THE ORIGINAL FAQ THREAD

[jaapv]

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Question: What does all this lens stuff mean?

 

Answer:Provided by Farnz

 

 

 

The lenses names are typically an indication of the speed of the lens (although there are odd exceptions) and the faster a lens the more you're likely to have to pay and the larger it's likely to be. The general arrangement in descending order is:

 

F/0.95, f/1.0, or f/1.2 Noctilux (only available in 50 mm and your wallet should be sweating profusely at the thought)

f/1.4 Summilux

f/2.0 Summicron

f/2.5 Summarit (generally less expensive. Note: there is an older f/1.5 Summarit)

f/2.8 Elmarit

f/4.0 Elmar (the 50 Elmar is f/2.8

 

asph = aspherical. A aspherical lens element optically corrects for spherical aberration and typically produces pictures that are sharper at the edges. Earlier lenses rarely contain aspherical elements.

 

FLE = Floating Lens Element. The last lens element or group travels independently of the other elements when the focus ring is adjusted. This helps to correct for focussing errors (back focus, focus shift) in fast standard or telephoto lenses.

 

APO = apochromat. A lens element manufactured from glass with low chromatic dispersion that corrects for chromatic aberration (CA). Different wavelengths of light, eg red, green and blue, focus in slightly different planes so an object dot becomes an image blob. Apochromats correct CA and the image blob becomes more like the object dot.

 

MATE = Medium Angle Tri-Elmar. A lens with multiple focal lengths of 28, 35, and 50 mm and a constant maximum aperture of f/4. The cameras frame lines automatically adjust to the correct focal length and this is the closest it gets to a zoom lens in the rangefinder world.

 

WATE = Wide Angle Tri-Elmar. See MATE above. This lens has multiple focal lengths of 16, 18, and 21 mm but needs to be used with an external viewfinder; the nicknamed 'Frankenfinder' owing to its size was designed for the WATE.

 

Some people use the abbreviations 'lux, 'cron, and 'fit for Summilux, Summicron, and Summarit On the other hand, others find this practice intensely irritating. Actually it's not abundantly clear whether 'lux is short for Summilux or Noctilux and whether 'rit is short for Summarit or Elmarit.

Edited December 11, 2011 by jaapv

[jaapv]

Question:



When shooting anything long where noise reduction kicks in I get rgb artifacts all over the place resembling dead pixels on LCD display.

This is just on the LCD preview, when zoomin in & out on camera they go away, go next photo and back they are there again.

Puzzling...
They do not exist on actual photos, just the preview.


Question provided by NCC1701

Answer:
This is completely normal. On long exposures the M10 does a black frame type noise reduction.
Any sensor will start to show differences in pixels as the sensor heats up. That is the reason, for instance, that astronomical sensors are cooled by liquid nitrogen.
Leica solves the problem by taking a second, black, exposure of the same length and subtracting that from the actual file. This gets completely rid of this type of noise.

As the camera shows the embedded initial jpg on the lcd first, and replaces it with the final one as soon as it is generated, you will see the noise disappearing, irrespective whether you are zooming or not.

The same goes for the histogram and the clipping warning. They will change before your eyes.

Edited August 7, 2018 by jaapv

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[jaapv]

Question: How do I use an incident light meter?

 

Answer: supplied by Lars Bergquist

 

 

I found myself apostrophised recently in this forum by Jaap as "the old man from the age of the oilspot Photometer" as he left me to explain the use of the incident lightmeter. So here we go:

 

The basic problem with any reflected-light meter (as built into cameras) is exactly that they do not meter just light, but reflected light. You have an idea about the subject, but the meter has none. So let us suppose that you want a picture of two white westie dogs on your lawn. If you meter the overall scene, the exposure will probably be about right, because that lawn has a reflectance that is close to the 'ideal' value of 18%, and the dogs won't skew that average too much. But if you go close and meter the dogs, you will get two 18% grey dogs on a greenish-black lawn, because the meter does not 'know' that it is metering two white dogs. Conversely, in the first example, if the background is darkish, the meter will nevertheless 'assume' an 18% subject and increrase the exposure to give that result, changing the dogs into two blown highlights in the process.

 

So you compensate, possibly by using some formulae from the Zone Religion (westies are probably about Zone VII), but basically, you expose by guesswork.

