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Leica M adapter L 18771 with Panasonic S1 anyone?


roma

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Just trying to find out if anyone has used this combination yet and if 6-bit coding on M lenses translates to anything at all on Panasonic S1/S1R cameras. 

On the other hand, maybe it will even make things worse and send some sort of a software confusion and make a camera glitch, and it would be better to just get a good dummy adapter like Novoflex instead of a Leica one. 

Im asking because I’m pretty excited about the L alliance and to, eventually, add a Sigma camera into this mix. 

Please post your findings if you have tried this combination. Thank you!

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17 hours ago, roma said:

Just trying to find out if anyone has used this combination yet and if 6-bit coding on M lenses translates to anything at all on Panasonic S1/S1R cameras. 

On the other hand, maybe it will even make things worse and send some sort of a software confusion and make a camera glitch, and it would be better to just get a good dummy adapter like Novoflex instead of a Leica one. 

Im asking because I’m pretty excited about the L alliance and to, eventually, add a Sigma camera into this mix. 

Please post your findings if you have tried this combination. Thank you!

As of firmware v 1.0, the Leica 6 bit coding does not appear to be supported in any way. You manually enter  the focal length when using the adapter (and are prompted to do so when turning on the camera). So currently, there is no reason to use the more expensive Leica brand adapter. 

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Agree with Jeff above. The only reason for me to buy the Leica adapter is because I trust that Leica's adapter is made to exacting standards so that their M lenses will be perfectly aligned with the sensor. Well, at least that is what I am hoping for 😆

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13 hours ago, JeffWright said:

As of firmware v 1.0, the Leica 6 bit coding does not appear to be supported in any way. You manually enter  the focal length when using the adapter (and are prompted to do so when turning on the camera). So currently, there is no reason to use the more expensive Leica brand adapter. 

Good to know. Thank you Jeff! If you or anyone else is using M lenses on S1/S1R, please let me know if any lenses pose any issues. Or maybe some adapters do to work properly with this combination.

Thank you

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I am using the M adapter T, and it seems to only couple the lenses physically, though the lens focal length shows up in EXIF. That is probably because I manually enter in the length, however. 

I have found the combo to work very well, but one still needs to be careful with infinity...it is not necessarily perfectly at the end stop of the lens, depending on the lens. I have found this on the M10 as well though, so I do not think it is an incompatibility issue. As with other mirrorless cameras, wider lenses (less retrofocal ones anyway) seem to be more problematic than longer ones. The lenses I have tried have all worked well other than the 25mm Biogon. I have tried the 35, 50mm summiluxes, and 75 and 90 lenses, and all work quite well on the S1, though the 35mm and 50mm have some vignetting wide open and a bit of softness at the edges, but really not so bad. They are not as good as on the M10 wide open, but not nearly as bad as they were on Sony. At least, that is my subjective feeling without extensive testing.

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Thanks Stuart! I never liked using Sony cameras (latest I tried was A7R III) with wide angle Ms....too much corner softness and color shift if you try to correct vignetting in post. I hope my 28mm Cron 1st generation will work better on an S1. Majority of the time, I'll be using 35mm and 50mm M lenses.

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I have an 80s vintage 28mm elmarit that did ok on the Sony's...still soft in the edges, but not super terrible like some. I have not tried it yet on the S1, but I will let you know when I do. The shortest lens I was truly comfortable using on the Sony was 90mm, but I am very picky about consistent edge to edge sharpness. Of course, there were situations where I would use wider, but I picked up the 35 2.8 and 55 1.8 Sony lenses and stuck with them for pretty much everything else, except for APS-C video on the A7Rii etc.

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15 hours ago, roma said:

Good to know. Thank you Jeff! If you or anyone else is using M lenses on S1/S1R, please let me know if any lenses pose any issues. Or maybe some adapters do to work properly with this combination.

Thank you

Diglloyd has published a lot of tests of M lenses on S1R. For subscribers.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I received my Leica M to SL adapter 18771 yesterday, and have been fiddling around with 6 bit coded M lenses. I've found that the only way the camera recognises the focal length, is if the camera's on while mounting the adaptor with the lens already attached.  In all other instances the camera asks me to manually input the focal length.

