Tried and true faster focusing for the street with a 50mm.

[raid]

Three pages so far and still no clarity as to what "... then back off to focus" is intended to mean. Why are we all spending time on this question?

G

I suggest that we move on in life.

 

[Richard G]

"Back off to focus" means to reduce focal distance.

With Texan efficiency the OP posts his original and here clarifies in post 55. My post 26 gave more detail:

"To summarise: cross that street with the lens at infinity so you always know where the tab is, and then back off the focus distance from infinity to the zone focus distance, which is a very quick movement. This is Leica photography but with an added human element procedural set up step."

This thread started with an idea given flesh on the bones in my post 26. There is a valid point made.

Happy shooting.

 

[Ko.Fe.]

"Back off to focus" means to reduce focal distance.

looks like you are on purpoise of not posting YT video with London Pro reducing focal distance of 50 mm lens 🙂
Trying to reverse engineering still going to be the only option due to this attitude of yours. 🙂

So, lets assume some YTber in London has rangefinder 50 mm lens.
We got -back off to focus - and -reduce focal distance-.
-back off to focus- might mean focusing closer.
Google brings back button focus....
-Redusing focal distance- might be the same, focusing closer.
While google brings results with focal distance instead for some reason to me.

Looks like my initial assamtion of one range scale focusing is correct.
While in reality, if you want to cover all street photography lengths, it is three or at least two of focus ranges, focus tab positions at f8 . For 50mm lens.

Not sure if it rings the bell. Following your own tactics 🙂 Google has one indexed picture of one famous 50 mm lens which was in use by real pro, not an YT pro. This lens has a custom made stick attached, because regular design was with focus tab missing.

 

[Ko.Fe.]

Texan efficiency

"Nobody is perfect" 🙂

 

[Jonathan R]

Habitually returning the focus to infinity after shooting is good standard advice.

As ISO is not mentioned, the one-size-fits-all exposure recommendation is not good advice, unless you are using digital and letting the camera choose the ISO. With 400 ISO film, I would expect it to under-expose in most London streets most of the time.

Please would @wrs1145 link to his YT source so that we can all enjoy the original?

 

[Richard G]

"Nobody is perfect" 🙂

I meant to praise Texan efficiency. The original economic post. And the even shorter later clarification. I may move to Texas one day.

 

[Ko.Fe.]

Habitually returning the focus to infinity after shooting is good standard advice.

Not so sure about it...

Infinity? Why would I keep focus tab where if most of the time it is middle and close range for street photogaphy I'm into. Or typical events photogaphy with rangefinders I did for years. First, I realized keeping it in the middle decreases focusing time with RF. And after I realize how great focus tab is as the reference in which range your focus is.

Of course, it all depends what is the street photogaphy for each, particular individual.
Is it slow scanning, with finding something interesting and mostly static?
Maybe it is OK to keep it on infinity Well, always return to infinity is awesome for photography of the streets.

But if you are into the crowd plowing, where something jumps at you and it is often few seconds or less...
Get to know your lens better for it. Get to remember where is the middle focusing range. And keep the focus tab in where.
If you are RF focusing it will save the time.
If you are focus tab focusing it will as well.
You are walking, without knowing where it will happen and for how long, it happens close - tab to the left, far - tab to the right.
And does it really good to keep it on infinity for Bruce Gilden and anyone else in similar style?

Infinity is for tourists 🙂

Forgot to mention. At infinity the RF arm spring is tensioned. At closest distance it is relaxed. I always keep it on closest distance if RF camera is not in use.

 

[Ko.Fe.]

I meant to praise Texan efficiency. The original economic post. And the even shorter later clarification. I may move to Texas one day.

While Texas has proficiency in air-conditioning, me as four seasons, sweaty dude, I'd raver move to the Baltic, North sea shore 🙂

My first summer in Belgium, I don't mind to have rain almost every day, but having temperatures bellow 24C allows me to live in no AC homes and apartments. 🙂 Not to mention running 80km on bicycle is awesome in 15C rather than in suicidal 40C. Sorry, no idea how much is it in F.

Having no bills for 24/7 AC is liberating at any age 🙂

 

[Jonathan R]

Not so sure about it...

