M10-D and non-coded lenses

[LouHamilton]

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I am strongly considering the M10-D as my first Leica, but have a question about lenses that don't have the coding. 

First, do newer non-Leica lenses (Voitlander and Zeiss) have codes or just Leica lenses?

Second, is there a list of compatible Leica (and non-Leica) lenses with codes available somewhere? If I start looking at the used market, I'd like to know prior.

And last (for now), for non-coded lenses, can they be set up through the app for proper rangefinder configuration with them?

Thanks!

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[jonoslack]

HI There Lou

Currently you can't set up non-coded lenses through the Fotos app - hopefully you will be able to later, as it's the only real 'hole' in using the camera.

You can manually code third party lenses as an equivalent Leica lenses, but there are no specific codes for non Leica lenses

 

I hope that helps

best

Jono

[LouHamilton]

Hmmm...

Thanks for this response, Jono.

I love the look of the D, so I was hoping to go that route. My current plan is to pair it with a 35mm lens. I can't decide if I should splurge and get the Lux or stick with the Cron version. Most of my shooting is often at night or low light, so the 1.4 is appealing, but not absolutely necessary, IMO.

My current setup uses either an f/2 or f/1.8 lens. Therefore, the Cron should be comparable to what I get now. 

Also, I read that Leica will code their older lenses. Anyone know a ballpark cost for that? I would want to take that into consideration if, and when, buying older used lenses.

[Maarten]

I am not in favor of your approach.

All new lenses since 2007 (the introduction of the M8) are 6-bit coded.
If you want to buy used, I would recommend not to buy an older lens.

A few older designs were recently updated and optimized for digital use. One of them is the Summicron 35mm.
Leica claims an improved optical performance, but most people only notice the changed hood (from clip-on plastic to scew-on metal).
6-bit copies of this lens can be found at a reasonable price. They will perform very well on an M10-D.

Talk to a good dealer and let them help you making a clever choice.

[Photon42]

Not sure what Leica takes these days for coding lenses. If this is your first M and you want to gain some experience, why not look for a used coded Summicron. Alternative: get one of the new Voigtlanders and code it yourself at some point. Not really required for 35mm lenses, so take your time.

 

 

[LouHamilton]

5 minutes ago, Maarten said:

I am not in favor of your approach.

All new lenses since 2007 (the introduction of the M8) are 6-bit coded.
If you want to buy used, I would recommend not to buy an older lens.

A few older designs were recently updated and optimized for digital use. One of them is the Summicron 35mm.
Leica claims an improved optical performance, but most people only notice the changed hood (from clip-on plastic to scew-on metal).
6-bit copies of this lens can be found at a reasonable price. They will perform very well on an M10-D.

Talk to a good dealer and let them help you making a clever choice.

This is helpful. 2007 lenses or newer is what I would look for then. Honestly, not sure what other lenses I would be looking at... Maybe a 50mm.

That 35mm version is probably the way I will go. I'm not sure the extra $2000 for the 1.4 Summilux will be worth it for my use. I have seen mixed reviews that the only reason for the Lux is to get the additional stop. Otherwise, they perform near identical from f/2-4 and identical from 5.6 on.

[scott kirkpatrick]

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The codes for older lenses are also useful if you want to use Zeiss or Voightlaender lenses.  They can be marked to be recognized as older Leica lenses with similar properties.  There was a whole literature of choosing these equivalents when the M8 and M9 were new.  It is summarized at https://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-news/leica-lens-codes/ .

[low325]

I hope this has been submitted many times as a feature to HQ.  would be great if they can implement it in the app. 

[scott kirkpatrick]

3 hours ago, low325 said:

I hope this has been submitted many times as a feature to HQ.  would be great if they can implement it in the app. 

It's pretty clear that this is possible, but it takes work, and somebody (Jesko von Oe?) has to decide if it is good business.  We now know that the wifi interface to which both Fotos and the camera are talking is PTP, which passes very structured messages.  Fotos has to know how the menus inside the M10 are coded, and either request or provide information that is corrected formed to pass through the interface.  This gives us the feeling that we can just use the menus of the M10 on our phone, but the underlying reality is more complex.  It is done that way to prevent bad side effects if we were to ask our camera to do things that it is not capable of.

On the M10, you can turn off lens recognition for a coded lens, as well as set it when an uncoded lens is in use.  I wonder if that feature will be implemented on Fotos.

 

Edited March 6, 2019 by scott kirkpatrick

[AndreasG]

I use my "old" uncoded M lenses (21, 28, 35, 50, 90), all bought around 1986-1990 with my M10-D and I am satisfied with the results obtained.

 

[250swb]

I use many older uncoded lenses with my M10 and to be honest they all work fine, given the number of M and LTM lenses available not many do anything 'weird' especially with the newer Leica sensors.

An old 50mm Leica lens will render a different look from a new 50mm, but it wouldn't need coding, likewise most 35mm lenses, or anything longer than 50mm. It is the wider lenses that mostly benefit from coding, but if on a budget go for the newer CV or Zeiss lenses that have a machined rebate in the mounting flange designed to take a code (the rebate is so your paint doesn't wear off), or the LTM versions by CV that can take a codable M adpater. The only lenses to ignore are those that come with the advice 'I coded mine with a Sharpie', because they only work great and keep the code working if you change lenses once in a blue moon, otherwise it wears off before you know it.