Leica M Rangefinder Focusing Tips and Tricks

[@PSYCHIC_PSYCHO]

Very useful advice thank you. Another technique I have devised is when shooting outdoors while standing on a sidewalk made up of concrete paving slabs, each and every concrete paving slab on that sidewalk will have the same dimensions, therefore you can calculate the distance between you and your subject by counting the number of paving slabs between you and your subject times that by the length of each paving slab, which will allow you to pre-focus.

[@GaryLangEngr]

1,000,000 KZbin videos on this topic covered in one, clear video

[@RedDotForum]

Wow. So kind of you to say.

[@iakish]

Next video : How to exposure with M cameras !!!!!! In David we trust !!!!

[@goarmymp1]

One of the best tutorial videos for the M cameras Very easy to understand and learn from

[@RedDotForum]

Wow, thanks!

[@dlmp70]

Thanks a lot for this video!

[@Amillionyawn]

using a Q but trying to learn zone focus (auto focus still isn't fast enough), honestly the best tutorial explaining how to set up zone focus, and estimating distance tips are fantastic!

[@PaulMansfield-2023]

That is the most worthwhile quarter of an hour's tutorial video I have watched for a long time. All of it was useful but for me the back and forth movement to nail fine focus is going to make a big difference to the rangefinder experience for me. I must admit I have been struggling a bit but you have inspired me to go out again and use all of these techniques with more confidence. Great video, thank you for posting.

[@LouiseMillar-goeritz]

I agree

[@JayJayNay]

I don’t have a Leica M or any other rangefinder camera (want one plus a good lens but they’re so expensive. CA adds another 9.125% sales tax on top of it), but this was a very nice video. I enjoyed watching. Although not the same, it brought me back to my Canon AE1 manual focusing. Thank you.

[@mikenrico123]

thx, nice info. will practice

[@MadshGrappling]

It's hard to imagine a better rangefinder guide than this video right here!

[@fransbaert4666]

Thank you David. I enjoyed this very much. I have used a rangefinder for 38 years (CL, M5, M6...M11) and found it very reassuring that my experience as an amateur matches your professional insights. What I do as well with tip #7 with the M11, is that I take pictures while moving forward and backward like that - as a sort of insurance policy - one of them will definitely be perfect in focus.

[@jlwilliams]

Nice job! I'm definitely bookmarking this to help orient rangefinder-camera newcomers. (I know this is a Leica channel, but most of these tips will work just as well when using a Minolta CLE, a Bessa, or a Pixii…) Here's my own mini-tip for subjects with repeating patterns, such as the wall example: try holding the camera at a 45-degree angle for focusing. Sometimes this makes it easier to pick up a “focusable” feature on the subject…

[@RedDotForum]

Thanks so much!

[@johndandrea3194]

Excellent tips for a more efficient and effective rangefinder experience..thanks!

[@HN-sk2lr]

Great review, I'm in love with my leica m11 monochrom and sl3 can't be happier ❤

[@RedDotForum]

Awesome!

[@PSYCHIC_PSYCHO]

Considering the low battery life of the SL3 (250 shots), can one buy a separate power pack to boost battery life for the SL3?

[@Markus-u8v]

Perfect timing. today I bought my m6. All thumbs up.

[@RedDotForum]

Nice 👍

[@klarkolofsson]

The defintive rangefinder video. Cudos!

[@miguelolea8942]

world class video and communication, you are a master David

[@RedDotForum]

Wow. Thank you!

[@cinqo7]

You’re an excellent teacher. Leica should be proud of you. Congrats!

[@WinfriedHeyland]

Excellent and I want to add one more item; when focussing, always start from one end - preferably from infinity. It avoids the back and forth of turning the ring.

[@RedDotForum]

Great tip!

[@paulosaret1811]

Yup, got that tip from Ralph Gibson too.

