[Leica] DOF Tables.....

[mark at rabinergroup.com (Mark Rabiner)]

With a Noctilux I walked around with the shutter speed on my M6 set at the
fastest speed 100oth then adjusted the aperture accordingly.
It was not all about the lens being set full blast it was all about the
shudder speed being set full blast. As a default.
Half the time I was stopped down a bit as it was too bright to not to and
some of the time I has to use a slower shutter speed than 1000th. Like at
night.
With a lens like a Noctilux  its seems obvious that one must not be afraid
to use it at f1 or f.95  as to not get plenty of pix at those f stop what
there would be not point in paying all that money and lugging that thing
around worrying that we're going to drop it. It performs well at f1 and will
save your but at o dark hundred or just indoors.
But one can shoot oneself in the foot with a blind idealizing of wide open
shooting wherever that comes from. In most situations you're certainly
better off stopping down a bit and getting the thing you are shooting in
focus. And other things in focus too. And the idea that the Noctilux does
not perform well stopped down is a fallacy. Its a lens which happens to open
up to f1 or beyond. And is optimized for night. Its more than ok for day.
Shooting wide open is for when you really have a troublesome background
which needs to be thrown out of focus to put then put the full attention on
the subject. That's only going to happen so often. Its a specialized  effect
really. Not meant to be a default of any kind. This DOF cards point out how
difficult it would be shooting wide open for most things. You'd simply not
be bringing home most of your shots because  you'd miss your focus and most
often you want more then an ultra thin slice of the picture in focus. And
the assurance that when you get home that slice really doers include the
piece of dental you were hoping on getting. They key would be to just take a
slew of pictures covering yourself. One of them will be in focus. But the
smart thing in general is to give yourself some leeway in the focus
department. F 5.6 is a very nice f stop. One has to think. And figure out
the optical f stop for a certain shot. f8 is a very nice f stop to use and
use often. I'm sometimes fond of f11. And if its cold outside I like f16
come inside for a cup of hot tea. I've shot plenty  of pix at f22 and one or
two at f32. Nobody died or asked for their money back when everything in the
picture was in focus. As a matter it was just taken for granted and rarely
discussed. I think if I brought back a thin sliver in focus they'd ask why
for all that money I could not go out and buy myself a better camera. Or why
they could not get a better photographer.


On 1/29/13 3:02 PM, "Cedric Agie" <cedric.agie at gmail.com> wrote:

> Are your really going to walk around in daylight with a Noctilux 0.95
> and a speed of 400 ISO or more? Or is it just for fun? When you do
> these calculations you really start thinking. And do take notes of
> your new tests.
> 
> On the other hand I know (a very few) pro's who can walk around at
> night in a city, in a bar, around an orchestra or a theatre, inside
> it's buildings and take pictures in dim light, going unnoticed and
> come back with marvellous pictures.
> 
> cedric.agie at gmail.com




-- 
Mark William Rabiner
Photography
http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/lugalrabs/