Simple Question About Coded Lenses

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There are apparently a zillion threads about this involving many permutations.

 

Here's my (I hope) simple question.

 

If I am using 35mm, 50mm, 90mm and 135mm Leica lenses, all made before Leica lenses were factory coded, and I am prepared to go into my M 240's menu to manually identify the lens that I am using, am I right that coding my lenses, either by sending them to New Jersey or by doing it myself (the latter being an option that is not going to happen), is pointless?

 

I am hoping that the answer is yes.

 

If I'm wrong, is there someone in New York City who I can hire to do it for a reasonable fee with a turn-around time of about a week or less per lens?

 

Thanks

[CVickery]

There is no need to code your lenses if you are prepared to manually enter the lens info or if you are prepared to shoot without the benefit of any corrections (or EXIF info) by leaving the lens as unidentified. To speed up the process it would be possible to store each lens as one of the 'User' settings (4 available). This also allows you to customize additional settings for a particular lens. For example my ZM18 is best profiled as a Elmarit 21/2.8 Pre ASPH, but also requires a +1EV for best exposure. This lens has it's own user setting.

 

For the M9 and the M240 having the lens coded is a convenience and not a necessity. That being said it can be frustrating if you forget to switch the settings and a good shot is spoiled by having a incorrect profile applied.

[xrogers]

Although not required, coding is really nice if you change lenses very often.

 

I think John Milich is in NYC. If you remove the flanges from your lenses, he'll mill in clean, accurate indents that you can fill with appropriate drops of black or white paint, and put them back on the lenses. Reasonably priced, quick (my four flanges took a little over a week including shipping), and excellent work.

 

jm@milich.com was the last email I had for him.

[250swb]

It is pointless in that for lenses 35mm and longer coding makes very little if any difference. So you would only be doing it for convenience of having the lens recorded in the EXIF file.

 

Steve

[Bill W]

Although not required, coding is really nice if you change lenses very often.

 

I think John Milich is in NYC. If you remove the flanges from your lenses, he'll mill in clean, accurate indents that you can fill with appropriate drops of black or white paint, and put them back on the lenses. Reasonably priced, quick (my four flanges took a little over a week including shipping), and excellent work.

 

jm@milich.com was the last email I had for him.

I have seen from others that some have a great experience at removing and replacing the lens flange. I did not. Every lens is hand made and as such has its idiosyncrasies. I could not repalce the flange on my 50 and retain smooth focus. I sent mine off to DAG to have it coded and the focus adjusted so it is smooth or silky. This was the only lens I had that was not coded.

[skinnfell]

Here is what I would do:

 

have the 35 coded, leave the others uncoded. Then just dont bother about menus, leave camera to auto detect.

There is virtually zero correction going on on original lenses at 50 or above.

I dont know about your M240, but my monochrom is able to recognize at least the focal length and max aperture of my uncoded lenses. This is stored in the DNG file.

 

Although it should be said that a coding also includes lube and adjustment, so when the time comes it it could be worht it along with a regular service.

[CVickery]

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Here is what I would do:

 

have the 35 coded, leave the others uncoded. Then just dont bother about menus, leave camera to auto detect.

There is virtually zero correction going on on original lenses at 50 or above.

I dont know about your M240, but my monochrom is able to recognize at least the focal length and max aperture of my uncoded lenses. This is stored in the DNG file.

 

Although it should be said that a coding also includes lube and adjustment, so when the time comes it it could be worht it along with a regular service.

 

AFAIK none of the Leica digitals can recognize the focal length of an uncoded lens (default values may be recorded in EXIF) and the aperture value recorded in the EXIF is always a 'guess' by the camera based on the exposure. (There is no lens to body linkage so the body has no way of reading the actual aperture used)

[jaapv]

The camera will recognize some uncoded Elmarit 90 lenses;)

[gvaliquette]

From my point of view, the main problem is going from coded lenses to uncoded lenses.

 

I have some newer coded lenses. I have some older uncoded lenses. Invariable]y, I go from an uncoded lens and I manually code it in. Then I go to a newer lens and I forget to recode the lens or go "Auto"!

 

So I have a 24 mm f3.8 Elmar ASPH coded as a 90 mm f2.8 Tele-Elmarit!

 

And Leica does not recognize the incongruinity between the frame selector and the lens code and the manual selection!

 

PLEASE, PLEASE, Leica, override manual lens coding if a coded lens is mounted on the body and the code does not match the manually entered code. This is what computers are for, correcting stupid errors by mere humans.

 

Meanwhile, humans will continue to goof offf, and enjoy life!

 

Guy

[01af]

If [...] I am prepared to go into my M (Typ 240)'s menu to manually identify the lens that I am using, am I right that coding my lenses [...] is pointless?

And the answer is: Yes, it is pointless. Umm ... basically pointless.

 

It absolutely entirely totally does not make any difference, technically, whether the camera gets informed about the lens manually via the lens menu or automatically via the 6-bit code on the bayonet flange.

 

Yet, having the lenses 6-bit-coded still makes sense because you will keep forgetting to switch the lens menu setting manually after switching lenses. And having selected the wrong code often (not always) is worse than the lens not being recognised by the camera altogether.

[CVickery]

The camera will recognize some uncoded Elmarit 90 lenses;)

 

Took some thinking to figure this out ... WWWBWW .... with a screw in the right place to read as the black pit? Not sure this would work on the M240 though, seems to be much more sensitive to having actual black and white pits, mine doesn't seem to read the chrome mount as white, not consistently, anyway.