S lenses on SL (Typ601)

[msh58]

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Hello all,

I recently acquired an S-Adapter L and have tried my Summarit-S 35 and 70 on the SL. Both of these lenses work without any problems on the S (Typ 006) and the Summarit 35 is great on the SL as well.

However, the Summarit 70 shows clear overexposure on smaller apertures (from f/5.6 onwards) and underexposure wide open. This is not the case on the S: the exposure (using aperture priority or manual) is correct at all apertures. It seems that the SL has somehow wrong information about the lens because as soon as I switch the exposure simulation on, I see the incorrect exposure when the aperture closes and the live view is updated accordingly. By visual inspection the aperture closes to the same diameter on both cameras. The live view when the aperture is not closed is always good.

Has anyone experienced similar trouble? The Summarit 70 was recently overhauled by Leica and it is likely not the source of the problem. Since the local Leica store is closed due to the epidemic I do not have a chance to go there and troubleshoot by changing the adapter, lens, or body. The adapter is unlikely to work incorrectly because everything is fine with Summarit 35. 

The SL firmware is 3.7 and the Summarit 70 has 132.47.34.0, which should be new enough for the S-Adapter L.

Any help would be appreciated!

- Matti

 

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[hoppyman]

In my opinion, it’s not related to the S lens or adaptor. On the SL system you aren’t using all of the image circle of course so the outer corner performance of the lens isn’t in your shot either.
I didn’t have my adaptor when I had my SL, but the S 120 lens performance on my SL2 seems superb so far.

Pergaps it’s a setting for your exposure? Or some effect from a camera auto correction in firmware?

Another thought is if the correct lens info is shown in EXIF?

I would be inclined to try different spot/field/zone settings and see if something works better.

I am making guesses without being behind your camera of course.

Edited May 6, 2020 by hoppyman

[msh58]

vor 20 Minuten schrieb hoppyman:

In my opinion, it’s not related to the S lens or adaptor. On the SL system you aren’t using all of the image circle of course so the outer corner performance of the lens isn’t in your shot either.
I didn’t have my adaptor when I had my SL, but the S 120 lens performance on my SL2 seems superb so far.

Pergaps it’s a setting for your exposure? Or some effect from a camera auto correction in firmware?

Another thought is if the correct lens info is shown in EXIF?

I would be inclined to try different spot/field/zone settings and see if something works better.

I am making guesses without being behind your camera of course.

Thanks for your reply! We seem to agree it's not the lens because it works like a charm on the S. The image quality of both the S 35 and S 70 is excellent on both the S and the SL.

Like you, I am really suspecting some obscure firmware issue. Rigorous and good coverage tests in the software development processes do not seem to be Leica's forte because at one point there was an annoying dysfunction of the R-Adapter L which appeared in one firmware revision and then disappeared silently in the next without being in the "bug fixes" list.

Thanks for your suggestions. I will report here if I can find the culprit!

 

[scott kirkpatrick]

I'm using two S lenses on my SL2, the 100 and the 120.  Both are working fine and have always done so, but I haven't checked for small inconsistencies.  How big is your problem?

Incidentally, this might be the right thread in which to ask -- have there been firmware updates on S lenses since, say 2014 or so?  On my SL when I inquire about the firmware level of an S lense, the answer is greyed out.  Does it matter?

 

[msh58]

vor 35 Minuten schrieb scott kirkpatrick:

I'm using two S lenses on my SL2, the 100 and the 120.  Both are working fine and have always done so, but I haven't checked for small inconsistencies.  How big is your problem?

Incidentally, this might be the right thread in which to ask -- have there been firmware updates on S lenses since, say 2014 or so?  On my SL when I inquire about the firmware level of an S lense, the answer is greyed out.  Does it matter?

 

I think the difference between the SL and S is that the S takes the vignetting better into account and the results are consistent through the aperture range. On the SL f/2.5 and f/2.8 seems to be underexposed by 1 and 2/3 of a stop, respectively. The results are also affected by whether spot, center-weighted, or matrix metering is used. Furthermore, keeping white balance fixed improves things. 

I think the S bodies are fine tuned for the S lenses while the SL bodies like the native SL lenses (and M lenses) best. I am tempted to buy the 120 (with recently replaced AF motor) as the third lens for the S and hear from different directions it works wonderfully with the SL as well. 

Luckily, I was able to check the lens revisions with the S body and they were newer than the lowest version number needed to use the S-Adapter L. The lens version number does not show on the SL.

[scott kirkpatrick]

So, it seems that there are firmware updates for S lenses but you need an S body to install them, correct?  I encountered the same situation when I bought some nice TL lenses to use for video on my SL some years ago.  I had to find a camera store with a TL body that could do the updating.

[msh58]

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vor 3 Stunden schrieb scott kirkpatrick:

So, it seems that there are firmware updates for S lenses but you need an S body to install them, correct?  I encountered the same situation when I bought some nice TL lenses to use for video on my SL some years ago.  I had to find a camera store with a TL body that could do the updating.

This seems to be the case. It used to be that you needed S 007 for this but as of firmware version 2.5.0 S 006 can do it as well. The new S3 should, of course, be capable to upgrade the lens firmware as well.