Spring Bling...Filters are arriving!

[sean_reid]

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Many of the filters are apparently being made in Japan but Leica tells me they are built to the same spec (optically) as the B+W/Schneider 486 filters. The early examples that Leica sent me of the official filters were marked Schneider 486 MRC.

 

Hand-coded lenses (or the like) can respond as well as or better than coded Leica lenses to the M8's internal corrections - it depends on the specific lenses being compared. To be sure, however, factory coded lenses will be the most hassle-free way to work with the M8 in color (for lenses wider than 50 mm). With the current firmware, 50 mm lenses can show a trace of cyan drift but it's minor. Note that this is not a cyan cast as it does not affect the whole frame. Nor is it "cyan corners" as not only the corners are effected. The cyan drift begins once a certain angle of view is exceeded and generally increases in intensity as that AOV widens. In other words, with a 28 mm lens for example, it begins in the outer zones and increases in intensity from there outwards. This could also be called red vignetting but that term tends to confuse many.

 

Cheers,

 

Sean

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[Guest guy_mancuso]

I agree and also got the same info from Leica that they are built to the B+W 486 specs regardless of who and where they are built.

[adan]

Regarding Leica's instructions that come with the filters - they are just covering themselves because without coding and the appropriate firmware the WB will be even odder than normal, and the internal color profile will be off, and the outer parts of the image may be cyan with wideangles.

 

And sure as shootin', someone somewhere will shoot jpegs and auto WB with the filters and no coding and firmware 1.092 - and then whine about the results.

 

Of course, WE here at LUF all know what to expect, and how to compensate in RAW (while awaiting 1.10) for either the shift in WB, or the different color calibration, or the cyan drift.

[carstenw]

Actually, I find the white balance and colours better with an IR filter and 1.092...

[krimple]

Ok, so for someone whose main two lenses currently with the (soon arriving) filters are CV 35 f/1.7 and CV 75mm f/2.5, what am I to expect? Are the color casts terrible? I didn't think 35mm was a problem, only 28mm and below...

 

This seems to cry out for some kind of LTM to M adapter coding solution from Leica to solve this, plus a generic 35mm, 28mm etc setting, or at least some kind of guide on what lens to set things to. And a sharpie method just seems to be too prone to user error (ok, my all thumbs user error) to be worthwhile.

 

I'm not about to ditch my entire lens collection just to solve this problem. Leica HAS to have a better long term solution than this. Anyone else shooting with a 35mm CV screw-mount lens and the new filters? I'm sure the 75 is ok, but I'm curious about the 35.

 

Ken

[larry]

The delivery time on these filters was pretty impressive; they left Germany on the 22nd and were delivered here on the 23rd. The box says "made in Germany" but the filter mounts are marked "made in Japan." Although they look almost identical to the B+W filters I own, the mounts are made of a lighter metal. As long a they work -- and they do -- I'm not going to worry about that stuff.

 

With my uncoded 35 f2 ASPH the color shift in the corners is barely noticeable, and with the 50 f2 you really need to go pixel peeping to see anything. New firmware and coded lenses should fix any remaining problems, but these filters do make an appreciable difference now.

 

One more observation: The interference coating isn't noticeable unless the light strikes it from a particular angle, and then it really doesn't look much different than ordinary multi-coating.

 

Larry

[arthury]

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Anyone got their 55mm yet?

[sean_reid]

Ok, so for someone whose main two lenses currently with the (soon arriving) filters are CV 35 f/1.7 and CV 75mm f/2.5, what am I to expect? Are the color casts terrible? I didn't think 35mm was a problem, only 28mm and below...

 

This seems to cry out for some kind of LTM to M adapter coding solution from Leica to solve this, plus a generic 35mm, 28mm etc setting, or at least some kind of guide on what lens to set things to. And a sharpie method just seems to be too prone to user error (ok, my all thumbs user error) to be worthwhile.

 

I'm not about to ditch my entire lens collection just to solve this problem. Leica HAS to have a better long term solution than this. Anyone else shooting with a 35mm CV screw-mount lens and the new filters? I'm sure the 75 is ok, but I'm curious about the 35.

 

Ken

 

Hi Ken,

 

Don't worry about coding the 75, it will be fine with the filter uncoded. As for the 35/1.7, search out John Millich on this forum and PM him with your concern. He might have some interesting ideas. In the meantime, start collecting the old Leitz 9 cm and 13.5 cm LTM to M adapters.

 

I'm shooting with the CV 35 Ultron and 486 filter, using a Leitz 13.5 cm adapter with millings for the code markings.

 

Cheers,

 

Sean

[larry]

In an earlier post, I mistakenly said that the filter mounts were inscribed, Made in Japan. In fact it reads simply, Germany. However, the country of manufacture is listed as Japan on the packing slip.

 

Larry