Filters on the 11-23?

[KitW]

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I bought an ordinary uv filter but found the vignetting to be severe at the wide end. Are there any low profile filters that don't cause this?

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[tommonego@gmail.com]

I would try a low profile B+W filter, better still I would forget about a UV filter. Keep the lens shade on the lens and that should be enough protection. The lens shade on the lens is a pain to take on and off, just keeping it on solves that problem. Also if you really want a filter use a premium brand, this is one fantastic lens, don't degrade it with a cheap filter B+W are generally a good match. 

[KitW]

Thanks. Has anybody tried the B&w filter?

I keep getting salt spray on the lens so though I hear what you say, I think a filter would be prudent.

[tommonego@gmail.com]

I haven't tried B+W filters low profile filters on my 11-23 but on a 18mm Zeiss they have no aditional vignetting and on an 11-16 Tokina which had no vignetting, They are substatially thinner than the standard B+W which has a forward thread. I would try one to see how it goes.

As you probably realized I am a no filter guy, but if you are on water alot I see your point.

[o2mpx]

For slightly lower cost, try Marumi slim version. Made in Japan. 

[KitW]

So, by way of experimentation I thought I'd buy a cheap 'Slim' filter for £10 rather than the B&W version for £100. If it worked, then I would splash out. The one I bought was a K&F concept 67mm which is 6mm thick - 3mm with an external thread and 3mm with an internal thread.

Sadly... Clear vignetting as the random snapshot of a white wall below shows. You can even see hard edges of the filter on the corners. It's better than the Leica filter I bought initially, but still not good enough to use. I think it takes about 3-4mm off the wide-angle of the lens.

I can't imagine that any filter could be made much slimmer because you need at least some amount of threads for the lens cap, so I guess the only viable option might be to buy a step-up ring e.g. 67-72mm and use a larger filter. Useful to know should I decide to get a polarising filter for this lens, but for the time-being I shall manage without an UV filter.

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Edited January 4 by KitW

[tommonego@gmail.com]

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You may want to call Leica to see what they recommend. The results you have don't look promising, but there may be a difference between a K&F and a B+W filters, the B+w slim filterrs don't have an external ring. I'm thinking a stepup ring maybe too thick and give the same results. If you could find a lens manual for the 11-23, it might be useful. 

[trix4ever]

This is my 11-23mm with the K+F Concept slim filter.

As you can see, no vignetting at all, tried at all apertures. I've had this filter on it since I bought the lens, never had a problem.

 

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[KitW]

Thanks. I appreciate it.

I bought a K&F concept filter; Nano-X and MRC rather than nano-K and HMC. I still get significant vignetting but it's much more visible on my computer than on the camera display. I've downloaded the DNG files and used dcraw to extract them into TIFFs. This is what I get:

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On the back of the camera there's some vignetting, but it's much less visible than here. Perhaps the difference lies in me using the RAW file rather than something that's been more processed?

[jaapv]

Most likely the lens needs distortion correction and DCraw cannot read the necessary instructions. 

[jaapv]

On 4/1/2025 at 2:52 AM, KitW said:

Thanks. I appreciate it.

I bought a K&F concept filter; Nano-X and MRC rather than nano-K and HMC. I still get significant vignetting but it's much more visible on my computer than on the camera display. I've downloaded the DNG files and used dcraw to extract them into TIFFs. This is what I get:

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

On the back of the camera there's some vignetting, but it's much less visible than here. Perhaps the difference lies in me using the RAW file rather than something that's been more processed?

Do you see the strong magenta vignetting? That means that your raw converter is not applying the necessary lens corrections. 
Edit: I looked it up: DCraw does not support SL cameras   There is the problem. . 
 

it is not strange; it is a vintage open source program from 1997 that has been mostly dormant since 2018. Leica support has not been implemented since 2014, although there are some releases from time to time that does not change the lack of Leica support.