CV Super Wide Heliar 15mm and Color Skopar 21mm on M9

[jaques]

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while I wait for my M9 I am collecting lenses and other bits. It is a sad state of affairs looking at 2 batteries, 5 lenses, a Visoflex III, a half case and a screen protector...

 

I am currently thinking about getting the CV 15mm heliar lens or perhaps the 21mm color skopar.

 

However I have red about the red tint on the edges. Currently the Rockwell site says that both of these lenses are no good on an M9, "WARNING: Although wonderful on film, this lens is awful on the Leica m9 because its rear nodal point is too close to the sensor."

 

is this true? is it such a problem the lenses are not worth getting?

 

any one out there using either of these lenses on an m9?

 

a penny for your thoughts...

[Alnitak]

Both of these lenses will produce the "red edge" problem. I would wait and see if there is a firmware fix for this before spending any money on them, or resign yourself to using CornerFix to correct the problem.

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[Ario Arioldi]

This issue has been discussed here in the Leica M9 Forum where you can easily find many feedbacks from actual users.

My personal feedback is that the CV15 can be used with very good results on the M9 and that, at the moment, the best workaround to fix the asymmetrical vignetting problem is to use the lens uncoded and post process the file with CornerFix.

The same is applicable for me to CV 12 and ZM 18 while I do not have any problem of this kind with my Leica ultra wides , WATE and Elmarit 21 asph, both coded.

Cheers,

Ario

[Bo_Lorentzen]

Coded as WATE 18mm there is a little red to the left, no post applied, the red don't bother me enough to work on it. Love the lens, if you have a M9 and want something wide get it.

 

 

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[jaques]

thanks guys,

 

I think I will get the heliar. I have an m6 as well so I can always use it there.

 

seems like a great lens for the price- and the red shift issue doesn't seem to bad.

 

Do you think Leica will ever offer manual lens pre-sets for non leica lenses?

 

I guess not... but they should.

[lars_bergquist]

CornerFix is of course a patch on an unacceptable situation. The Leica stance is that their cameras must deliver a high grade file that can be used without non-standard PP manipulation. How else could they justify the presence of the JPEG option? I can tell you that lots of knowledgeable people do want it, and do use it, and for a reason.

 

Now, as even their own 18mm lens does show the problem, they must solve it. It is a matter of honour. It is a matter of credibilty. I am waiting for the next firmware issue.

 

The old man from the Age of Film

[Ario Arioldi]

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CornerFix is of course a patch on an unacceptable situation. The Leica stance is that their cameras must deliver a high grade file that can be used without non-standard PP manipulation. How else could they justify the presence of the JPEG option? I can tell you that lots of knowledgeable people do want it, and do use it, and for a reason.

 

Now, as even their own 18mm lens does show the problem, they must solve it. It is a matter of honour. It is a matter of credibilty. I am waiting for the next firmware issue.

 

The old man from the Age of Film

You are absolutely right.

Cheers,

Ario

[C_R]

Berfore I sold all my Canon gear for Leica , my wide angle was the 17-40/4L on a 5D body. Almost all shots were @17 mm, and sometimes I wanted even a bit wider FOV.

I chose the CV15 over the WATE, not only for budget reasons but also because it is small and lightweight, same with the CV finder as compared to the "Frankenfinder" for the WATE.

The red corner issue should be solved by a firmware update, but I dont expect Leica to include CV lenses then. So, because the CV corner issue seems to be worse than the 18 mm, the next firmware will not be a remedy for CV15 users. You have to accept the need for some postprocessing, with Cornerfix or PS LAB color work.

 

To get the CV15 or not depends on your attitude to postprocessing, KR is clearly not willing to do PP, so I understand his warning.

 

 

Leica M9 - a set on Flickr

[jaques]

I went ahead and grabbed one, thanks folks.

 

Maybe by the time my M9 finally arrives the new firmware will be included...

 

Does this red tinge translate as a darker left edge if you shoot/process as b & w?

