Am I wasteing my time using my M6 hand held

[rolo]

Rolo

I've a third party crate (central tripod mount) and always try and carry monopod, alas frequently i have to brace against a wall or hang on to a lamp post. I'll go down to 1/8 sec but subject movement is normally too extreme, e.g. ten out of ten rejects.

The RB67 or TLR just too too heavy other than in a car (auto) boot (trunk).

None of my leitz lenses are modern high performance asphs, youngest is '77. Putsy's comments and graphs are not good for my optics, his views are resonable, I wont go larger than f4 unless the speed blur is going to mask the softness off axis.

Noel

Your return can be improved on. I will shoot wide open for 1/8s and expect a 50% satisfactory result. Half the failures are because of subject movement. Always take more than one frame in these circumstances. Also, underexpose by 1 stop at 1/15s to improve hit rate. Exhaling when exposing helps a little and shutter finger action is vital; you have to squeeze it and also make sure the camera is pressed firmly against your forehead/fingers. Its too easy to treat it 'lightly', whereas I need to treat it more firmly.

Buy the Leica Table Top Tripod which can be used freestanding for perfect exposure, or pressed into your chest for near certain sharp results at 1/8s.

Finally, the Abrahamson Softie is helpful in squeezing that shutter release.

New lenses are much sharper than ancient lenses in my experience and might make a difference for you.

Attached is the very forst shot I took with a new 50mm Summilux (not Asph) @ f1.4, hand held for 1/8th second at 0.7m. On scanning, I discovered that DoF is pretty shallow at this setting.

Rolo

 

[Turtle]

The whole point of Leica Ms is that like all small 35mm RF they allow for very discreet and spontaneous handheld shooting and excel at low light work. Therefore how could you possibly be wasting your time shooting a camera in precisely the niche it was designed for and has been king of for the last half century? This stands for all 35mm RFs. Forgetting bodies for a moment, Leica lenses are superb, especially around the wider apertures where many lenses really struggle regardless of shutter spesed. If you spend your whole time shootting 1/500 at f8 or f11, many lense will give leicas lenses a run for their money. If shooting at f2 or f2.8, few will come close. The Zeises ZMs are superb and I own both brands, however it seems to be consensus that that 35 asph has the 35 biogon beaten at f2-2.8, but whether that is worth another $1000 is up to you! The same seems to be consensus for the 50 lux and the 50 1.5 sonnar or 50 Nokton, but again there is a huge price difference.

The seamless handling, small size and quietness when combined with first rate lenses is great where a 35mm is the right tool: Handheld. If shooting off a tripod I would say that a larger format would make a lot of sense and fortthe cost of a 50 lux you could buy a hole MF or LF outfit! My old Rolleicord whipped the pants off anything 35mm could offer, but then again off tripod it was a pig! Horses for courses.

 

[Ronald M]

Not if you push/pull the camera against your head, tighten the strap, place your feet properly, keep the elbows down, and release the shutter slowly.

If you can not do it, you rish less than perfect results. But frequently they are just fine. Infinitly better than a Pentax, Cannon, or Nikon without mirror dampening, just a foam strip.

 

[scottgee1]

No one seems to have explicitly mentioned this, so I will.

Any camera without a moving mirror improves the chances of getting a sharper image at low shutter speeds. Yes, SLRs can lock the mirror but that makes spontaneous shooting a bit difficult.

35mm offers the fastest lenses overall and thus is the tool of choice for many photographers who shoot in low light. Bill Allard says he makes a lot of his exposures in the "Hail Mary" range of 1/4 to 1/2 second, usually wide open with Leica lenses. IMO, his work is extraordinary.

If there was a compact MF system with fast lenses and leaf shutters, it would, as Olsen points out, provide technical results superior to any 35mm system. Unfortunately, that system does not exist and likely never will. As nice as the Bronica 645 and Mamiya 6/7 are, the lenses are slow.

Arguably, the best cameras for handheld shooting are those with fast lenses and leaf shutters. Assuming quality optics, a smooth shutter release and good technique, those should provide the best chance of minimum vibration and maximum sharpness -- it that's what you want.

my two lux worth. YMMV 😀

ScottGee1