Night Photos - any tips?

T

tobinharris

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Hello good R-D1 folk,

Well, I've had the CV 40mm f1.4 for a few weeks now, and given it a few good trials out and about. I bought it for low-light use - parties, pubs, and such things.

The problem is, 90% of the time I can't focus the darn thing! Every now and again I get a nice one, like this (which is still a bit soft):


Aww, bless by tobinharris, on Flickr

But most come out really "soft", like this:


2am Bobbles by tobinharris, on Flickr

How do I get that crisp, sharp image at night!?

Seems like f1.4 is amazing for light, but hard to focus that shallow DOF. Finding a good focusing edge in the R-D1 viewfinder can be really hard at night, which makes the problem worse.

Would be great to know how you guys get your wonderful night shots.

Tobes
 
JSU is right, it looks like it's out of alignment, he 2nd shot is out of focus: notice the chair is in focus, not her face. it's a pretty straightforward thing to do.

once you do that, i recommend trying shooting with both eyes open, you'll see the brightlines floating on the real scene and focusing should be easier. if subject is moving, instead of refocusing try following the movement, it's faster. sometimes, it's better to stop down to f2 or even 2.8 (light condition allowing, of course) and underexpose a little so you get a larger dof, which helps with moving targets.

i usually use iso800 as my highest, it gives me a better margin to work on the raw file than 1600, which can get too noisy when underexposed and has more banding, and in low light shots it's common to have a light source on the background (which can ruin a darker area).
 
umcelinho said:
JSU is right, it looks like it's out of alignment, he 2nd shot is out of focus: notice the chair is in focus, not her face. it's a pretty straightforward thing to do.

once you do that, i recommend trying shooting with both eyes open, you'll see the brightlines floating on the real scene and focusing should be easier. if subject is moving, instead of refocusing try following the movement, it's faster. sometimes, it's better to stop down to f2 or even 2.8 (light condition allowing, of course) and underexpose a little so you get a larger dof, which helps with moving targets.

i usually use iso800 as my highest, it gives me a better margin to work on the raw file than 1600, which can get too noisy when underexposed and has more banding, and in low light shots it's common to have a light source on the background (which can ruin a darker area).
Click to expand...

Thanks guys.

I wasn't sure if it was me, or if it was my rangefinder, but suspected the latter!

I'm going to try following the instructions here

http://www.google.co.uk/search?sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=r-d1+rangefinder+calibration

Or here

http://r-d1.info/service-and-repair/rangefinder-adjustment/

It's a bit scary, but gonna take a stab...

I've also asked a shop in London to see if they'll do it for me, but suspect that sending the camera via post might not be too good for the rangefinder!

I am shooting with both eyes open. I also tried putting a bit of black tape over the rangefinder rectangle in the viewfinder, makes it much clearer for night shots, but haven't tried it properly yet.

Thanks

Tobin
 
Hello Tobin,
JSU is right, I would get my rangefinder checked. But for low light, like bars, clubs or pubs you will have always the problem of no light=no contrast for focussing. My eyes are not the best but I have problems to focus with my M3 at such places. I always try to get something what is bright(er) into the patch. No easy to get sharp fucused pics in available darkness.
George
 
Thanks guys

@gyuribacsi - yeah, I'm still 50/50 as to whether it's me or the rangefinder!

I'm going to do some more scientific tests in good light, just to be sure.

I do know that I need to angle the CV40mm down a few degrees when taking a shot, so something is definitely off. I didn't notice this with my CV25.

I'll be finding someone to look at the RF regardless, I looked through the instructions for fixing it myself and I'm not quite confident enough yet to know what I'm doing!

T
 
Update!

Update!

Looks like a local Leeds camera shop (Dale Photographic) will take a look at this for me. Ace!

I approached several classic camera shops in the UK and most said that they'd undertake the R-D1 rangefinder callibration, which is useful to know.
 
This might seem obvious, but one reason why your best shots (e.g. the first image you posted) are not tack sharp is that you were probably using low shutter speeds due to the low light. Sure, RF are easier to hand-hold at 1/15th than SLR, but that does not compensate for slight subject movement... or dare I say it... maybe even the photographer's --after all, seems like you were in a pub drinking with friends :)
 
Yea, given the advice here, I'm beginning to think it might be the combination of:

a) low light - difficult to catch a hard edge in the RF
b) slower shutter speeds - more prone to blurring if me/subject moves
b) f1.4 & minimal DOF - requires viewfinder focusing skills
c) drinking alcohol - which amplifies any errors caused by above
e) lastly, a possible RF focus/calibration issue :)

The camera is getting a technician health check as we speak. I'm hoping I'm not 100% to blame for the problems I'm having :)
 
I haven't noticed any problem on your daytime shots. I'm wondering if it's just about practice. Always start focusing in on your objective from infinity, this way you'll always be bringing the second image from the same direction and it will stop you 'hunting' from side to side.

Shoot with both eyes open and don't be afraid of 1600ISO, I think it looks better than any other I have seen and actually the grain looks lovely.

I would also try a 'softie' as I mentioned on Flickr, they help you shoot at lower speeds I think.

Lastly, as a crude rangefinder calibration test, focus on something REALLY far away. If the image is matching through the RF at infinity then you aren't far out. Fiddling with the RF would be the last thing on my list unless I was sure.

Cheers
ped
 
Thanks ped

I'm shooting with both eyes open, and mostly focusing from infinity to prevent hunting (although I still have to fiddle about a bit).

I practiced shooting a can of coke last night at reasonably close range, with open aperture. I'm getting a feel for just how narrow the DOF is on the CV40 when it's open at f1.4, f2 or even f4. If I focus on the pull ring of the can, the text on the can is out of focus.

Given that observation, since I often focus on the edge of the face, it's no wonder the eyes are often blurry. Similarly, I often focus on the edfe of face, and then pivot the camera to frame, which is also going to introduce a slight shift.

I find it *really* tricky to focus on eyes, just because it's hard to find a line in low light in the RF. I guess I need to practice!

I did have someone service the camera recently, and they said they couldn't find issues with the RF, it just needed a bit of a clean internally.

Thanks again

Tobin
 
hmm I would think cv classic 40mm 1.4 seems like a soft lens..
Im running one currently.. good cheap lens, might be the nature the lens..
bokeh wise not quite yummy yet to me :) my Jup 3 and 11 seems to produce rounder and bokeh balls... :)
 
Maybe it is a bit of a soft lens, thinking about a Zeiss Biogon 35... but that's about 2x the price...

Jupiter 11 - I took mine out on Saturday for 2nd time and getting results out that is damn hard (for a noob!).


Lake by tobinharris, on Flickr
 
The above chart is aimed at DSLR users but should be of some use for rangefinders, at least for near distances. Mount it on a wall sideways and back off several feet at 45 degrees and shoot away. Be sure to use a tripod if you want best results.
 
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