What to expect from M3 and 50mm

[peterm1]

I don't really understand your concern. Sure you will get less depth of field with a longer lens but at f2.0 and a shooting distance of 4 feet, the depth of field for a 50mm lens runs from 3' 10" to 4' 1"- three inches. Seems pretty controlled to me.

At normal portrait distances - say around 6 feet, its still only 5'9" to 6'3" or 6 inches The link is here: http://www.bobatkins.com/photography/technical/dofcalc.html

I think you will like it. The rangefinder is very accurate way to focus and the Leica lens is designed to be shot wide open - they are famous for their quality in this respect. Many argue its what you pay for when you pay all those big bucks for Leica glass.

 

[Rob-F]

I don't really understand your concern. Sure you will get less depth of field with a longer lens but at f2.0 and a shooting distance of 4 feet, the depth of field for a 50mm lens runs from 3' 10" to 4' 1"- three inches. Seems pretty controlled to me.

At normal portrait distances - say around 6 feet, its still only 5'9" to 6'3" or 6 inches

I think what the OP would like is for the background to be well OOF, not just a little bit. The DOF tables and DOF scales on the lens indicate the range of "acceptable unsharpness." But going a bit beyond that range won't produce the kind of blurriness that makes the subject pop out in 3-D relief. A faster 50, or a reasonably fast 75 or 90, would come closer. A 90 Summicron or 75 Summilux would be excellent for the purpose; the 50 DRS at close range wide open would also be very good. Even the 90 Elmarit would be very good. DOF fades very fast as focal length increases.