M9 + Zeiss ZM18mm = fringing (sometimes)

[antigallican]

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Hi,

I have been bothered by purple magenta fringing on this combination often enough that I feel like getting rid of an otherwise perfectly good lens. I don't get it on every shot, most likely it's on contre jour where I've exposed for the sky and have to lift the shadows. On the M9 I manually set the lens as the 18 mm element of the Leica tri-Elmar and then in Lightroom correct for the 18mm ZM.  I never have any problem with it on my SL and (in case anyone is interested) never had any trouble with a ZF 21 which I used via an adapter.

Any other users of this lens on a M9 reading? Anyone able to produce reliable results, and please what are your tips?

Thanks 

Edited April 12, 2020 by antigallican

[jaapv]

The Tri-Elmar corrections are identical for all focal lengths, better use the Elmarit  21. Lightroom has a simple slider to eliminate purple fringing.

[antigallican]

2 hours ago, jaapv said:

The Tri-Elmar corrections are identical for all focal lengths, better use the Elmarit  21. Lightroom has a simple slider to eliminate purple fringing.

Thanks for the tip about the corrections. I think we might be referring to different fringing - this is like a kind of mauve vignette at the edges of the frame - not like the fringing you get in window frames or the edge of leaves. Thanks again

[jaapv]

Ah - vignetting.   Yes, the lens is known for that. The 21 Elmarit profile should mitigate it . Two options, use a flat-field plug-in in Lightroom or exchange for the fabulous Super-Elmar 18.

[Robert Blanko]

Do you also have said phenomenon when not defining any lens at all and in the RAW files?

I use the excellent Zeiss 18 on my M10, without colored corners though (no lens coding applied and no lens profile selected in the camera).

I also use said lens sometimes on my Nikon Z7 where I observe a very slight cyan vignetting in certain situations. This may be corrected via the software „Cornerfix“ which should work in your case as well.

Edited April 12, 2020 by Robert Blanko

[AndreasG]

vor 17 Minuten schrieb Robert Blanko:

I use the excellent Zeiss 18 on my M10, without colored corners though (no lens coding applied and no lens profile selected in the camera)

So do I with this lens and a M10-D, no color fringing at all.

[jaapv]

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Different sensors, different microlenses...

[antigallican]

16 hours ago, jaapv said:

.... or exchange for the fabulous Super-Elmar 18.

That would be nice 🙂

[Robert Blanko]

One thing you could try: do not select any lens profile in the camera. 

With a lens profile selected, the camera corrects the vignetting and possibly also color cast at the corners (not sure whether this is only a myth, but you will find information in said respect). Thus, if the camera would correct for color cast that is actually not existing, the camera would create artificial color cast.

 

Edited April 13, 2020 by Robert Blanko

[DandA]

I would most definitely try Leica lens code 11364 (as suggested) as that in my experience eliminated residual issues as you described.  As for the suggestion of using the Leica 18mm vs. the Zeiss 18mm, I extensively tested both side by side and for myself, the clear superior lens was the Zeiss primarily that the Leica suffered from complex type distortion such as mustache type wavy distortion, which is hard to correct in post processing.  Again the Leica 18mm is a fine lens but when at the time a choice had to be made, it was a clear decision for me.  All the above testing and observations were made on a Leica M9 camera.

Dave (D&A)

Edited April 13, 2020 by DandA

[nilca]

I agree with DandD, that image quality of the Zeiss 18/4 is superior. I have both, and found the Zeiss is also much more practical to use. Ck out reviews... filter use and viewfinder obscuration.

As far as camera setting on the M9, it's very uncorrected and the sensor is different and results are disappointing, especially wide-open. The Leica Super-Elmar 18/4 even has some residual vignetting. Best setting for the Zeiss 18/4, I found to be the same as for the M240:

On a M240, I and Zeiss recommend the Super-elmar 21/3.4 (11145) or Elmarit 24/2.8 (11878) camera setting. The Super-Elmar 18/3.8 Asph., camera setting cannot be set unless you change/file the viewfinder tab (on the lens-mount) to bring up the 50/75-frames... I've tried this setting and the other two, and the best setting for the Zeiss 18/4 I've found to be the S-E 21/3.4. You might also find the Elmarit 28/2.8 Asph. (11606) camera setting being useful for this lens. I found this to be the best camera setting for the Zeiss 15/2.8, therefore I use this camera setting for the Zeiss 18/4, to be able to keep them apart via EXIF data in Picture Bridge, etc.

On a M10, any of these camera settings above do a good job on correcting both lenses.