How to focus your camera to get sharper pictures? By Leica photographer Thorsten Overgaard

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In this video photographer and Leica expert Thorsten von Overgaard compare methods of manual focusing and auto focusing techniques with digital fullframe cameras, 35mm film cameras, medium format, electronic viewfinders, face recognition, mirrorless EVF focusing and more. In short, how to get the maximum sharpness in your photographs.
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Where to buy your 21mm Summilux:
KEN HANSEN NEW YORK INC LEICA DEALER
SECOND-HAND LIST AND NEW LEICA CAMERAS AND LENSES:
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OVERGAARD WORKSHOPS
Check out the Thorsten Overgaard Workshops for Leica photographers and digital photographers in Atlanta, Amsterdam, New York, San Francisco, Havana, Paris, Lisbon, Frankfurt, Iceland, Miami, Santa Fe, Los Angeles, London, Berlin, Sydney, Melbourne and many other places: workshops.thorsten-overgaard.com
Leica Camera Reviews and Leica Lens Reviews by photographer Thorsten Overgaard: leica-reviews.overgaard.dk/
Thorsten von Overgaard is a Danish writer and photographer, specializing in portrait photography and documentary photography, known for writings about photography and as an educator. You are always welcome to send an e-mail to Thorsten for questions, suggestions and ideas.
Thorsten Overgaard is an independent writer and photographer who write, teach workshops and publish user reports about the equipment he uses. There is no affiliation with Leica Camera AG or any camera dealers, no free gifts, no sponsorship, no kickback and no paid content. All you see is real and based on the life of an eccentric and hard-working photographer who makes his own money, buys his own equipment and form his own independent opinions - and shares with you. Enjoy the ride.
Video Credits:
Produced by: Thorsten Overgaard (www.overgaard.dk)
Equipment:
This video was made with the Leica SL bhpho.to/3cIbPEg and Leica 35mm Summilux-L ASPH f/1.4 bhpho.to/2MEr0nn , using Sennheiser wireless microphones bhpho.to/2zafn4v . Leica SL2 as second camera.
In this video:
"Always Wear A Camera" Mug: checkout.square.site/merchant...
#Leica #sharpness #photographs
Job 2189-0323

[@ThomasEisl.Photography]

I very much appreciate your comments on "buying a newer camera" I've seen this issue many times. Without knowing how to work with the basics, more automation is a curse.

[@creative_cozmic]

I never got on with autofocus for street photography and simply find manual focusing using pre-focus or zone focus so much easier and allowing me to be fully in control. Also I don't care for tack sharp (clinical) lenses either, nor do I get why people are so obsessed with sharpness anyway. Why is sharpness, especially wide open seen as some sort of standard as to how good a lens is? The Voigtlander 40mm f1.2 I have on my Sony A7III is such a wonderful lens to use and an antidote to the clinical, overly sharp obsession. Give me character and soul in photographs over technical optical perfection any day.

[@lawcch]

yes, I love soft sharp or not so sharp picture especially on Portrait shot but depending on the background scene.

[@erichstocker8358]

The first time I got a rangefinder camera I realized that I loved that way of focusing. I still find a rangefinder camera easier to focus than other modes and more natural (to me). I bought a magnifier for the view finder for my Leica M4-P so that the rangefinder spot is bigger and makes it easier to focus for fast lenses and 135mm lens. This works well. Problem, of course, is that one has to look around the viewfinder for composing as one can no longer see the entire coverage area for the lens. However, it does make precise focusing for some situations easier. Even for the Leica M240 that I have, I found rangefinder focus more natural and faster than using the live view or finder. Loved the video. You made a lot of very good and cogent points.

[@mpw621]

Very good informative Video. I am old school so I grew up with manual focus and use it on my current Leica CL digital. Manual focus is fun as the user chooses what to focus on not the camera.

[@jeremykeller211]

Thorsten! Look at the early photos of my town, Istanbul, by the extraordinary Ara Guler. They are vague, hazy indistinct. They show mosques and minarets peering through fog and steam. Any sharpness? None. Sharpness would ruin the dreamlike quality of these marvelous photos. Sharpness, superior resolution are not always the goal for great photos.

[@GastonShutters]

I want to shoot that pentax! Thanks for the great video.

[@MagicOfLight_ThorstenOvergaard]

Thank you. Yes, the Pentax is a piece of work 🙂

[@GrenvilleMelonseedSkiff496]

New magic tricks are really just old school … awesome! Thanks for this really excellent video!

[@MagicOfLight_ThorstenOvergaard]

Thank you 🙂

[@CrueLoaf]

Wonderfully explained. Thank you.

[@RS-Amsterdam]

Great video Thorsten and full of useful information... like always. What I missed in the video, especially around 9:40 where you focus on the tree and hold focus by pushing the shutter release button half way, is DEDICATED BACK BUTTON FOCUS This is (as you know) where you set the back button button to dedicated set focus to the subject When you change the angle of the camera it will stay in focus but when you push the shutter release button it will measure the correct exposure of that moment. This comes in handy when you move the frame towards or from a light source so the proper exposure would change. Anyways, thanks for sharing and a great weekend !