[@webersteve1547]

Don't forget to choose the correct diopter for the viewfinder. This can be a gamechanger

[@johnfalloon596]

Wonderful video David - watch you guys all the time

[@RedDotForum]

Appreciate it.

[@kieulannguyen1193]

Thank you so much for all the tips. ❤❤❤

[@RedDotForum]

You are so welcome!

[@forsterdaniel]

Simply brillant, thank you very much

[@RedDotForum]

You're very welcome!

[@tunajames]

Friends don’t let friends use F16. 😂😂😂

[@snarkytadpole4799]

Excellent video as always. As much as I love the long ones I think these short, to the point, single subject videos are the most useful. Let's see more!

[@RedDotForum]

Great feedback. Any topics you'd like us to cover in the future?

[@payperview714]

I shoot street with 28mm most of the time. The first thing I do every day I'm out is walk up to a street sign or other pole, estimate 6 feet, set and then hold to my eye..I shoot zone focus without holding the camera to my eye about 90% of the time, so i then adjust for the distance of the camera being a little closer to the subject.

[@RedDotForum]

That's what I'm talking about!

[@mwales2112]

Very nice. Thank you

[@RedDotForum]

Most welcome

[@rolandrick]

Thanks for all RDF videos. Top informations guaranteed. The Leica lenses fall more off into infinity as towards closer ranges. With e.g. the Elmarit-M 2.8/28 ASPH always subtract a stop to achieve better results at infinity. When e.g. shooting hyperfocal at F8, dial the infinity marker somewhere between the F5.6 and F8. If foreground doesn’t matter always to infinity. - I’m shooting M since 1986 😇. Besides, it’s typical for Leica lenses to have more fall-off towards infinity and that’s perfect like so, that makes the Leica look, specifically shooting portraits with primes 50mm and longer.

[@john_murch]

Excellent tutorial on rangefinder focusing David. I use all of these but thanks for your reminder, I need to practice on the last one, rocking the body back and forth slightly for fine focusing with portraits. Cheers!

[@RedDotForum]

Really makes a big difference, especially for portraits!

[@carlseibert9015]

Say the distance to yourself in your head. That keeps the distance estimation separate from the tab position, which varies lens to lens and makes it easier to learn and remember. Best video on this subject I've ever seen. Way to go David.

[@RedDotForum]

Good tip and thanks for the feedback!

[@CrueLoaf]

Great video thank you. I’m also looking for tips on metering. Something that always trips me up with my M10-P.

[@RedDotForum]

Thanks for the suggestion. Will add it to the list.

[@patrickaltman5451]

Thanks David . You are a great pedagog. When the subject is moving, and to get the perfect focus is not so easy , I close a bit the aperture to get a little more depth of field and have a kind of automatic correction of the lack of perfect focusing with the range finder. It is "zone focusing" but in a particular situation.

[@tashihishey34]

A useful rule of thumb is to apply standard lengths to calulate distance. For example, the width of cars, length of buses, tiles and the rule of thumb using the parallex method.

[@kevinmallory5237]

Hi David - more of these videos! I love the longer all things Leica - but, this type of short informative video around specific shooting tips are great! Very well done.

[@martinsmyth5580]

Hi, I know this is a long shot because the video has been up for a long time. I am new to Leica, but do you see the mark in the middle of infinity when zone focusing? It's hard to see in the video. Thank you

[@tommytorres]

Thanks for the tips. Great video

[@snarkytadpole4799]

A bit off-topic but I'd love to see a video on using M-mount lenses on the SL3 using the Leica M-adapter-L.

[@thomaschamberlin2485]

For estmating the middle distances I imagine a person laying down and call that six feet. Then I stack laying down persons.

[@randomness7053]

I wish I can follow someone in IG who use Leica M digitals with portraits that looks like film.

[@LouiseMillar-goeritz]

David I think k you are excellent thank you so much

[@HansAPlast-sw6ho]

😊

[@carlosmcse]

I go to infinity automatically every time after taking a photo. So i only move the focus to the left.

