My M8 and my Rokkors

[crudo]

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Hello Experts!

 

I have an M8 and a 40mm and 28mm M-Rokkors. I inherited the lenses from my RD1 and have been very happy with them so far. The lenses are in great shape and I just had my M8 rangefinder calibrated by Leica.

 

I have 2 questions that have been always bugging me:

 

1.

What's up with the UV/IR filter? I have it on both my lenses.

Do I really need it on my Rokkor (i heard so many different opinions: that it affects overall sharpness, blacks)?

And if so do i need to turn on the UV/IR option in the setup menu? Is it the lens detection "on+UV/IR"?

 

2.

Someone told me it was harder to focus accurately with a Rokkor as it was designed for the CLE and has less movement in the focus barrel? True? Does it really make a difference?

 

Thanks a lot for your help!

 

Ciao, Robin.

[ho_co]

Robin--

You need the UV/IR cut filter on any lens used with the M8 to avoid getting contamination from the IR the M8 sensor is sensitive to. That can manifest itself in a number of ways, including a magenta cast to synthetic blacks. An easy way to see the effect is to try taking pictures of several black fabrics (they vary in how the manufacturer achieved the black color and therefore in how they respond to infrared) both with and without the filters.

 

I don't think the Minolta C lenses have the sloped focus cam that can be a problem with some M bodies. The focusing problem arises AFAIK only with the Leica Summicron-C 40 mm.

 

But in any case, if you're not seeing focus problems with the M8, don't worry about it.

 

And welcome to the forum!

[crudo]

Thanks for your reply Howard! And thanks for the warm welcome!

 

Do I need to turn in the lens detection option on the M8 to take advantage of the filter?

 

One last question, what's the best way to test if my lenses are focussing correctly?

[ho_co]

Good point, Robin: The lenses should theoretically be 6-bit coded to take full advantage of the camera's correction. I failed to mention that above.

 

The filter cuts the IR that can sneak up and bite you with the M8. Lens detection is a further step that takes into account the optical characteristics of the lens. In this case, someone who has tried hand-coding these lenses would need to speak up as to what is the best coding; otherwise, it's trial and error.

 

Best bet is to turn on Lens Detection + UV/IR Filter and go shoot.

 

The 40 will probably work fine in that situation.

 

With the 28, you'll probably get some cyan discoloration toward the corners if you don't code the lens. You can check that yourself. If your corners are funky, the camera needs to know what lens is in use.

 

 

I'm not one who suggests focus-testing a lens as a matter of course. I've found that the lens will let you know. That is, just shoot; if the results are good, you're fine. If you're not getting what you expect, that's the time to try testing for focus.

 

There are a lot of tests available. One of the most straightforward is the Nikon D70 Focus Chart. Best way to use it with a rangefinder is to rotate the camera to portrait orientation so that the focus target line is at right angles to the rangefinder. Shoot the lens wide open, because otherwise depth of field can make it hard to tell what's in and out of focus.

[Guest JMF]

Robin,

I had the same questions recently when I got an M8 and a 21 Elmarit.

First, I used the free Cornerfix software to get rid of the cyan vignetting .

Then I handcoded the lens with the Coder kit (match Technical Services - Coder Kit), put on a 486 Leica UV IR cut filter and turned on the lens + filter detection.

Now I have clean sharp images.

Waiting for a 40 Rokkor CLE in the post !

Let us know how it goes !

best.

[crudo]

That's great! Thanks jmanivelle!

 

I will order the coder kit right away!

 

Ciao, R.

[Guest JMF]

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Just checked what the coder kit wheel selection offers. There are 3 different Leica 28 mm lens codes to choose from, so probably the oldest Elmarit (pre Asph) closest to the Rokkor generation should do the job:)

Test test test !!!

[squarenegs]

1.

What's up with the UV/IR filter? I have it on both my lenses.

Do I really need it on my Rokkor (i heard so many different opinions: that it affects overall sharpness, blacks)?

And if so do i need to turn on the UV/IR option in the setup menu? Is it the lens detection "on+UV/IR"?

 

2.

Someone told me it was harder to focus accurately with a Rokkor as it was designed for the CLE and has less movement in the focus barrel? True? Does it really make a difference?

 

Thanks a lot for your help!

 

Hi

 

If I can add anything useful... Like you I've used my Rokkor-C 40mm on both an Epson and now my M8

If it's on an M8, yes you need the filter .

With the Epson there were seemed to be some focusing inaccuracy but on the M8

focus seems spot on. I've been using it uncoded with 'lens detection on + UV/IR without any issues that I can notice.

I've recently coded it as a 35mm Summicron, just to see what happens.

I'll have to report on that later. It's a great little lens and a focal length

which seems made for the M8 I expect you will love it on your M8

Did I mention it's cheap?

 

Regards

 

Sam