Applejack2409 Posted December 12, 2013 Share #1 Posted December 12, 2013 Advertisement (gone after registration) I have my M6 with 35mm Summicron, 50mm Summicron and 90mm Elmarit. Been using them with success for twenty years. I am about to add an M240 to the bag, but have been told that the lenses will not be calibrated well enough for the digital camera. Is this true and if so, when I get them calibrated, will they still work at their best on the M6? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted December 12, 2013 Posted December 12, 2013 Hi Applejack2409, Take a look here Lens calibration for M240. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
k_g_wolf ✝ Posted December 12, 2013 Share #2 Posted December 12, 2013 Yes, they should. Lens calibration in digital days means MUCH closer tolerances for all new M-lenses. In case of older lenses the owner should consider himself lucky if things are spot on digitally. They will still work 100% o. k. on film. With my older 35mm SUMMICRON a new helicoid(?spelling) was needed to get it properly adjusted for digital days. Taking into account todays prices for new ones and the long time I used the lens it was alright having it coded and overhauled. Even old cars need new spareparts from time to time, sometimes a complete engine. Another >>Yes<<: welcome to the forum! Best GEORG Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tobey bilek Posted December 12, 2013 Share #3 Posted December 12, 2013 I have a dozen older lenses and all of them focus on digital . Nome have what I would call wear as they have not had a lot of use. Where you will run into trouble is not having the lenses coded so you will have to set them in the menu to take advantage of camera corrections based on the lens. This is mostly true of wide lenses. Naturally the lens employed will not show in EXIF data unless you set it in camera menu or it is coded. This gets to be a pain faster than you think. I would send the lenses in to be coded and they will check/adjust the focus at the same time. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
thighslapper Posted December 12, 2013 Share #4 Posted December 12, 2013 If you have lenses that work fine then I suspect you will have no trouble. I've had plenty of issues with new lenses ....... but never with any second hand ones that have already been 'field tested' .... and presumably back for calibration already. With Live View/Focus peaking and a tripod you can check the accuracy of them all in 5 minutes.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoppyman Posted December 12, 2013 Share #5 Posted December 12, 2013 Hi and welcome from another Brisvegas forum member. It is possible that any mis-adjustment may be more visible on the digital sensors in general. Or you might find that they all work really well with no adjustment needed at all. Feedback from their technicians is that the camera is more sensitive to lens calibration so maybe The M (typ 240) is calibrated including the RF to the highest standard that Leica have ever used. The three lenses that you mention are all spherical designs of course. If you did need them adjusted, Camera Clinic in Melbourne should be able to perform the work for you. They serviced three lenses for me here (2x Elmarit M 90's and my Summilux 35 ASPH) and the adjustment was spot on for all three. But if you are getting the new camera, the best practice is to shoot it a lot with those lenses first and see what you find. Good luck and get ready to be wowed. With the M it is possible for the first time (with a Leica) to actually see the focus results directly from the sensor and with a magnified view. So no guessing or wondering and nowhere to hide from user errors Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
schmolinski Posted December 12, 2013 Share #6 Posted December 12, 2013 Hi, welcome here! I would suggest to leave the lenses as the are!!! Saves money for the EVF you will appreciate for your 90mm lens. I bought an 75 Summilux two years ago. Never calibrated works fine on M9 and M240 at f/1.4 and 2.0 no focus shift and the new M with EVF you're able to control it without any regret at smaller aperture My 1954 Summicron rigid version performs even better as my Summilux 50mm bought in 2010 that has been for calibration in Solms No shame on the people in Solms, they are friendly and nice. But I think the have a big work load to cover, al the demands… So if you wanna buy a new M go for it. I bought mine last week and I love and hate it. I come from M8.2 now owning a M9 and a M3. The latter I love most. But digital M I can check my work straight away without waiting for development. And if you regret your purchase I would say you might sell it with a mere loss of 200 bucks after a month or two of use if you take care... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Applejack2409 Posted December 12, 2013 Author Share #7 Posted December 12, 2013 Advertisement (gone after registration) Thank you all for your informed comments. Most of my fears have been allayed and will buy a camera body before having the lenses calibrated. I will still need to have them coded but that will not be urgent. I gather that Camera Clinic in Melbourne can code them? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoppyman Posted December 14, 2013 Share #8 Posted December 14, 2013 Yes they can bit code your lenses, at least dependant on which exact one. If you do get your camera and shoot your lenses for a while and decide you want to get the lens adjusted, that's a good opportunity to have the coding done along with any needed servicing. For my Elmarit M 90 I asked for and got a CLA and they actually had a replacement (coded) lens flange on hand. I was very happy with the results. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoppyman Posted January 10, 2014 Share #9 Posted January 10, 2014 My M (Typ 240) and Summilux 50 ASPH. are just back from Germany after repair following impact. I was advised that the camera was serviced and calibrated first, then the lens adjusted and checked against that. A little testing here has made me very happy indeed. 100% crop from a shot at f/2 at one metre. The inclined rule graduations represent 10mm from 0 to 1. Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/218275-lens-calibration-for-m240/?do=findComment&comment=2505850'>More sharing options...
