A "Stupid" question

[Peter Branch]

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With all the debate going on about manual lens identification I am left wondering why the M8 was launched with a setting for lens detection On/Off. Surely the camera knows if it detects a coded lens. I fully understand the IR filter setting but for the life of me a can’t see why anyone with a coded lens would want to set the camera to “Detection Off”

 

Anyone got an explanation?

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[jaapv]

To avoid misdetection through a screw, dirt, on uncoded lenses.

[stunsworth]

With the detection set to 'on' the camera can sometimes be fooled into thinking that there's a coded lens on the lens when in fact the lens is uncoded.

 

Some uncoded Leica 90mm lenses have a screw in a position that sometimes makes the sensor think that a coded 90mm lens is mounted - which is a bit of a lucky coincidence <grin>. I was shooting with my uncoded Voigtlander 90mm last week and on a few shots (maybe 3 out of 40/50) the camera thought that the mounted lens was a 21mm - and corrected the non-existance cyan drift accordingly.

 

So I think the idea of having the option switchable is to prevent problems like that when someone is using coded and non-coded lenses at the same time.

[Paul_S]

In addition to Jaap: To prevent misdetection of any uncoded lens, allowing the user not to apply any unwanted correction to the image which relates to the detection.

 

There are numerous older Leica lenses that can be used on the M8 but cannot be coded. Therefore, Leica had to provide this way out.

This way Leica allows you - but does not force - to code, detect and automatically apply corrections.

 

And as for any kind of 'automatic' setting, you want to be able to switch it of.