 

With an incident meter, you meter the light that falls on your subject from the direction of the camera, i.e. you hold the meter close to the subject and aimed towards the camera. That white hemisphere is actually an artificial diffuse highlight. When that highlight is nailed down, everything else falls into place. No matte white surface can reflect more than 100% of the light that falls on it, right? The assumption is that it reflects about 80%, i.e. 2 1/3 f-stops above the standard 18% or 'Zone V'. With this correction built into the meter and the exposure indicated, you will use the dynamic range of your sensor or emulsion to the full. That is not 'correct exposure' – there's no such thing – but optimal exposure. An incident meter value can be taken as is, so it is in principle very unproblematic.

 

Now here's a caveat. Your subject may be a clairobscure one, where you actually want an exposure that is skewed towards the left end of the histogram. Look at the picture (I have shown it before, but it is illustrative.) An incident metering would have changed the night into day, probably blowing out parts of the wall with the two candles on the mantelpiece! This is of course a completely non-standard situation, but it shows that you cannot stop thinking. No piece of equipment, however sophisticated, can think for you. But generally, incident metering, made by a hand meter or by an ExpoDisc® over your camera lens, will help solve very hairy situations. It would have solved this one too, if I had dared approach the lady ... an incident metering close to her face would have done the trick. Pardonnez-moi, Madame!

 

The old man from the Age of the Seconic Studio DeLuxe

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[jaapv]

Question: What about diopters? How do I find the strength? Will a simple diopter do or do I need an adjustable magnifier or the WalterXeyepiece?

 

Answer:

 

Ideally you should use the DIOOY diopter tester to check.

 

Failing that the best way is to visit your optician and use his testing lenses to check which strength will give you the sharpest view of the RF patch. In a pinch you can use over-the-counter reading glasses for this test.

 

The advantage of a diopter over a magnifier is that it does not reduce visibility of the outer framelines and that it does not reduce the contrast of the viewfinder. You need the contrast to focus. I find that 1.35 magnifier not very useful, it is not as brilliant as the Leica ones and thus hinders more than that it helps.

 

If you have an eye condition that can be corrected by a diopter ( and that is most often the case) a diopter works better than shooting with glasses.

 

The WalterXeyepiece is specifically designed for the situation where a normal diopter fails, i.e. astigmatism. If you do not have astigmatism it is silly to pay four times the price of a normal diopter, which is extortionally high anyway imo.

 

I understand that when you consider using a M camera, SLR thinking habits can be difficult to break out of. So let's take this systematically.

 

When you look into a M finder, you see frame lines and the edges of the rangefinder patch. These are actually rear-illuminated cutouts in a metal mask just about one inch from your eye. But because of optical arrangements, you see these items at a virtual distance of 2 meters. This means that if, with the naked eye, with the help of spectacles or whatever, you can see things sharply at two meters, then you can see the edges of the mask cutouts sharply too. I use a pair of progressive specs for everything, including focusing my Leicas, without any problems.

 

What you use for focusing however is NOT these cutouts, but two optical images of the subject, one larger viewfinder one, and one smaller rangefinder one (but with identical magnification) which are superimposed within the space of the RF patch. And as the subjects are at varying distances, the 'optical' distances of these two images, just as the image seen through a binocular, is at varying distances so that we must focus the binoc's eyepieces. The two pictures in the M finder are in fact delivered by two separate telescopes. The rangefinders of screw-thread Leicas from the III on (1933) had in fact such a focusing device, bcause these rangefinders had 1.5x magnification.

 

The M finder has 'negative magnification' of usually 0.72x or 0.86x. So the distance variation of the image seen is normally within the depth of field of the normal eye, and no focusing of the finder image is necessary. We should see both images with full sharpness so we can use them for focusing. But don't automatically assume that the finder and rangefinder images are at a fixed distance of two meters. You will have to try out your requirements and ability by empirical 'reality tests'. Try focusing at points at different taking distances.

 

This is of course totally different from a SLR. There, the finder image is a 'real image' on a matte screen which is indeed at a fixed, unchanging distance from your eye. You can adjust the eyepiece once and for all. The M finder however is not just an image of reality – it is reality, though at a smaller scale.

 

Note that the M finder is the same for all lenses. No matter if you focus an 18mm lens or a 135mm one, you focus with two images that are the same size. Again, this is different from a SLR where the finder images vary in size with the focal length of the lens used. This finder size provides for accuracy enough to correctly focus a 135mm lens, something I do regularly with my 3/4 century old eyes. The problem is that the 135mm frame is quite small, which makes composition difficult. You can screw in a magnifying eyepices (Leica do furnish these in 1.25x and 1.4x magnification) but enlarging the images means of necessity lowering their contrast. And contrast is basically what we use in focusing: A sudden increase of contrast in the RF patch means that the images overlap correctly. So many of us find that we focus a 135mm lens easier without a magnifier than with it.