[@MagicOfLight_ThorstenOvergaard]

Thanks. Yes that is right. On the M11 and most cameras, locking the focus first save the delay, which is the point. You hold the focus, then take the photo at the right time.

[@QuicknStraight]

This is an excellent and thought-provoking video. I am still using a Pentax K5, so the only MF assist is using the zoom function in live view, or the green hexagon in the viewfinder. And so nice to watch someone who can talk coherently for a longer period, without needing to chop-edit every 5 seconds. I am interested to try the LR presets, thanks.

[@ThomasEisl.Photography]

The K5 is a really nice camera 👍

[@QuicknStraight]

@@ThomasEisl.Photography I don't print, so I see no pressing reason to change to a newer model!

[@abchappell01]

This is a wonderful presentation. Thank you 😊

[@MagicOfLight_ThorstenOvergaard]

Welcome. Thank you!

[@Diaz.et.Pam.]

Thank you so much for this fantastic and informative video. I have the D-Lux 7 and. I’m getting the q3. Will look at your other videos for good tips.

[@MagicOfLight_ThorstenOvergaard]

Nice jump to the Leica Q3: www.overgaard.dk/Leica-Q3-digital-rangefinder-camera-the-perfect-menu.html

[@richardsimms251]

Very enjoyable

[@ArminHirmer]

Nice thanks. With my Q2M I use mostly AF as it works nice. With my M8 I need the longest time to get used to the focussing, Ricoh GXR with Leica mount is easier :) but even with Signs FPL I mostly focus manuell

[@erichstocker8358]

Actually the problem with many new lenses and autofocus camera is that even when setting them on manual, the focus is focus by wire. This is actually very disconcerting to folks. It certainly messes me up. There seems to be no relationship between the manual process of turning the focus ring with the focus that one sees in the viewfinder. Some lenses are better than others in this focus by wire. However, I still prefer just a direct relationship of turning the focus ring with the focusing. The Zeiss Batis I have with my Sony does focus by wire and I can never figure out why it takes so many turns to get into focus. I often prefer manual lenses or even vintage lenses on the Sony as they have mechanical focus. Just more straightforward to me.

[@schecterman7193]

How do you focus on moving people or objects with the OVF? Without using zone focusing or the liveview of course... because I don't like it and I find it rather inaccurate. The reason I have a Leica M is to do everything with the OVF. Thanks in advance for your reply, Regards.

[@ronaldsand3000]

Unlike an I phone many cameras have heavy, long travel and less than optimally located shutter buttons As such, it creates movement making sharp photos difficult because of unnecessary movement Camera manufacturers should do what rifle manufacturers have always understood, that a light trigger is essential for accuracy

[@tjmanou6422]

I agree. Super sharp pixelated focus is way overrated and unnatural to the eye. That's not how our eyes see, Like Mark De Pola says: I'm not interested in freezing the moment (with sharpness), I'm interested in the motion of the moment (where softer and slightly longer exposure gives) always looks more natural to the eye. I think it adds more "soul" and story to the photographs. Looks ore timeless to me too. anyway, lol ... thank you

[@RS-Amsterdam]

agreed. When a lens review starts with... the images are tack sharp...I already know, the person has no clue about lenses. I rather have good micro contrast in the middle possibly with some distortion, than super sharp but flat images, however besides Zeiss, Leica and Voigtlander it is something they don't care about.

[@KiloOneThree]

“That’s not how our eyes see”??? Not sure what you mean by that. Our eyes/brain certainly don’t see motion blur, that would be unnatural to the eye. Though the end product preference of an image is subjective, and in the end I agree with “when it looks right, it is right”. I find the desire/problem people have with trying to get a spot on sharpness is due to the ability to zoom in at a ridiculous 200%, when in reality the average person doesn’t look at a photo like that or have it printed to billboard size, is all down to the vids with “let’s zoom in and see what it looks like” which instills a sense/perception of ‘sharpness’ in peoples minds that I think makes them lose focus (pun intended!) on other aspects of photography, like getting the image.

[@tjmanou6422]

@@KiloOneThree disagree.

[@tjmanou6422]

@@RS-Amsterdam exactly :)

[@KiloOneThree]

@@tjmanou6422 On which bit? The image is in the eye of the beholder, so we have different expectations.

[@torsteinv34]

Jesus, can someone please TL;DW this one?

[@MagicOfLight_ThorstenOvergaard]

Use, the stop button 🙂

[@jBartolo]

I love your content and have followed you for years but my only input is I wish your videos were not so long…. I know it’s your style but each video seems to be 30 to 45 minutes…. Just sharing, no criticism….

[@MagicOfLight_ThorstenOvergaard]

I just sit and talk. I deliberately don't want to do short pointless videos, but on the other hand I would like to make them less than 30 minutes. 15 might be a sweet spot.