[Theodor Heinrichsohn]

Two points:

1. A few days ago I held a M9 in my hands that had firmware named 1.006 installed. It was called a provisional update which Leica are working on. Nevertheless I am hopeful that there will now soon be a firmware update of some sort. The AWB seemed to have been better and the chimping and zoom much faster.

2. I have not tried the 15mm Heliar on the M9 but can say that the original Hologon creates a red "ring". I used a 13mm f 5.6 Nikon SLR lens with an adapter and it works perfectly when I manually set the camera for the WATE at 16mm.

Teddy

[luigi bertolotti]

Two points:

1. A few days ago I held a M9 in my hands that had firmware named 1.006 installed. It was called a provisional update which Leica are working on. Nevertheless I am hopeful that there will now soon be a firmware update of some sort. The AWB seemed to have been better and the chimping and zoom much faster.

2. I have not tried the 15mm Heliar on the M9 but can say that the original Hologon creates a red "ring". I used a 13mm f 5.6 Nikon SLR lens with an adapter and it works perfectly when I manually set the camera for the WATE at 16mm.

Teddy

 

Mmhhhh... two tasty items... can you post some pics taken with ? And, just a question... really you can set manually the WATE at 16 ? I thought that being a lens always coded, it couldn't be set manually (I haven't M9, of course... )

[Ario Arioldi]

Yes Luigi, the WATE can be set manually to any of the three focal lenghts, there are in fact three menù choices for this lens, even though I could not see any diffrence other then on the exif.

It is an aspect that need to be clarified.

Cheers,

Ario

[Theodor Heinrichsohn]

Mmhhhh... two tasty items... can you post some pics taken with ? And, just a question... really you can set manually the WATE at 16 ? I thought that being a lens always coded, it couldn't be set manually (I haven't M9, of course... )

 

Hi Luigi,

Sorry, I did not take any pictures of the said M9 with firmware 1.006. I also did not take any pictures with it myself, however, the Leica man demonstrated the AWB in very mixed lighting (daylight, plenty of neon lamps, conventional bulbs) which looked better than I expected.

The same goes for the faster chimping and zooming.

The other point about setting the WATE has been answered. It is true that I did not see much difference with the 3 settings. I do not believe that the coding of the WATE overrides the manual settings, rather the opposite. I asked why the firmware did not include something that automatically sets the camera to a coded lens, even if it has been set manually and the user forgot to set it to auto, but could not get an answer.

Teddy

[jaques]

I guess I can mark the CV lenses with a coding kit- and then leave the auto lens detect on all the time? I have 4 CV lenses now and I noticed the 28mm f2 Ultron came with markings on it already...

[air]

Coded as WATE 18mm there is a little red to the left, no post applied, the red don't bother me enough to work on it. Love the lens, if you have a M9 and want something wide get it.

 

 

.

 

Hi,

 

is this shot taken with the 15 - or the 21 Voigtländer?

Sorry for not seeing this but the title is mentioning both versions

 

Regards

Michael

[jaapv]

I have the old type and find it virtually unusable on the M9 due to vignetting and red edge:o, but I keep it as a 21 equivalent for my M8

[adan]

Noticed this thread, thought I would piggy-back on it.

 

I went for the M9 primarily to get "21mm f/2.8" out of my pre-ASPH 21 f/2.8 - which works as planned - but I'd also like a compact, pocketable wider-than-28 lens, for when I don't need f/2.8 or "21", to travel with my super-small 35 'lux pre-ASPH and 90 Tele-Elmarit.

 

I've used the C/V 25mm lens on film, and know the overall quality is fine. Does anyone have experience with the C/V 25mm on an M9? Does it show less red-edge tendency than the 21s/18s/15s?

[jamriman]

Anyone also use the 21 CV M mount on the M9? Thanks

[brill64]

judging by the distortion of the car at bottom right i'd say it was the 15

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[2Bébèrt]

Street-Snapshot in october at a frenche market. Color Skopar 21 at f 5.6 (+LTM adaptor).

No correction (cornerfix) applied and M9 lens setting still on the previous 35mm/1.4 setting.