Single or Continuous?

[Robin Harrison]

It just occurred to me: I've had my M8 for precisely a year, and I've never used it in Continuous shoot mode. This seems like a bit of an oversight. What are your shooting habits with the M8 drive mode?

 

[Keith]

I've had mine about the same amount of time and I've never bothered with the continuous shooting mode either. It's still an M after all and I don't think that they're a camera that lends themselves to this style of shooting ... definitely DSLR territory! 😛

 

[jaapv]

I use it for the Visoflex, but still shoot single shots. it seems to "lock in" AE and AWB.

 

[Rayt]

For the M8 I only shoot in "S" but for faster cameras I leave it in "C" and control the number of frames with my finger. "C" is a good tool only if the camera has a fast frame rate otherwise waiting for the second frame to trip is just annoying.

 

[fefe]

I've tried to use C once I was taking picture of a subject in movement, and my hit rate went from being low to being =0, so I quickly reverted to S.

 

[bottley1]

so that's what the "C" stands for! Time to get the instruction book out.......

 

[Benjamin Marks]

"C" is for cookie, that's good enough for me, oh cookie, cookie, cookie starts with C. I'm not voting in the poll, but I use all the modes on my cameras at some time or other. When you are photographing children or a fast moving situation, having the C option is really fine. I was shooting a portrait session this weekend of four friends and having a C option really helped as the group interacted. I also broke out the CH mode on the D3, whhoo that thing really moves. Great for a jumping group portrait of four friends.

Ben

 

[ali_baba]

i would like it to be on C or S, but it ends up on the self timer setting more than i'd like!

 

[Roger Hicks]

Single. Then again, I'm of that era where we were taught to press the button at the right time, rather than hoping the camera would do it for us. Also of the era where F36 motor drives had a disconcerting habit of banging off the entire film every now and then, for no apparent reason.

If 'pressing the button at the right time' sounds a bit patronizing, look at all the brilliant sports photography (especially boxing) done with 4x5 inch...

I'd also agree with everything else that has been said by everyone else, which must be something of a record for an internet thread!

Cheers,

R.

 

[Robin Harrison]

Interesting reading! So far, only one out of 27 respondants favours the 'C' shooting mode, and he or she only selects it just in case it is needed. It would be interesting to post the same poll on a DSLR-related forum and see the result. Actually, a similar poll on a DSLR-related forum would probably read: "What is your minimum accepted framerate for a DSLR? a) 4fps, b) 6fps c) 8fps d) 10fps e) 24fps".


Long live the art of pressing the button at the right time.

 

[funkaoshi]

Long live the art of pressing the button at the right time.

Because you can't do that with a DSLR?

 

[Gabriel M.A.]

Oh, sarcasm and irony; two very misunderstood arts.

 

[Richard Marks]

I sometimes accidentally end up in the c mode. it is most disconcerting. I have often wondered what it was for.

Richard

 

[Robin Harrison]

Because you can't do that with a DSLR?

Of course you can do that with a DSLR. You can do it with any camera, even point-and-shoots with huge shutter lags if you are skilled enough in predicting action (see Alex Majoli's excellent work with Olympus compacts). But it is arguably a lot harder to do if you've got your finger anchored to the shutter release, hoping that the high frame rate will result in the exact image you're seeking.

There are a number of reasons a photographer may find pressing the shutter at the right time easier with a rangefinder camera, of course: ability to see outside of the frame and hence judge action entering the picture, short shutter lag, no viewfinder blackout, the development of HCB Disorder (the condition of believing one can shoot like Cartier-Bresson).

 

[Pherdinand]

Where's the option for "yeah i'm continuously single"?

 

[semrich]

I sometimes accidentally end up in the c mode. it is most disconcerting. I have often wondered what it was for.

Richard

Looks Like Richard and I need a new poll option because we do the same thing. If I'm ever (read never) in C mode it's by accident, and again disconcerting when I am surprised by the second unexpected shot.

 

[rtphotos]

Is there any other benefit to having it set on C, like quicker write times on to the card (for us pixel peepers)?

rt

 

[rtphotos]

I use it for the Visoflex, but still shoot single shots. it seems to "lock in" AE and AWB.

That's an interesting observation, Jaap.

I came across this discussion on another forum. Some of the M8 users there claim 2 benefits of shooting on "Continuous mode". One, it allows for quicker cycling. And two, may help in getting a shake-free image when shooting hand-held at long shutter speeds (by shooting off 3 quick successive shots).

http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/leica-m8-forum/37285-do-you-use-continous-mode.html

I think I'll give it a try.

rt 🙂

 

[GrahamWelland]

Is there any other benefit to having it set on C, like quicker write times on to the card (for us pixel peepers)?

rt

I find that using C in slower exposure conditions can help with getting a more stable shot on the 2nd shutter release. The body is more still and there's no movement introduced by pressing the button.

I certainly don't use it for 'action' 😀

 

[kdemas]

I use "C" quite a bit on my Nikons for sports but for the shooting I do with my M8 I really never use it. Certainly nice to have their but not something I use personally with this camera.

Kent