How often do you shoot with RF at wide open aperture?

[kentwong81]

Hi guys, how often do you shoot with your RF and lenses at wide open aperture, ie Summilux at f1.4, Summicron at f2.0, etc?

For myself, since Summilux is designed as sharp at wide open and I love its delicious bokeh at wide open, I always shoot at f1.4. The isolation of the subject from the background is fantastic. And I don't wish to use f5.6, f8 and above for such a good lens.

However, the difficult thing is to focus and recompose at f1.4. A slight movement may cause the focus shift.

 

[Benji77]

If you ''always shoot at 1.4'', and ''the difficult thing is to focus and recompose at f1.4'' then I'd say you don't shoot enough.

Solution = Shoot more.

 

[Royale With Cheese]

I shoot from 5.6 - 16

Rarely hit wide open really.

 

[kentwong81]

If you ''always shoot at 1.4'', and ''the difficult thing is to focus and recompose at f1.4'' then I'd say you don't shoot enough.

Solution = Shoot more.

Yeah, coming from Nikon DSLR background, where I have 51 AF points to select, the Leica M9(only 1 focus point) really gives me a very good learning curve.

 

[leafster]

Yeah, coming from Nikon DSLR background, where I have 51 AF points to select, the Leica M9(only 1 focus point) really gives me a very good learning curve.

That's where I came from when I turn to M9. The experience since then changes. Plane of focus is so thin at f1.4, however if nailed, it is just so satisfying. Really the best learning curve is to keep shooting.

 

[kentwong81]

Yeah, that's why I'm learning to shoot well at f1.4. If nail it, it's really fantastic and satisfying seeing the subject isolated well from the background, instead of all sharp and clear for the background and subject.

For such an expensive lens and great features at f1.4, it's a waste if shooting it at f5.6 and f8 onwards, otherwise, I would buy any cheaper lenses which have similar performance at f5.6 onwards.

 

[raytoei]

because i use 100 and 400 film and usually indoor, i find myself shooting wideopen and with slow shutter speeds.

it is difficult to focus wide-open, so i tend to bracket my shots and also stop down perhaps 1 stop
(f1.4 -> f2 or f2.8) to increase the DOF.

 

[Benji77]

Yeah, that's why I'm learning to shoot well at f1.4. If nail it, it's really fantastic and satisfying seeing the subject isolated well from the background, instead of all sharp and clear for the background and subject.

For such an expensive lens and great features at f1.4, it's a waste if shooting it at f5.6 and f8 onwards, otherwise, I would buy any cheaper lenses which have similar performance at f5.6 onwards.

If you have not shot stopped down from f5.6-11, you have not fully experienced street shooting.

It's 'not a waste' shooting a lens (any lens) at f5.6-16). If its what the scene demands, stopping down only adds to the quality of the shot.

 

[pikapig]

If u have seen abbas recent exhibition..u will realise that there isnt much wide open shots.

 

[adamadam]

I feel its more of a waste turning a background into blur just so that you are not 'wasting' a feature of the lens. I'm full of waste. I'm often wide open because I need a faster shutterspeed.

 

[mazeppa26]

I guess photojournalism will have to stop down whereas portraiture wide open

 

[kentwong81]

Thanks for your inputs.

If street photography requires stop down to f5.6-16, I guess the summilux and summicron are not much needed unless we shoot night scenes always.

 

[artspraken]

We need to put this discussion in perspective, on basic principles.

Whether you shoot wide open often,:

2. depends on Shutter speed. M9 max shutter speed is 1/4000. ZI max shutter speed is 1/2000. Leica M analog bodies (M2 to M7) max shutter speed is 1/1000. All other things remaining constant, M9 can shoot with wider aperture than other cameras, because the shutter speed can ‘make up’ to achieve correct exposure. At 1/4000, the M9 can shoot wide open in most situations.
4. depends whether you got time to focus. Cameras with A mode (M9, M8, M7, ZI) give you more time to focus, because the shutter speed is set automatically. For street photography, there is usually very little time to focus; street photographers typically use hyper focusing (strict theorists say 'zone focusing') to pre-fix focus (ie. range find). This technique typically requires a stopping down to F5.6 and more.
6. depends on your lens and its focal length. Wide-angle lenses require very little focusing because hyperfocusing is very easy. Standard lenses (like 50mm) is not so easy to pre-fix your focus. You would therefore more likely shoot wide open.
8. depends also on your type of photography. If you shoot street, you are unlikely to shoot wide open very often. If you shoot portraits, you will favour wide open to isolate the subject.

I agree with the statement "Summilux and Summicron are not much needed" only if you are predominately a daytime shooter in open daylight in sunny Singapore. Singapore is situated in equator and is a place where ambient light is typically strong (except december!), so F2.8 is more than enough for most types of situations and film. By contrast, if you live in places like London where the weather is often cloudy and overcast, the Lux and Cron would definitely give you more of an advantage.

btw. summilux and cron is not really night shooter. If you want night shooter, you need Noctilux!

 

[newghost]

Generally, this depends on what genre you're shooting... if its a pre-wedding shoot or some kids / portraits photography etc, then by all means make it bokehlicious attractive! H/w, if you're planning to shoot street and to be taken seriously as a street-photog, then try to avoid bokeh as far as possible. To me, and thousand other streetogs, the better way to isolate your subject is not via background blur, but through proper thinking, composition, framing and timing!

 

[Royale With Cheese]

To me, and thousand other streetogs, the better way to isolate your subject is not via background blur, but through proper thinking, composition, framing and timing!

:heart::heart::heart:

 

[ZShutter]

If you shoot at f1.4, then you gotta ensure your shutter speed is at least 250 or even 500 to avoid shake, use high iso to achieve this. I gather at this aperture you are probably shooting portraits/still life and if so using a tripod helps.
Why not use a summilux at f5.6 as well. I would since it's such a great lens.

 

[raytoei]

zshutter,

i don't understand. can you elaborate why a 1/250 or 1/500 is needed for shallow depth of field ?

raytoei

 

[sjackal]

Don't have these expensive lens, but I shoot my Jupiters at f/2 and f/2.8 wide open frequently, but also at f/5.6 and f/8 too. Depends on situation.

The point of using RF is not about thin DOF shooting, like many had already mentioned.

 

[magicianhisoka]

If you shoot at f1.4, then you gotta ensure your shutter speed is at least 250 or even 500 to avoid shake, use high iso to achieve this. I gather at this aperture you are probably shooting portraits/still life and if so using a tripod helps.
Why not use a summilux at f5.6 as well. I would since it's such a great lens.

Misconception here I believe. The shutter speed just needs to be "fast enough". From the SLR world it was 1/focal length. For rangefinders, even 1/15 is possible if your hands are reaaally steady. Using a tripod with a rangefinder seems like a true waste when you have such a light camera but to each their own

 

[raytoei]

"I forgot to bring my light meter, so I guesstimated the Exposure at 1/8 or 1/15 and f1.2 at iso 400.
It turned out that the lights were blown, so in retrospect, I should have used 1/15 or even 1/30 "

Leica M4-P with Canon 50/f1.2, 12.30am Sunday Nite.