pressing the shutter halfway only activates the built-in light meter to indicate to you whether your current aperture and speed settings are overexposed or underexposed or neutral. The built-in light meter on the M6 does not perform any automated function, you still need to manually change your aperture and speed settings. The film advanced also does not have any effect on your image, its only function is to get the next frame on your film ready for exposure. On a manual film camera like the M6, the film advanced is not automatic, so you need to advanced the film lever to get the next shot ready. If you are using a 36 exposure film, the film is divided into 36 frames, each frame captures the image you expose after you fully press the shutter of the camera. After you press the shutter, that particular frame number is already exposed and has captured an image. The film counter indicator next to the film advanced lever tells you how many frames you have exposed. To get the camera ready for the next shot, you advanced the film to the next frame and start again. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomB_tx Posted October 22, 2018 Share #12 Posted October 22, 2018 The M6 meters off a white spot on the first shutter curtain, so you have to advance the film before metering. 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Ricoh Posted October 23, 2018 Share #13 Posted October 23, 2018 Rui, since you live in sunny Portugal, 'Sunny 16' might be your friend (this time of year it could be Sunny 11 or 8). Set shutter speed to 1/ISO and to play it safe set the aperture to f8. Advance the film, compose (fill the frame, since less is more), focus and release the shutter. Repeat x36 and process the film. You can also use the inbuilt reflective lightmeter of the M6 as a guide to exposure, or consider purchasing an incident light meter and transfer the settings to the M6. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruca Posted October 23, 2018 Author Share #14 Posted October 23, 2018 I would like to thank all of you for yours fantastic explanations and tips! I hope that from now on I can get better results with a little help from my friend sunny 16 :) all the best from portugal. Rui Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianman Posted October 23, 2018 Share #15 Posted October 23, 2018 21 hours ago, rui correia said: can find here some of my photos (taken with the M6 are very few, as said the experiences have not been very good Hi Rui, I have taken a look at your photos and to be honest I don't see much wrong with them! Quite the opposite! But they do seem very grainy. Maybe that is what you are not happy with? What film are you using? Are you developing yourself? 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruca Posted October 23, 2018 Author Share #16 Posted October 23, 2018 (edited) Hi ianman, I've very few photos published that were taken with the M6, because I did not like the final results. The b&w and grainy mood has more to do with my personal taste. The films I use are the normal ones: kodak, ilford, agfa, fuji .... some photos that are very grainy were taken with a kodak film (double X250) About developing, I'm ordering it from a specialty store. Doing my own developing will be the next step. I´ve not yet done so because I do not know the process ... Edited October 23, 2018 by rui correia Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ko.Fe. Posted October 24, 2018 Share #17 Posted October 24, 2018 Read the manual first. You must read the manual first. http://www.cameramanuals.org/leica_pdf/leica_m6.pdf 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruca Posted October 24, 2018 Author Share #18 Posted October 24, 2018 thanks Ko.Fe I have already done so, but it is not explicit in this situation. regards! Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
250swb Posted October 25, 2018 Share #19 Posted October 25, 2018 (edited) 19 hours ago, rui correia said: thanks Ko.Fe I have already done so, but it is not explicit in this situation. regards! It seems to me that the only thing you need to understand is that the M6 needs to have the shutter cocked (the film wound on) for the meter to work. The sequence in which you adjust shutter speed or aperture can be done in any order you like. So set the aperture if that is important for the depth of field, or the shutter if you want to freeze action by setting a faster shutter speed. Leica are not always very clear in how things are explained in the Manual, but they don't try to reinvent photography and it has always been optional with a manual camera that aperture and shutter speed are a simple choice based on the photographers requirements. If you want to treat it as a list of 'things-to-do' advance the film first so the meter is switched on, then you are free to make a choice regarding aperture or shutter or change your mind as many times as you wish before finally pressing the button to make a photograph. Edited October 25, 2018 by 250swb 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruca Posted October 25, 2018 Author Share #20 Posted October 25, 2018 1 hour ago, 250swb said: It seems to me that the only thing you need to understand is that the M6 needs to have the shutter cocked (the film wound on) for the meter to work. The sequence in which you adjust shutter speed or aperture can be done in any order you like. So set the aperture if that is important for the depth of field, or the shutter if you want to freeze action by setting a faster shutter speed. Leica are not always very clear in how things are explained in the Manual, but they don't try to reinvent photography and it has always been optional with a manual camera that aperture and shutter speed are a simple choice based on the photographers requirements. If you want to treat it as a list of 'things-to-do' advance the film first so the meter is switched on, then you are free to make a choice regarding aperture or shutter or change your mind as many times as you wish before finally pressing the button to make a photograph. Thank a lot 250swb you have concluded and synthesize in a clear and objective way the list of 'things-to-do' ! thank you all 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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