Shooting an NBA basketball game with the Leica M10 camera and Leica APO-Telyt-M 135mm f/3.4 lens




Shooting an NBA basketball game with the Leica M10 camera and Leica APO-Telyt-M 135mm f/3.4 lens ($3,795) by Onasj (see also his previous guest post):

L1001749

I had the opportunity to sit on the floor of last night’s Celtics-Raptors game. Stadium policy is no “professional” cameras (to security, this means DSLR-like), so I brought the M10 with body cap on, plus the 135 APO, and was allowed in without incident.

L1001763

Rangefinder focusing when your subjects are world-class athletes moving in unpredictable ways at breakneck speeds was a challenge, of course, but also very fun. My left thumb is still sore from the experience. Being able to see so much of the frame outside the subject was a huge plus in allowing adjustment for where the action was going. I’ll also note that a major reason fans aren’t allowed to carry big cameras into most sports stadiums is that shooting with a beast camera is annoying to the people around you; shooting the M10+135 APO didn’t seem to bother people. So two big wins for the M10 vs. a more typical sports outfit.

L1001609

I tried live-view (too slow), zone focusing (too difficult since I had to shoot wide open to get a reasonable balance between shutter speed and ISO), and ended up shooting 97% of the photos the old-fashioned way (RF). I frequently had to rack focus while shooting as players moved towards and away from me; after a quarter or two this technique was reliably yielding good results.

L1001304

In the end, while I have little doubt I could have done better with a current-generation AF-C camera, I was pleasantly surprised with how many usable photos emerged.

L1001137

Almost all photos were taken at 1/350, f/3.4, auto ISO selected 4,000-8,000. Limited post-processing (mostly cropping and some exposure adjustment).

L1001577

L1001534

More pictures available on Flickr.

This entry was posted in Leica Lenses, LR Guest Posts and tagged , . Bookmark the permalink. Trackbacks are closed, but you can post a comment.
  • FCC disclosure statement: this post may contain affiliate links or promotions that do not cost readers anything but help keep this website alive. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network. Thanks for your support!