Novice with CL

[David Cantor]

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I come recently to a new-to-me, Leica CL and the Summilux 35mm f/1.4 from a micro-four thirds system with highly evolved IBIS.   I am refining the settings on the CL and seeking advice regarding Auto ISO and trying get to a maximum ISO that will give me an optimum balance between image quality and avoidance of camera shake.  Most of my photography takes place on the street and occasionally in well-lit interiors and I usually don't get involved in very low-light situations.  I'd go out and try but it's icy outside and too treacherous underfoot.

Thanks

DC

PS while I'm here, is it possible to view the focus point in post-processing software, I use Affinity Photo.  Haven't found it possible yet.

Edited December 10, 2022 by David Cantor
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[lct]

2 hours ago, David Cantor said:

seeking advice regarding Auto ISO and trying get to a maximum ISO that will give me an optimum balance between image quality and avoidance of camera shake

Depends if you have steady hands. If you do like this oldie you may wish to try the same settings as mine i.e. max 3200iso and min 1/1f focus speed. 1/2f or 1/3f if you don't find your results sharp enough this way.

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[Le Chef]

I set 1600 as my max ISO, and 1/60th as my minimum speed. If I use the 55-135 then I increase the minimum shutter speed to 1/250th.

[David Cantor]

Thank you both, I shall try both suggestions.

 

DC

[tommonego@gmail.com]

Just to be a contrarian I really dislike auto ISO, I feel I loose control of the camera. I can generally keep track of what ISO I need, am I perfect of course not, but the time I did try using auto ISO I found it would go to ISO 1600 too quickly. I try to keep the CL between 200 and 800, going to 1600 only if I absolutely need to, The CL does OK at ISO 1600 but it is far better at 800 or below. You have an excellent f1.4 lens learn to use it and shutter speed. Yes I do 90% of my photos on manual. 

[jaapv]

Agree. I dislike my settings jumping all over the place, especially as ISO is not a real exposure  parameter. I will set my ISO to the circumstances to be expected - just like loading the correct film -and control my image by the real exposure settings: shutter speed and aperture. Those alone will determine the amount of light that hits the sensor and determine the way my image looks. ISO is no more than signal amplification. You can find the plane of focus by looking for the sharpest part of the image.

[DenverSteve]

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The best thing is to ... shoot. Learn your camera and learn to see as your camera does.  See how your camera does at ISO3200,6400 above and below.  Learn how to anticipate grain and its attributes.  Most of all, shoot.  No one else's settings matter unless you like the results and the best way to anticipate your results is to shoot, evaluate, make notes, repeat.  Use tools like tripod or monopod as it suits you.  Remember: Rules are for fools. Guidelines are for wise minds.  So, set your own guidelines - and break them whenever possible.  Avoid other people's rule. Most of all, have fun. 

[David Cantor]

1 hour ago, DenverSteve said:

The best thing is to ... shoot. Learn your camera and learn to see as your camera does.  See how your camera does at ISO3200,6400 above and below.  Learn how to anticipate grain and its attributes.  Most of all, shoot.  No one else's settings matter unless you like the results and the best way to anticipate your results is to shoot, evaluate, make notes, repeat.  Use tools like tripod or monopod as it suits you.  Remember: Rules are for fools. Guidelines are for wise minds.  So, set your own guidelines - and break them whenever possible.  Avoid other people's rule. Most of all, have fun. 

Steve, of course you are absolutely correct and I’ll do as you suggest.  I could use my previous camera virtually with my eyes closed and was looking to short cut in the early stages of the CL. Conditions at the moment are not conducive to outdoor photography -frustrating.

 

 

 

[pocholin]

It will also depend on how good of software you use to denoise pictures with high ISO. The CL produces good images up to ISO 3200, past that you must use more specialized software to remove noise. If you don't want to deal with noise removal, I suggest keeping it to 1600 max, 3200 if you use Photoshop. I've taken pictures with 6400 and successfully removed noise with Luminar neo and still keep great detail.

As mentioned before, try different setting and look at them on your computer. One more hint, shoot in RAW, there's a lot more flexibility to manipulate files...I resisted doing this for the longest time, looking back, I regret I didn't start shooting RAW before.