Flickering with M to L adapter

[SoCalLeicanator]

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Hi all, not sure if anyone has encountered this before.  I just picked up the TT Artisan 28 5.6 and was super excited about using it with SL2-S.  However, with this and only this lens, there is flickering in the viewfinder making it unusable.  My Voigtlander lenses do not do this.  Anyone heard of this issue?  

[jaapv]

Did you happen to see this under LED lighting? 

[jankap]

Or the lens mount, perhaps.

[SoCalLeicanator]

So, here's a better description of the symptom.  With this TT 28 5.6 on the Leica M-L adapter the screen and viewfinder will flicker on and off.  It did this in natural light.  I checked my other manual focus lenses (Voigt 35 and 50) and they worked just fine.

I made sure both the lens and the adapter were seated in a way that made that little red button click up the way it does with the Voigtlanders.

I turned the camera on and off.  I had the display set for EVF extended and then set it to auto and yes the back screen flickers on and off as well.

I am depressed I admit.  I was really excited to have a cool little vintagey pancake lens and don't feel like shelling out $2500 for the Leica product.  

I did scour the forums and see that others have had similar issues. One posted some gymanstics that I have yet to try but I am a little concerned about bricking my camera so I've held off for now.  I am just so confused as to why the uncoded Voigtlanders don't have the issue and the TT does.  I will have a chat BH Photo later today and see if they have any ideas.  

Thanks as awlays.  

 

[insomnia]

Please cite where people have had similar issues. 

You mention the Voigtländers are uncoded, does that mean the TT has a 6-bit Code? Have you tried putting tape on that code? Sometimes when I put on my 50/1.4 ASPH it rotates too far (over the mounting point where it clicks, when I keep the mount lock pressed). The lens is then not recognised ("0 mm"). If I rotate it back, it's reading it again correctly, so there's a permanent check on the 6-bit code. Just an idea that this might be were it stems from.

[SoCalLeicanator]

42 minutes ago, insomnia said:

Please cite where people have had similar issues. 

You mention the Voigtländers are uncoded, does that mean the TT has a 6-bit Code? Have you tried putting tape on that code? Sometimes when I put on my 50/1.4 ASPH it rotates too far (over the mounting point where it clicks, when I keep the mount lock pressed). The lens is then not recognised ("0 mm"). If I rotate it back, it's reading it again correctly, so there's a permanent check on the 6-bit code. Just an idea that this might be were it stems from.

No, the TT is uncoded as well.  This is baffling to me. 

[BernardC]

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Other lenses work with the adapter, so the issue must be with the lens/adapter interface. Maybe something on the lens mount is confusing the adapter; perhaps a screw head or some other reflection.

I would use the lens with a non-Leica adapter, and save the Leica adapter for coded lenses.

[insomnia]

Following up on the 6-bit topic: early versions seem not to have covered the sensor completely, maybe that's worth a check.

Here a user is describing a similar thing (getting kicked out of live-view with an M-camera).

https://www.dslr-forum.de/threads/ttartisan-28mm-f-5-6-m-mount.2086011/

[SoCalLeicanator]

I think insomnia and BernardC are both on to something.  Insomnia, this is the latest version so it looks like they never dialed in the problem.  BernardC, what aftermarket adapter would you recommend?  I'll see what B and H has to say.   

[SoCalLeicanator]

OK, I ordered the Urth non-coded adapter.  Fingers crossed.  Thankfully, BH has a great return policy. If that doesn't work out, I'll get the Voigtlander 28. 

[BernardC]

16 hours ago, SoCalLeicanator said:

BernardC, what aftermarket adapter would you recommend? 

I recommend avoiding suspiciously cheap adapters, because you get what you pay for. Novoflex has always been good for me, but there are several high-quality adapters available. One thing to keep in mind is that non-Leica lenses won't be exactly identical to original lenses, so you might need to try several third-party adapters (but only in rare cases).

[Stuart Richardson]

Are you perhaps in M mode with the exposure closed down? The screen will flicker from black to visible at times when you choose dark settings on the lens. You can fix it by turning off exposure preview for manual mode. I would put the lens on, make sure you pick the right lens in the menu and make sure you are in A or P mode to see if it helps. If not, I am not sure what is going on. 

[SoCalLeicanator]

OK, so I talked to BH Photo and they sent me a link from this forum 😊 . 

Stuart, I tried in A and M with the lens wide open (albeit that's 5.6). It's manual focus so not sure P would work.  If my non coded adapter doesn't work, I'll try turning the exposure preview off.  That's a good idea.  

Bernard, the Urth was about $50 and had a lot of good reviews on Amazon.   If it works, I suspect the 28 will "live" there.  I found a thread on here about hand coding Voigtlander lenses with black model paint and I'm going to give it a go and reserve the Leica M to L for my coded lenses.  

[insomnia]

Otherwise, the Voigtländer 28/2 Ultron II is also an absolute gem

[Photoworks]

I have the leica adapter and the TT 28mm lens, no problem on my SL2

Same with TT adapter.

I would try to load the profile Default on the camera and see if you did not put in some setting that makes it go crazy.

[SoCalLeicanator]

6 hours ago, insomnia said:

Otherwise, the Voigtländer 28/2 Ultron II is also an absolute gem

Yes, that's exactly what I was thinking.  I love the more unpolished look of the TT lenses output but this would be just fine I suspect.

3 hours ago, Photoworks said:

I have the leica adapter and the TT 28mm lens, no problem on my SL2

Same with TT adapter.

I would try to load the profile Default on the camera and see if you did not put in some setting that makes it go crazy.

I did that already.  

This was what BH Photo customer support came up with.  I had already seen it but was good to review and know I'm not the only one with the problem.

[SoCalLeicanator]

Well Stuart, hats off to you.  The third party adapter was delayed so I took your suggestion to disable exposure preview and voila.  Thanks!

It'll take a little adjusting to and is no pixel peeker, but I love this focal length and the form factor can't be beat.  My wife, kiddo and I walking down to the beach to get our Brunch today and the focus error was all mine just liked the composition.  

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Edited July 30, 2023 by SoCalLeicanator

[Stuart Richardson]

Great! Yes, exposure preview is the hardest thing for me to get used to on EVF. Sometimes it is extremely useful, and sometimes it ruins your day! The flashing implementation needs to be looked at though...it just seems to get people in trouble. I also find it very hard to find the setting when I need it. I can never remember what submenu it is in. I wish it were a bit more clear.