Improving CL rangefinder and slow speed

A

Assaf

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Jun 18, 2007
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Well, I simply love that little camere, and I carry it and use it constantly.
The combo is CL + Cron' 40mm. My previous Combo was M6+Planar 50/2
The current one is much more fun to use, but I have the following problems:
1) Pictures at speed 1/30 aren't sharp. They were sharp on the M6. How can I improve it? I thought about putting a soft release, but maybe a grip? Halfcase? Any idea?

2) I don't manage to focus correctly at F2 on the 40mm cron. The RF is spot on, I even checked it with a collimator. I usually shoot people from about one meter away and the pictures at F2 become somewhat soft and I usually miss the focus. Again, on M6 I never missed it.
Is there a way to improve the focus? Add a magnifier or something?

A simple solution would be to buy a "more serious" camera, but I really like this little one and I'm getting great pictures from so I'd be happy to find a patch.

Cheers guys and thank for the answers.
Just not to leave it a pictureless thread, here are a two examples from the CL from this week (many more in my flickr and pbase)


3273566131_28945c9e61_o.jpg


3274015703_1ef0cb2af2_o.jpg
 
The CL has a relatively low magnification finder, so you should not expect great accuracy close up at wide apertures. I like the M2 I now have, but for critical focussing it's no match for the M3 I had for 17 years. As for steadiness at slow speeds, only practice can help.
 
Just a guess ... (and because my CL has that problem) How is the contrast of the rangefinder patch ? The CL seems to have a different coating on the rangefinder prism, that more easily deteriorates compared to M-type Leicas, and might have done partially so in your copy. (I have read something about this at the web-page of CRR camera repair) I had checked mine by looking through the small rangefinder window from the front while holding the eye-piece against a bright light source. If you observe an unevenly illuminated rangefinder window or black "spots" your camera has this problem. (mine has ...)

Otherwise it is a great little camera and I would use it more if focus would be more reliable ...

Cheers,

Gabor

PS: Very nice shots, BTW !!
 
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Often with smaller cameras people hold them with their fingers rather than cup the whole thing in their hands. Be conscious of how you hold it in low light. The 40mm Summicron is capable of reasonably sharp photos wide open.
 
I used a small soft release on my CL when I had it, and thought it helped alot with slow shutter speeds. For the money, I'd pick one up.
 
Take a look here for more background information....

http://www.cameraquest.com/leica.htm

http://www.imx.nl/photo/technique/technique/page49.html

Now go out and develop a test, RCA (Root Cause Analysis).

Get a tripod and test the focus of the camera and lens combo. Change to a different lens (your 50) and shoot the same test (focus via the RF and shoot three frames). Now when you shoot frames use a cable release to reduce vibration. Shoot wide open on the 40 and both wide open and f2 on the 50.

Next, run the same test with the same subject again with the camera off the tripod and in your hand. Do the breathing thing, pretend to be a sniper 1/4 mile away from your target. Pick up a MSR and a Nikon AR-9, two great soft shutter releases for your CL. Run the hand held release tests (both lenses) again. One is concave, one convex, two different approaches to the same problem.

Check your style of holding the camera with what Leica recommends. Tuck your elbows into your body for support, breathing, breathing, breathing, support with the right and the left hands. Run the tests again.

Now I would recommend you run the tests at four different shutter speeds. One slower than you've shot, the one you used and two faster. Don't worry about exposure as much, you are looking for sharpness.

The CL has a very short EBL which causes challenges, but I truly believe they are not ones you can not over come. It is a great camera, even though I've gone to the Nikon side of things, It's still a camera I lust after.

B2 (;->
 
A lot of people press a shutter release with the pad of the index finger rather than the tip. Sorry, ladies, but this won't work with gorgeous long nails unless you use a soft release, but still you can ARCH your finger so it's pressing straight down on the release. You can even practice the motion without a camera. Practice moving the finger tip of the arched finger straight up and down while watching your hand. There should be no motion of the hand, no motion of any other finger. Works with M bodies also.
 
B2, what I was taught too damn long ago was not "breathing, breathing, breathing" but taking a deep breath and half exhaling before pressing the button. Another trick used by snipers is standing with feet apart and knees not locked. You are of course correct about elbows being pressed against one's sides -- though that should not be done too tightly.
 
In all seriousness, if you go to my gallery, ALL of the shots are with a CL and the portraits of Wifey and Dad were taken wide open and with relatively slow shutter speeds (the one of my dad, if I recall, is at f2 and 1/15). Support the cameral from the bottom and press a little with the corner of the right bottom to counter the effect of your finger pushing down. Do it on the exhale. Another trick is to do it with not just the pad of the index finger but the first joint, almost like a keystroke.

The 40/2 is sharp wide open. Keep at it.

Jay
 
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