[@xiiiconcepts]

Great content David! As always, your knowledge and wisdom is something of legend to the Leica community. Would love to see more content like this of you, out and about doing what you do. Thank you!

[@RedDotForum]

Wow! Thanks.

[@thatsamuellu]

12:42 there's a crime attempted in the back. it is quite interesting.

[@bryanlovephotography]

Thank you so much for doing this! I usually fall back onto the Visoflex because I struggle with the rangefinder from time to time. Great content as always!

[@RedDotForum]

You can do it!

[@kbalch]

Nicely done, David. That's going to help a lot of rangefinder newbies. It's good to have some of the foundation knowledge in one place. Being able to break down techniques that we've taken for granted for decades into such easy-to-understand bites is a gift. Well done!

[@RedDotForum]

Thanks so much.

[@derrickcohancinematography1990]

Tip 1 Don't wear glasses ;)

[@MGNphotography]

Another fabulous RDF video with useful tips even veteran rangefinder fans can benefit from. Many thanks, David!

[@RedDotForum]

My pleasure

[@exalbino]

Great video David! Very informative and concise. More of this please!

[@RedDotForum]

Thanks, will do!

[@TomokoMurakami]

This instruction is EXACTLY what I have been searching for. Thank you, David.

[@RedDotForum]

So glad it was helpful.

[@healinginfluence]

Best tutorial I have seen. Being able to focus quickly is what keeps me from purchasing an M.

[@RedDotForum]

Glad it was helpful!

[@RichardPilon]

Great video. Thanks for all the tips. Does your comment of never shooting at F16 also apply to film cameras? I didn’t quite get that one.

[@RedDotForum]

You could probably get away with f/16 on film. On high resolution digital sensors, as the pixels get smaller and smaller, you can't stop down as much without suffering from diffraction.

[@DrScottMcDonald]

Great all-in-one lesson David! I've been using the M beginning with the M9 and now the M10, for me, I think the most valuable tip you've offered that was the greatest benefit to me was the rocking focus. Brilliant! I was guilty of trying to "fine-tune" the focus using the finger tab, but now I know better! I'll buy you a coffee the next time you're in Vietnam! Thank you David! As Josh said to you when reviewing my gear in the Show Us Your Kit episode last year, no, I do not have a farm! Hahaha! Cheers, Scott

[@BudParr]

Thanks for this. I notice you wear eyeglasses. Do you have any issues seeing framelines on the 35 or wider lenses?

[@RedDotForum]

I personally don't have an issue with 28 and 35mm framelines with my glasses.

[@50shadesofNV]

this was a good one to watch even for refresher, BTW, looks like you were at the Ft Lauderdale Riverwalk area?

[@RedDotForum]

It is indeed Riverwalk in downtown Fort Lauderdale! Good eye.

[@jpm5205]

No EVFs please in the M12.

[@gewglesux]

You like the screen in the rear?

[@RedDotForum]

Leica has stated that an M camera isn't an M camera without the rangefinder! The option to add an EVF is always welcome though, especially if you want to use wider and longer focal lengths.

[@jpm5205]

@@RedDotForum Visoflex3 is fine, but no built-in EVF. The engineering compromises to put it in would not be worth it. Make a smaller SL or a interchangeable-lens Q, but a built-in EVF doesn't make sense.

[@gewglesux]

I needed to understand the difference between the OVF/EVF now i'm clear.

[@DarrenLoveland]

Great work as always!

[@artwong9405]

I had convinced myself that I really needed to buy a Visoflex 2 to focus my M11P properly. So glad I watched this video because it gave me the tools to improve my photography skills rather than purchasing a "crutch"! Thank you!!

[@Gravitys-NOT-a-force]

My problem with the "rangefinder tab" is that if you try to take, say, two photos of your subject five or ten minutes apart, there's a good chance that the rangefinder tab will hang up on your camera bag or your clothing and change your focus! If your lens has a "rangefinder tab" and you put your camera back in your bag, the rangefinder tab will always find some excuse to move!

