voigtlander lenses and M8

[RobertW]

Originally Posted by Double Negative

My last ZM purchased, a 4/18 Distagon also has the groove and screw moved. Makes coding it a real breeze (almost). I've only been able to eyeball the mark to get it recognized as a 21mm, not the WATE. My guess is the marks were slightly off or too fat (the difference is one adjacent mark). The correct framelines also come up.

I do believe Zeiss has seen the light.

Try this method if you are having trouble with your coding.

You only need 2 things, a "Sharpie" and a "bright light source".

Best Rob

1. Locate the 6 red diodes on the M8 lens mount and put 6 black marks on the lens mount "side".
2. Re-attached the lens to be coded and put 6 black marks opposite to the lens mount marks.
3. Take the lens off the camera and code it.

Step 1


Step 2


Step 3

[woodyspedden]

Originally Posted by eleskin

Buy the Leica lenses first, get a cheaper Voigtlander camera to hold you over until the M8 prices drop even further (maybe a Lumix G1 for digital). Buy a 35mm Summicron (version 4 King of Bokeh, Canadian) as your first lens . Price should be between $900-$1300 USD. I do 80% of my shooting with this lens and have had it since 1993 without ANY problems. this lens KILLS Voigtlander, especially wide open at f2.0. I have the 40mm Nokton and feel my 35mm Summicron is superior in every way. A good Manfroto monopod can help with low light, so f1.4 of the Nokton is not a big deal. Want a telephoto? I bought a mint 90m Tele Elmarit made in the late 1970's for $240 USD on Ebay, cheaper than the new Voigtlander 75mm!!!!! Sharp as hell, and compact to!!! Want a wide? Maybe Voigtlander's new 15mm is the ticket!!!!

So there you are. Your lenses are way way more important than any camera you buy. Get the good glass now for less than what you would pay for an M8. The M8 can come later , they will only get cheaper, not the glass!!! My 35mm Summicron was $700 USD when I bought it used in 1993. It is now $1,300 plus, although you may be able to get one slightly under $1000 USD. By the way, the 40mm Summicron is excellent as well, and is a real bargain. I have seen them between $300-$450 USD on Ebay!

Considering that, when introduced in November 2006 the M8 price was $4500 and a new M8.2 today costs $6200, waiting for the price to drop may be a lost cause. I know you can still find new, old stock M8's well below the M8.2 price but when that stock is gone (and Leica is no longer manufacturing the M8) $6200 or used will be the only choices.

Woody

[epand56]

Originally Posted by Double Negative

I do believe Zeiss has seen the light.

After Cosina-Voigtlander switched it on...

[rwchisholm]

The M8 system, using some Leica and some 3rd party lenses, is not (quite) as expensive as some might think.

On this site, sites like getdpi.com and fredmiranda.com, used M8s sell for $2400-2500. Not too bad, as most people who are "into" Leica cameras also take very good care of the cams. I've purchased 3 used M8's and have yet to run into a problem.

The 2nd type Summicron 50 sells for about $400 on ebay. I recently picked up a "beaten up" version of this lens for $200 -- slightly bent filter threads, finish all worn -- yet is works flawlessly and renders beautiful images, sharp wide open. Can't argue with that!

Voigtlander makes a few lenses that are really cool -- like the huge 35 1.2, with beautiful bokeh and huge, 1.2, light gathering power! $800 is a good bit, but still a nice price for any 1.2 lens. The new 15 -- rangefinder coupled, and really sharp -- is a sweet buy at $560 and an awesome city and landscape lens.

Obviously most of us still desire the quality of a well made Leica lens. Even my old beat up summicron looks spectacular on the camera and feels so good to use. But the initial buy-in to the Leica system, when purchasing on a budget, is not so much worse than buying my Nikon D700 system. And, while the D700 images look great, even at amazingly high ISO values, ON MY MONITOR, when I make prints, the photos I take with the M8 look so much like film, have so much character, and just look plain spectacular - even at ISO 1250 printed - on paper. --Rob

[morffin]

The lack of rangefinder coupling means that yes, you focus by guesstimation; the Voigtlander rangefinders provide framing only, not focusing.

==============

This is not correct ... my Voight. lenses have RF coupling and very accurate focusing.

[epand56]

Originally Posted by morffin

The lack of rangefinder coupling means that yes, you focus by guesstimation; the Voigtlander rangefinders provide framing only, not focusing.

==============

This is not correct ... my Voight. lenses have RF coupling and very accurate focusing.

In fact, only the CV 12mm and the old CV 15mm are not RF coupled if I'm not wrong.
All the other CV lenses are coupled and able to focus through the rangefinder.
Included the new 15mm.

[Bo_Lorentzen]

Robert,

Perfectly elegant solution, I put a link on my template page as this is very straight forward and everybody should be able to do this successfully.

.

[underground]

thanx I'll try it

[braindeadmac]

Originally Posted by morffin

The lack of rangefinder coupling means that yes, you focus by guesstimation; the Voigtlander rangefinders provide framing only, not focusing.

==============

This is not correct ... my Voight. lenses have RF coupling and very accurate focusing.

