Some thoughts on RF after first round of shooting

[verselines]

I just bought a second hand Yashica Electro 35 GSN went out for my first round of RF today.

Some thoughts:

-While RF does not have the mirror slap or other 'attention-grabbing' mechanisms of DSLRs, the GSN is quite big and attention-grabbing on its own. Whenever I brought the camera up to eye level to compose, I was immediately obvious to many around me. I even got scolded by some ahpek at Tiong Bahru Market...haha...

-I'm terribly slow at focusing. Many times just when I focused the subject properly, they moved away or the 'moment' that I was looking to get was gone. I guess I need to practice more.

-All in all, I feel RF is more of an 'art' than shooting with DSLR and I enjoy the more methodical approach. Somehow with DSLRs I feel the 'sense of satisfaction' less after a day of shooting compared to the RF roll I did today or even Lomo shots with my Holga.

 

[ZoomP]

Bro, don't give up on RF yet. I also a DSLR guys but has grown to love my RF gears more. I like it due to it's size and superior lenses. I started with a Oly 35SP and like you didn't like it at all. good thing I tried out Leica after and has learn to love the bright VF and ease of use. If you're not ready to invest in a Leica, try out a Voigtlander Bessa first....

 

[dejected]

sometimes, "guess-ti-mating" the distance between the subject and the camera first will get you the shots. prefocus the distance before executing

 

[iMac08]

is it hard to master RF or to shoot with it? i am also tempted to try this poison but i doubt i will try the film version cause no time to develop,and the digital leica m8 is crop while m9 is too ex....hmm

TS can share more.at least you took the first step to RF. i am still contemplating

do RF guys maintain a set of dslr also? like what some of you guys here mentioned,seems like you too also have a set of dslr. then when to shoot with what? do you bring both out when traveling?

 

[ZoomP]

is it hard to master RF or to shoot with it? i am also tempted to try this poison but i doubt i will try the film version cause no time to develop,and the digital leica m8 is crop while m9 is too ex....hmm

TS can share more.at least you took the first step to RF. i am still contemplating

do RF guys maintain a set of dslr also? like what some of you guys here mentioned,seems like you too also have a set of dslr. then when to shoot with what? do you bring both out when traveling?

I am also a newbie to RF. M8 crop is really no big deal. The Canon Pro series 1dm2 is also 1.3x crop. I will try out a Voigtlander RF for a start. Film is very fun and the anticipation when you scan the negatives is something you can't achieve with digital cameras.

I still keep my Canon 5dm2 cos' I have a baby girl at home and will want to document her growing up. The AF on a Canon is more suitable when she starts running around but we can zone focus with a RF. The HD video function on the 5d is top-notch. I use the canon mainly for that now.

I bring my RF out and put it in my car everyday. Whenever the mood strikes, I will take it out when I am at a traffic lights and start shooting. Only thing I wish is zoom function when you need close-up.

Anyway, I am still exploring RF and would really love to bring it out for an overseas trip soon.

 

[night86mare]

1) there are smaller rangefinders out there, like mmmm the olympus xa1.. truth be told i miss my copy, it was almost perfect.

2) attention grabbing when you bring it up is because you are too jerky, you have to act like you have all the time and the right in the world to shoot your pictures. body language says everything, even from the corner of another person's eye.

3) yes, focusing very different, and only for the overlapping area. if you shoot wide open you are almost always going to have to have a centred composition.

 

[Royale With Cheese]

if you shoot wide open you are almost always going to have to have a centred composition.

Hmm.. Thats not really true :think::nono:

 

[iMac08]

hmm i like the perspective of 35mm and the m8 crop will render 35mm at abt 46mm so i will have to get sthg ard 26mm lens right?

TS and the rest of the pro here...how do u guys shoot under low light then? i don't see many here mention abt the use of flash here..so for RF we have to trial and error the flash too?

 

[enivre]

Anyway, I am still exploring RF and would really love to bring it out for an overseas trip soon.

Aiyoh, waiting for what! My R3A has been travelling with me for the past 2+ yrs...

 

[enivre]

TS and the rest of the pro here...how do u guys shoot under low light then? i don't see many here mention abt the use of flash here..so for RF we have to trial and error the flash too?

Few RF people shoot with flash, somehow the two don't really make sense when put together. Some flashes have inbuilt thyristors that control the amount of light, if not there's always a rough gauge given on most manual flashes.

But for most RF shooters, in low light they just use F1.1-1.4 + tripod or steady hand.

 

[Royale With Cheese]

TS and the rest of the pro here...how do u guys shoot under low light then? i don't see many here mention abt the use of flash here..so for RF we have to trial and error the flash too?

Am no pro on giving advice but most RF users prefer to use faster lenses for avaliable light photography. Besides, the lack of mirror slaps & vibration enables you to handheld 1/8 shutter speed.

If you are using B&W film, you can push the film.

