This is an ongoing project which I will add to indefinitely! As I find ideas that work universally or for special applications, I’ll get them listed here. Note that everything here has a story behind it that I have written about. See the links with each one for an in-depth discussion.
The EVF or Electronic Viewfinder Core Settings
- Setting and knowing the brightness level of your EVF is critical in this camera body to ensure you understand your exposure before you press the shutter. Read about my experience here. Other core EVF setting tips will also be in this section.
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Consider setting your EVF brightness to a neutral setting. I use zero adjustment so it isn't darker or brighter. This helps me assess the exposure of the scene through the EVF and get what I expect rather than lighter or darker RAW files. Always check the histogram to be sure!
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Consider brightness of the EVF and LCD very carefully. It is part of your workflow just like a
calibrated monitor for editing. If a RAW or
DNG image is your goal, do not rely on the EVF to assist you if the brightness is too far from neutral (zero). It will cause you to over-expose or under-expose your image and make post-processing more difficult.
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Bright sunlight can easily cause the LCD to make exposed images look too dark. Rely on the histogram when reviewing images outdoors and shade the LCD and your eyes to look at the LCD for more confirmation.. Be careful changing exposure based on the LCD only with no histogram!
- Setting the preview mode in the EVF will not only speed up setting the focus and proper exposure, it can enrich the time taking photographs and assist in more keepers. Read about my analysis of all three modes here.
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Consider using the Preview Mode = Permanent over the Half-Shutter Press and Off modes. Permanent means the view through the EVF is the expected image all the time allowing for fine tuning exposure.
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Note that Preview Mode = Off means the EVF shows an image of normal brightness regardless of the actual exposure. If you try this, set the exposure to many stops over or under and the image does not change at all! Furthermore, the histogram will not be available in this shooting mode because there is no preview. It is only available after the shot when reviewing images already taken.
Focusing Settings and Tips
Focusing with the EVF is arguably one of the most talked about items related to the Leica EV1. Here are the results of my focusing experiences and the most efficient settings I have found from day-to-day use.
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The most efficient focusing method with Leica M lenses is
using the Automatic Zoom. Select the menu item: Capture Assistants > then Focus Aid and set it to Automatic. Then turning a Leica M lens to focus automatically shows the zoomed view.
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General focusing tips with Automatic Zoom: 1) start at the same focusing point every time, I use infinity because it is a natural place and easy to pull focus back just a little bit, 2) focus by turning quickly and decisively back from infinity to start the auto zoom function and then push the focus back to where everything is sharpest.
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To quickly
reset the focus point to the center consider using the top custom button. Press the top function button next to the shutter release, and hold it until a menu appears. Then scroll down and select “center view.” Pressing that button now recenters the zoomed view no matter where it is currently positioned.
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To
focus with a deep depth of field, or use high f/stops like f/5.6, f/8, or f/11, consider zooming out one level to the mid-level. This helps you see more of the image and what, in general, is in better focus. While you can zoom all the way out, the EVF's pixel size may make it hard to distinguish out-of-focus from in-focus areas at deep depths of field.
Info Profiles to Enhance the EVF Experience
The profiles that setup the information shown in your EVF during capture mode are made for different situations you encounter when making photographs. Using them to make the process faster is important and here are some ways to do that.
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Consider setting the first, or most used, Info Profile to use clipping; it will quickly tell you if you need to adjust the exposure to
protect the highlights or shadows. This is an improvement over the guesswork with a rangefinder, even when using highlight-weighted average metering.
Custom button settings can enhance the ability to take images quickly with the EV1 without fumbling through the menu settings. Some custom buttons do not have all menu settings available, but that may change with firmware updates.
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Leave the default setting for the front lever custom button and take advantage of the 1.3x and 1.8x crop factors for JPEG capture. The viewfinder shows the cropped result in the EVF, so capture is easy and the file size lends itself to
printing in native resolution or slight upsizing for larger prints if desired. With the full sized DNG file available, there is no down side. Be sure to setup capture for both JPEG and DNG.
Other Camera Settings and Techniques
Other camera settings, some of which could be used in user profiles, and different techniques are listed below. These settings may have specific use cases as well, which will be noted.
