re: [Rollei] Rollei 35 & estimating distance

[Godfrey DiGiorgi <ramarren >]

>I am considering buying a pocket camera, but I have always had trouble
>estimating distances.  I used a Minox 35 until I lost it in a cab one day, and
>even though the lens was superb and the meter accurate, I just couldn't focus
>the darn thing well.
>
>Do you 35 users have any tips on estimating distances?

The basic tip to use f/11 and set the lens by the hyperfocal distances is 
fine for average picture taking ... f/11 set to 20' gives you 10' to 
infinity, f/11 set to 6' gives you 4' to 9.5'. You can take a lot of 
pictures that way and never get a badly focused one. 

However, it seems a shame to me if you never take advantage of the Rollei 
35S Sonnar lens abilities for available light picture taking and wider 
apertures than f/11. I use all kinds of trick to gauge distances: 

Learn the size of an average room. Most people's homes and apartments 
have a living room which is something like 10' x 15'. Most bedrooms are 
9x12 or 10x12 feet. If you look at a car, an average car is approximately 
15' long. Measure how long your foot is, your arm, and your stride to use 
them as gauges. An average doorway is 2.5' wide. 

Getting the measure of common things around you lets you use all of them 
as a distance reference. For really close in work, a fabric tape measure 
works brilliantly. 

Godfrey

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