Jump to content

SL with M lenses - expected accuracy


erlingmm

Recommended Posts

Advertisement (gone after registration)

If I understand correctly M lenses can be used with the T to M adapter on the SL, same as for the T. Do we have any experience data from the T on the accuracy of working with the adapter for the M lenses, will it for example to the APO50 justice and preserve its potential?

 

Link to post
Share on other sites

Yes. 

 

But like on the T, with the adapter infinity is reached before the infinity mark on the lens barrel ....... to allow leeway for possible lens calibration variations.

 

Not an issue with manual focussing and focus peaking...... but you can correct that by adding shims in the adapter if you want (0.9mm works fine)...... if it's a nuisance..... or you are a perfectionist.

 

M lens performance on the T is actually better than the native T zoom and prime lenses.... if my images are anything to go by .....

Link to post
Share on other sites

In theory you should be able to focus more accurately with the T (or any other EVF) because you are focusing directly onto the image taking surface, unlike the rangefinder where a cam Pushes a lever which lines up a patch in a window, that is hopefully correctly calibrated to be aligned when the image falling on the sensor is in focus. Or the SLR, where the light is bounced up into a focusing screen that is hopefully sitting the same distance behind the lens as the sensor is (or into the AF mech, with the same result)

 

As you stop down it gets a bit trickier - the depth of field increases, and it makes it a bit harder to see exactly where the plane of best focus falls.

SLR stop the lens down as you press the shutter, so you always focus wide open, and the RF mechanism is just monitoring lens position, so it doesnt care how wide the DOF is, it shows accurately where you are focused (unless the calibration is off)

Link to post
Share on other sites

Apart from the higher resolution viewfinder, this is just like focusing with the M in live view mode. In fact the high precision of live view focusing was what prompted Leica to increase rangefinder accurary in the M (Typ 240) so both methods would be on a par.

Link to post
Share on other sites

LCT has posted in a number of threads his concern that the focus magnification is badly placed at bottom left of the rear (sorry for not hunting that thread down - here is probably as good a place as any).

 

According to Sean Reid (sorry for quoting him), the four buttons on the rear, the top silver button and the black button on the front of the camera are all programmable.  Hopefully, that means that you can programme that front button (and your fingers to find it) for focus magnification.  That would seem to solve that problem.

 

Cheers

John

Link to post
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...