84bravo Posted February 1, 2015 Share #1 Posted February 1, 2015 Advertisement (gone after registration) Hello all, I just recently returned to the Leica with a used M9 after a 15 year hiatus. I'll be using my old lenses from my film days. These are 28f2.8, 35f2 and 50f2 and were current in the mid nineties, but they are not 6 bit coded. I know that I can manually set the camera to recognize the lenses. However, is it necessary for lens corrections if I am using RAW instead of JPEG? I find it a hassle to have to manually set the camera each time I change lenses. It's not in my budget at this time to send the lenses to Leica to be retrofitted. I also have an older 35f2 and 21f3.4. I know the older 21 is not recommended with the new digital cameras, but would I use the same profile for the older 35 lens? Thanks, LarryK Laurence Kesterson Photographer Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted February 1, 2015 Posted February 1, 2015 Hi 84bravo, Take a look here New M9 user with lens questions. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
01af Posted February 1, 2015 Share #2 Posted February 1, 2015 ... is it necessary for lens corrections if I am using raw instead of JPEG? Necessary? Debatable ... Desirable? Yes, definitely—in particular for the 28 mm lens ... no matter if you're using raw or JPEG format. When all your lenses are uncoded then you definitely should form a habit of checking the lens info (pressing the INFO button) and adjusting the lens selection in the menu each time after changing lenses. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ho_co Posted February 1, 2015 Share #3 Posted February 1, 2015 Larry, welcome to the forum. Personally, I'm too forgetful to change lens menu settings when changing lenses. Other people besides Leica do a good job of lens coding, e.g. DAG or Sherry Krauter, and for somewhat less money than Leica charges. (They were both trained by Leica.) I had my older 28/2.8 coded by DAG. Since Leica doesn't publish a code for this "version II" lens, he coded it as a "version III" and it works fine. As for how to set your 35mm, the current 35/2 setting would probably be fine. But why not just try various lens settings in the menu and see which works best? To me, a major advantage of coding the lenses is getting the lens information automatically placed in the EXIF. But I know people who are happily using uncoded lenses on their digital M-series Leicas without worrying about the menu lens settings. The choice is yours, but in the long run I think you would get the best results from having the lenses coded. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
84bravo Posted February 3, 2015 Author Share #4 Posted February 3, 2015 Thanks for your replies. I reached out to Sherry Krauter and she claimed that she doesn't do 6 bit conversions or any kind of digital camera work. Too bad, because I know her as she serviced my film cameras when I was still using them for work. Regarding the manual setting of the lens codes. Other than the EXIF data, do the lens corrections show up on my raw files, or only on the in camera JPEG? My current workflow is to injest, caption, etc through Photomechanic and then open up the individual images in Photoshop CC using ACR. The current version of ACR that I have does not have pre-sets for Leica lenses. I can use the sliders, but presets are much faster and convenient for me (I use them all the time with my Canon DSLR lenses). Thanks, LarryK Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DigitalHeMan Posted February 3, 2015 Share #5 Posted February 3, 2015 Thanks for your replies. I reached out to Sherry Krauter and she claimed that she doesn't do 6 bit conversions or any kind of digital camera work. Too bad, because I know her as she serviced my film cameras when I was still using them for work. Regarding the manual setting of the lens codes. Other than the EXIF data, do the lens corrections show up on my raw files, or only on the in camera JPEG? My current workflow is to injest, caption, etc through Photomechanic and then open up the individual images in Photoshop CC using ACR. The current version of ACR that I have does not have pre-sets for Leica lenses. I can use the sliders, but presets are much faster and convenient for me (I use them all the time with my Canon DSLR lenses). Thanks, LarryK You can also buy replacement lens flanges on eBay and do the 6 bit coding yourself. Look for jinfinance and save some money Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
olgierdc Posted February 3, 2015 Share #6 Posted February 3, 2015 With coding you can avoid partly vignetting and magenta cast both with jpg and raw. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tobey bilek Posted February 4, 2015 Share #7 Posted February 4, 2015 Advertisement (gone after registration) Code the 21 & 35 so as to self correct some optical problems. Or just select them from the list in camera. The other will benefit only by having focal length in exif data Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ho_co Posted February 4, 2015 Share #8 Posted February 4, 2015 ... I reached out to Sherry Krauter and she claimed that she doesn't do 6 bit conversions or any kind of digital camera work.... Sorry, my mistake, Larry. Don Goldberg has coded one of my lenses. It might be worth contacting him.. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff S Posted February 4, 2015 Share #9 Posted February 4, 2015 Yes, Don (DAG) will code. Jeff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted February 4, 2015 Share #10 Posted February 4, 2015 Thanks for your replies. I reached out to Sherry Krauter and she claimed that she doesn't do 6 bit conversions or any kind of digital camera work. Too bad, because I know her as she serviced my film cameras when I was still using them for work. Regarding the manual setting of the lens codes. Other than the EXIF data, do the lens corrections show up on my raw files, or only on the in camera JPEG? My current workflow is to injest, caption, etc through Photomechanic and then open up the individual images in Photoshop CC using ACR. The current version of ACR that I have does not have pre-sets for Leica lenses. I can use the sliders, but presets are much faster and convenient for me (I use them all the time with my Canon DSLR lenses). Thanks, LarryK There is no real need for lens correction profiles, bar the occasional wide angle architecture shot with Leica lenses. Not comparable with Canon. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
