Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2003/04/06
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Roland wrote: <snip> Does the "hand held focal length equals shutter speed rule" work for lenses 200mm and greater on a Leica rangefinder body? <snip> Some years ago I tested that rule of thumb with my M6, using the latest models 90mm Elmarit and the 50mm Summicron. For the test I selected a wire mesh fence, topped with barbed wire, that surrounds a nearby electric substation (I wouldn't do this today) because I could not find a textbook white picket fence. I photographed a segment of fence and barbed wire from a distance of 10 meters, first with the M6 on a tripod an then hand-held. For each series I made one exposure on Delta 100 at each shutter speed from 1/1000 sec to 1/15 sec. I wrote each shutter speed on a sign that I hung on the fence so that I would be included in the image. I had the film developed by a custom lab and viewed the frames, projected onto an easel, with the lab's grain analyzer. I found visible differences in sharpness between the images from hand-held and tripod-mounted exposures at all shutter speeds slower than 1/250 sec. I did not repeat the experiment at smaller magnifications. Your mileage may vary. Oliver Bryk - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html