Coding vs. No Coding

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Ponsoldt

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Has anyone done a test to see if the coding is worth it? By test i mean take a picture with it and then without it and see if there is any difference?

Also, what level of success has everyone had with the sharpie coding? I tried it but I guess I got the spots in the wrong place.

Bill

PS Anyone who wants to see how bad the magenta cast is should take a shot of their black billingham bag, assuming they have one. Apparently, the M8 does not like he polyester material because its magenta. The leather sections remain black.
 
Not sure about the coding but this is my favorite Magenta picture...
L1031403.jpg
 
None of my lens are coded, nor do I plan on getting them coded. I haven't had any issues with non-coded lens.
 
I have IR filters on all my lenses, IMHO they are mandatory unless you want to tear your hair out in post processing, which I don't. All my lenses from 35mm and shorter are coded, which IMHO is mandatory for correcting the cyan corners unless you want to have to run every shot made with those focals through Cornerfix or PT Tools, which I don't. That all presumes you shoot in color. Maybe if all you shoot is in black and white you might not be upset by the IR thing.

However my total cost for coding seven lenses is.....zero, because I did it myself. Not with a magic marker either, I milled the slots for the black codes and filled them with auto touchup paint I happened to have. I didn't code any lenses 50mm or longer and don't plan on it. I don't care whether they are identified in EXIF. However because I leave "UV/IR" permanently "ON", one of my 50mm lenses had a screw which the code reader mistook for a code and it was a 90mm lens, so I put some white paint over the screw.
 
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Does the coding have anything to do with the framing?

Does the coding have anything to do with the framing?

I find that the framing on my uncoded lenses is inaccurate. Would having them coded help?
 
bourgogneboy said:
I find that the framing on my uncoded lenses is inaccurate. Would having them coded help?
Click to expand...

The coding of the lenses has nothing to do with framing.
 
my snaps are boring and insipid, not to mention out-of-focus, over-exposed, and badly composed. Imagine how much worse they would be if the lenses were NOT coded? I shudder to think........
 
Shoot in Raw, coding is not necessary. I have one factory coded lens ( tri Elmar ). I cant see any difference with detection turned on in JPEG, Bill
 
I suspect the importance of IR filters and lens coding depends on the use... Wedding & fashion photography obviously require this, but for landscapes or other uses in which black fabrics aren't an important element, then maybe it isn't necessary. Learn to love the occasional bit of magenta? :)
 
I have no choice but to use them on all my lenses. Because I take people shots, even grey synthetics and shots with people and foilage will appear off with the strong magenta cast. Imagine a $450 lens with a Leica $150 filter. Crazy.
 
Coding costs have gone up at Leica. I sent mine in and they want something like 169 EUR just for the 6-bit. If you want it to focus on the M8 then there's more work they need to do so the cost goes up to 433 EUR for focus adj + 6-bit mount. Oh and add in the UV/IR filter to get the correct colors.
 
I like coding my 35mm and wider lenses.

It provides the exif on the focal length of the lens used and "automatically" reduces vignetting. The first is kinda nice if you are accustomed to having that data on the DSLRs, the second you can compensate in post, with a few more key strokes.

"B+W 486 ir cut filters" are about half the price of the Leica counterparts:eek: . If you are using Zeiss, CV or Rollei lenses, then you might not have a choice as Leica only produces filters in sizes that fit their lenses.

I used the 2 "free" Leica filters but have bought the more reasonably priced B+W otherwise. For my needs, I don't see any difference between the two. These filters are useful to get rid of the Magenta colours and seems to make other colours more accurate as well.

You can buy B+W online at places like Adorama, etc at reasonable prices.

Cheers,
Rob
 
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