[@ianrobertcope]

What a fantastic summary of focus techniques on the M11 . I also use pre focusing with focus, peaking on to quickly confirm my focus. I find this great as well Thanks again

[@eddiepeel]

This is very helpful. I’ve been around M cameras since the 90s and got my own first M with the M8 and I still learned things from this video. Much appreciated

[@edwintan73]

good advise !!

[@tocinoconrad3798]

I am so happy that you guys made this video. I just bought a Nikon SP as my first rangefinder and this video have greatly helped with focusing!

[@ziggy149]

12:45 - Bambi's friends playing tag in the background. Found that rather amusing. And what a nice peek at how beautiful it is where you guys live.

[@street4fips]

A nice summary indeed! The other day, I realized that the minimum focus distance of 0.7 m is a great distance for taking selfie, so it's another way how to look at it :)

[@lottic]

Loved the video, and the bump on the front of that FLE.

[@RedDotForum]

Hey, you gotta get out there and use the gear!

[@dr.sharkas]

Excellent 🔴📸

[@perrymckenna2261]

Brilliant!

[@wilfredshum3703]

Any devices you can recommend to assist focusing under low-lighting situations?

[@RedDotForum]

The M viewfinder is extremely bright. Best tip is the first one I covered in the video. A clean viewfinder and clean rangefinder window makes all the difference especially in low light situations.

[@johnchan7544]

David, thank you for this tutorial. Hope to see one on improving composition. Btw, is there a big jump in going from M10 to M11P? Would you sell your M9P plus M10 for M11P if u were thinking of upgrading to M11P?

[@RedDotForum]

Composition is big topic! Will give that some thought. Yes, there is a big jump from the M10 to M11-P. I'd suggest you check out my full M11 review, where I run down every improvement from the M10 to the M11: rdf.to/M11-Review As to your specific question, yes, I'd definitely make that trade. I know the M9-P has a cult following right now, but the M11-P is just a superior camera in every possible way, both to the M9-P and the M10. From the 15+ stops of dynamic range to the insane resolution and vastly better low light performance to the gorgeous EVF, live view metering and in-camera USB charging, the M11 is the way to go.

[@johnchan7544]

@@RedDotForum , thanks so much for your reply and keep up the great content. Look forward to your next Leica video..

[@tofulosophy]

This was great, David! Hope this will become a regular series. It compliments the longer, deep dive discussions on the channel.

[@dummybert]

very good tip about fine focusing with your body. I never thought of it, but I'll try it next time

[@reinholdknopp2623]

Got it! 🙏🍀

[@DongshengPan]

Very useful tips and clear explanation , thank you!

[@MinerDolan]

Thanks for the video guys; been shooting M for a while and still learned a good bit from it.

[@gewglesux]

This was pretty good... i still think i'm doing it wrong though.. Can i use the same technique for my MP and Film?

[@RedDotForum]

Definitely. Rangefinder techniques are the same for film and digital.

[@mgscheue]

Yes!

[@gewglesux]

@@mgscheue Thank you very much! After spending what we all do for our Leicas... you'd think i'd know this already.

[@mgscheue]

@@gewglesuxWe are all learning. Keeps it fun!

[@gewglesux]

@@mgscheue Agreed.

[@girliedog]

This is one of the best instructional videos I've seen explaining focusing on a rangefinder. I will be watching again.

[@PaulTakesPhotos]

Thank you for sharing and explaining the working of an M camera. Just bought a M240. Perfect timing ❤

[@RedDotForum]

Enjoy!

[@daviddodier8845]

These are fantastic thank you! Man I wish I didn’t have to figure all this out on my own years ago! This will surely be a huge benefit to anyone new to the rangefinder experience. Nice video

[@RedDotForum]

That's my hope. When I started out with Leica over 20 years ago, I also wish there was someone who could have just explained everything upfront, in a straightforward way. That has been a driving force in all of our content since we started RDF.

