Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2003/07/15

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Subject: RE: [Leica] Focusing Noctilux and 75 Summulix in low light
From: "Don Dory" <dorysrus@mindspring.com>
Date: Tue, 15 Jul 2003 22:08:02 -0400

Mitch,
I think the trick is to rotate the camera about 45 degrees so that the
break from the white of the eye to the eyelid is a vertical movement of
the rangefinder patch.  That makes it easier to see the eye coming into
focus whether you turn the lens or rock your body.

Like you, I find it very difficult to see horizontal "eyes" coming
together.

Don
dorysrus@mindspring.com

- -----Original Message-----
From: owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
[mailto:owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us] On Behalf Of Mitch
Alland
Sent: Tuesday, July 15, 2003 5:41 PM
To: leica-users
Subject: [Leica] Focussing Noctilux and 75 Summulix in low light

Last night I tried to take portraits of three young women using the 
Noctilux and the 75 Summilux on my M6 in low light which, with 400 ISO 
film, required exposures of 1/15 sec. at f1.4 and 1/30 sec at f1.0. 
Trying to focus on the eyes, I found it extremely difficult: the low 
light and the relative large turning circle of the focussing ring of 
these two lenses made it extremely difficult to tell when the eyes were 
in focus. I also tried using the 1.25x magnifier but this did not seem 
to make it any easier as it slightly darkens the viewfinder image. I 
get the feeling focussing the M6 in such low light at the extremely 
narrow DOF  of the 1.0-14 apertures of these lenses is a hit or miss 
process.

Is there a solution to this problem other than rating the film at 800 
ISO and shooting at, say, f2.0 to increase the DOF?

...and for Ted Grant: I wasn't drinking the Lagavulin, so that was not 
the problem.

- --Mitch/Bangkok

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