Three Approaches to Using a Barnack (Leica Screwmount) Camera - Tips by Khoa Tran on Steve Huff's Site

Yes, It Works as a People Camera!, by Reed A. George

Leica IIIC, 5cm Summitar f2 Lens

 

Well, for those of you following, I may be on a path to recovering most of my files lost in the Lightroom transfer. Until I'm done with that, I'm writing without access to most of my files. The one above is in my flickr account, so I could grab it for the purposes of this post. Fingers crossed, I hope to be back on my main image collection soon.

 

I recently bought a second wartime IIIC, which is currently on its way to see Mr. Youxin Ye, Leica service wizard, in Massachussetts. If you ever need your Barnack camera or lens serviced fast, well, and inexpensively, you should give Youxin a try. You can reach Youxin by email at: wye7@yahoo.com

 

I was reading posts about the IIIC and other Barnack cameras, when I came across a guest post on Steve Huff's site, by Khoa Tran.

 

(Click Here) to read the full post on Steve Huff's site.

 

In it, Khoa suggests three approaches to using a Barnack camera:

 

1. As a point and shoot camera
2. As a tool to develop your photographic skills
3. As a portrait/people camera

By "point and shoot," I think he means to use a small aperture, hyperfocal or zone focusing, and preset exposure. When you do this, you can basically have in your mind as you walk down the street:

 

"Anything X ft or further away is in focus"

I do this all the time. All you have to do at this point is look for the right moment or composition, lift the camera to your eye, frame, and shoot. I totally agree with this being a great way to use one of these cameras.

 

As far as a tool to develop your skills, I think he's talking about the fact that these cameras have no meters. So, you can teach yourself to guesstimate exposure for different lighting situations. Again, I agree. Especially if you stick to a particular film speed (400 is my standard), you'll see that you can guess exposure settings much faster than you may have thought.

 

Finally, yes, the Leicas are great people cameras. I love to shoot photos of people, those I know (as above) and those I don't. The little Barnack Leica screwmount cameras are anything but threatening to people. Great for candid people photography.

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

 

Fear of Street Photography? I Don't Have It, But I Understand It.

 

The Smile, Greenwich Village, NYC, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Leica Summicron 50mm f2

iso 320, f5.6, 1/125 sec

 
I don't have a fear of taking photographs of people on the street. Of course, there are situations where I decide that someone may react negatively, and in those cases, I don't take the shot. In general, though, I don't have much problem with it.
 
I seem to alternate between taking candids of people without talking to them, as in the shot above, and other times like to talk and get permission. The two approaches give very different feelings. Here's one where I asked permission, taken within less than a block of "The Smile:"
 

Hipster Glasses, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Leica Summicron 50mm f2

iso 320, f6.7, 1/125 sec

 
I like both of these images, and really neither one better than the other.
 
If you do suffer from anxiety about shooting street photography, you may want to read a recent post by Jim Maher on digital-photography-school.com.
 
(Click Here) to read Jim's post. He's also advertising an eBook. I haven't ordered it, but I may give it a try. I don't know Jim, or have any connection to him or his book sales.
 
Jim suggests seven steps to help get comfortable with street photography:
 

1. Street portraiture (ask permission) - We've already discussed this one.
2. Pick a spot and let them come to you - This is a good strategy, but I don't find it any less confrontational than walking and scouting.
3. Use a small, wide angle lens - I agree that small lenses are less threatening. Be careful with the wide angle part, though. They require you to get very close to your subjects. For street, I generally prefer a 50mm lens, or 35mm at the widest, unless I really feel like getting up close to people.
4. Shoot from the Hip - Yeah, that can work very well. It won't help you get over your fear, though.
5. Pretend you're shooting something else - I do this all the time. Good technique.
6. Be confident - Hmm. Okay. At least, don't look like a stalker or a spy; people will notice you.
7. Choose your subjects carefully - Sure. Of course.

So, get out there and give it a try! The worst I've ever had to do was delete a shot for someone. And that was because I didn't feel strongly enough to stand up for my rights. And, the shot wasn't that good anyway... DMC-365.blogspot.com
 
 

Shooting Rangefinder-Style With Micro 4/3

 

dixeyk's Emulation of Rangefinder Style Shooting on Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF2

Image Source: http://www.mu-43.com/f35/how-approximate-my-old-compact-rfs-27412/

dixeyk has written a post over on mu-43.com about recapturing the shooting style of classic rangefinder cameras with Micro 4/3 gear.

(Click Here) to read the full post.

I have referenced dixeyk's posts before. We seem to have similar interests in our photography. The goal was to set up a modern Micro 4/3 camera to allow a shooting style similar to a classic film rangefinder. Of course, the best way to get that is to have a digital Leica (or perhaps the Fuji XPro 1?), but that was not available.

The characteristics that dixeyk went for, as far as I can interpret, were a compact kit, fast (wide aperture) lenses, and fast focus (as one can achieve through manual focus on a rangefinder camera). For this, he chose to use a Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF2 and the Lumix 20mm f1.7 as his normal lens. He also used Lumix 14mm f2.5 and Olympus 45mm f1.8 lenses, approximating a 28, 40, and 90mm field of view on a classic rangefinder. So far, I would have made similar choices, using my Lumix DMC-GF1 (another Lumix body without an internal viewfinder) and Lumix 20mm f1.7 lens.

Now here's where we go different ways. In dixeyk's case, he decided to shoot with the LCD and autofocus, utilizing the camera's ability to touch focus and shoot. This allows the user to pinpoint where in the field of view they want to focus by touching the LCD screen. As soon as focus is achieved, the camera automatically releases the shutter, capturing the image. I can see how this would feel similar to the fast focus and capture capability of a classic rangefinder.

For my own approach, especially in street photography, my favorite use of a rangefinder, I go in a completely different direction. I turn off the LCD, mount a 35mm optical finder (an old Russian version in my case) in the camera's flash shoe, and use hyperfocal settings to give a lot of depth of field. For information on that,

(Click Here) to see my previous post on setting hyperfocal distance on Panasonic Micro 4/3 cameras.

I find that the 35mm finder closely approximates the field of view of the 20mm f1.7 Lumix lens.
 
I use the exact same finder on my smaller Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5, which provides for directly setting zone focus in the manual focusing screen. In actuality, the LX5 does a better job of emulating a rangefinder than the GF1, in my opinion. It has a great scale to show the focus distance and depth of field, will allow you to lock the zoom at any focal length and the f-stop at any setting. It is a super-quick little camera for street photography.
 
(Click Here) to see my post on my LX5 street kit.
 
I will give dixeyk's approach a try. I think the main differences are in what each of us is trying to achieve. He's working toward quick response pinpoint focus and capture, while I'm working toward large depth of field, quick response street photography with a rangefinder camera.
 
Fun stuff.
 
DMC-365.blogspot.com