2 days from a new lens !!!

[blakey]

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Waiting to get my 25 mm ZM Zeiss for the M8 in 2 days. !!!!!! I love the 75mm Summarit, seems to be a nice frame for my style. Wanted to look at something wider than the 35mm Summarit, but for some reason it just seems a little in between.

 

Could not afford the Leica, so I hope I will be happy as I have seen how amazingly clear the Leica lenses are, even on a budget. So I hope I will not be disappointed.

 

Also will look to work out how to code it from the expertise on the site. I think self code kits mean I have to buy an Elmarit 24mm ????

 

~Anyway Will hope to post when I can.

 

T

[lars_bergquist]

That lens is very good indeed, one of the best, if not THE best in the current ZM lineup. Their 21mm lenses may compete. In any case, you will love it. Will you Sharpie-code it, or have the bayonet milled for permanent coding?

 

The old man from the Age When Coding Meant the Enigma

[blakey]

humm,

 

not sure how to code either way i think there is someone here who sells kits ?

[lars_bergquist]

First, you should of course code it as a 24mm Elmarit. The info about codes is at

http://www.digital-leica.com/lens_codes/index.html

 

I have never coded a lens by the 'Sharpie pen method', though the new Zeiss mounts, including that on my own 25mm Biogon, do make this marking more permanent because it is slightly relieved all around, and troublesome screws have been moved off the coding area. Check that this is the case when you recieve the lens. Use the lens for some actual photography too without a filter, as a 'reality check'.

 

I did pull the bayonet and then I sent it to John Milich in Brooklyn for making the little indents that received the dashes of black and white Humbrol model builders' enamel that I used for the actual coding. The operation is not quite as hair-rising as it sounds, if you are reasonably handy with simple tools. Just check the lens out thoroughly for general function and focus first, as you will void the guaranty.

 

If you decide to go this way, you may of course entrust the removal job to a competent camera mechanic. If you want to do it yourself, and are of legal age and compos mentis and sober, I can tell you more about the procedure I used. But the responsibility is yours. Swedish damages law is quite different from the U.S. one.

 

The old man with a screwdriver

[blakey]

Thanks Lars, the lens arrived today. tried a few shots some Ok, some a little soft.

Basic stuff nothing to taxing, but perhaps I was pixel peeping, first impressions not as sharp as a Summarit ??

 

But I could be wrong. Thanks for the web sites on coding, not sure i fully understand yet but more research. The Leica way !!!

 

T

[lars_bergquist]

My lens is just as sharp as a 28mm Summicron, with a bit more contrast. If some shots come out soft, check (a) your focusing technique, and ( plane of focus with the lens. Set up three matchboxes on a tabletop at about 1.5--2m, 10cms (4") between the first and the second, 15cms (6") between the second and the third, in the direction of view. Focus carefully on the middle one and ascertain that best focus is actually on that one.

 

If the lens is actually >and consistently< off, and you can prove it by a picture, have it replaced. Carl Zeiss AG have a reputation to uphold, one possibly even greater than that of Leica, and a reputable dealer will make no bones about it either.

 

The old man from the Age of Scale Focusing Roll Film Folders

[Ivar B]

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I agree with Lars, if your lens is not razor sharp there is something wrong someplace.

 

I am not sure if this has been changed lately, but as I recall you need to replace or modify the flange before you can code it because it does not bring up the correct frame lines with the M8. Some dealers offer lenses where this has already been done.

 

I also agree with Lars that it is not difficult to change the flange yourself, but I also believe that Zeiss will mount flanges which have been modified with the Milich recesses for a very reasonable cost, so this is an option also.