Stuart Richardson Posted June 12, 2007 Share #1 Posted June 12, 2007 Advertisement (gone after registration) Hello all, I am having a bit of a problem with my M8, where it does not seem to recognize most of my coded lenses. I have 5 coded lenses and only two are recognized. Worse, the two that it recognizes are the 50mm and 75mm where the coding is least important. The 28mm and 35mm lenses do not show up when detection is set to "on" or "on with uv/ir". All these lenses were coded by Leica...the 35mm just got back from NJ and the 28mm is brand new. What gives? Is there anything I can do to get the M8 to recognize the lenses? I have tried to wipe the sensor on the M8 in case it was dirty, and the lenses all appear to be clean. I have mounted and unmounted the lenses several times to no avail. The 50mm and 75mm always show up, the 35 and 28 never do. Unfortunately I do not have time to send it to NJ as I am leaving for Iceland and the Faroe Island on July 1st, the point of which would be photography using the M8. Has anyone else had this problem? Do you have any advice? It's really trying my patience. Stuart Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted June 12, 2007 Posted June 12, 2007 Hi Stuart Richardson, Take a look here M8 does not recognize 3 of 5 coded lenses. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
DaveEP Posted June 12, 2007 Share #2 Posted June 12, 2007 Are there common black or white bits that are on all the ones that don't work, and not there on the ones that do? It maybe a bad sensor on the M8.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted June 12, 2007 Share #3 Posted June 12, 2007 Just shoot your trip without filters, or if you do, be prepared to correct Cyan drift in Photoshop. A pain in the ... but not too bad really. Landscapes should be fine without any filter, and if anybody wears black synthetic - well , you will show him up for a cheapskate. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart Richardson Posted June 12, 2007 Author Share #4 Posted June 12, 2007 Are there common black or white bits that are on all the ones that don't work, and not there on the ones that do? It maybe a bad sensor on the M8.... I hope the folks at the Leica lens code site won't mind if I post their images here...if they do, I will take them down. But in answer to your question, there does seem to be some correlation, but I am not sure how significant it is. Lenses that work: 50/1.4 ASPH, 75/2 Lenses that don't work: 28/2 35/1.4 ASPH Jaap -- I am sure that is what I will wind up doing, but if there is any way around it without sending the camera in I would like to know. Since I have gotten the M8, my 50mm has been at Leica for 14 weeks (8 weeks the first time, 6 weeks (estimated 2-3) to fix it because they gave it back to me with a practically immovable focusing ring), my 35 was there for 8 weeks, along with the 75, and my R9/DMR is still there, going on 7 weeks (estimated 4-5). If I give them the M8, I will be without a digital camera to use and I am sure it will take them months to get it back to me. Of course, I am lucky to have all this stuff, but after paying for it, I'd like to use it! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted June 12, 2007 Share #5 Posted June 12, 2007 I wonder if it might be better for you to Fedex the camera to Solms, Stuart. My experience here in Europe is that if they know the camera is coming (and they do the pickup from their side over here, within 24 hours) the turnaround is within two weeks, including shipping.I had one or two things, not only M8 and am very pleased to deal with Solms customer services. Disclaimer: experiences may differ and the past does not guarantee the future Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
marknorton Posted June 12, 2007 Share #6 Posted June 12, 2007 With those codes, a fault in the second or third sensor element which was always reporting "white" even if black is presented could cause this sort of problem. I assume you've verified your lenses are coded as in the pictures? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart Richardson Posted June 12, 2007 Author Share #7 Posted June 12, 2007 Advertisement (gone after registration) May I take this opportunity to say this would not be a problem if they just let us choose the freaking lenses in the camera menu or RAW software! It drives me crazy... Anyway, Jaap, Solms might be an idea, but the first time I sent them my DMR they had it for 6 months, so I don't think I am going to try that game again. The only redeeming factor in all this is the fact that the repairs are usually free.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