wlaidlaw Posted January 10, 2014 Share #10 Posted January 10, 2014 Even brand new Leica lenses are not immune to focus problems - see my thread here http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/leica-m-lenses/313854-bad-nocti-mr-magoo-still-alive.html However old lenses can be fine. Last summer I bought a well used 40mm Summicron-C. Focus was spot on by checking RF focus against LV focus but the lens was rather dirty internally and is now much better after some TLC by Malcolm Taylor, which also included having it coded. Checking focus accuracy is now far easier on the M240 and you don’t have to use focus charts any longer. Wilson Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lawman Posted January 15, 2014 Share #11 Posted January 15, 2014 I started digital with the exact same kit as yours. My first digital was the M9 and I installed new coded flanges from Jin Finance at a very reasonable cost. The lenses focus perfectly on the M9 and the flanges bring up the frame lines and proper exif coding; however, when I went to the M240, the lenses, while still focusing fine, do NOT bring up the correct exif info and the camera insists that no coded lense in attached. So, if you are getting your old glass coded I fear you will have to bite the bullet and pay the cost to Leica to do it for you. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
250swb Posted January 15, 2014 Share #12 Posted January 15, 2014 .....when I went to the M240, the lenses, while still focusing fine, do NOT bring up the correct exif info and the camera insists that no coded lense in attached. So, if you are getting your old glass coded I fear you will have to bite the bullet and pay the cost to Leica to do it for you. Try a different paint. For the M8 the lenses could be coded with almost any type of black pen. For the M9 the lenses could only be coded with particularly black pens and paint was the reliable answer. So for the M240, which seems even more critical to the fill in the coding rebates, try another type of paint. I don't think it is a fact that only Leica can make the coding work, just that not enough people have tried to find the exact type of paint (matt, satin, enamel, acrylic, etc.) that works. As to the OP's question follow the advice given and don't plan for problems, I haven't needed any lens recalibrated for a digital sensor, and that includes LTM lenses on cheap adapters. The cheap codable M lens flanges mentioned in the post above are also very good most of the time, but like the false perception that you'd need all your lenses calibrated to work on your M240, you'll hear about it like it is one of the Plagues of Egypt if just one person has had a problem. Steve Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lawman Posted January 15, 2014 Share #13 Posted January 15, 2014 I have tried gloss and flat model paint and neither has worked - anyone found a black paint that does work?? What does Leica use?? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wlaidlaw Posted January 15, 2014 Share #14 Posted January 15, 2014 I have tried gloss and flat model paint and neither has worked - anyone found a black paint that does work?? What does Leica use?? I would suggest that you phone Malcolm Taylor in Aymestrey, near Leominster, the renowned UK Leica repairer. He just coded 5 lenses for me and they all work perfectly on M8, 9 and 240. Wilson Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lawman Posted January 15, 2014 Share #15 Posted January 15, 2014 Wilson - do you have a contact email or tel number for him - I am in canada - did he use Jin flanges or build his own or did he mill your old ones?? Could you post a photo?? Thanks a lot - Larry Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wlaidlaw Posted January 15, 2014 Share #16 Posted January 15, 2014 Wilson - do you have a contact email or tel number for him - I am in canada - did he use Jin flanges or build his own or did he mill your old ones?? Could you post a photo?? Thanks a lot - Larry Larry, He milled my own flanges. 2 x Zeiss ZM (25 and 50/2), CV 15/4.5 and Leica Summicron-C 40 and Elmarit-M. Some of these had to have slot milled across the middle of a screw countersink. Malcolm then checks focus on a proper optical bench before he returns them to you. He is not fast but meticulous. I will post a couple of photos tomorrow and if you Google Malcolm Taylor Leica repairs UK, you will see the contact details on Yell. Posting phone numbers is against forum rules. Wilson PS He does not do email or internet Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lawman Posted January 15, 2014 Share #17 Posted January 15, 2014 OK, thanks Wilson. When I look carefully at the Leica flanges on my newer lenses, and compare the pits with the Jin flanges, it would appear that the Leica pits are ever so slightly wider and I have wondered if this could make the difference. The Jin flanges simply eliminate the screws from the flange if they are in conflict with a pit. Have you ever compared the shape and size of your custom pits with the Leica milled ones? Larry Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wlaidlaw Posted January 15, 2014 Share #18 Posted January 15, 2014 OK, thanks Wilson. When I look carefully at the Leica flanges on my newer lenses, and compare the pits with the Jin flanges, it would appear that the Leica pits are ever so slightly wider and I have wondered if this could make the difference. The Jin flanges simply eliminate the screws from the flange if they are in conflict with a pit. Have you ever compared the shape and size of your custom pits with the Leica milled ones? Larry Larry, I will have a measure tomorrow. I think leaving screws out of a flange is a really bad idea. It multiplies the stress on the remaining screws by probably 2 or 3 times. These are tiny 1.7mm screws with very shallow threads, often going into an aluminium alloy body of quite low shear strength. If you ever knocked the side of a lens, which had a missing flange screw, which is easy enough to do, I think you could end up with a disaster. Wilson Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
250swb Posted January 15, 2014 Share #19 Posted January 15, 2014 Have you ever compared the shape and size of your custom pits with the Leica milled ones? Larry Leica do not mill anything across a screw head, they just replace your old flange with a new one, there is no 'engineering' involved. For the lenses where the flange has a screw head in the way they can't do anything. Steve Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil U Posted January 15, 2014 Share #20 Posted January 15, 2014 I would suggest that you phone Malcolm Taylor in Aymestrey, near Leominster, the renowned UK Leica repairer. He just coded 5 lenses for me and they all work perfectly on M8, 9 and 240. Originally Posted by lawman Wilson - do you have a contact email or tel number for him - I am in canada - Praemonitus Praemunitus http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/customer-forum/221375-after-3-years-malcolm-taylors-will-6.html Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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