 

As usual, the proof of the pudding is in the printing. But the M's finder system is the fruit of more than a half century of development, in order to make it useful for most of us. So there is hope for you. There is of course a learning curve, but with instant digital feedback, it has became shorter than before. Start climbing it – there's a pot of gold at its top!

 

The old man from the Analog Age

 

 

Common misconception: to work the -0.5 into the equation. It is there for a reason: easier accommodation to middle distances for a 20/20 eyesight. So when you calculate the diopter correction for your eyes, the end result should be -0.5 again. But do check with a test lens, as simple theory is not always a substitute for reality.

Edited August 25, 2012 by jaapv

[jaapv]

Question:
When shooting long exposure shots, from a few seconds to a few minutes, the M10 will launch a automatic noise reduction process that lasts as long as your shot's exposure time. A 30s shot will demand a 30s shot of noise reduction computering before you can take your next shot.
I don't suppose there is any way to cancel that setting?

by Redridge

Answer:


No there is not - nor would you want it to be cancelled, the amount of long-exposure noise that gets removed by the black frame method is amazing, and does not reduce detail significantly, like software noise reduction does.
The reason the noise reduction takes as long as the exposure is that the camera takes a second shot with the shutter closed of the same length to be able to determine the uneveness in pixel response that is caused by long exposures, and thus removes the differences on a pixel basis.

[jaapv]

Question:

How do I attach the strap?

 

Answer:

 

1. remove the ring from the loop of the strap and attach to the lug of the camera

2. slip the loop of the strap onto the ring

3. slip the loop round and make sure both arms are on the inside of the loop

4. push the plastic retainer over the ring

5. snap the plastic retainer in place

 

It is essential for the security of the attachment that steps 3 and 5 are executed properly.

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[Lindolfi]

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Question:
What is the M camera metering pattern?


Answer:


Since I was curious how the M camera metering pattern was distributed over the film plane, I decided to measure it with 216 white blocks against a black background, together filling the focal plane. The blocks were arranged in an 18x12 matrix. Each time the meter reading was noted. Also a fully white and a fully black surface was measured. It appeared that the fully white surface had the same reading as the sum of the separate readings of all blocks together. The data were slightly smoothed and plotted in the following figure

You can see that the pattern of gray shutter elements comes through slightly, but the total result is very much like that of the Leica M6.
The values are scaled to the maximum reading in the center (1.0), while 0.0 is the lowest readings I got from the fully black image. The value is relative light intensity measured, not stops!

The scaling of the axes of the figure are in mm relative to the center of the focal plane.

For the readings the Macro Elmar 90/4 at f/8 was used, which gives minimal vignetting.

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Edited August 7, 2018 by jaapv

[jaapv]

Question: I am confused with all the snippets of information on sensors, shifted microlenses, red lines, differences with film etc. Is there a simple but comprehensive site that explains it all on a need to know level?

 

Answer:

 

This video of a presentation by a Kodak official gives a very clear explanation of the basics of sensor technology:

 

[jaapv]

Question: What can I do to prevent dead pixels and red lines on my sensor?

 

Answer:

 

Basically nothing, as these are caused by cosmic radiation. Flying may increase sensor damage, especially on the transpolar route.

 

The only rational precaution is to store your camera in an upright position, especially in an aircraft, to minimize the target area for the cosmic particles.

[jaapv]

 

Question:

I used a card that was previously used in the M8. I took some photographs in my M10 and the LCD will not show them, only the photographs I took before with the M8.

 

 

Answer:This is normal; the photographs are not lost, however. If you read out the card through a card reader the M9 photographs are in a different folder. Download all files you need and format the card in the M9. (or the M8 if you want to use it there.) It is not a good idea to switch cards between different cameras without formatting.

[jaapv]

Question:

 

I am updating the camera firmware or sending the camera in for repair and I do not want to lose the file numbering.

 

 

Answer:

 

Supplied by Euston

 

 

Here’s a tip for anyone who doesn’t want file numbering to be reset.

 

This firmware update process will reset file numbering. If you want to preserve your existing file number sequence, put aside a card with photos on it taken immediately before you update. Perform the update and re-insert the card you laid aside. When you start shooting again the camera should start its numbering where it left off, giving you an uninterrupted sequence of file numbers.

 

 

 

The same applies to cameras that have been reset for any other reason. Insert the card with the image you took last.

Edited July 28, 2012 by jaapv

[jaapv]

Question:

I want to code my lens by hand. What code should I use?

 

 

Answer:

 

A list can be found here:

 

 

http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-news/leica-lens-codes/

[jaapv]

Question:

What is the correct way to mount a lens ?

