The GetDPI Photography Forum

Great to see you here. Join our insightful photographic forum today and start tapping into a huge wealth of photographic knowledge. Completing our simple registration process will allow you to gain access to exclusive content, add your own topics and posts, share your work and connect with other members through your own private inbox! And don’t forget to say hi!

An informative book for M9

KurtKamka

Subscriber Member
In my opinion ... the best book is the book of personal experience.

1) Carry the camera with you everywhere
2) Shoot everything around you that you find interesting
3) Don't be afraid to experiment and follow your instincts; shoot into the sun, wide open, stopped down, etc.
4) Review your results ... the self-awareness and resulting images will help propel you forward
5) If don't like what you are seeing, go back to step one
6) If you like what you are seeing, also go back to step one
 

Godfrey

Well-known member
In my opinion ... the best book is the book of personal experience.

1) Carry the camera with you everywhere
2) Shoot everything around you that you find interesting
3) Don't be afraid to experiment and follow your instincts; shoot into the sun, wide open, stopped down, etc.
4) Review your results ... the self-awareness and resulting images will help propel you forward
5) If don't like what you are seeing, go back to step one
6) If you like what you are seeing, also go back to step one
I like that. I'd add only one thing:

0) Study the instruction manual and try all the camera's features, then forget the ones you don't need.
 

Moonshine

New member
That's the problem I'm having...I find the manual a little difficult to understand...for eg. I couldn't figure out how to set user profiles from the manual...
KurtKamba: thx your advice is spot on...if I can just figure out the manual :(
 

Godfrey

Well-known member
That's the problem I'm having...I find the manual a little difficult to understand...for eg. I couldn't figure out how to set user profiles from the manual...
KurtKamba: thx your advice is spot on...if I can just figure out the manual :(
I've had similar problems with every camera I have used that includes the ability to save profiles ... exactly how to set them up and they behave in use is never really well explained in any manufacturers' manuals. I do use them once in a bit, but overall I've learned more about how to do so my experimenting than by any book or instruction manual I've found.

Ah for the days when all you had to know was how to set the exposure time, the aperture and the focus ... !
 

weinschela

Subscriber Member

Agree abouty the Taylor book. I was quite disappointed. Reading book about how to use your camera is a bit like readinga book about how to sail a boat.
 
S

Seafurydriver

Guest
I attended the Leica Akademie M9 class in SF this past June, and while it was an excellent course, and I would highly recommend it, I also feel that someone who was completely new to Leica, rangefinders, and the M9 can get a lot of very good information from David Taylor's "Leica M9, The Expanded Guide".

Again, this is not a book for someone with vast Leica experience, but for the newcomer. Specifically I like this guide because it discusses:

1. Some history about Leica and the M series.
2. Step by step instructions of menu functions, with color illustrations.
3. A clear and concise explanation of the viewfinder, framelines, and focusing.
4. Metering and exposure compensation.
5. DOF & Hyperfocal distance, and how to properly set them on the M9 (infinity at one stop more than scale).
6. Leica lenses, but also Zeiss and CV with examples and list of non-compatible lenses.
7. An excellent introduction to Lightroom, covering workflow.

The book obviously covers more than just these seven items, but I think it does an excellent job of bringing the newcomer up to speed on using the M9 in the real world. At the Leica Akademie M9 Experience we did cover all of these items, but having a basic understanding of them before taking the class would, IMHO, allow the individual to get much more from the class.
 
Top