280mm f4 APO renders greenish . . .

[tritentrue]

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One thing that's limited my use of the 280mm f/4 APO-Telyt-R since I acquired a copy a few years ago is that it renders with a greenish tint, totally different from my other R lenses.

 

On the M240 and SL it wasn't as pronounced, maybe because of Leica's embedded profile for the lens.  But the greenish tint becomes very noticeable when the lens is used on other full-frame bodies.

 

Here's an example:

 

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Here's the same frame with Lightroom's white balance set to "auto":

 

 

And here is the same subject matter recorded with a canikony lens of similar focal length in the same light as shot:

 

 

The lens appears to have no other optical issues, and is sharp to the bone with superb contrast, which is why I haven't been concerned too much with the greenish rendering up until now.

 

To owners/users of this lens:  in your experience is it normal for the lens to render this way?  Or is there something about the lens that needs correction?  Any light that anyone can shed (no pun intended) will be greatly appreciated.

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[a.noctilux]

Very strange.

With mine, no greenish rendering in files with M10 and auto WB.

 

When framing with your M240, do the greenish is seen in EVF or LV ?

How about if WB set to daylight in manual on the M or SL ?

 

Maybe a greenish filter is in the filter holder ?

[tritentrue]

I think I may have gotten my answer indirectly from another thread in this forum which addresses a slightly different anomaly.

 

I should mention that the condition is most obviously manifest in well-lit landscape shots where conditions such as dust, haze, and/or heat shimmer are present, sometimes even over relatively short distances.

 

When I look through the unmounted lens, colors appear the same as with my naked eye, which would seem to exonerate optics as the sole source of the problem.

 

The thread I found here discussed another anomaly in which the consensus reached was that it occurred largely due to the reflective nature of the camera's sensor. As the 280APO was designed for film cameras, it seems plausible that this could also explain what I've been experiencing with my lens.

 

While it's good to have an idea of what may be causing the greenish rendering (thank you, LUF!), it's also disappointing to know that atmospheric conditions that are nearly always present in my neck o' the woods render the 280APO less than optimally useful.

[farnz]

I haven't noticed a green tint with my 280/4 APO-Telyt-R and SL but, since I assume it's a constant colour cast, I would imagine that it would be fairly straightforward to produce a one-click or auto profile using a Gretag MacBeth colour card to produce a 'normalised' white balance for the lens shouldn't it?

 

Pete.

[tritentrue]

Many thanks for the suggestion.  I will learn more about it and give it a go.

 

I have tried creating a few different import profiles for this lens in Lightroom, but have not managed to replicate the consistent look I get with my other R-mount glass.

 

And, truth be told, since Leica did such a spectacular job a few years ago converting my 180 APO-Elmarit to enable use with the 1.4X TC, it's the one that's most often in my bag when I head out the door.  The lighter weight makes a nice difference, too.