84bravo Posted February 4, 2015 Author Share #11 Posted February 4, 2015 Thank you all for your very helpful replies. Now I find I'll have to wait just a while longer to enjoy my new (used) camera. The rangefinder needs to be adjusted as it's not properly aligning at infinity. I bought it from KEH with a 6 month warranty and they are making good with the adjustment. Unfortunately, I'll be without the camera for a month or so... I was pretty excited to return to the M system, and have been taking photos like mad for the past couple of days. However, my photos lacked that snap that I remembered from years earlier. I thought perhaps my lenses aren't up to snuff with the resolving power of the new digital sensors. Or perhaps my lenses needed adjustment. Or maybe I just can't see as well as I could 15 years ago! Finally I noticed that the rangefinder wasn't lining up at infinity. That explains everything. Doh! Oh well, I waited this long to return, so I can wait just a little longer. Thanks again for all of your advice. LarryK Laurence Kesterson Photographer Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
norm_snyder Posted February 6, 2015 Share #12 Posted February 6, 2015 My lenses from the 70s, 80s and 90s all work very well on the M9. I have had them coded, and DAG did two, if I recall. He has done great work for me, and is quite reasonable for cost. It is convenient having the lenses permanently coded, but to test it out, why not code them temporarily with a sharpie or other marking pen? If you check Match Technical Services [this is the site of Tim Isaac, who also has produced the ThumbsUp device, he has an M-coder template, and the 6-bit codes are also listed or linked here and on some other fora, if you do a search. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jevidon Posted February 7, 2015 Share #13 Posted February 7, 2015 Hello all, I just recently returned to the Leica with a used M9 after a 15 year hiatus. I'll be using my old lenses from my film days. These are 28f2.8, 35f2 and 50f2 and were current in the mid nineties, but they are not 6 bit coded. I know that I can manually set the camera to recognize the lenses. However, is it necessary for lens corrections if I am using RAW instead of JPEG? I find it a hassle to have to manually set the camera each time I change lenses. It's not in my budget at this time to send the lenses to Leica to be retrofitted. I also have an older 35f2 and 21f3.4. I know the older 21 is not recommended with the new digital cameras, but would I use the same profile for the older 35 lens? Thanks, LarryK Laurence Kesterson Photographer If you wish to code, and I think it is a nice convenience, I recommend that you buy the coding kit from http://www.matchtechnical.com. You have enough lenses to justify the cost (not really that much) and all of your Leica/Leitz lens codings should be on the selector wheel. The coding is done using the template and the included fine point marking pen. I know there are those who say the marking don't last, but mine are still on the lens flange four years later and come up on the exif data.. Caveat: If any of your lenses are telescoping, do not even attempt to collapse them on an M digital camera. You'll ruin it because the lens will not fit into the throat of the body's lens mount. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff S Posted February 8, 2015 Share #14 Posted February 8, 2015 I know there are those who say the marking don't last... For instance, the maker of the product, as quoted on the site you linked... "It should be noted that this method of encoding is temporary: the ink will wear off – how long this takes depends on how tight a lens mounts to a camera, and how often a lens is removed and replaced." Jeff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pico Posted February 8, 2015 Share #15 Posted February 8, 2015 My lenses from the 70s, 80s and 90s all work very well on the M9. I have had them coded. It is likely they would have worked as well with no coding. . Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jevidon Posted February 8, 2015 Share #16 Posted February 8, 2015 For instance, the maker of the product, as quoted on the site you linked... "It should be noted that this method of encoding is temporary: the ink will wear off – how long this takes depends on how tight a lens mounts to a camera, and how often a lens is removed and replaced." Jeff All of my M lenses have a tight fit without play and the ink spots are still as original. Go figure. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kivis Posted February 9, 2015 Share #17 Posted February 9, 2015 Off topic a bit. Are UV filters advisable for an M9 with a newer version 50mm Cron? Always used them in the film world. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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