totallymorgan Posted February 16, 2019 Share #1 Posted February 16, 2019 (edited) Advertisement (gone after registration) Hey all- I’m not sure if this exact topic has been covered before- wasn’t exactly sure which search terms to go for. I recently purchased a Leica M7 with a Summicron 35 ASPH. I primarily shoot street photography but have up until now been utilizing point and shoots and SLRs. My question is: how much wiggle room do you have with the focus on a rangefinder? Do your images need to be PRECISELY aligned, or when shooting on a sunny day at f/8 and ISO 800, for example, will you still manage to have a relatively sharp image if the image in the rangefinder is slightly misaligned? As I’m shooting people that are constantly moving around, and attempting to zone focus, I’m just curious what I can get away with. Again, sorry if this has been answered a million times and I’m simply new/uninformed. Edited February 16, 2019 by totallymorgan Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted February 16, 2019 Posted February 16, 2019 Hi totallymorgan, Take a look here Super Basic Rangefinder Question. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
Michael Geschlecht Posted February 16, 2019 Share #2 Posted February 16, 2019 (edited) Hello Morgan, Welcome to the Forum. You have just asked a whole lot of questions. Be prepared to be whelmed, over & more, with a flurry of responses. Best Regards, Michael Edited February 16, 2019 by Michael Geschlecht 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Geschlecht Posted February 16, 2019 Share #3 Posted February 16, 2019 (edited) Hello Again Morgan, By the way: You just asked a perfectly reasonable question. Because the ONLY unreasonable question: is: The 1 that you DO NOT ask. And the part of that question that is unreasonable is: Not asking it. Also: This Forum is a good place to ask your question as well as many others like it. Best Regards, Michael Edited February 16, 2019 by Michael Geschlecht 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pico Posted February 16, 2019 Share #4 Posted February 16, 2019 (edited) The optics of SLRs and Rangefinders are identical. If an SLR has auto-focus where the camera makes all focus decisions outcomes might be different depending upon our intention. If a person has become dependent upon auto-focus he will likely be disappointed with a rangefinder unless he finds selective focus particularly valuable, and worth learning. With 50 years experience I submit that auto-focus is excellent if one can over-ride it. Edited February 16, 2019 by pico Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
a.noctilux Posted February 16, 2019 Share #5 Posted February 16, 2019 (edited) Morgan, have a look at your Summicron 35mm, you have your answer there in "depth of field" scale engraved on the lens barel. With 800ISO film, this must work well, if you don't plan to print big. If the scales "8" are within the "misalignment in rangefinder", it's in the "depth of acceptable/tolerable fussiness". ... Just seen ... rangefinder question... Recent topic, here may answer same question with details and more. Edited February 16, 2019 by a.noctilux 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
A miller Posted February 17, 2019 Share #6 Posted February 17, 2019 Wow, you really are a newbie. 😂 That is exactly what the DOF scale on the lens is for. It tells you the range of acceptable focus. It is very accurate, in fact on film I find it to be conservative. Have fun getting up that learning curve! Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
A miller Posted February 17, 2019 Share #7 Posted February 17, 2019 Advertisement (gone after registration) 7 hours ago, Michael Geschlecht said: Hello Again Morgan, By the way: You just asked a perfectly reasonable question. Because the ONLY unreasonable question: is: The 1 that you DO NOT ask. And the part of that question that is unreasonable is: Not asking it. Also: This Forum is a good place to ask your question as well as many others like it. Best Regards, Michael Michael - you are very gracious but I just have to ask why you didn't offer an answer - just two feel-good posts but no answer. Hmm... Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ko.Fe. Posted February 17, 2019 Share #8 Posted February 17, 2019 OP. Here is your homework. Google, find and learn how to use DoF calculator. Then look at the DoF scale of your lens and understand what it means. Then try different distances and see how much DoF you'll get and how it is related to focus in RF patch. Here is the hint. If at f8 and with 35mm lens on my M, I don't use RF focus on the street. I focus by position of focus tab. Before I have VF to my eye. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
totallymorgan Posted February 17, 2019 Author Share #9 Posted February 17, 2019 28 minutes ago, Ko.Fe. said: OP. Here is your homework. Google, find and learn how to use DoF calculator. Then look at the DoF scale of your lens and understand what it means. Then try different distances and see how much DoF you'll get and how it is related to focus in RF patch. Here is the hint. If at f8 and with 35mm lens on my M, I don't use RF focus on the street. I focus by position of focus tab. Before I have VF to my eye. THANK YOU! Super helpful information. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ecar Posted February 17, 2019 Share #10 Posted February 17, 2019 Yes, f/8 and a slight misalignment of the RF patch will provide acceptable sharpness in most street circumstances. The key subjective words here are "slight" and "acceptable", but I guess I see what you mean. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
spydrxx Posted February 17, 2019 Share #11 Posted February 17, 2019 Old newspaper photographers used the phrase "f/8 and be there" to get their shots for publication. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davidthefat Posted February 18, 2019 Share #12 Posted February 18, 2019 Shooting at 1/1000s (Fastest shutter speed of M7) at f/8 with a 800 ISO film on a sunny day will over expose it by two stops by the way. On a cloudy day, you might be getting away with it being exposed at f/16. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
spydrxx Posted February 18, 2019 Share #13 Posted February 18, 2019 Not sure why one would be loading 800 ISO film for use in sunlight. I'd strongly suggest using a quality ND filter or swapping cartriges for a more reasonable speed film if shooting in sunlight. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Geschlecht Posted February 20, 2019 Share #14 Posted February 20, 2019 Hello Morgan, Were any of the cameras that you used before: Cameras that had a sensor/film size that was the same as an M7. That is to say: Dimensions of 24 mm X 36 mm? Best Regards, Michael Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rpsawin Posted March 8, 2019 Share #15 Posted March 8, 2019 Be as precise as your vision allows when focusing. The rf focusing mechanism is very accurate absent of any mechanical issues. The rest then becomes a creative choice based on the aperture you select. BTW..you ave come to the right place to ask questions and learn. Best regards, Bob Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.