Infinity? Why would I keep focus tab where if most of the time it is middle and close range for street photogaphy I'm into. Or typical events photogaphy with rangefinders I did for years. First, I realized keeping it in the middle decreases focusing time with RF. And after I realize how great focus tab is as the reference in which range your focus is.

It’s not the only advice! Everyone must do what works for them.

FWIW, the logic of parking the lens at infinity is that you only ever focus on one direction, and shoot as soon as the rangefinder image aligns. It will generally only be a very small angle of turn. Works for me, but I’m not a street photographer. Sometimes I just scale focus before moving in.

If you park the lens in the middle of its range, you have react to which side the rangefinder image is, determining which way to turn the focus to sharpen up.

 

[Richard G]

Jonathan R hits on another crucial advantage of infinity start.

 

[raid]

Oh well. We are back to this thread! I would say that each user has her/his own approach to focusing. Isn't this what is happening when you take hundreds of photos each year? We all try to learn from our focusing mistakes. I try.

 

[Ko.Fe.]

If you park the lens in the middle of its range, you have react to which side the rangefinder image is, determining which way to turn the focus to sharpen up.

I used to use my M with tabbed lens every day. Business trips, events, hiking, parties or just going shopping.

After two weeks of doing so with the focus tab in the middle, it was no reacting, no determining. It was just an instinct.

I saw something at some distance, it was nothing else to do. By the time the M traveled from my chest to my eye the "focal distance" or what ever OP calls it, was set.

I used 35 2.5 lens for it. First, I worn out CV CS 35 2.5 II. Lens block wobble and focus tab screws loose.
Fixed, re-lubed and got rid of it, acquired Summarit-M 35 2.5.

I called it fiddling. Focus tab concave must be ergonomic, ZM Zeiss's is garbage, VM's not too good. Leica nailed it with current focus tab concave. But lens focus helicoid and aperture ring, shutter speed dial should have little resistance to turn. Then you could fiddle it for hours, days, weeks, months, years. Constantly. No focus missed, no exposure mistakes. Because I was constantly involved, after while it is just an instinct. Street, landscape, event, indoors, outdoors - doesn't matter.

But even now, after quit, I see zero reason to hold my focus tab on infinity. 🙂

 

[Ko.Fe.]

Oh well. We are back to this thread! I would say that each user has her/his own approach to focusing. Isn't this what is happening when you take hundreds of photos each year? We all try to learn from our focusing mistakes. I try.

Are you saying it in American (respectful to Texas originated thread) way? Say, nineteen hundreds per year. I'm in this range. For now 🙂 and on digital, used to be same and more on film.

 

[Coldkennels]

I called it fiddling. Focus tab concave must be ergonomic, ZM Zeiss's is garbage, VM's not too good. Leica nailed it with current focus tab concave.

Here's a hot take: I much prefer the original focus tab design (i.e. a button that's pushed towards the camera body to unlock the lens from infinity) to any of the modern tabs.

What I like so much about that early style is the tab/button spins. I keep the end of my index finger on the top of the button, and providing the focusing helical is smooth and properly lubricated, it's both effortless and ergonomic to just drag that one finger to where I need the lens to be. I don't get the same feeling from Voigtlander's focusing "stalks" or the indented ones on most modern Leica lenses.

 

[Deleted member 65559]

Here's a hot take: I much prefer the original focus tab design (i.e. a button that's pushed towards the camera body to unlock the lens from infinity) to any of the modern tabs.

What I like so much about that early style is the tab/button spins. I keep the end of my index finger on the top of the button, and providing the focusing helical is smooth and properly lubricated, it's both effortless and ergonomic to just drag that one finger to where I need the lens to be. I don't get the same feeling from Voigtlander's focusing "stalks" or the indented ones on most modern Leica lenses.

Since we're into preferences, my favourite is the Summaron 2.8/ Summicron 8 element/Steel rim Summilux ..... concave tab with infinity lock.

 

[Richard G]

One thing about the button release infinity lock tab is setting the focus near, but not at infinity, by pushing the lever to the lock but not pushing into the final locked position. That is a different form of hyperfocal focussing, where distant objects are sharp, not just acceptably sharp, and the loss of sharpness closer is better tolerated. This was discussed on RFF a few years ago. This sort of tab was revived with the Summaron M 28 5.6. I do this near infinity focussing more with a 50 Elmar. (Not ‘street’ of course.)