Answer:

Supplied by Rramesh

I don't remember seeing this so I thought I will contribute. Suggested by the Leica technician in Singapore.

The correct way to mount or unmount a lens is as follows.

• Ensure that the distance ring is set to the shortest distance i.e. 0.7m or 1m on the lens. Not doing so will result in the lens overly knocking into the roller cam during mount operation throwing it off alignment sometimes. Also at the short distance setting, mount and unmount is easiest.
• Insert the lens completely perpendicular to the body without knocking into the sides of of the mounting area. Knocking may dislodge particles from the sides onto the shutter curtains.
• Also to remove dust particles that may be found near the mount, do not use a blower as it will only blow it deeper into the mount. Suggest using a sticky tape to lift it out.

Edited August 7, 2018 by jaapv

[ShotCapture]

Question: How can I minimize dust on my sensor?

Answer: When changing lenses:

1. loosen the end cap of the lens to be placed on the camera, (say 35mm).

2. Aim your camera body lens down so that dust doesn't drop into it.

3. Remove the lens from the body, (say 50mm), still aming the body down.

4. Take the end cap off the lens (35mm) that is to go on the body, and place the end cap on the lens (50mm) just removed from the body. If you are good at a quick one hand tightening, fully tighten the cap.

5. Place lens on body, (35mm). Now you can upright the camera and finish tightning the other lens cap if needed, (50mm).lk

[jaapv]

Question:

Could someone clarify for me please:

 

What's the recommended way to delete images from the SD card, either when it's full or when you've uploaded them to the PC? Normally, I choose the Windows option of 'delete files after upload'

 

Is this the recommended way to do it?

Q. by ErnstK

 

Answer:

 

No. First lock the card, upload through a card reader, back up the files, check the files in your computer, unlock the card and format in the camera.

Edited November 5, 2012 by jaapv

[andybarton]

Question:

 

Where can I find older versions of camera firmware?

 

Answer:

 

Here:

 

R. G. Lewis - Your Leica Shop - Leica Downloads

 

(Thanks to Virimati for heads-up)

[UliWer]

Question: Is it safe to collapse a lens with retractable tube (e.g. 50mm Elmar) into the body of the M8 or M9?

 

Answer:

 

First of all, Leica says in the manuals for the M8 and M9: „Lenses with retractable tube can only be used with the tube extended, i.e. their tube must never be retracted into the LEICA M8/M9. This is not the case for the current Macro-Elmar-M 90mm f/4, whose tube does not protrude into the camera body even when retracted. It can therefore be used without any restrictions.“

 

On the other hand many users have reported in this forum that they regularly retracted the tubes of other lenses into the camera bodies without any problems.

 

Let‘s look for some facts:

 

There are two reasons for Leica‘s warning about collapsible lenses in the manuals:

 

1. The „throat“ of the digital M (the open space between the bayonet mount and the shutter) is much narrower than with film Ms. If someone would mount or dismount a lens with it‘s tube retracted and hold it in a certain angle it might touch and scratch the sides of the „thoat“. Therefore you should only mount or dismount a lens when the tube is extended.

 

2. The retracted tube might touch and damage the shutter.

 

If you look into the body without a lens you see two black metal ridges above the shutter. The distance between those two ridges is approx. 25mm. The diameter of a retractable lens tube is at least 27mm (in most cases considerably more). So if the tube hits anything it will be the ridges and not directly the shutter. This does not make it safe, for pressure on these ridges, which are made of rather thin metal, might interfere with or even damage the shutter.

 

Do the tubes of retractable lenses touch the ridges?

 

I measured 24mm as the distance between the surface of the camera‘s bayonet and the ridge both for the M8 and M9. Let us stay on the safe side and say: a tube which enters 22mm or more into the body will be critical or dangerous. That is certainly the case for the collapsible 4/90 Elmar (old type ILNOO; 11631, 11131, which was produced from 1954 to 1968 - so not to be mixed up with the current Makro-Elmar-M, 4/90).

 

How long are the tubes of other collapsible lenses entering into the body?

