New R-D1s owner

[jmarcus]

So I finally got my camera. I must admit I'm a little scared . My first camera was a Contax Tvs Digital. So I have a few questions on proper rangefinder use. I bought a book on Leica rangefinders for possible information on grip and other techniques I'm not aware of. The book has shown up yet, but my camera is here.

So what should I be reading?
Is there an FAQ, for the R-D1s?
How do I focus in low light? The focus box seems a little small.
When I first asked about the R-D1 on this message board I mentioned that I was concered about not having autofocus, How do I focus quickly?
I realize that these might be really basic questions but remember I'm really new to rangefinders.

thanks,
James

 

[rami G]

the easiest way to focus in dim light is to find the nearest "contrasty" point to where you are focusing and then to adjust carefully what is needed to be adjusted. When you are shooting portraits there is generally some refection in the eyes that makes very accurate focus possible. Even if the "confidence" is not always as it is with an auto-focus camera, when you will get some confidence you will notice that you will get much more "correct" focus points than with any other type of camera, or at least that is my experience.

 

[RichC]

Is there an FAQ, for the R-D1s?

Not that I'm aware of, but there's loads of useful info and tips in the posts in this forum - you could do worse than scan through the 36 pages of old topics.

And we're a friendly bunch, so don't worry about asking questions that seem obvious!

Regarding focusing, one way of focusing quickly is not bothering! Well, that's not strictly true: the zone of focus (the depth of field) is often large enough that objects at different distances will be sufficiently sharp that refocusing makes no practical difference; but if you're using a longish lens and/or your subject is close, the depth of focus may be too shallow to estimate accurately, and you'll have to focus the camera as normal. See

http://www.fortunecity.com/marina/marine/569/rusrngfdrs/focusing.html

for a good explanation.

As an example of the helpful info in old posts in this forum, there's a thread on depth of field that concludes that, because the R-D1 sensor is smaller than a 35mm film negative, the depth of field markings on a lens are incorrect by about one f stop, e.g. if your aperture is f/8, use f/5.6 instead to gauge the depth of field when focusing using the hyperfocal distance or zone methods.

 

[Terao]

First rule I've learnt is to not worry as much as you think you have to about focus and metering. Focus gets more critical the longer the lens but for wider lenses rely on the depth of field or use zone/hyperfocal focussing/your built-in rangefinder. Another option is pre-focusing - work out your normal shooting distance for the lens you're using and set the camera to that point. I find I naturally see shots at around 6-9 feet so set the lens between those points to take out some of the movement required to focus.
Which lens(es) do you have?