m8.2 or a m9? In 2024?

[Sonnar Brian]

Leica M8, Orange Filter, 14-bit RAW mode using M8RAW2DNG and the button dance.
The Orange Filter blocks Blue and leaves the Blue channel sensitive to only IR.
Custom Fortran mode to "Equalize" the Blue and Green channels to Red, then swap Blue and Red channels.
Kind of like Infrared Ektachrome E3 process.

 

[Sonnar Brian]

Image as shot, and the custom processed image. from 9 years ago.

 

[Roastchestnuts]

The camera should be here friday. I am very excited. especially after browsing youtube on some of the videos out there on the m8 and m8.2. I bought a Ir cut filter as Idk if the camera came with one. I bought a 43mm to use with my nikkor rangfinder lenses. I do want to eventually get a 39mm ir cut filter for my 50mm f2.8 elmar M and (whenever I get a 28mm. I am thinking the elmarit asph v1). seems b+w is the best one to go with. I also bought an extra chinesium battery. hoping its at least good enough to work.

I have random a lens question. I have a nikon 3.5cm f2.5 that I have adapted to m mount with an amadeo adapter. I am wondering what 6 bit code do you all think would be good for this lens? there is a little spot on the amadeo adapter to add a code. I have two adapters one that I am going to use for my 5cm f1.4 and one for my 3.5cm.

 

[Sonnar Brian]

Code it as a 3.5cm F2.8 Summaron. They have the same basic optical formula.

 

[Freakscene]

Code it as a 3.5cm F2.8 Summaron. They have the same basic optical formula.

There is no Summaron code. The earliest 35mm lens for which there is a code is the version IV 35mm Summicron, whose code is 000110 - this is how I suggest you code it first. You could also try the 35mm f2.4 and 2.5 Summarit code 101011.

Coding makes a small amount of difference at 35mm. Wider, it becomes more important.

Marty

 

[Roastchestnuts]

There is no Summaron code. The earliest lens that is coded is the vIV 35mm Summicron, whose code is 000110 - this is how I suggest you code it first. You could also try the 35mm f2.4 and 2.5 Summarit code 101011.

Coding makes a small amount of difference at 35mm. Wider, it becomes more important.

Marty

Thats what I thought as I could not find that code. I saw the 35mm summarit code can be used for the voigtlander 35mm f2.5. But like you said I think I am going to try the summcron one first.

 

[Godfrey]

Best thing to do is to first turn off the coding entirely, make a few test shots, and then turn on the coding (try two or three) and repeat the test shots. Compare the results afterwards so you know what the lens codes do, and make your decision as to what to set when you fit a given lens from that.

G

 

[Sonnar Brian]

I've never used coding on the M8 or M9.

 

[Roastchestnuts]

I've never used coding on the M8 or M9.

its probibly not worth it. I never did on my m10p and the 5cm. but Ill try it on this amadeo adapter. might be neat.

 

[wlewisiii]

I never used it on any of my lenses, Leica or otherwise, with my M 240 either. I probably should try it for S&G sometime but probably won't ever be bothered to.

 

[Roastchestnuts]

To be honest the 6 bit coding is a little silly. I think it does correct some distortion and vignetting. I kinda like some natural lens vingetting when its not too sever though.

The one thing that does really work poorly is the metadata for the aperture. that thing allways would get it wrong on my m10 and m9.

 

[Richard G]

On my M9 I can select Summilux 35 but the image info shifts to Summicron version IV.

 

[Godfrey]

The intent of the Leica M/SL/CL/T lens profiles isn't to create "perfect" adjustments for lens aberrations; it's to help ensure that lenses used on their various different sensors all render to about the same output. If you take a small handful of M or R lenses and use the adapters to fit them onto different M, SL, T, and CL bodies with the lens profiles turned off, you'll detect many subtle differences between the captures. If you do the same test with lens profiles turned on, what comes out of the cameras will look much more homogeneous with respect to the lens qualities.

I've done this kind of comparison testing variously with M9, SL, M-D 262, M-P 240, CL, M10-M, and M10-R bodies over the past 12 years. The differences are there and visible between uncoded and coded ... But are they big? Not really, they're mostly subtleties. But Leica is all about subtleties...

Aperture reportage in EXIF with M lenses is difficult to get accurate because the lens profiles only know the lens typ and its theoretical maximum aperture. There's evidently no entry in the map that covers lenses' T-values, and with no mechanical connection to tell the cameras what aperture is actually set, the camera has to deduce the set lens opening based on knowing the maximum F/stop, ambient lighting, etc, as a dynamic value. It's often well off the mark for the simple reason that it's hard to do without more information. 😉

I usually let the standard setting happen automagically with coded lenses, and with any uncoded lenses let it ride by turning the coding off. Then, to keep my bookkeeping straight in Lightroom, I use EXIFTool to modify the DNG files with proper lens name, max aperture, etc in the embedded EXIF data.

G

 

[Bill Blackwell]

To be honest the 6 bit coding is a little silly. I think it does correct some distortion and vignetting. I kinda like some natural lens vingetting when its not too sever though.

The one thing that does really work poorly is the metadata for the aperture. that thing always would get it wrong on my m10 and m9.

I've found 6-bit coding affects color saturation/balance, vignetting, magenta color distortion, and pincushion/barrel distortion. Depending on the 6-bit code selected, it can make or break 3rd party M mount lenses 50mm or wider.

 

[boojum]

I've found 6-bit coding affects color saturation/balance, vignetting, magenta color distortion, and pincushion/barrel distortion. Depending on the 6-bit code selected, it can make or break 3rd party M mount lenses 50mm or wider.

What you say is true. I have a 3rd party lens coded by the manufacturer with the six bit code. The code on an M9 says I have a Summicron-M 50mm type IV or V. This encoding reports back very nice images. OTOH I had a 35 or 50 I had guessed the encoding on which reported back abysmal images. This was my fault as I had not done a test and gone through all the 6 bit codes on the sheet for that focal length. I have and tested them and then coded up a LTM > bayonet adapter ring. In the case that the lens is already bayonet mount just make note of the tested and established correct 6 bit encoding. Or do as I did and get some really ugly images.

 

[Freakscene]

The one thing that does really work poorly is the metadata for the aperture. that thing allways would get it wrong on my m10 and m9.

It’s estimated from the shutterspeed and the light meter reading from the accessory meter on the front of the camera. It’s a guess, at least up to the M10 cameras. The M11 gets it closer to right.

 

[Godfrey]

It’s estimated from the shutterspeed and the light meter reading from the accessory meter on the front of the camera. It’s a guess, at least up to the M10 cameras. The M11 gets it closer to right.

I imagine the m11 simply has a better algorithm and, since it uses the main sensor as its metering cell, much more resolution to evaluate illumination with. But that's a guess. 🙂

G

 

[Freakscene]

I imagine the m11 simply has a better algorithm and, since it uses the main sensor as its metering cell, much more resolution to evaluate illumination with. But that's a guess. 🙂

It has a totally different algorithm, but it’s measuring the exposure from the same sensor that makes the difference. Metering off the imaging sensor in the M11 series improved everything about the camera apart from the shutter lag.

 

[Sonnar Brian]

I'd rather get rid of shutter lag and use a Weston Master.

 

[Freakscene]

I'd rather get rid of shutter lag and use a Weston Master.

The film and digital ISO standards are different enough that external meters often don’t work very well. The shutter lag is a problem. We can always hope for improvements in the M12.