Leica M6: question about framing

[Gilo25]

I am a digital photographer who for years wanted to get back to film with Leica and last month I finally bought myself a second hand M6 and a second hand Summicron 50/2. I am enjoying the camera terribly, but being a newbie I have a lot to learn and this is my question.
The other day I got some contact prints from a recently processed film and I noticed that the images captured on the negative are significantly larger than what I was seeing in the viewfinder while composing the images. Of course I was using the outer frame in the view finder as a guide while composing the images, but I noticed that the negative has still an additional portion of image captured on all sides of the frame. In other words, the image captured on fim is bigger than what I see enclosed in the outer frame of the viewfinder. I didn't notice this when I shot slides: in fact there seemed to be a correspondence between the image on the slide and what I had seen in the view finder.
Can anyone help me understand this? Apologies in advance if this may seem trivial to some.
Thank you
Gilo

 

[ferider]

Welcome, Gilo.

This is one of the difficulties of using rangefinderes. The framelines
have to be fixed to a certain size, but in reality, what you want covered
depends on medium and focus distance.

1) a lens' focal lenth or Field of View changes with focus distance. The
RF framelines are constant size though, and have to be set for one
distance. The M6 defines this to be close focus (.7m for modern 35
and 50mm lenses). I.e. when you use the lenses at infinity, the framelines
will cover much less than what you actually see on film.

2) some of the film area that you can see on negative film, gets cropped
with slide film by the frames. Therefore, you loose a few percentage
of viewfinder coverage, which matches the M6 conservative framing better
at longer focus distances.

Note that the frameline coverage changes from manufacturer to manufacturer,
and sometimes model to model. For example, with Zeiss Ikon and Cosina
Voigtlander Bessa, the framelines are even smaller than in your M6, for the
same focal length. Older Leicas, like the M2, M3 and M4 have bigger framelines.
Partially, because old 50mm lenses only focused down to 1m.

You do get used to it quickly after a few rolls of film.

Best,

Roland.

 

[Artorius]

Frame Lines

Frame Lines

You have to learn the camera. If you shoot the M3 with a 50, and switch to an M6 with the same lens, you'll need a new learning curve. I've found the M3 to be the "best" frame line. Just shoot the cam you have and 'learn' it. You will find the right spot somewhere in your endeavors.
For you young guys with SLR use, RF is a bit easier, but needs a new train of thought about photography. No AF,AFS, or AE, which means you need to do the math(do they still have math in school?).

 

[martin-f5]

if you want acurate photos in frames you're wrong to take a rangefinder,
therefore are SLRs.
Useing a M Leica means, not to compose 100 % exactly,
it means to see a scenery and take a small part of it,
sometimes it works perfect, and sometimes there are parts you thought that they aren't on your photo.
It's also depending on your lense, 35mm, 50mm and 75mm have different results.

It doesn't mind while taking slides or printing yourself in darkroom,
even cheap SLRs have not a 100 % viewfinder so there's the same problem.

 

[MartinP]

It is possible to use a dark towel (etc) over the camera with a piece of tracing-paper, placed through the rear opening of the camera, to see exactly what you get on the film and then compare it to the viewfinder. Not that I own an M6, but this worked for me with assorted FSU cameras 🙂

 

[mechon]

I agree with martin-f5.
My favourite photography-writer Mike Johnston in one of his articles said:
"(...) I would go so far as to say that any photographer who carefully meters and focuses every single shot is simply not using the Leica correctly.(...)"
Do what Artorius said: learn your camera. And enjoy it - it's great combo !

cheers

 

[Gilo25]

Thank you all for the helpful insights: I guess I will need to get the hang of it through trial and error. Roland, does the viewfinder's magnification have to do with it as well?

 

[ferider]

Thank you all for the helpful insights: I guess I will need to get the hang of it through trial and error. Roland, does the viewfinder's magnification have to do with it as well?

Gilo,

the magnification is independent. It just makes it easier or more difficult
to shoot with a certain focal length, you see less or more of what's
outside the frame, etc.

There are "cheap" film SLRs with an almost 100% viewfinder coverage.
One of the reasons why I love my OMs 🙂

Best,

Roland.

 

[ampguy]

I find the RF variables pretty much "self-correcting" if you have your film and prints done by a drugstore or Costco.

For example, when I was using the RD1, I often didn't switch the framelines lever when changing from 35 to 50 or 40 and everything was good, no cropping needed.

Also, with the 75'lux, I often use the 50 framelines, and all is still good. Well there was this one photo I printed that had a lot chopped off, but it still could have been Walgreens...