Is your 21mm coded?

[martinb]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

I recently bought a pre asph 21mm elmarit. Seems to be a really nice lens, but I haven't got it coded yet and there's some vignetting. My question is if there's any of you who uses your 21mm uncoded and how do you think it works?

I tried to handcode it yesterday, but it didn't work. Always came up as a 90mm and when I tried to code it as a asph it was coded as a 28mm. Think there's a screw in the bayonet that possible adds one dot to the code. This makes it impossible to code by hand. I called Leica today and they said it would take about six weeks to get a lens coded

This filter and coding situation is really starting to irritate me..

[chris_tribble]

Martin - I have the same lens - had it coded and am really pleased. Some examples (with the IR filter on) at http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/leica-m8-forum/24924-21mm-elmarit-m-asph-poor-wide-2.html.

Worth the effort if you're doing colour. May not be necessary if you only want to do B+W as the lens vignetting is easy to deal with in software.

[martinb]

Good to hear Chris! I mostly work in B&W and prefer to do so, but usually want the option to work in color if needed.

[MP3]

I got a coded 21 asph for 3 months. Great performing lens, 6-bit coding is essential for color work as cyan corners are rather strong if use unfiltered. The v1.102 cyan corner removal works just great for color work.

[martinb]

I did a quick test on a dull and gray sky and the vignetting wasn't very obvious at all. There's very noticable vignetting at f/2.8 but at f/4 most of it's gone and improves very little when stopped down to f/5.6 or more. The vignetting will be more obvious on a blue sky though, so I think I will try avoid using f/2.8 there. I'll settle for f/4 for close up shorther dof work outside. Shooting indoors I don't think that vignetting at f/2.8 will be disturbing at all.

[JWC]

I have a pre asph 21mm elmarit and like it very much. It is coded and I use a B+W ir/cut filter. I will buy a 60mm Leica uv/ir filter when they become available. I use a 28mm bright line viewfinder which provides accurate framing.

[sisoje]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

Still waiting for mine (today is 30 days) to get back from NJ..

All other lenses coded/IR filtered. Leica IR 60 still no show :mad: ...

[robertwright]

I have the 28 pre asph (canadian) and have managed to hand code it by using a white dvd label sticker over the screw, otherwise it did register as the 90.

 

imo coding is absolutely necessary if you are using filters, and imo the filters are necessary too.

 

wo coding on a landscape shot, the sky will go very cyan in the corners, and if you are underexposing a bit for saturation it will also go greenish.

 

I have had perfect results with the b+w 60mm thin filter. I won't be buying the leica version. I will get it coded eventually.

 

I agree it is a great lens, a little soft at 2.8 in the corners, but great at f4 all around. there was another thread with results from the 21 asph and honestly it looked the same to me. I think the pre-asph is the sleeper lens in this category.

[martinb]

Robert,

Good idea! I will try to find one of those. That means that the color won't wear off either. But are they thin enough?

[robertwright]

well its not a permanent solution, the marker does actually smear after a while mounting and unmounting the lens, so I have to take the sticker off and apply another. It is just temporary, although, temporary is turning into several months. Waiting for a 24 to send off the 21 to get coded.

 

I used dvd labels because they are thin and have very sticky adhesive. they stay put. Mounting the lens can get a little tight, but not too bad. to remove the lables I used a qtip with some alcohol to loosen the adhesive, and it comes off.

 

Usually I just use the lens cap to draw a semicircle and cut that out, put in on the lens, and I made an acetate template with the spots for the code, so I can recode pretty quickly. The 21 is pretty easy as it is just one mark, you can start out thin and if it does not register grandually widen it until it does.

 

it is not foolproof, sometimes I am out and the lens fails to register. so that is a problem, but often taking the lens off and putting it back on again makes it register.

 

good luck.

[martinb]

Thanks Robert. I tried it and it worked but it moved after removing and attaching the lens. Frustrating! So, I will shoot uncoded for a while. Shoot mostly B&W anyway, where vignetting isn't as disturbing. I'll code the lens sooner or later..

[Guest tummydoc]

Martin I used a coded version of the 21 ASPH with a B+W 486 (Leica E55 wasn't available) and found that in most cases the in-camera correction was good, but in many cases it was either too strong or too weak and I needed to resort to Panotools anyway. So I'm currently using both my 21 pre-ASPH and ASPH lenses un-coded with Heliopan Digitalfilter (which I found to be much more reflection-resistant and durable than the B+W) and correct the cyan completely with Panotools. It's just one more very fast step in my workflow, no big deal as they say.

[guidomo]

Martin, I've also had a pre-ASPH before changing to ASPH and I also had the problem with the screw recess. What I ended up doing was to fill the recess with Tipp-Ex which worked just fine. Don't worry, removing the Tipp-Ex was no problem when I sold the lens, just use nail varnish remover.

 

Picture below.

 

[ATTACH]39141[/ATTACH]

[Tim B]

Martin,

 

I found that my uncoded ASPH had significant vignetting. I don't have the filter yet.

 

I manually coded and the vignetting disappeared. I struggled with the manual coding whilst I tried using a marker - I couldn't get an opaque enough black mark. In the end I purchased some modeller's matt black paint and a very fine brush. I marked the position by transferring from another coded lens the correct positions to the camera lens mount rim with an easily removed marker (methylated spirit and a cotton tip for removal) and then back to the 21mm mount rim. I then very carefully painted the code and allowed some hours to dry - just in case.

 

The first time I mounted the newly coded 21mm some of the paint came off where it overlapped the code reader strip, but it remained where it counts and worked first time.

 

I dare say it will wear off in time, but it should hold up until I get the lens properly coded by Leica. Leica UK tell me that they are waiting for new stock of the mounts for the 21mm which are in high demand.

 

Good luck,

 

Tim

[martinb]

tummydoc,

That's interesting! Agree that it doesn't take a long time to correct.

 

guidomo,

Good idea! I think I'll try this today. If it works well I don't think I'll need to code this lens at the factory, because if I can solve the screw problem this lens is very easy to code manually.

 

Tim,

Good to hear. Will try coding today!