M8 Questions.

[Robinyuill]

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Hi there. Settling in to using my M8 but I have a question on the Lens UV/IR detection. My 35mm Summarit is coded so I set the Lens detection to On+UV/IR. Voigtlander 15mm and Summicron 50 are not coded but fitted with filters. What should I set the detection to and does it matter? Also thinking of getting a 1971 "fat" Tele Elmarit 90mm, seems in excellent condition and price seems right(£400) Any thoughts on that lens? Finding the M8 great and enjoying photography again but in other ways its really frustrating as I have had issues with some problems with the sensor. Dealer, "Stephens" in Manchester couldn't be more helpful but I was hoping the camera would have been as reliable as the M3 I had for years. Still I am hooked on the brand again!!!! Thanks and regards to all. Robin.

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[wda]

I have one or two uncoded lenses and faced the same problem. It is worth using the recommended filters and also getting your 15mm lens coded. Wide angle lenses gain most from coding. In the meantime, I would stick with the menu setting. At least it causes your coded lens to be recognized and, in my experience, does not impair the performance of uncoded lenses.

 

Regarding the 'fat' Tele-Elmarit lens, I also have one (1966) which I used with my M3 from new. I have also used it with my M8 and it gives very satisfactory performance, particularly for portraiture. Build quality is excellent. Although I do tend to prefer my much newer 75mm Summarit for more critical work.

[luigi bertolotti]

The "fat" Tele Elmarit is a delicious lens, and, btw it has a sort of funny "self coding" (a screw along mount's diameter which, by chance, activates the correct recognition on M8). Its compactness is highly enjoiable, but to be sincere, the "new" (discontinued, indeed) Elmarit-M 90 is a big step-up in any sense: dimensions are not so attractive as TE's, but, apart image quality, the embedded hood (NOT present in the Summarit) is very appreciable.

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[Robinyuill]

Thanks for the replies. I have noticed that one of the lenses I have seen has a strange set up. The aperture index mark seems not in line with the focus index mark. The aperture dot is rotated about 4 or 5mm to the left of the focus index. I don't think the lens head is removable for use. eg like on a visoflex or is it? The lens seems to focus ok but I can't say I have ever seen this on a lens before. Should it put me off buying the lens? It is a silver one as in the image and in good condition. Thanks. Robin.

[luigi bertolotti]

Thanks for the replies. I have noticed that one of the lenses I have seen has a strange set up. The aperture index mark seems not in line with the focus index mark. The aperture dot is rotated about 4 or 5mm to the left of the focus index. I don't think the lens head is removable for use. eg like on a visoflex or is it? The lens seems to focus ok but I can't say I have ever seen this on a lens before. Should it put me off buying the lens? It is a silver one as in the image and in good condition. Thanks. Robin.

 

This issue is not uncommon in some old lenses, the ones which had the first "click stop" mechanisms... for instance, I observed it in my Summarit 50 1,5, and also in my (old) Summicron 90 f2 : it's a bit annoying but in my case never was a real problem, even if in the Summarit I have not only the small rotation over the index, but all the "clicks" are a bit misaligned respect to the f index values (being them not evenly spaced, you can be, for instance, a bit uncertain between f11 and f 16). In smaller extent (1 mm or so) it can be observed also on "new" lenses (my Elmarit 28, for instance).

Btw, the Tele Elmarit 90 has NOT removable lens head - not made for Visoflex usage, differently from its "non-tele" brother.

[UliWer]

... The aperture index mark seems not in line with the focus index mark. The aperture dot is rotated about 4 or 5mm to the left of the focus index. ...

 

That's a good observation. I never noticed this before.

 

Usually the aperture index is more or less in line with the focus index. When I checked all my new lenses I fortunately found them all precise.

 

With older lenses there are some differences. My collapsible Summicron is just slightly off:

 

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The old Summar is precise:

 

 

But the 2.8/50 Elmar is way off:

 

 

whilst it's 3.5/50 with M-mount cousin is precise again:

 

 

The most weird lenses I have are the 2.8/50 (last version) and a 6.3/105 Berg-Elmar, where the aperture index is right at the opposite side of the focussing index.

 

(I hope Stephan Daniel won't read this, as he got really upset when he saw a lens like this some months ago in this forum and couldn't believe that it ever left the factory ...)

[luigi bertolotti]

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... Uhm ... OR me OR Uliwer have mis-interpreted the issue : you meant disalignement between f index (dot - triangle....) and f values or really between f scale and distances' scale ? I have never thought that Leitz/Leica had a precise rule about... which one would it have been ? Max aperture aligned to infinity mark ?

[Robinyuill]

... Uhm ... OR me OR Uliwer have mis-interpreted the issue : you meant disalignement between f index (dot - triangle....) and f values or really between f scale and distances' scale ? I have never thought that Leitz/Leica had a precise rule about... which one would it have been ? Max aperture aligned to infinity mark ?

 

Hi there, sorry for any confusion. Looking at the lens in the picture, the round dot which is the index on the lens collar for the aperture number is rotated about 5mm to the left of the line of the focus triangle on the lens body. Its as if the front section of the lens has been screwed round further when assembled or its maybe been taken apart at some point. The only issue is, if the lens had been reassembled incorrectly and I might be able to negotiate some form of "discount" from the seller! Regards... Robin.

[luigi bertolotti]

Hi there, sorry for any confusion. Looking at the lens in the picture, the round dot which is the index on the lens collar for the aperture number is rotated about 5mm to the left of the line of the focus triangle on the lens body. Its as if the front section of the lens has been screwed round further when assembled or its maybe been taken apart at some point. The only issue is, if the lens had been reassembled incorrectly and I might be able to negotiate some form of "discount" from the seller! Regards... Robin.

 

Ok... thanks for clarification... Uliwer was right.... I checked my one and looks well aligned...it appears on the above (hereunder) picture too..

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Frankly I do not know if it has to be taken as a "defect" due to some maintenance / dissasembly... but surely it would be better to check professionally the correct focusing on the lens (90 at 2,8 is a critical combination) : maybe you can deal with issue with the seller... the cost of a lens' focus calibration is not negligible: recently, I was asked 180-200 Euros for such a work onto an Elmar 135 f4.

[andybarton]

 

(I hope Stephan Daniel won't read this, as he got really upset when he saw a lens like this some months ago in this forum and couldn't believe that it ever left the factory ...)

 

 

My wife's 50 Elmar screw mount is just like that one. The aperture indicator is about 1/8 of the circumference away from the vertical. Still seems to work OK though.