For flash, no need trial & error, you can always use flash GN(guide number) to assist you.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guide_number

 

[ZoomP]

Aiyoh, waiting for what! My R3A has been travelling with me for the past 2+ yrs...

Haha.. Waiting for my baby girl to be older? She's 6mth old.

Here's a pic I took of her using Canon Sonnar 50 f1.5 LTM on M8.

 

[gazkw]

i am also a new RF photographer and went to bangkok with a M8 recently.

i thoroughly enjoyed the interactivity and the 'need for speed' in focusing. i believe i am getting there in speed.

indeed, there was much more feeling in the shots and a greater sense of satisfaction. lugging around a 5d2 and the 50L is totally different given the size. the M8 is a lot more comfortable to lug around and i find myself taking out a camera much more, compared to previously.

its a greater challenge to focus, compose and shoot as compared to a DSLR. the 5D2 makes a DSLR almost feel like a PNS. not so much thought and feeling.

i wouldn't be surprised if i offload the bulk of my canon gear shortly.

 

[iMac08]

i am also a new RF photographer and went to bangkok with a M8 recently.

i thoroughly enjoyed the interactivity and the 'need for speed' in focusing. i believe i am getting there in speed.

indeed, there was much more feeling in the shots and a greater sense of satisfaction. lugging around a 5d2 and the 50L is totally different given the size. the M8 is a lot more comfortable to lug around and i find myself taking out a camera much more, compared to previously.

its a greater challenge to focus, compose and shoot as compared to a DSLR. the 5D2 makes a DSLR almost feel like a PNS. not so much thought and feeling.

i wouldn't be surprised if i offload the bulk of my canon gear shortly.

same sentiment as you...i am thinking of this too...if i do get a RF..will i offload all my dslr...if i offload all..i shld be able to get a M9 and a decent lens...but then...hmm...the HD video is quite useful at times and i prefer dslr for events and landscape

 

[chiif]

same sentiment as you...i am thinking of this too...if i do get a RF..will i offload all my dslr...if i offload all..i shld be able to get a M9 and a decent lens...but then...hmm...the HD video is quite useful at times and i prefer dslr for events and landscape

RF is a totally different gear altogether. I suggest you keep whatever DSLR gears you have and try out a film RF body first.

M9 is afterall a digital camera. Feedback from the M9 users are: "Yes, it's full frame..." that's about all. Same white balance issues, same noise issues. But nevertheless, it's still gives one of the best image files in the market today when shot in optimal situations. (please don't flame me for this... I'm not a M9 user, not my experience, just some customer's comment)

If the 1.33x crop gets into you, get a M6 or the Bessa and few glasses to shoot. Won't burn a hole in the pocket and you will have lots of fun with it. Don't like, you can sell it off at a couple of hundred dollars lost as compared to digital which halve the value in 1 to 2 years.

GSN and those compact RF bodies are good, but it lacks the "real" feel of a solid metal body.

Photography after all, means different things to different people. The DSLR have matured, at price to performance ratio and speed, beats film DSLR many notches. But when it comes to "FUN" factor... I guess those who have shot both will have a common answer.

But do bear in mind that film process & scanning will come into picture. If you expect fast food, then the film process is going to train you to take pace a little slower and understand photography as an art better.

Hope you have fun!

 

[iMac08]

noted. thanks. i will get my friend to let me his Rf to try first.

 

[Yatlapball]

It all comes down to what genre of photography you are into. There are alot of things a RF cannot do. But the things it CAN do... it does extremely well.

Personally, I see it as a rather specialised tool.

 

[PrimePhotog]

is it hard to master RF or to shoot with it? i am also tempted to try this poison but i doubt i will try the film version cause no time to develop,and the digital leica m8 is crop while m9 is too ex....hmm

TS can share more.at least you took the first step to RF. i am still contemplating

do RF guys maintain a set of dslr also? like what some of you guys here mentioned,seems like you too also have a set of dslr. then when to shoot with what? do you bring both out when traveling?

I would rather stay away from the Epson RD1s and the M8s since the crop sensor would not allow you to go wide. The Bessa Rs are awesome cameras. Do remember to get some good glass.

 

[gazkw]

same sentiment as you...i am thinking of this too...if i do get a RF..will i offload all my dslr...if i offload all..i shld be able to get a M9 and a decent lens...but then...hmm...the HD video is quite useful at times and i prefer dslr for events and landscape

oh, i will not sell my DSLR and some my most commonly used and versatile lenses, but some of the other lenses i might let go to make room for more RF lens.

 

[night86mare]

Hmm.. Thats not really true :think::nono:

well, i can't think of any way around it to be sure.. i hope you aren't going to tell me, gauge distance and dial in the number on the scale.

maybe you can explain more instead of just saying that it isn't true

i don't mind finding another olympus xa, i loved that camera but for that :bsmilie: