[LRflex] Comments etc

  • From: KEITH LONGMORE <keith@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: leicareflex@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Sat, 01 Sep 2007 10:19:30 +0100

Hi Ted, David, Alex, Doug, et al who commented - many thanks! This feedback is most useful. as you know, I took my digi camera out because I'd had enough of lugging heavy kit about that weekend. The strange thing is, when I use a digi, I don't really look at the subject the same as when I'm looking through a good SLR film viewfinder. Psychological? The Eagle Owl: I was a bit puzzled by the cast that appeared, but didn't feel like attacking it at around midnight last night - especially with my wife harassing me! I'm going to have another look at it over the weekend, and play with it in Photoshop. (I have CS2 and Lightroom 1.1, incidentally, but I prefer to use the old PS 5LE - much nicer interface.) The original print doesn't have that cast, so it must be something to do with the scanner, or maybe the encoding software on PBase.....


David - the Fuji is almost new, as is the Circular Polariser. I measured the loss through the CPL with a lightmeter, and found it loses around 2 - 2 1/2 stops. (Much to my surprise) The reason I usually leave it on is that it's useful for the main reason for having the camera - photographing watch movements/parts, where light reflection is a nuisance. I've taken it off now! I don't think the CPL is the reason for the problem in the sense of light loss; on holiday in Crete I used it for evening shots to reduce the effect of mist off the sea, and it worked fine then. I'm wondering if the software in the camera has done a certain software company's trick of throwing up a bug or two.....

With events like I was photographing - Eye Show - it can be very difficult to find the right position/light, because of the press of people (I'm sure you've all had that problem!) and just the instant you press the button, someone bangs into you. Indeed, taking the photographs of Sam and Daisy was a real challenge. Daisy particularly, because, like so many modern singers, she practically swallows the mike when she's singing. I tried to get a better angle, but they were on a truck trailer, so their feet were at the level of my ear; as well, the side curtains of the trailer got in the way, when I tried to get the angle I really wanted (they were at one end, and another band at the other). And, although she remained for much of the time glued to the mike, she didn't stay still for a second! Maybe that's what fooled the AF.

BTW, David, yes the Eagle Owl was captive; but there are quite a few breeding in the wild here now, mainly in Yorkshire. The Kestrel was also captive. The event was a Medieval Fair by a re-enactment group, and there was a group of raptors in a large tent. It wasn't easy to get a good angle there, either, because (a) there was an orange netting barrier, and (b) a crush of kids clamouring to have their photographs taken with one of the birds. Incidentally, I remember a week or two back, someone posted an owl shot, and reported a similar problem. What I did was to get as low as I could - without falling or being knocked over! - and pushed the lens through the netting. That helped steady the lens a bit, too.

Well, please keep comments coming; it's nice to to get a feel for these things as others see them! Thanks again, much appreciated. We've lost the good weather now, again, so it may be a while before any more appear..although I do have some more shots from the Medieval Fair.
Cheers
Keith

FreeLists Mailing List Manager wrote:
Leica Reflex Forum Digest
+------------------------+------------------------------------
leicareflex Digest      Fri, 31 Aug 2007        Volume: 04  Issue: 241

In This Issue:
                [LRflex] Oooops!
                [LRflex] Re: Keith's shots ( was.. Oooops!)
                [LRflex] Re: Now we should all be lucky enough to shoot like
                [LRflex] Re: Oooops!
                [LRflex] Re: Oooops!
                [LRflex] Re: Oooops! Further thoughts....
[LRflex] Re: Holiday snaps 4 - Strange shop, Fortune Teller [LRflex] Harvest time
                [LRflex] FS - Limited edition, framed wildlife photographs.
                [LRflex] Re: Now we should all be lucky enough to shoot like
                [LRflex] Posted Photographs - best I have done
[LRflex] Re: Holiday snaps 4 - Strange shop, Fortune Teller [LRflex] Re: Posted Photographs - best I have done
                [LRflex] Re: Posted Photographs - best I have done
                [LRflex] Re: Posted Photographs - best I have done
                [LRflex] Re: Posted Photographs - best I have done
                [LRflex] Re: Posted oops critique

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Date: Fri, 31 Aug 2007 13:03:54 +0100
From: KEITH LONGMORE <keith@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [LRflex] Oooops!

Sorry Ted (and anyone else commenting!) www.pbase.com/leica1938/gig and www.pbase.com/leica1938/eye_show_2007
'Twas the end of a rather long day yesterday - brain went AWOL...

I was talking to a rather experienced digital photographer at work this morning, and his thought was that the polarising filter may be taking some 2 or 3 stops off the exposure, and allowing some camera shake; usually, shake gives a very distinctive result with this camera, so I don't know. I also got less sharp than usual results at about 100 mm, so I'll have to do some experimenting. Like I said, if anyone has any ideas or suggestions, they'd be very welcome.

Cheers
Keith

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Date: Fri, 31 Aug 2007 13:33:12 +0100
From: Alex Hurst <corkflor@xxxxxx>
Subject: [LRflex] Re: Keith's shots ( was.. Oooops!)

Keith, now with URL, posted:

Sorry Ted (and anyone else commenting!) www.pbase.com/leica1938/gig and www.pbase.com/leica1938/eye_show_2007
'Twas the end of a rather long day yesterday - brain went AWOL...

I was talking to a rather experienced digital photographer at work this morning, and his thought was that the polarising filter may be taking some 2 or 3 stops off the exposure, and allowing some camera shake; usually, shake gives a very distinctive result with this camera, so I don't know. I also got less sharp than usual results at about 100 mm, so I'll have to do some experimenting. Like I said, if anyone has any ideas or suggestions, they'd be very welcome.


Keith - nice shots, but I concur that the shots near the tele end look soft - not camera shake, but just soft. Could be that your polariser filter means that you're using the lens wide-open. The w/a shots look a lot sharper.

Why are you using a polarising filter when, IMHO, there's little need to on a subject like this? I tend to use a polariser when I have lots of distracting reflecting surfaces or I want to cut down on sky glare.

The only filter use more or less permanently on most of my Leica lenses is a UV - more for physical protection than anything else. Saved me when a I dropped a 90/2.8 Tele-Elmarit recently - cracked filter, but the lens is fine. Now that's a thread that's been done to death, so I'll say no more.... :-)

Best

Alex
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