Based on previous experience with my old Sony DSLR α850, when I once changed a lens with the camera on and fried the camera's mother board,  I'm loathe to leave this camera on while mounting the Leica electronic adaptor.

Has any one else experienced this focus length recognition issue with the S1R and Leica adaptor with 6 bit coded M lenses?

Thanks,

Mike

 

Edited by michali
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5 hours ago, michali said:

I received my Leica M to SL adapter 18771 yesterday, and have been fiddling around with 6 bit coded M lenses. I've found that the only way the camera recognises the focal length, is if the camera's on while mounting the adaptor with the lens already attached.  In all other instances the camera asks me to manually input the focal length.

Based on previous experience with my old Sony DSLR α850, when I once changed a lens with the camera on and fried the camera's mother board,  I'm loathe to leave this camera on while mounting the Leica electronic adaptor.

Has any one else experienced this focus length recognition issue with the S1R and Leica adaptor with 6 bit coded M lenses?

Thanks,

Mike

 

I have.

This morning I was at a camera store event where the local Panasonic rep was present and I queried him about exactly this. He didn't have an answer on the spot but did video the behaviour to take to those that know. It looks like even though the focal length is entered in EXIF it *may* not be being read by the IS system, even when you attach the lens/adaptor with the camera turned on.

I would suggest anyone with an adaptor might consider reporting their experience to Panasonic. The 6bit adaptor is read by the camera so the electronics are in place. Its seems the information isn't getting set to where it needs to be though. The more people who report it the more likely it is to be fixed.

Gordon

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2 hours ago, FlashGordonPhotography said:

I have.

This morning I was at a camera store event where the local Panasonic rep was present and I queried him about exactly this. He didn't have an answer on the spot but did video the behaviour to take to those that know. It looks like even though the focal length is entered in EXIF it *may* not be being read by the IS system, even when you attach the lens/adaptor with the camera turned on.

I would suggest anyone with an adaptor might consider reporting their experience to Panasonic. The 6bit adaptor is read by the camera so the electronics are in place. Its seems the information isn't getting set to where it needs to be though. The more people who report it the more likely it is to be fixed.

Gordon

Thanks Gordon, appreciate the feedback. I'll also have a word with Panasonic.

Best

Mike

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11 hours ago, michali said:

I received my Leica M to SL adapter 18771 yesterday, and have been fiddling around with 6 bit coded M lenses. I've found that the only way the camera recognises the focal length, is if the camera's on while mounting the adaptor with the lens already attached.  In all other instances the camera asks me to manually input the focal length.

Based on previous experience with my old Sony DSLR α850, when I once changed a lens with the camera on and fried the camera's mother board,  I'm loathe to leave this camera on while mounting the Leica electronic adaptor.

Has any one else experienced this focus length recognition issue with the S1R and Leica adaptor with 6 bit coded M lenses?

Thanks,

Mike

 

This is consistent with what I have found and others have reported. 

It is clearly a firmware issue. ROM R lenses work perfectly. I recall watching a Panasonic video (somewhere here) where it does lead you to believe that M adapted lenses should be recognised and the FL used by the body.

I can put up with entering the FL for IBIS purposes, but there is still an issue with the AUTO settings where the default slowest shutter speed is a bit random.

It would also be helpful in the AUTO menu choices to have 1/f, 1/2f as in the SL as options ...... and with IBIS why not have 20/f and 10/f to reflect the sort of speeds you can use with stabilisation on as well ? 

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22 hours ago, michali said:

I received my Leica M to SL adapter 18771 yesterday, and have been fiddling around with 6 bit coded M lenses. I've found that the only way the camera recognises the focal length, is if the camera's on while mounting the adaptor with the lens already attached.  In all other instances the camera asks me to manually input the focal length.

Based on previous experience with my old Sony DSLR α850, when I once changed a lens with the camera on and fried the camera's mother board,  I'm loathe to leave this camera on while mounting the Leica electronic adaptor.

