JazzDoc Posted February 15, 2012 Share #1 Posted February 15, 2012 Advertisement (gone after registration) Can somebody explain to me what the effect or problems would be if I were to buy a lens that was not 6-bit coded for my M9, aside from not having the EXIF metadata recorded on the RAW file? Are there differences in the resultant image quality? Do you consider it important or imperative to have non-coded lenses upgraded with coding? Thanks in advance for your input. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted February 15, 2012 Posted February 15, 2012 Hi JazzDoc, Take a look here 6-bit coding - necessary? . I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
ayewing Posted February 15, 2012 Share #2 Posted February 15, 2012 My understanding is that only wide angle lenses benefit from coding. The M9 can make corrections of vignetting and colour shift at the edges of images. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Double Negative Posted February 15, 2012 Share #3 Posted February 15, 2012 Is it imperative? No. But whether or not it's important depends on the focal length. The wider the lens, the more you'll want to code. While the EXIF is usually the secondary reason (and sometimes reason enough) for coding, the real reason is to counteract odd colorations (see also: "red edge") and vignetting. You can "hand code" lenses with a black Sharpie marker and a template, or select the lens manually via the MENU. If you have a bunch of lenses and like to mix it up when you're out shooting, having it permanently coded can be quite worthwhile... As the Sharpie marks wear off with lens changes and sometimes we forget to adjust the lens setting in the MENU. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
shard Posted February 15, 2012 Share #4 Posted February 15, 2012 Nice to have but not really necessary. You can always manually select the lenses to get the lens correction profiles to work. I personally code all my lenses because from experience, I always forget to manually change the lens selection. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JazzDoc Posted February 15, 2012 Author Share #5 Posted February 15, 2012 Nice to have but not really necessary. You can always manually select the lenses to get the lens correction profiles to work. I personally code all my lenses because from experience, I always forget to manually change the lens selection. You send them out for coding or do it yourself? Also, where does one get the coding template? Thanks! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
algrove Posted February 15, 2012 Share #6 Posted February 15, 2012 Nice to have but not really necessary. You can always manually select the lenses to get the lens correction profiles to work. I personally code all my lenses because from experience, I always forget to manually change the lens selection. Me to I forget too much so I started coding mine with the Match Technical Coder Kit. The problem is that the codes can wear off over time. I have sent some to Leica to code and in the process they recalibrate and lens which on a few was important to me since they were a bit older. I have done my Zeiss M lenses myself. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JazzDoc Posted February 15, 2012 Author Share #7 Posted February 15, 2012 Advertisement (gone after registration) Me to I forget too much so I started coding mine with the Match Technical Coder Kit. The problem is that the codes can wear off over time. I have sent some to Leica to code and in the process they recalibrate and lens which on a few was important to me since they were a bit older. I have done my Zeiss M lenses myself. Some great info coming out here - thanks everyone! Keep it coming! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
swamiji Posted February 15, 2012 Share #8 Posted February 15, 2012 It's often forgotten that there is more information than the EXIF information provided, it is also used by the Flash for TTL calculations. In particular the SF58, adjusts its light spread. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
shard Posted February 15, 2012 Share #9 Posted February 15, 2012 You send them out for coding or do it yourself? Also, where does one get the coding template? Thanks! I send them back to Leica, where they replace the mount with a coded one. Along the way, they check the lens for other problems as well. Not the cheapest option but I think it is the best. It used to take forever but the time has now improved alot. One thing to note, some lens Leica won't code, those with no visible screws on the mount or where the screws are in the way of the coding etc. As for third party coders, they are often alot cheaper but the results may vary. I have seen some really well done ones and some that are so bad it looks like someone took a hammer and chisel to the lens mount, I only pray they removed the mount before coding it. Third party coders on the other hand can code lenses that Leica will not, be it one of those that I mentioned or even non Leica lenses. Lastly, you can always do it yourself with a marker and the right template. Not a permanent solution as the markings tend to come off after a few mountings but nothing that can't be fixed with a marker. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deeman Posted February 15, 2012 Share #10 Posted February 15, 2012 I used a Match Technical coder kit. Results were variable at first, but I soon discovered that you have to fill in the screw-head in the coding area with a white Tippex pen, otherwise the camera reads it as a black code. All my lenses not read perfectly. Just remember to refresh the black coding with a Sharpie from time to time. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JazzDoc Posted February 15, 2012 Author Share #11 Posted February 15, 2012 I used a Match Technical coder kit. Results were variable at first, but I soon discovered that you have to fill in the screw-head in the coding area with a white Tippex pen, otherwise the camera reads it as a black code. All my lenses not read perfectly. Just remember to refresh the black coding with a Sharpie from time to time. Great tips!! Thank you! