M Journey Posted January 17, 2022 Share #1 Posted January 17, 2022 Advertisement (gone after registration) Hello all, I am learning to use the M system and thought I would post photos of my progress here along with my questions and thoughts. Hopefully people here can help me along the way with critiques, tips, and suggestions. Everything I post will be with the Leica m11 and 35m apo summicron lens. Today is the second time I have taken the kit out to shoot. This first photo was shot at ISO 64, 1/60 shutter speed. I think I was at f8 or f/11 and focus was just short of infinity. I find that the image in the visoflex is sharper short of infinity regardless of how far away I want to focus. The file is exported from the dng but with no other edits other than lowering the quality so that I can post it. Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! 1 Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/328621-a-running-log-of-my-progress-learning-the-m-feedback-and-tips-welcome/?do=findComment&comment=4358591'>More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted January 17, 2022 Posted January 17, 2022 Hi M Journey, Take a look here A running log of my progress learning the M, feedback and tips welcome.. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
M Journey Posted January 17, 2022 Author Share #2 Posted January 17, 2022 This was shot at ISO 64 wide open at f2 and 1/325 shutter speed. I focused on the plaque in the middle of the photo. Not as sharp as I would like it to be. Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! 1 Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/328621-a-running-log-of-my-progress-learning-the-m-feedback-and-tips-welcome/?do=findComment&comment=4358597'>More sharing options...
M Journey Posted January 17, 2022 Author Share #3 Posted January 17, 2022 This was shot wide open, focusing on the center of the tree bark. ISO 64, 1/1600 shutter speed. I find that I am setting the ISO at the beginning of my session and not changing It with each shot. I set the camera to Aperture priority so my shutter speed is determined by the camera. I need to get better at thinking through the process more until it becomes second nature. What is the best way to remember what aperture I shot each photo with? I don't think the m captures this in the exif data and what lightroom shows is probably just a guess. Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! 1 Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/328621-a-running-log-of-my-progress-learning-the-m-feedback-and-tips-welcome/?do=findComment&comment=4358599'>More sharing options...
Stevejack Posted January 17, 2022 Share #4 Posted January 17, 2022 (edited) Looks like it's all going well so far! Yes you won't be able to tell which aperture you're using but you'll get a feel for it soon, it's just different when you first switch to a manual system. I'm more of an Auto ISO person myself, usually wanting control over shutter speed + depth of field above all else, but there's no wrong answer there and that's all down to your creative decisions. Unless the light I'm shooting in is particularly troublesome I'll usually fix my ISO as well, just to be sure the camera doesn't make a wrong decision. The lighting and how you exposure for it in your image will add almost as much to the perception of sharpness as the point of focus itself. An image can quickly look washed out when the camera tries to average out the exposure so it's good to learn what you want to show in your image, expose for your subject, and then compose based on what the light is doing in the scene. Even metering off the sensor, you'll occasionally get some blown highlights using any of the automatic modes which may or may not be a problem for what you're trying to achieve. If it does look to be a problem and you still want to stick with an auto mode (subject moving in and out of the shade quickly for example), set your exposure compensation less a third or half a stop to compensate. Other than that - look for interesting light and subjects. Experimenting is good fun but the test for any camera is how well it performs when your creative juices are flowing. I don't really shoot wide-open much so I can't help you there - near enough is good enough for most of my work but if you're really keen on sharpness in the types of scenes you're showing here, a manual focus 35mm lens at f/2 might disappoint you. At 35mm unless your subject is really close you're not blurring enough of the background to conceal it, but you are softening large areas of the image that you might not want to appear soft. And if you're new to the M you would also be doing yourself a disservice if you ignored the zone focusing on your 35mm lens. Practice at f/2, set a distance on the lens, and shoot and shoot and shoot and objects around your house until your estimate of the subjects distance, the scale on your lens, and the focus in your image all match up. Practice at f/2 so when you shoot at f5/6 or above you've got some wiggle room 👍 Edited January 17, 2022 by Stevejack Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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