kshapero
South Florida Man
How important is coding on a Voigt/Zeiss lens for the M9? What am I missing? If really needed what to do?
From an M9 newbie.
From an M9 newbie.
Coding: 3rd party lens on the M9
- Thread starter kshapero
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kshapero
South Florida Man
Thought I would get some help on this.
kbg32
neo-romanticist
Akiva - Coding records EXIF data to your file.
From the Leica site - "The lens coding is called ‘6-bit coding‘ because six fields in the bayonet ring are marked in black or white to represent a number from 1 to 64 in binary code. The digital M camera reads this information optically and can identify the lens on the basis of this code. Apart from the improvement in image quality, this information is also written into the EXIF image file."
From the Leica site - "The lens coding is called ‘6-bit coding‘ because six fields in the bayonet ring are marked in black or white to represent a number from 1 to 64 in binary code. The digital M camera reads this information optically and can identify the lens on the basis of this code. Apart from the improvement in image quality, this information is also written into the EXIF image file."
jarski
Veteran
if you dont have wide selection of lenses plan to use frequently, just use manual lens selection in camera menus. does the same thing.
I struggled with this question after I got my M8 in Jan 2008 (wow, 5 years?), resisting the suggested need for lens coding and UV/IR cut filters. Well, I eventually saw the need for the filters, and the corner color issues convinced me the coding was a good idea too. Once I accepted this and arranged the coding and filters I could relax and enjoy the experience! You can too... 🙂
Edit: Yes, I still use the IR cut filters on the M9... works better for me...
Edit: Yes, I still use the IR cut filters on the M9... works better for me...
kbg32
neo-romanticist
twopointeight
Well-known
I've got a Match Technical Coding Kit for Voigtlander lenses in the classified. If the ad expired, feel free to contact me. Hope that's ok with the Admin? Used it only once and it works great.
Richard G
Veteran
I have only one lens mount coded lens. All the others I do code through the Menu, or with my user-defined presets from the Set Menu, but even when I forget it's not too catastrophic. My ZM 50 C Sonnar I code as the Summilux ASPH but coded as any Summilux is better than coding a 35: there is less vignetting. For wider lenses as mentioned it does matter. My ZM 18 and 21 are both coded as the Leica 21 2.8 Pre ASPH. The ZM 25/VC 25 I code as the Elmarit 24 and the 35 C Biogon I code as the Summicron ASPH. I have set up presets for four lenses in this way, and for the 18/21 preset I get the camera to shoot black and white jpegs as well. Whatever else I am using, to dial up the coded 28 2,8 ASPH I just need to go to the Menu and choose Automatic instead of Manual for lens selection. When I put the other lens of the day back on I just switch back to manual and it will be on the setting for that lens as previously selected. It works well. I don't mind selecting manually my uncoded Leica lenses. I wouldn't bother getting a lens coded.
kshapero
South Florida Man
Right now I am using the Zeiss 35 C Biogon so I am thinking I am fine. Thanks for all the input.
Hi Akiva - While you’ll want to see how your lens performs on your own camera, watch for pink fringing... On my M9 I’ve found the 35mm C-Biogon shows pink edges, strongest at lower left, perhaps from the camera over-correcting cyan drift. The lens is 6-bit coded as a 35 Summarit, and I also noted some veiling flare when shooting near the sun. I’ll attach an example shot of snow...
Later on, I added a B+W UV/IR Cut filter to see if this banished the red fringing. It has helped, though I haven’t repeated the snow test. The 35mm f2 Biogon doesn’t show this fringing.
Later on, I added a B+W UV/IR Cut filter to see if this banished the red fringing. It has helped, though I haven’t repeated the snow test. The 35mm f2 Biogon doesn’t show this fringing.
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ChrisN
Striving
Hi Akiva
I have two Leica Lenses (not coded) and two CV lenses (not coded). Luckily Leica allows for four "user profiles" in the camera, which remember a number of settings or preferences including a manual lens selection setting. When I mount a lens I just have to remember to select the correct profile (using the "set" button on my M9-P), and it will write the focal length and correct lens ID into the image exif data (for the Leica lenses). For the CV lenses I use the closest approximate Leica-equivalent with the same focal length.
The reason I bother is so that I can later read the focal length (and therefore the lens ID) when I upload the images into Lightroom. Lightroom can also apply various corrections for distortion, vignetting, colour shifts etc) either automatically or manually based on the lens ID in the exif data.
I have two Leica Lenses (not coded) and two CV lenses (not coded). Luckily Leica allows for four "user profiles" in the camera, which remember a number of settings or preferences including a manual lens selection setting. When I mount a lens I just have to remember to select the correct profile (using the "set" button on my M9-P), and it will write the focal length and correct lens ID into the image exif data (for the Leica lenses). For the CV lenses I use the closest approximate Leica-equivalent with the same focal length.
The reason I bother is so that I can later read the focal length (and therefore the lens ID) when I upload the images into Lightroom. Lightroom can also apply various corrections for distortion, vignetting, colour shifts etc) either automatically or manually based on the lens ID in the exif data.
user237428934
User deletion pending
Wouldn't work for me. I bet most of the time I would forget to switch the lens in the menu after putting on a new lens on the camera. I think it's better to have no information than a wrong information.
user237428934
User deletion pending
I have one coded (28mm) and two uncoded lenses (35mm, 50mm). It would be nice to see after some time if a photo was taken with the 35mm or 50mm but it's not really important.