 

Some examples: For the tube of the collapsible version of the 2/50mm Summicron (screw-mount) I measured less than 14mm when it is collapsed, so I see no risk at all that it could touch the ridges. For the Elmar-M 2.8/50 (last version) it‘s 20.5mm, same for the first version of the 2.8/5cm Elmar with M-mount or it‘s 3.5/5cm M-mount precedessor. But a „red dial“ 3.5/5cm from 1951 (screw-mount) gives a very risky result of 22.5mm; for a nickel 3.5/5cm from 1932 I measure 20.5mm again. The 2.5/5cm Hektor had the longest tube I know: 23mm, which is dangerous! The Summar‘s and the Summitar‘s tubes were shorter than those of the Elmar (18mm). For all screw-mount lenses the adapter, which is necessary to mount them on an M, gives 1mm more space. The different results for the 50mm- or 5cm-Elmars from different times show that individual measurements of certain lens types are not reliable for every other lens of this sort. There may be variants in the tube‘s design, even protruding sharp edges on the ends of a tube.

 

So before retracting a lens into the body of a M8 or M9 one should measure the retracted tube (always fixed on infinity) looking especially for protruding edges. Anything which is 22mm or longer should be never retracted but the extended tube secured by a Dymo band that it won‘t retract accidentially.

 

A new thread in the German forum about collapsible lenses for the M tought me that my explanations about collapsible lenses used with M-cameras are incomplete: http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/forum-zur-leica-m9/269373-elmar-2-8-50mm-m9-2.html#post2295115

 

I dealt a lot with the risk of the tube touching the shutter or scratching the throat of the camera. Though these risks cannot be ruled out completely they are not the whole story. The real risk is caused by the broad end of the tube hitting the little roller of the focus sensor lever and its screw. You can see it on the photo here: http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/forum-zur-leica-m9/269373-elmar-2-8-50mm-m9-2.html#post2295443

 

You can test this with a M-body for film when you open the rear window (without film) and look through the opened shutter and lens. When you push the collapsible lens tube inwards you may see it scratch at the roller or its screw. So this is no new problem for the digital M but for all M models as they all have the same roller and screw for the focus sensor lever at the same position.

 

The 2.8/50 Elmar-M (last version) may cause the most trouble - with all Leica-M bodies! - as the black end of the tube is broader than on earlier collapsible lenses. The tube of the last version of the 50mm Elmar may also have more play in the lens mount than earlier collapsible lenses, so it may hit the roller at a "bad" angle.

 

Older lenses are not completely free of this problem. I measure the same diameter of 3,04cm for the broad tube's end of a post-war Summitar. The other collapsible lenses seem to have about 1 millimeter less, though there may be variances.

 

So to collapse a 2.8/50mm Elmar-M - or any other collapsible lens on an Leica-M-body - may cause a conflict between the end of the lens tube and the roller for the focus lever. Leica's caveat about using collapsible lenses in the M8 or M9 (M-E) is therefore justified - though the same caveat is true for any other Leica-M body.

[jaapv]

Question: by 2351HD

 

1. What the the max exposure time in bulb that you can get at ISO 200, 400, 800. Eg, is it 60 secs at 200, 30 secs at 400 etc.

 

2. If you are using a wide angle lens say 21mm or 18mm, are you seeing better corner sharpness with the new sensor design?

 

3. If you select one of the new metering modes but still want to use the rangefinder window, does the camera go into live view, or just open the shutter to do the metering and keep the screen off?

 

4. When in focus assist mode (magnified), is the focus peaking still visible or does it switch off. Also, is the magnified view close to 1:1, or is it less or more.

 

Answer: by MJH

1. What the the max exposure time in bulb that you can get at ISO 200, 400, 800. Eg, is it 60 secs at 200, 30 secs at 400 etc.

60 seconds at ISO 200, 30 seconds at ISO 400, 15 seconds at ISO 800, and 8 seconds at ISO 1600 and beyond.

 

3. If you select one of the new metering modes but still want to use the rangefinder window, does the camera go into live view, or just open the shutter to do the metering and keep the screen off?

The latter.

 

4. When in focus assist mode (magnified), is the focus peaking still visible or does it switch off.

If focus peaking is turned on in the menu, it will work at any magnification setting – the higher the magnification the more reliable it is.

 

Also, is the magnified view close to 1:1, or is it less or more.

It is about 1:1.

Edited March 4, 2013 by jaapv

[marknorton]

Question: By Mark Norton

 

 

There doesn't appear to be any way to superimpose the spirit level/horizon display on the Live View image for aiming the camera with, for example, wide angle lenses. A strange omission! Is this correct?

 

 

Answer: By Theno23

 

Not that I can see, and yes, it's a strange omission.

Edited March 4, 2013 by jaapv

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[marknorton]

Note for UK Users...

 

There isn't space in the packing for a UK power cable and it's intended the dealer gives you a loose cable with your camera. Mine forgot, so check you get one when you collect your camera. The packing contains a US, European and low voltage cable only.

Edited March 5, 2013 by jaapv