Zeiss ZM 35 f/2 on M8 - cornerfix or hand coding?

[jaay]

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Hi,

 

As a recent purchaser of a Leica M8 and a ZM 35 f2 lens (the only lens i currently have!) this is my first post.

 

After much research in this forum and discovering issues with the leica IR filters for this lens i purchased a B+W 486 UV/IR filter for my ZM 35 f/2. When I use this filter I am now experiencing cyan colouring and vignetting. Turning "lens detection + UV/IR" on in the M8's menu warms it all up but there is still noticeable cyan and vignetting. The question is what is the best way to fix this - using a cornerfix profile or hand coding the lens with a pen as per Summicron-M 35mm f/2 (IV) 000110 pattern.

 

Anyone had experience with this lens and can make a recommendation - will coding it fix the issues? does anyone have a good cornerfix profile for this lens they could email me or upload somewhere?

[RobertW]

You've got a few alternatives:

 

1. hand code it, problem is the coding wears off when you change the lens, so you need to carry around a "Sharpie"
   
2. take the flange off and send it to jlm or similar service for milling in the indentations
   
3. use a dremel yourself and put the indentations yourself
   
4. user Cornerfix, but then you need to run all your pictures thru Corner fix....
   

 

I'd go with sending the flange to jlm, unless you're handy with a dremel.

 

Best Rob

[sean_reid]

Hi,

 

As a recent purchaser of a Leica M8 and a ZM 35 f2 lens (the only lens i currently have!) this is my first post.

 

After much research in this forum and discovering issues with the leica IR filters for this lens i purchased a B+W 486 UV/IR filter for my ZM 35 f/2. When I use this filter I am now experiencing cyan colouring and vignetting. Turning "lens detection + UV/IR" on in the M8's menu warms it all up but there is still noticeable cyan and vignetting. The question is what is the best way to fix this - using a cornerfix profile or hand coding the lens with a pen as per Summicron-M 35mm f/2 (IV) 000110 pattern.

 

Anyone had experience with this lens and can make a recommendation - will coding it fix the issues? does anyone have a good cornerfix profile for this lens they could email me or upload somewhere?

 

Turning lens detection to any setting shouldn't have any effect at all when an uncoded lens is mounted unless the sensor is picking up an accidental code from a screw or something.

 

Cheers,

[jaay]

I printed out a template from the leica lens codes site and can see that indeed a screw is over the sensor. The screw is right where i would need to put 2 black marks on the ZM 35 to make it read correctly - in theory! Is the presence of this screw going to make this impossible? surely all models of the lens have the screws in the same place so if its been done before it must work okay? Any advice from someone who has done it before with the ZM 35 f2 would be appreciated.

[sfokevin]

I printed out a template from the leica lens codes site and can see that indeed a screw is over the sensor. The screw is right where i would need to put 2 black marks on the ZM 35 to make it read correctly - in theory! Is the presence of this screw going to make this impossible? surely all models of the lens have the screws in the same place so if its been done before it must work okay? Any advice from someone who has done it before with the ZM 35 f2 would be appreciated.

 

I have a 90mm Cron that was the same... It is no problem to fill the two black mark area and the screw top between them... The silver space between the marks is not required... Now if the two slots needed to be one black and one white you would need to be a bit more careful to create a separation...

 

PS Basically the sensor just reads the black marks and the white marks are not necessary - they are there to reduce the chance of false blacks... (And to fill the unused holes to make it look pretty)

 

If this is the code you are going for:

 

And you say the screw is where the two black marks are - I would try covering the screw head recess with some black airplane paint and see if it might just recognize it as a 35mm!

Edited May 12, 2009 by sfokevin

[Photon42]

I printed out a template from the leica lens codes site and can see that indeed a screw is over the sensor. The screw is right where i would need to put 2 black marks on the ZM 35 to make it read correctly - in theory! Is the presence of this screw going to make this impossible? surely all models of the lens have the screws in the same place so if its been done before it must work okay? Any advice from someone who has done it before with the ZM 35 f2 would be appreciated.

 

I had the flange of the Biogon milled by jlm. No problems with the screw. Just fill it with some black paint. I used nail varnish, IIRC.

 

Cheers

Ivo

[Dougg]

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I would have it permanently coded... In fact I did; it just came back from DAG coded 000110 as illustrated above. The second 1 falls on top of the screw head, no problem as it got painted anyway! And exactly the same for the Zeiss 18 and 25mm ZM lenses sent along with the Biogon. The 25 has a blank 0 over the screw head, while the 18 was coded 110011 as a Super-Elmar so it too has black paint on the screw at the next-to-last 1.

 

Having sent it all together to DAG, he took care of the flange swapping and lug machining, and painted-in the appropriate codes.

 

Once your lens is coded, and you set Lens Recognition and UV/IR on, the camera will perform its preset level of corner fall-off and cyan correction. The correction may not be exactly right for the lens, but it can be re-coded as various other 35mm lenses so a bit of experimentation could result in optimal correction. This kind of experimental data would be most useful to share!