scott kirkpatrick Posted June 12, 2007 Share #8 Posted June 12, 2007 To complete Mark's analysis, when you camera fails to recognize those three lenses, does it say that no recognizeable lens is present, or does claim it that you have some other lens. You have to take a picture and read out the EXIF to tell this. In other words, what 6-bit pattern does it think it is seeing? This is to help tell whether you have a bad LED (if so, get a replacement body...) or the lenses are not sitting in the proper position when mounted. scott Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart Richardson Posted June 12, 2007 Author Share #9 Posted June 12, 2007 Yes, Mark, they are all coded as shown in the pictures. But it is a good question as the first time they gave my 50/1.4 ASPH back to me, it had the wrong lens code on it. I swear I am not making this up. I love Leica and not out to badmouth them, but they have been really miserable about their service lately... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
marknorton Posted June 12, 2007 Share #10 Posted June 12, 2007 Yes, Mark, they are all coded as shown in the pictures. But it is a good question as the first time they gave my 50/1.4 ASPH back to me, it had the wrong lens code on it. I swear I am not making this up. I love Leica and not out to badmouth them, but they have been really miserable about their service lately... LOL at least the holes lined up, otherwise they would have got their Dremel out... Have to say Stuart, if it is the sensor or electronics which drives it, it's a big job to replace... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart Richardson Posted June 12, 2007 Author Share #11 Posted June 12, 2007 Reading the EXIF, the 50mm and 75mm are correctly identified as f/1.4 and f/2. That said, I was shooting with and uncoded 28mm lens the other day and it was listed as 90mm f/2.8 when I forgot to turn off the lens coding. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul_S Posted June 12, 2007 Share #12 Posted June 12, 2007 Stuart, I had the same problem from the day I bought the camera. I did send the camera for QC to Solms. Lens detection works fine ever since. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart Richardson Posted June 12, 2007 Author Share #13 Posted June 12, 2007 Looking at the pictures, the only sensor blindness issue I can think of is if the sensor is always seeing white for the two far right notches. This would allow for the 50 and 75 to be seen correctly, but the 28 and 35 to not work...but if that were the case, then the 35/1.4 should show up as the 28/2.8 ASPH, and the 28/2 as the 21 f/2.8 ASPH....ugh, I cannot wrap my brain around this anymore. Too many dots... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart Richardson Posted June 12, 2007 Author Share #14 Posted June 12, 2007 Stuart,I had the same problem from the day I bought the camera. I did send the camera for QC to Solms. Lens detection works fine ever since. Thanks Paul. Were they specific about what they fixed? Did you receive back the same camera? How long did it take? I'm just curious... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul_S Posted June 12, 2007 Share #15 Posted June 12, 2007 Stuart, I did send the camera in through my retailer in NL and it returned after almost 4 weeks (a second repair had the same 'turn-around time'). I received the same camera back. Fix was not specified. I had 2 other complaints fixed (RF adjustment and on/off switch moved too easily) and they where all fixed (well, the on/off switch more or less fixed). This was Feb-March 07. I found that after the repair that 'this was the camera I had dreamed of' and was (and still am) very happy about it. Next I went on vacation and the camera died after a week, unfortunately. That explained the second repair. (I knew you would ask..) It's working fine now and I am experimenting with my IR filters. [i am getting of topic now] Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tummydoc Posted June 12, 2007 Share #16 Posted June 12, 2007 May I take this opportunity to say this would not be a problem if they just let us choose the freaking lenses in the camera menu or RAW software! No no, we're too easily confused and befuddled to be allowed that kind of autonomy. Leica said so, so it must be true Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
carstenw Posted June 12, 2007 Share #17 Posted June 12, 2007 Stuart, don't worry about the lens code site guy I am sure the people who provided the images don't mind either (Mark Norton in this case, I do believe). I presume one of your sensors is out. Do you have access to another M8 you could try? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ho_co Posted June 12, 2007 Share #18 Posted June 12, 2007 Or consider shooting a picture of the sensors with an IR-sensitive camera, as Mark Norton previously did (http://www.leica-camera-user.com/leica-m8-forum/23619-lens-sensor-action.html#post247347). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
marknorton Posted June 12, 2007 Share #19 Posted June 12, 2007 It would be interesting to repeat that experiment to see if one or more of the LEDs has failed (or never worked to start with). Thanks for finding the thread HC! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guy_mancuso Posted June 12, 2007 Share #20 Posted June 12, 2007 Sounds like a LED is not working on the body to see the correct code. Stuart aren't you here in NY. Call Robert Fisk at leica NJ Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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