Has any one else experienced this focus length recognition issue with the S1R and Leica adaptor with 6 bit coded M lenses?

Thanks,

Mike

 

Thanks for this, this explains the different behaviors reported from others (including myself). I confirmed this behavior with my S1R. 

The adapter works as expected when: (1) with the camera power on, you mount the Leica 18771 adapter, then the lens, or (2) with the camera power on, you mount the lens and 18771 adapter combo. The latter is ergonomically easier for my ape-like hands. 

The adapter works, but not as expected, when the camera is powered off. When you turn on the camera, it does not immediately appear to recognize that a coded lens is attached, and presents one with the focal length setting dialog box, thus falsely leading me to assume that the 6-bit coding is not being recognized. In actuality, 6 bit coding does work, one just needs to rather blatantly disregard the dialog box and click "No" when prompted to change the focal length. The proper focal length will then be populated to EXIF.

Let me give an example.  So, I mount my lens (already on the Leica 18771 adapter) to the powered up camera, and yes indeed, the focal length is correct, and no request to enter the focal length is made. However, I shut the camera down and when I restart it asks me to confirm the focal length. This focal length displayed is actually the last one manually entered, not the 6-bit coded focal length last recognized. Example: mount 24mm to camera with power off, turn on, enter focal length- 24 mm. Remove lens. Mount 75 Summilux- focal length 75mm. Turn off camera with 75 mounted, power back on, and met with "current focal length setting 24 mm. Change the setting?" dialog box. If you select "no" it then recognizes the correct focal length. Not exactly intuitive. 

I also have not discerned how the shutter speed is chosen for auto iso, i.e.,  is it based on the manually entered focal length or the 6-bit detected focal length, and have not done any meaningful investigation as to how this translates to IBIS settings. Figuring out a meaningful test of the latter will be a bit tricky, giving it some thought.

Edited by JeffWright
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Thanks Jeff, I'm also getting the same info. from the camera when turning it back on. I get the last manually selected focal length....I then press "No" and end up with the correct FL setting.

As I mentioned in my earlier post, based on a previous disaster with my Sony,  I don't think it's advisable to mount the electronic adaptor with the camera power on.  

FWIW- on the subject of adaptors, while waiting for the Leica adaptor to arrive I bought a Kippon M to SL adapter which appears well made, however I don't recommend it. On my version, the lens release button on the adaptor wouldn't release the lens, it took a pair of pliers to depress the lens release button. At that point I didn't want to risk mounting the adaptor onto the camera. Stick with the Leica or Novoflex adaptors. I've also ordered a Novoflex Contax/Yashica to SL adaptor to try out my Zeiss Contax lenses on the S1R.

Best

Mike

Edited by michali
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  • 5 weeks later...
On 5/4/2019 at 4:21 AM, FlashGordonPhotography said:

I would suggest anyone with an adaptor might consider reporting their experience to Panasonic. The 6bit adaptor is read by the camera so the electronics are in place. Its seems the information isn't getting set to where it needs to be though. The more people who report it the more likely it is to be fixed.

Gordon

Do you know how to report this bug to Panasonic. I'd be glad to add my 2 cents ...

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  • 5 months later...

I know is not what was asked, but i just got a 7artisan adapter, (cheap and seems to be of good quality), yes no 6 bit code info nor nothing, but seems to work okay....

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi

Is anybody can confirm:

- If the Leica brand adapter (with M lens) was used on the S1/S1R/S1H, when turning the focus ring, will the magnify box automatically appear?

I really want to know this before I can buy the adapter.

Thanks

Regards

Sonny

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45 minutes ago, just4fun said:

Is anybody can confirm:

- If the Leica brand adapter (with M lens) was used on the S1/S1R/S1H, when turning the focus ring, will the magnify box automatically appear?

I really want to know this before I can buy the adapter.

No it will not.
 

And it also will not when the adapter is mounted on the Leica SL or SL2.

Because there is no cam in the adapter that can detect the focusing movement on the M lens and transmit it to the camera. 

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