Just received my new MM - Have a question

SteveHicks

SteveHicks

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My new Leica Monochrome arrived yesterday. I have just fired off a few test images and have played around with the files a little.

WOW!! Am I ever going to love this camera.

I have run into a minor issue that I am hoping some one here has dealt with.

I notice that the monochrome files do NOT have the f-stop data in the metadata. I am shooting with new version Summilux, Summicron, and Summarit lenses all of which create f-stop metadata on my M9. Shutter speed and ISO information is created in the files, jut not f-stop.

Has anyone run into this issue? Am I missing something simple?
 
Mine doesn't store aperture either.

Now you own one, you have to spell it right for all the non owners who don't ;)

Congratulations and don't forget to post images :)

Michael
 
Michael,

Spelling is not one of my talents, Thanks for the comment. I will post images as soon as I get my chops worked out with this camera.
 
Does the MM have lens coding in the menu that you have to turn on in order for the camera to recognize the aperture?
 
Nope, the MM apparently does not display/calculate any f-stop info.
No matter if manual lens selection, or auto with coded lenses. I would find it helpful even it is not 100% accurate.
 
Actually it does record guesstimated aperture in EXIF, just in another place than before, so some raw converters don't see it.
 
SteveHicks said:
My new Leica Monochrome arrived yesterday. I have just fired off a few test images and have played around with the files a little.

WOW!! Am I ever going to love this camera.

I have run into a minor issue that I am hoping some one here has dealt with.

I notice that the monochrome files do NOT have the f-stop data in the metadata. I am shooting with new version Summilux, Summicron, and Summarit lenses all of which create f-stop metadata on my M9. Shutter speed and ISO information is created in the files, jut not f-stop.

Has anyone run into this issue? Am I missing something simple?
Click to expand...

Mine doesn't show f/stops either (35 Lux FLE). Not that important to me really.
 
I appreciate the comments from all. Jaapv's comment regarding raw converters makes me wonder if changing version of Lightroom would make a difference. I am traveling with a laptop at the moment which I have yet to update from LR4 to LR5.

Does anyone know if that makes a difference?
 
2WK said:
Doesn't Lightroom guess the aperture based on the exposure or something?
Click to expand...

The M9 inserts an EXIF tag "ApproximateFNumber" into the image metadata that Lightroom interprets as the taking f/stop. It's often pretty darn accurate, but not always exact. I guess the Monochrom doesn't do that, and LR4 doesn't know what the new tag is. LR 4 showed it the same for the M9 as LR 5 does now. I think I have a Monochrom raw file at home to check with.

You can list the metadata from a Monochrom raw file with EXIFtool and find out what it is under the new tag name, and then insert it as "Approximate F Number" so it shows up in the LR EXIF metadata listing. Here's how you insert the value from a command line terminal:

$$> exiftool -ApproximateFNumber="5.6" {filename}


G
 
SteveHicks said:
My new Leica Monochrome arrived yesterday. ...

I have run into a minor issue that I am hoping some one here has dealt with.
Click to expand...

No, it does not make color images. :D

Sorry, couldn't resist!

Congratulations. If there was a good means of outputting the files to silver paper in my darkroom I'd jump.
 
Only electronic contacts allow the camera to record the aperture value. The coding on a Leica lens is only to allow the camera to select the baked in profiling system to know what to correct for. Same as selecting a specific lens in your cameras menu. That's why you can litterally draw on the codes.
 
SaveKodak,

Well I am using the most current version of the Summilux lens, 50mm ASPH and it has the coding on it.

I have just gotten used to my other digital cameras providing ALL of the exposure information including the aperture setting. Seems funny that leica would not have that feature in this camera.

I agree with airfrogusmc that it's really not a big deal, just interesting that it's not available on such an expensive camera.

BOY, do I love the files that come of the MM, however. This is a lot of fun.
 
SteveHicks said:
I have just gotten used to my other digital cameras providing ALL of the exposure information including the aperture setting. Seems funny that leica would not have that feature in this camera.
Click to expand...
It would be funny if this was a new system. It however isn't (the M mount was introduced in 1954), and the technical reason is pretty simple.
 
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