EXCERPT page containing first few paragraphs. 2023-06-02 11:02:09
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Rangefinder Focus Error With Leica M9 + 50/1.4 Summilux
A minor focus error might require stopping down at least 2 stops, if not 4-5 stops to sharpen up the intended subject matter. The issue is the same, no matter what the camera.
The example below shows an aperture series in 1/2 stop increments from f/1.4 through f/16. The reader is advised to observe just how much stopping down is required to achieve peak sharpness and contrast.
This example shot with the Leica M9; see also the extensive Guide to Leica.
Bristlecone pine example
I focused this image using the Leica 1.4X viewfinder magnifier, taking care to focus as well as I could: my goal was perfect focus at f/1.4, for a complete sharpness series example.
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Diglloyd Making Sharp Images articulates years of best practices and how-to, painstakingly learned over a decade of camera and lens evaluation.
Save yourself those years of trial and error by jump-starting your photographic technical execution when making the image. The best lens or camera is handicapped if the photographer fails to master perfect shot discipline. High-resolution digital cameras are unforgiving of errors, at least if one wants the best possible results.
- Eases into photographic challenges with an introductory section.
- Covers aspects of digital sensor technology that relate to getting the best image quality.
- Technique section discusses every aspect of making a sharp image handheld or on a tripod.
- Depth of field and how to bypass depth of field limitations via focus stacking.
- Optical aberrations: what they are, what they look like, and what to do about them.
- MTF, field curvature, focus shift: insight into the limitations of lab tests and why imaging performance is far more complex than it appears.
- Optical aberrations: what they are, what they look like, and what to do about them.
- How to test a lens for a “bad sample”.
Intrigued? See Focusing Zeiss DSLR Lenses For Peak Performance, PART ONE: The Challenges, or (one topic of many) field curvature.
