6 bit coding

[Jbennett68]

Getting close to buying a used digital body and just became aware of extra issue of non 6 bit older or third party lenses. How much trouble will it be if all I have is third party lenses?

 

[Darthfeeble]

Very simply you just code in what ever lens you put on. Takes a few seconds if the lens is on the list, if not you will have to decide which lens on the list is best for what you use. I'm assuming that we are talking Leica here.

 

[Johngwill]

It depends on which used digital body you are buying. If it is an M 240 or later you can manually select the lens in the menu. If it is a non Leica lens you can select the nearest equivalent, alternatively you can mark the lens flange with the appropriate 6 bit code. See details here:- Leica Lens Codes | La Vida Leica!

If you are buying an M8, 8.2 or 9 there is no provision to select the lens via the menu. In this case the only option is to mark the 6 bit code on the lens flange.

Personally I use only Zeiss and CV lenses and have manually coded the lens flange using the table suggestions.

Of course you can just not use coding and a lot of people don't bother. You can then just make any required corrections in your processing software. Note that the wider lens you use the more likely you will need to make corrections.

 

[boojum]

You can ink/paint code a LTM > bayonet mount flange which has the appropriate grooves. You can enter the code manually from the camera menu. You can use what you believe the closest approximation to the camera menu list. You can ignore coding entirely. I have done all three. If you want to code a lens not on the list experiment. I used a lens setting from the list for one lens not on the list and it was awful. Go figure.

Here is a list of 6-bit codes I have on my desk. Read it quickly before this turns into a quagmire like the depth of field thread did.

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[boojum]

It depends on which used digital body you are buying. If it is an M 240 or later you can manually select the lens in the menu. If it is a non Leica lens you can select the nearest equivalent, alternatively you can mark the lens flange with the appropriate 6 bit code. See details here:- Leica Lens Codes | La Vida Leica!

If you are buying an M8, 8.2 or 9 there is no provision to select the lens via the menu. In this case the only option is to mark the 6 bit code on the lens flange.

Personally I use only Zeiss and CV lenses and have manually coded the lens flange using the table suggestions.

Of course you can just not use coding and a lot of people don't bother. You can then just make any required corrections in your processing software. Note that the wider lens you use the more likely you will need to make corrections.

It's working fine on my M9, I just tested it. The M8/8.2 can select from the menu IR/UV filter or not and detect on or off. Both of these cameras can detect lenses from 6-bit encoding.

 

[Out to Lunch]

As far as I know, when you put a third-party manual focus lens on the Leica SL2S and do not select the Leica lens equivalent, image stabilization does not work.

 

[Johngwill]

It's working fine on my M9, I just tested it. The M8/8.2 can select from the menu IR/UV filter or not and detect on or off. Both of these cameras can detect lenses from 6-bit encoding.

Sorry, yes you are correct. It has been some years since I had an M9, only the M8 and 8.2 don't have manual lens selection via the menu.

 

[swatch]

Does having 6-bit coding on lenses being relevant if shooting jpeg which is file created by the digital camera (for example M9)?

I shot raw but does not find lens profile for Elmar-M 50mm in Lightroom Class.

 

[boojum]

Does having 6-bit coding on lenses being relevant if shooting jpeg which is file created by the digital camera (for example M9)?

I shot raw but does not find lens profile for Elmar-M 50mm in Lightroom Class.

To my understanding, my feeble brain, only the JPG is affected by lens selection. RAW files are raw files. You get what the sensor saw, period. If I am wrong someone please correct me.

 

[Bill Blackwell]

Contact Don Goldberg ("DAG") at dagcam[at]chorus[dot]net
He has the ability to permanently 6-bit code your Leica M mount lenses through a vendor. It generally takes about a month (around $100 with shipping both-ways). You can also purchase some lens flanges milled for 6-bit coding (check eBay).

or - you can manually code your lenses using a paint pen (Google it).

or - select a comparable lens profile in your camera's menu.

 

[Darthfeeble]

I've had an M8.2 and 3 M9s, used factory lenses and a host of 3rd party lenses and never had a problem with the image and didn't code a one of them. That said, I enjoy post processing and did a bunch of it. I thought of lens coding with my M10 as a method of reminding me which lens I used, often I change lenses and forget to change the code and don't see a difference.

 

[SWB]

First point, there is a menu in the camera to choose the lens, so coding the lens itself isn't essential. Second point, coding with ink only last as long as it takes the ink to rub off (and paint is too thick), so is basically worse as a reliable method than setting the lens in the menu. Third, you can buy replacement codeable flanges and they are an easy swap with the Leica flange, some are accurate and some aren't so its a lottery. Fourth, a camera guy like DAG can code the standard flange for you at a cost. Fifth, you can code your own flange with a Dremel if brave enough. Sixth, newer lenses by other manufacturers like Zeiss and Voigtlander have a shallow rebate machined into the flange so you can code the lens with paint. Seventh, you only need to paint the black segments, Leica fill the white ones for neatness but it isn't necessary.

You can download a coding template and this is worth doing just to get ideas like using ink out of your system and realise why it doesn't work well, but it is ultra useful when coding non-Leica lenses that have a machined rebate.

 

[Richard G]

I do it manually. Worst is forgetting to reset to Auto for my 2 or 3 coded lenses. The longer the lens the less difference the coding makes.