New Leica Summilux M 35mm FLE II lens coding same as previous version

[budjames]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

I receive my new Leica Summilux M 35mm FLE II last week. Nice lens! I traded in my previous version for the new lens. 

While processing images in Capture One Pro, I noticed that the new lens is identified exactly as the previous version in the DNG metafile. As a result, it will be impossible to determine which version of the lens I used. For now, I add a keyword to the files to designate those taken with the new version.

I create smart albums in my Capture One Pro catalogs for each lens and camera. This allows me to quickly isolate all images taken with a particular lens or camera in the future. Adding a keyword to identify images taken with the new lens can be added to my smart album criteria, but it adds extra complexity so it's a bit of a hassle.

Has anyone else noticed this?

Regards,
Bud James

Please check out my fine art and travel photography at www.budjames.photography.

[SiggiGun]

This is not a surprise for me. The "lens coding" is maintly destinated to "correct" the vignettage dépending on the lens. In this cas, we can assume that the behavior on the edges is identical for all new 35m Lux ASPH. FLE lenses.

[evikne]

53 minutes ago, budjames said:

I create smart albums in my Capture One Pro catalogs for each lens and camera. This allows me to quickly isolate all images taken with a particular lens or camera in the future. Adding a keyword to identify images taken with the new lens can be added to my smart album criteria, but it adds extra complexity so it's a bit of a hassle.

I also make smart albums for all my lenses (in LR). Some of the lenses I've had several times, but then I've simply distinguished them by specifying a time range (it works fine as long as you don't have more than one similar lens at a time). I'm guessing you can do the same in C1.

[budjames]

13 minutes ago, evikne said:

I also make smart albums for all my lenses (in LR). Some of the lenses I've had several times, but then I've simply distinguished them by specifying a time range (it works fine as long as you don't have more than one similar lens at a time). I'm guessing you can do the same in C1.

Good tip. That should work since I only own the new lens now. Thanks.

Regards,
Bud James

Please check out my fine art and travel photography at www.budjames.photography.

[ELAN]

I have copies of all 4 generations of the 35 Summilux (pre-asph, AA, asph, FLE) and I use them all, all the time.  Drives me nuts that I can't tell from metadata which 35 Lux made the photograph.  The camera knows the lens model number of at least the older lenses because I select it in Lens Detection.

I have repeatedly asked Leica to embed the lens model number as a metadata tag.  So easy for them to do.  We could then filter photos by lens model number. They can even improve on that by allowing us to override auto lens detection and manually select model number of any lens including the 6-bit coded ones.  Then we could know which FLE made the photo, the 11663 or 11726.  Frustrating.

[TomB_tx]

Finally an advantage to being an OLD film photographer: I don't bother with EXIF info so none of this bothers me with my digital Leicas.

[lct]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

How are the coding pits on FLE 2? Same as FLE 1? Just curious.

[ELAN]

53 minutes ago, lct said:

How are the coding pits on FLE 2? Same as FLE 1? Just curious.

Yes, the pre-FLE, FLE-1 and FLE-2 all use the same 6-bit code, 011101.  But each lens has its own unique model number, 11874, 11663 and 11726, respectively, for the black lenses.  The silver ones have their own lens model number.

[lct]

1 minute ago, ELAN said:

Yes, the pre-FLE, FLE-1 and FLE-2 all use the same 6-bit code, 011101.  But each lens has its own unique model number, 11874, 11663 and 11726, respectively, for the black lenses.  The silver ones have their own lens model number.

OK thanks so the camera has no way to recognize which model is in use if they have the same 6-bit code. I've got the same issue with Summilux 35/1.4 and Summicron 35/2 pre-asph lenses. Both have the same coding pits apparently so my digital CL asks which model is is use. But the M11 doesn't ask anything and consider both 35/2 lenses.  

[ELAN]

That's correct.  And that's a problem with 6-bit coded lenses.  On older non-coded lenses the M11 does allow us to pick the exact model number.  So if Leica allowed manual lens detection on any lens, and write the model number to the exif, then we'd know with certainty which lens made the photo.

[lct]

37 minutes ago, ELAN said:

That's correct.  And that's a problem with 6-bit coded lenses.  On older non-coded lenses the M11 does allow us to pick the exact model number.  So if Leica allowed manual lens detection on any lens, and write the model number to the exif, then we'd know with certainty which lens made the photo.

Having to answer a prompt each time i mount a lens would be too bothering for me. YMMV. 

[dugby]

If only Leica had implemented 8-bit coding for lenses, might have got us up to 19th January 2038 - end of epoch.

[ELAN]

6 hours ago, lct said:

Having to answer a prompt each time i mount a lens would be too bothering for me. YMMV. 

You misunderstood.  There will be no prompt and nothing would change from how it functions by default today.  But one could go into Lens Detection and switch from Auto to Manual and choose the lens model of 6-bit coded lens to identify which 35 Lux model is currently mounted. 

[lct]

15 minutes ago, ELAN said:

You misunderstood.  There will be no prompt and nothing would change from how it functions by default today.  But one could go into Lens Detection and switch from Auto to Manual and choose the lens model of 6-bit coded lens to identify which 35 Lux model is currently mounted. 

Leica would have to implement separate lens profiles for each version of lenses then even if they don't need different 6-bit corrections?

[ELAN]

Different versions of the same lens already share the same lens correction profile because their 6-bit code is the same. 

[budjames]

10 hours ago, dugby said:

If only Leica had implemented 8-bit coding for lenses, might have got us up to 19th January 2038 - end of epoch.

Kind of like computers only programmed from 2 digit years and then the year 2000 happened. We all remember how that world of technology was going to end on 1/1/2000 because computers couldn't handle the year change. LOL!

Regards,
Bud James

Please check out my fine art and travel photography at www.budjames.photography.

[lct]

5 hours ago, ELAN said:

Different versions of the same lens already share the same lens correction profile because their 6-bit code is the same. 

Difficult to imagine that Leica would implement different lens profiles for  lenses having the same 6-bit code and needing the same lens correction but again YMMV.

[ELAN]

1 hour ago, lct said:

Difficult to imagine that Leica would implement different lens profiles for  lenses having the same 6-bit code and needing the same lens correction but again YMMV.

There's no need to develop different lens profiles.  And we're not talking lens correction.  We are simply trying to record a lens model number in image metadata using the current interface.  Please re-read my posts above to understand how that would work.

[lct]

Sorry i don't understand what you mean @ELAN as i don't see how Leica could implement separate metadata for a lens w/o implementing a corresponding lens profile for it but i'm no techie and i can't speak for Leica. As i user, i would not like to have to flip through several menu pages each time i mount a lens but it's just me . BTW i use a little Exif tool called "File Multi Tool 7" for editing metadata but there are certainly other tools for that.

[Advertisement]

Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[ELAN]

I’m sorry you don’t understand what I mean @lct. I did my best to explain it. (And you wouldn’t need to flip through menu pages when you mount a lens - only if you happen to use two or more lens that have the same 6-bit code, like the 35 lux pre-FLE, FLE and FLE-II).