Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2001/08/08

[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]

Subject: RE: [Leica] Compact M Motor - smearing image LHS
From: "George Day" <george@rdcinteractive.com>
Date: Wed, 8 Aug 2001 14:48:47 -0700

Wow.  LAME.  For a close to $700 gadget, that's absurd.

- -----Original Message-----
From: owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
[mailto:owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us]On Behalf Of Andrew
Nemeth
Sent: Wednesday, August 08, 2001 12:47 PM
To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
Subject: [Leica] Compact M Motor - smearing image LHS


A while back I reported that motorised sequences taken with
the new Compact M Motor would smear the left hand side of
shots following #1 in the sequence.

Finally had some time to test this and can confirm that yes,
it's a real problem at all shutter speeds when you have the
motor set to the quiet(er) "I" setting.

What appears to happen is that the shutter opens prior to the
low-tourque-wind film has fully coming to rest, resulting in
the LHS side of the frame being motion blurred.  The proprortion
of the frame ruined of course varies with the s/speed.  At 1/250th
only @ 1/8th of the frame is ruined.  At 1/125th almost a third
of the image gets smeared.

However, set the motor to the louder & faster "II" setting and
the smearing is gone, at all s/speeds.  Here because there is
no low-tourque monkeying about, the film is in place and
stationary when the shutter curtain opens.

So the moral of the story is: use "I" for one-off frames and
stick to "II" for sequences.

(I'll add this morsel to the FAQ later today.)

Regds,


Andrew Nemeth

<http://4020.net>    -> photos, 360° panoramic vrs, sounds
<http://nemeng.com>  -> vr java applets, leica faq, tech info