Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2002/09/08
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]The answer is to keep pressing the shutter button. After taking uncounted frames(at one time I was rolling three hundred feet of Tri-X a week) you begin to get a feel for what is going to happen at any given aperture. Very rarely I get surprised as I was with the recent saucers in the wide open Summarit, it wasn't the out of focus that surprised me, it was the rendition of the highlights in the background. http://www.photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=989539 Also, to some extant, you have to go with the Ted viewpoint that what is out of focus is of limited interest for most subjects. In other words, if you are using a Noctilux wide open focusing close then not much of the background is going to be recognizable. Similarly, even wide open, a 300 F2.8 is going to show a lot when focused at infinity. The difficulty is when you are using a middle aperture at a middle distance with a normalish lens. I think this is where the bokeh people get the argument for bokeh. For many people the look of the 35 Summicron gen IV is so pleasant because the transition from sharp to unsharp is so smooth. It allows the photographer to be more careless in consideration of the scene. I suspect that is also why so many people, myself included, keep the DR Summicron in our bags. It is not as sharp as the latest version but it is better in focus transition which is valuable for some scenes. And, to answer the question, yes, I do have and use virtually every 50mm made to fit a Leica. They all have interesting uses and looks that can make a photograph. My only real hole is the 50 Nokton from the fifties, but I will not pay what is being asked today and haven't met the proverbial pissed off spouse that wants to sell one for a buck. In summary, it is really using your tools until you know exactly what that tool will do for you in most conditions. Thanks for asking. Don dorysrus@mindspring.com - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html