[lars_bergquist]

I'd like to point out that on its recent lenses, Zeiss have been moving the screws out of the coding area. Also, the bayonet back plane has recieved a shallow groove where you can put black marks without having them removed by friction. At least this is the case with my Biogon 25mm which I purchased directly from Zeiss in Oberkochen, on special order with the proper 24/35 frames instead of the 50/75, as on other ZM lenses shorter than 28mm. They do this too for you!

 

The old man from the Age of Zeiss Jena

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Hallo,

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Hallo,

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[thompsonkirk]

As long as it's your only lens, just code it with a Sharpie. If you aren't going to take it off, you can't wear out the marking.

 

Then when you get a second lens, go for coding this one's mount via Milich - or if you don't want to take it apart yourself, via Don Goldberg/DAG Camera.

 

Kirk

[jaay]

Thanks for all the replies.

 

First i tried hand coding with an M-coder i bought from Robert White - it was useless! The pen died after the first mark i made and filling in the screw head with black paint, nail varnish, gaffer tape (yes i tried everything!) did not work and the lens could not be read. Plus on first use the ink outside the screw rubbed off immediately all over the lens code reader on the camera body.

 

As many other members have frequently commented on there is nowhere good in the UK to send a lens to for milling etc.

 

I therefore spent sometime making profiles for cornerfix. I have 2 good profiles shot at f2.8 and f5.6. The one at 2.8 removes slightly move vignetting. These appear to work nicely in clearing up the problems. I have uploaded them on the web and they can be accessed here:

http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/jaays/ZM35f2_2.8_OFF.cpf

and here:

http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/jaays/ZM35f2_5.6_OFF.cpf

both profiles have lens detection turned off.

 

Feel free to download and try them out! Any comments will be gratefully received.

[stunsworth]

As many other members have frequently commented on there is nowhere good in the UK to send a lens to for milling etc.

 

I'm sure I read here the other week that Malcolm Taylor could do this.

[jaay]

Does anyone have a working email address for Malcolm Taylor? his btinternet address bounced back.

[microview]

Does anyone have a working email address for Malcolm Taylor? his btinternet address bounced back.

 

 

Malcolm Taylor

Upper Lye Farm

Aymestrey

Leominster

Herefordshire HR6 9SZ

 

Tel. - 01568 770542

 

email: malcolmtaylor000@btconnect.com

[jaay]

just an update for people searching for this in the future:

 

I spoke to Malcolm Taylor this morning who was incredibly helpful and knew all about coding Zeiss lenses around the 'screw' issue. I have sent him my lens today for coding and will report back on the results - which from what he said should be excellent.

 

It is also worth noting that his email address is disconnected and he doesn't have a new one. So if you're in the UK the best way to get in touch with him is to give him a call.

[Double Negative]

I haven't coded my 2/35 Biogon; I just use a UV/IR filter and it works fine.

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[sean_reid]

I would have it permanently coded... In fact I did; it just came back from DAG coded 000110 as illustrated above. The second 1 falls on top of the screw head, no problem as it got painted anyway! And exactly the same for the Zeiss 18 and 25mm ZM lenses sent along with the Biogon. The 25 has a blank 0 over the screw head, while the 18 was coded 110011 as a Super-Elmar so it too has black paint on the screw at the next-to-last 1.

 

Having sent it all together to DAG, he took care of the flange swapping and lug machining, and painted-in the appropriate codes.

 

Once your lens is coded, and you set Lens Recognition and UV/IR on, the camera will perform its preset level of corner fall-off and cyan correction. The correction may not be exactly right for the lens, but it can be re-coded as various other 35mm lenses so a bit of experimentation could result in optimal correction. This kind of experimental data would be most useful to share!

 

Actually Don sends the bayonets to John Milich for coding.

 

Cheers,

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[razerx]

Is it even necessary to code a 35mm lens? I thought only wide angles wider than and including 28mm are necessary.

[jaay]

Using the lens uncoded with a UV/IR filter produces a lot of cyan hue. How noticable it is depends on the lighting conditions - outside in bright sun against sky the cyan can blend in well, but shoot inside in low incandescent light and you'll have a lot of cyan vignetting. According to Malcolm the lens is nearly identicle in design to the pre-asph leica 35 f2 and will benefit from being coded as such.

[sean_reid]

Is it even necessary to code a 35mm lens? I thought only wide angles wider than and including 28mm are necessary.

 

Anything wider than a 50 will show cyan drift if the subject is neutral enough. Coding 35 -40 mm and wider lenses is usually the way to go. I say this based on lots of careful testing.

 

Cheers,

[Dougg]

Actually Don sends the bayonets to John Milich for coding.

Cheers,

Yes, including painting the pits; Don "took care of" this by sending it to John. I thought it unnecessary to say so...

 

But indeed one material consequence is that the screw head at pit #5 does not get any black paint. So that particular coding pit's black area is smaller than others, and on one of my lenses I think the bit of bright screw head is confusing the coding sensor, as the lens is not recognized. Had Don done the pit painting after reassembly, I suppose he would have painted the appropriate bit of the screw head as well. I plan to take the lens to a nail salon for a touch-up.