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JazzDoc Posted February 15, 2012 Author Share #12 Posted February 15, 2012 I send them back to Leica, where they replace the mount with a coded one. Along the way, they check the lens for other problems as well. Not the cheapest option but I think it is the best. It used to take forever but the time has now improved alot. One thing to note, some lens Leica won't code, those with no visible screws on the mount or where the screws are in the way of the coding etc. As for third party coders, they are often alot cheaper but the results may vary. I have seen some really well done ones and some that are so bad it looks like someone took a hammer and chisel to the lens mount, I only pray they removed the mount before coding it. Third party coders on the other hand can code lenses that Leica will not, be it one of those that I mentioned or even non Leica lenses. Lastly, you can always do it yourself with a marker and the right template. Not a permanent solution as the markings tend to come off after a few mountings but nothing that can't be fixed with a marker. Do you mean you send your lenses to Solms, Gernany? (That'd be no major problem if you live in Germany, of course!) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
250swb Posted February 16, 2012 Share #13 Posted February 16, 2012 Do you mean you send your lenses to Solms, Gernany? (That'd be no major problem if you live in Germany, of course!) In the days of the pony express I would agree, but DHL (other carriers are available)can often get a parcel there with two days If you want to make your own coding template, and see a list of lens codes try here BoPhoto.com: M8 coder - simple manual handcoding of M lenses When you have the template you can code most lenses with a dremel after you have used a marker to test the coding is correct. You only need to grind a shallow dot for the black areas, not the white. Then fill it with black paint as unlike the M8 the M9 seems to need a more opaque mark. Paint or marker directly on the lens flange will rub off very quickly, and another negative is that when it does rub off the flakes can get inside the camera so it needs more cleaning for dust on the sensor. Steve Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deeman Posted February 16, 2012 Share #14 Posted February 16, 2012 Most people will by now have spotted the typo in my previous post. The penultimate sentence should read: 'All my lenses now read perfectly.' Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ayewing Posted February 16, 2012 Share #15 Posted February 16, 2012 In the days of the pony express I would agree, but DHL (other carriers are available)can often get a parcel there with two days If you want to make your own coding template, and see a list of lens codes try here BoPhoto.com: M8 coder - simple manual handcoding of M lenses When you have the template you can code most lenses with a dremel after you have used a marker to test the coding is correct. You only need to grind a shallow dot for the black areas, not the white. Then fill it with black paint as unlike the M8 the M9 seems to need a more opaque mark. Paint or marker directly on the lens flange will rub off very quickly, and another negative is that when it does rub off the flakes can get inside the camera so it needs more cleaning for dust on the sensor. Steve I can confirm that Bo Lorentxen's ridiculously inexpensive template works very well as long as you use a genuine Sharpie and make the black marks really black. Recent Voigtlander lenses have a useful groove which means that the black marks do not rub off so easily when changing lenses. There are no official codes for Voigtlanders but if you use the nearest eqivalent Leica code it should work. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
shard Posted February 16, 2012 Share #16 Posted February 16, 2012 Do you mean you send your lenses to Solms, Gernany? (That'd be no major problem if you live in Germany, of course!) Yes, I send my lenses back to Solms. No, I don't live in Germany, I live in Asia, but I feel that it is a price worth paying. You spend thousands of dollars on your lens, do you pay a few hundred to get it coded at the factory and have everything checked out along the way or do you try to save a little and risk sending your lens to some third party repair person that may damage your lens. Having said that, there are alot of very good and qualified third party techs out there who do a wonderful job, but you still need to get the lens to them if they are not near you and some of the good ones have a really long waiting list! The important thing is to do your research and find the option that is most suitable for you. There is another option I was just told about, I have never tried it myself but I heard that you can buy precoded lens mounts that you can then change yourself. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JazzDoc Posted February 16, 2012 Author Share #17 Posted February 16, 2012 Fabulous responses here - you folks are terrific - loads of useful info. I thank you all! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hydeca Posted February 16, 2012 Share #18 Posted February 16, 2012 Do you mean you send your lenses to Solms, Gernany? (That'd be no major problem if you live in Germany, of course!) Its no problem sending gear to Leica from overseas. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
algrove Posted February 16, 2012 Share #19 Posted February 16, 2012 Fabulous responses here - you folks are terrific - loads of useful info. I thank you all! Listen. You live in the US so send them to Leica NJ. The Price is $230 for 6 bit coding and it takes between 4-5 weeks. They also check the lens calibration etc. for that sum. I have 4 lenses with them as we speak. They are very thorough. I am curious though since from the lenses you list as owning came 6 bit already, no? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Double Negative Posted February 16, 2012 Share #20 Posted February 16, 2012 ^ Agreed, I wouldn't send them overseas. In general, I'd just send it to the closest service center (e.g. NJ). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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