Hello Leic-addicts, Here are the results of my M7 taken with AE mode. When I asked Steve Hoffman how to shoot the lights with an M6 TTL he told me to go out and buy an M7, so I did. I am happy with his advice. Thanks Steve! I shot them with a 15mm VC and a 35 cron ASPH. I took them on the last night they where on. Also are some ground zero shots. Comments? http://www.photo.net/photodb/folder?folder_id=200483

-- John Abela (jamriman@yahoo.com), April 22, 2002

Answers

OOPS!!!! Sorry Ken and Steve. Ken I got you mixed up with Steve. I meant Ken Shipman. Thanks Ken for the suggestion! The M7 is a nice camera.

-- John Abela (jamriman@yahoo.com), April 22, 2002.

I don't know if the M7 was better to use than the M6, but very nice shots. Ain't that 15mm great! Bargain price for a lens like that.

-- chris a williams (LeicaChris@worldnet.att.net), April 22, 2002.

You seem to have the same problem I do when I use a superwide-- keeping the horizon level. No matter how careful I am (even using a bubble level in the hot shoe at times), it seems like half of my superwide images have the horizon tilted. Anybody have any tricks on how to up my percentage of straight horizons (no jokes about laying off the booze please!).

I'm curious as to why you think the M7 made a diffence in getting these images? You didn't take them on the "A" setting, did you?

-- Andrew Schank (aschank@flash.net), April 22, 2002.

Actually, the M7 wasn't my idea. My suggestion was ISO 400 film, 1/2 second at f/5.6, and open up the aperature from there. However, I'm glad this is working for you, and I'm glad you're enjoying it. ;-)

-- Ken (kennyshipman@aol.com), April 23, 2002.

Don't know how I came into this, but glad I could be of inspiration to you John! :^)

www.stevehoffman.tv

-- Steve Hoffman (shoffman2@socal.rr.com), April 23, 2002.

Andrew, I have seen a device from CV; sort of a double-shoe. You put the viewfinder in one shoe, then insert a bubble level in an angled shoe next to it. I haven't tried it, just saw it in a display cabinet with the 12mm VF. The idea is that you can glance from one to the other without moving the position of your head - might be worth looking at.

But yeah, it is a problem. There is a lot of distortion in the separate finders whether they're Leica or CV.

-- Tim Franklin (tim_franklin@mac.com), April 23, 2002.

I'm curious as to why you think the M7 made a diffence in getting these images? You didn't take them on the "A" setting, did you?

Yes Andrew I took them on A setting.

-- John Abela (jamriman@yahoo.com), April 23, 2002.

Nice pictures you have there John, did you use the VC 15mm with a tripod? Regards,

-- edgaddi (edgaddi@yahoo.com), April 23, 2002.

The lighting in some of those shots seems difficult for a meter to read accurately set on auto. I'm impressed.

-- Andrew Schank (aschank@flash.net), April 23, 2002.

John -

I showed the vertical of your photo - - on my 15" monitor screen - - to the niece of someone who lost her Uncle in the WTC on 9/11. She has been to Ground Zero, and has experienced the residual stench and unspeakable residual of the attack.

She cried, and she asked me to thank you for your reminder of what our national will has come from that day. She remarked that the two spots on the clouds represented, to her, the souls that perished in those two aircraft.

-- George C. Berger (gberger@his.com), April 23, 2002.

Nice picture John!

Andrew, John, I wonder about the AE being able to handle this kind of scene myself. I've got to believe either that the metering just worked out to be right (there's too much contrast in the scene for even a fat spot to average it out right) or, more likely, that night city skylines scenes work with a wide range of exposures. Our eyes are not very good at detecting overexposure in the highlights in these nigh scene situations. Every stop of overexposure is only going to improve shadow detail and leave the very bright highlights (building windows etc) just very bright, so there is no "correct" exposure, beyond the minimum required to register the pinpricks of light in those building windows.

I know this could be worded a bit more intelligibly, so if you have questions, please don't hesitate to ask. I'll try to answer them ;-)

-- Mani Sitaraman (bindumani@pacific.net.sg), April 23, 2002.