Old lenses on M9

[I-L-P]

In a few months I am planning to buy an M9. I own a CV 35mm pancake, and I am going to buy a 25/4 P Color-Skopar, or 28/2 Ultron. Will these lenses be compatible? Am I going to be able to shoot or I will have incompatibility issues?

 

[Sonnar Brian]

You'll need a good quality LTM adapter, do not get a cheap one. The thickness has to be right for wide-angle lenses "especially".

You should be fine.

 

[TWoK]

You'll need a good quality LTM adapter, do not get a cheap one. The thickness has to be right for wide-angle lenses "especially".

You should be fine.

Are the CV adapters 'good ones'?

 

[Benjamin Marks]

The f:2 28 Ultron is in M-mount already; the earlier 1.9 version is LTM and needs and adapter; for lenses winder than 35, if they are LTM you should consider a code-able adapter like John Milch's. I have experienced a little light fall-off in the corners with my M8 with lenses 28 and wider. I assume that this behavior will be worse with a larger chip, and this in turn may make 6-bit coding your lenses more important.

Ben Marks

 

[TWoK]

6-bit coding is largely irrelevant from what I've read as you can choose from a list of Leica lenses in camera to get the software correction. As I'm guessing most people who pick this camera will be shooting DNG, not JPG does this even matter? Does the M8/9 modify DNG files?

 

[meven]

Are the CV adapters 'good ones'?

The CV adapters are great especially the type II ones, they can be hand coded very easily for the M8.

 

[rxmd]

I assume that this behavior will be worse with a larger chip, and this in turn may make 6-bit coding your lenses more important.

It remains as much of a gamble as it ever was though. People just hope that in-camera corrections for a 28 Summicron will do something useful for a 28 Ultron, just because they have the same focal length.

 

[Ben Z]

It remains as much of a gamble as it ever was though. People just hope that in-camera corrections for a 28 Summicron will do something useful for a 28 Ultron, just because they have the same focal length.

That gamble pays off well with the M8. (I have 15, 21, and 28 lenses from Voitlander, plus some older Leica lenses they don't have codes for, and I get perfect cyan-corner correction with "facsimile" coding). No idea if that will hold as well for the M9. The in-camera menu seems like it will simplify finding the best match, vs having to paint the codes in trial-and-error fashion. But if someone changes lenses often I think eventually most will find that permanently coding the lens will be a lot more convenient.

 

[I-L-P]

The CV adapters are great especially the type II ones, they can be hand coded very easily for the M8.

Why shall I need adapter? aren't these lenses M mount? Besides I am talking about M9.

........ But if someone changes lenses often I think eventually most will find that permanently coding the lens will be a lot more convenient.

Excuse my ignorance, what does " permanently coding the lens" means?

 

[swoop]

6-bit coding is largely irrelevant from what I've read as you can choose from a list of Leica lenses in camera to get the software correction. As I'm guessing most people who pick this camera will be shooting DNG, not JPG does this even matter? Does the M8/9 modify DNG files?

Exactly. I never understood all the fuss. The M8 and M9 don't touch DNG files. If you shoot RAW, worrying about coding is pointless.

 

[Pickett Wilson]

I-L-P, the older generation of the VC Wides were LTM and need adapters.

There are two ways to code a lens for the Leica, either with a marker or by actually machining the lens mount.

 

[Pickett Wilson]

Swoop, my understanding is that the corrections for the lens are applied before the DNG is written. Which means the DNG files are modified by the camera. Have you found information otherwise?

 

[meven]

Why shall I need adapter? aren't these lenses M mount? Besides I am talking about M9.

I-L-P: I was simply replying to the following question from TWok. Besides I know you are talking about the M9 and I know the lenses you are talking about are M mount.

Are the CV adapters 'good ones'?

 

[Ben Z]

Exactly. I never understood all the fuss. The M8 and M9 don't touch DNG files. If you shoot RAW, worrying about coding is pointless.

That is incorrect at least for the M8/8.2. The correction for cyan corner drift resulting from the IR filters on wide angle lenses, which is the most crucial function of coding on these cameras, is applied to DNG files.

 

[I-L-P]

I 've read at " www.dpreview.com" that the coding procedure costs about 90 euro, but this does not count for CV lenses. In that case I will have to do it in my own responsibility.
Thank you all for your helpful answers. So, please correct me if I got it wrong, besides exif data there are no compatibility issues, and I will be able to shoot descend pictures