You misread my statement. I said finders do not provide focusing, not the lens themselves. Yes of course, those lenses which are range finder coupled focus....

[RobertW]

Originally Posted by Bo_Lorentzen

Robert,

Perfectly elegant solution, I put a link on my template page as this is very straight forward and everybody should be able to do this successfully.

.

That's great. Hope this helps out those Do-It-Yourself type people.

Cheers,
Rob

[veraikon]

Originally Posted by sean_reid

Well now....that sure is interesting. Groove and everything you say? It's time for a phone call to Zeiss.

Please share the info with us. I think that you will phone to CZ USA. Perhaps this is a special service for the US customer.

Thre month ago I spoke with someone of Carl Zeiss Oberkochen how to code a ZM 2.8/21.
The answer was in Europe there is only one possibility : buying the fitting mount (no problem 60€) shipping it to JM who mills it (100 US$). CZ Service Oberkochen will change the uncoded but milled mount on personal request . (Do it yourself isn´t possible because it has to be calibrated 60€) . And after you can code it personally. (CZ won´t touch a precoded mount). It is totally a little bit more expensive than Leica (167 €) but it should work.
If they offer the premilled mount also in Europe it would be a great advantage.

[RobertW]

Originally Posted by veraikon

Please share the info with us. I think that you will phone to CZ USA. Perhaps this is a special service for the US customer.

Thre month ago I spoke with someone of Carl Zeiss Oberkochen how to code a ZM 2.8/21.
The answer was in Europe there is only one possibility : buying the fitting mount (no problem 60€) shipping it to JM who mills it (100 US$). CZ Service Oberkochen will change the uncoded but milled mount on personal request . (Do it yourself isn´t possible because it has to be calibrated 60€) . And after you can code it personally. (CZ won´t touch a precoded mount). It is totally a little bit more expensive than Leica (167 €) but it should work.
If they offer the premilled mount also in Europe it would be a great advantage.

Here's 3 options:

• Buy the lens from PopFlash USA and it comes with the correct flange, the groove for self coding (i.e. no need to send it away for milling, just paint the marks on yourself as I did). Popflash throws in a Zeiss lens shade free. Shipping to Hong Kong with 3 day delivery cost $40. Overall cheaper than buying the lens in HK, buying the flange from Zeiss and then arranging for sending to USA etc, and a lot faster....
• Buy the flange from Zeiss and ask jlm to do it, he charges $25 per flange (not $100) last time he milled the Zeiss 28mm and 35mm flanges for me 2 years ago
• buy the flange and DIY, I don't think there's anything special about the 21, but check with Zeiss, I took off my 28 & 35 Biogons myself and reattached them. Only had to put a drop of acetone on the screw head to disolve the lock-tite Zeiss put on the screw threads to keep them from loosening.

Best Rob

[veraikon]

thanks for the DIY-Tip

[steamboat]

"rw" mentioned the new Voigtlander 15mm f/4.5 M Super-wide Heliar Aspherical mk2. That comes in an M mount and does focus with rangefinder. It also has a 52mm filter mount. What lens would it be coded for? The WATE? Is that the same as the 'old' 15mm? Has anybody had a chance to try the new version. "rw"?

[veraikon]

What lens would it be coded for? The WATE?

of course - or is the an altenative ?

[carstenw]

The new CV15 can be coded as a pre-ASPH 21 Elmarit, as several others have stated in recent threads. The results look good on screen here, but I would need to experiment myself to verify that. I am considering trading my WATE for the new CV15 and a load of cash, but I having trouble pulling the trigger.

[Bo_Lorentzen]

DISREGARD this post please - ljclark...... embrashed.. very... did not take a moment to actually read.. just googled...

Original post below - I posted this thinking it was a M lens not a R lens... way too much coffee this morning.

Hmm not a expert (CLEARLY), but Leica currently have a 15mm 2.8 while the CV is not 2.8 it might be worth trying the coding to see how this affects distortion and vignetting.

Leica Camera AG - Photography - LEICA SUPER-ELMARIT-R 15 mm f/2.8 ASPH.

.

[ljclark]

Originally Posted by Bo_Lorentzen

Hmm not a expert, but Leica currently have a 15mm 2.8 while the CV is not 2.8 it might be worth trying the coding to see how this affects distortion and vignetting.


Leica Camera AG - Photography - LEICA SUPER-ELMARIT-R 15 mm f/2.8 ASPH.

.

I wasn't aware that Leica used 6-bit coding on lenses for the R SLR system.

[veraikon]

I believe the VC 4.5/15 would fit more to a 4.0/16 Wate than to a 2.8/15 SE-R ,) - the above mentioned SE-R isn´t coded in a 6bit code but with a ROM (it is a R[eflex] lens not a M[esssucher]; Messsucher = Rangefinder)

BTW: it would be an economic alternative . A R-M adapter costs 149€ , the R-lens is sold used about 1000€

[Bo_Lorentzen]

veraikon and ljclark, Im so very sorry.. bowing my head in shame.. this was a moments weakness and the results of way too much coffee while finishing a ad for delivery tomorrow.

The only fact I did get right in that post... Im NOT a expert.

Humbly yours

Bo