GGerard

Am I the first to ask "Which lens?" you will be using? Might be a factor as to how much will appear to be in focus with the lens set at infinity...

balticvid Loc: Queens now NJ

By all means, Get the light meter that fits in the shoe on top.

Tomfl101 Loc: Mount Airy, MD

Depending on the scene you are likely to be somewhat underexposed unless you're photographing light sand or snow. Sharpness should be fine depending on how low you are to the ground which may render near objects slightly soft. If you are above ground and shooting from an overlook I would recommend a wider aperture since lenses will be sharpest 2-3 stops from wide open and increased depth of field is not needed. Without knowing the content of your pictures it is impossible to make an accurate determination from your question.

Takyo485 Loc: Planet Earth

Oh i do have a light meter but i dont know yet how to use it. So i detatched it remporarily. 😊

BebuLamar

The light meter may not work very well but it adds significant value to the camera. If I were you I wouldn't use that meter but keep it in case I want to sell it.

Takyo485 Loc: Planet Earth

Thanks to all replies i recieved. I copy paste all your answers and meke it my guides using this camera. And also my sincere thanks to Ugly Hedgehog for this wonderful site.

wrangler5 Loc: Missouri

A significant part of the expense of Leica rangefinder cameras is the built in optical (superimposed image) rangefinder system built into the camera body and the precisely cut cam on each lens that drove the rangefinder mechanism in the body. This is what photographers pay the (usually) extra cost to get - the most precise focusing system, at almost any light level, of any film camera (at least in common use - I have no idea what the military or the CIA may have had access to.)

There is no reason to "play safe on focusing" with an M3 - use the rangefinder. When the two images you see in the rangefinder spot in the middle of the viewfinder merge, you are focused on that object.

The rangefinder actually has a couple of aids built in to help you "play safe" with depth of focus, though. At the top and bottom of the rangefinder spot in the viewfinder you can see two small "notches." If the two parts of the split image that you see are within the larger notch, that part of the image will be in focus with a 50mm lens set at f/16. The narrower notch represented focus of the 50mm lens at f/5.6. (For other focal length lenses the notches represent different aperture values - I never used 'em, so never looked up what they might mean for a 35mm or 90mm lens, but the info is out there somewhere for those who are interested.)

fetzler Loc: North West PA

I fully agree with GeeGee get a light meter and learn to use the rangefinder. I used one years ago. It is a great camera and Leica lenses are excellent but expensive. Rangefinder cameras are great when using small f numbers (1.4) under low light.

BebuLamar

Yes the Leica M has great rangefinder so use it. It's quite easy to use. Exposure wise, you can get some charts online and follow the recommendation. Like most people who has a film camera chances are you also have digital camera. So before using the M with the chart, test the chart out using the digital camera and you may want to revise the chart as your description of a scene is different from the person who made the chart.

Takyo485 Loc: Planet Earth

This is a very infomative information. I'm run out of adjectives how will i express my thank to you. @wrangler5. I will specially copy paste this to set as my prime guide using this camera. Have a great weekend.

Takyo485 Loc: Planet Earth

Oh yes! Thats a great idea. Thank you so much!

ORpilot Loc: Prineville, Or

Spend the $ and buy a used Gossen or Seconic or Minolta spot light meter and practice with that. Also, You can get away with a bit of overexposure with print film but not with slide (chrome) film. Slide film is like digital cameras: If you overexpose, you lost all highlight detail. You won't regret the purchase of a light meter. Or.... use your digital camera as a light meter.

Takyo485 Loc: Planet Earth

That's a bright idea! Thank you so much!

wrangler5 Loc: Missouri

Back in the day, most "normal" photographers found spot meters to be more trouble than they were worth, most of the time. The photographers who got paid the most money, spent the most money on film, and shot the most film - motion picture photographers - all used INCIDENT light meters. You know, the ones with the white domes. Measure the light coming onto the scene and expose accordingly. Now admittedly, if you have a tiny area that you want to be sure to expose properly in a much larger scene that has different light falling on it - like, say, the tombstones in Ansel Adams' iconic Moonrise Hernandez image - you might want to have a narrow-angle spot meter. (Except that Adams, who regularly used spot meters and recommended their use for his type of work, did NOT in fact use a spot meter for that famous shot - he didn't use a meter at all, because he knew he had only moments before the light changed and he'd lose the shot completely. Instead, he took a SWAG based on his years of experience, captured what he could, and fixed it in the darkroom (post processing, as we digital folks would now say.) By the time he changed film for a second shot in his view camera, the light was gone, and he never took a second shot.) But for most shots, most of the time, an incident meter is the easiest way to go for a hand held device.

I regularly carried a Sekonic Studio Deluxe meter when I shot film. Small, rugged, locking needle for easy review of reading, and no battery required, with a convenient swivel head. They're useful enough that they're still being made (Model L-398A) and are available new from the usual sources, as well as used on places like ebay. (If it were me, I'd get one from a reliable ebay seller that came with the accessories, including if possible the direct-reading exposure slides that let you pre-set your shutter speed and read the aperture directly from the needle - they can be fun and fast to use in the right circumstances.) In any event, if you do buy one used, be SURE it includes the standard daylight slide (marked HIGH), or you won't be able to use it in normal lighting conditions.

joesesto Loc: Nipomo, CA (Central Coast, CA)

Since you have not rec’d prints...that means you are using negative film. The machine created prints may not exactly be what you expected. Pick a shot you really like and take it to a custom printer as the negative gives some latitude in print exposure/brightness. I had M-4s and the lenses each had a depth of field scale on the barrel, which indicates at what f/stop where the near point of focus will be and on the other side, the far point of acceptable focus. You did not mention the lens, but generally with a wide lens (35mm) the depth of field (DOF) will be broad and as the focal lengths increase, 50,75, 90, 135...the DOF gets very narrow, especially wide open. As you gain experience you will find that f/16 does not provide the best performance of your lens. A more open aperture setting like f/5.6 or 8.0 may improve your results. The shutter speed only controls motion, yours or the subjects. The lens creates the image, but each has its sweet spot aperture. I regret selling my Leicas many years ago. They are great cameras, and were the tools of many past masters of the art.