[@JohnnyAmiri]

Such a great video. The arms-length=0.7m point is 🤯 and pre-focusing using estimated distance is a great tip. I put both of these tips to use today after watching the video and already feel faster at focusing. Thanks for the great content as always

[@RedDotForum]

Glad it was helpful!

[@edsonmartini]

This was the best explanation ever !! Thanks a million !!

[@gurugamer8632]

Hi David can you do video on Hasselblad X2D and 38mm and 90mm

[@arrangearrange]

10/10

[@richardmathews4017]

Superb video. Thank you.

[@YanaKulper]

Thank you! Great explanation!

[@wpdoyle]

Awesome tips! It was a great refresher for me. Thanks!

[@PeterMorley-n9w]

Now that was a very useful video. Well done.

[@constantinestewart7416]

Great video and advice. Thanks so much.

[@BenjaminGauthey]

Great video. Thanks for sharing

[@olafsalomon2560]

You explained a very complex issue in 15 minutes where others need 3 hours. Many greetings from a German who does not (yet) have a Leica M. However, I have already been to the Leica factory in Wetzlar ;-) Fantastic place. I have subscribed to your channel

[@RedDotForum]

Glad it was helpful!

[@richa2495]

Thank you! I’m about 9 months in with the m10 and I’ve been working at it. The estimating the distance before focusing is what I think I was missing. Thank you! I really like rangefinder photography allot. I’m shooting the 35mm focal length 100% for probably at least 6 more month before adding a 50mm. I love the Leica glass. Appreciate you making this video.

[@RedDotForum]

So glad it was helpful. Stick with it and you'll be a amazed at how the rangefinder starts to become second nature. And kudos to you for really learning that 35 before moving on to other focal lengths. I did the exact same thing when I first started shooting all those years ago!

[@devroombagchus7460]

Why compare depth of field of a 50mm to 21mm? How many people have a 21mm as a standard lens. A 28 or 35 would have been fine for illustration.

[@RedDotForum]

Even a 35mm is challenging for hyperfocal. A 28 would have been ideal for demonstrating zone focusing (as I mentioned in the video), but I don't have one in my regular kit.

[@davidcampbell1963]

Make sure that Pat Kay watches this video

[@itsahoax]

many thanks, clear and concise tutorial

[@animegeek6118]

Your explanation makes me think using a rangefinder would be easier to nail my focus. Unless I’m misunderstanding something.

[@RedDotForum]

That's the idea, since rangefinder focusing is more objective than subjective. It either matches up or it doesn't.

[@DavidTurner-z9y]

Nice job David. Keep the tutorials coming!

[@RedDotForum]

Thanks, will do!

[@1946gsp]

A nice, comprehensive set of helpful hints. Maybe next time add a short view of the lens barrel with the distance scale explained? And how about giving distances in meters and feet for those of us who use the latter? Thanks for your post!

[@RedDotForum]

Yeah, during editing, I had wished that I covered the depth of field scale a little more. Hopefully, the visual explanation of hyperfocal and zone focusing still made sense. As to the feet/meters, I did use both several times, maybe not every time talking about distance.

[@susanfleck4166]

Thanks! Succinct, informative, and a good reminder of the best and easiest ways to maximize the benefits of. Rangefinder.

[@RedDotForum]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@tonyvokey7607]

Thanks David, that was very well done as usual. I wish I was able to find something like this to watch when I bought my first M camera.

[@RedDotForum]

Yeah, same here.😂

[@vinylisland6386]

Rocking back forward is when you hit the sweet spot. Clarity and common sense personified. A model of how it should be done.

[@RedDotForum]

Thanks so much!

[@ernie61kim]

with the range finder patch approaches to match, start to squeeze the shutter. repeat practice then you can synchronize the focusing and releasing shutter - this saves a split of second that is crucial taking moving subject.

[@RedDotForum]

Great tip!