What am I doing wrong or missing?

[Don Libby]

I got the 28-50 yesterday and sat down this morning to get familiar with it. It isn't coded so I added it to my manual lens selection which showed up on the camera as a 28. Took a couple tests and looked at the files in C1. They all show a FL of 28 even though I shot the entire spread.

Don

 

[Knorp]

Hi Don, when you change focal length you also have to select the corresponding focal length in the lens menu.

You should see this:

• 28-35-50 f/4.0 ASPH. @28mm 11625
• 28-35-50 f/4.0 ASPH. @35mm 11625
• 28-35-50 f/4.0 ASPH. @50mm 11625

Welcome back to Leica ...

All the best.

 

[Knorp]

PS in case you didn't know: the Tri-Elmar's nickname is 'MATE'.
Just saying ...

And there's also a 'WATE' ...

 

[Don Libby]

Hi Don, when you change focal length you also have to select the corresponding focal length in the lens menu.

You should see this:

• 28-35-50 f/4.0 ASPH. @28mm 11625
• 28-35-50 f/4.0 ASPH. @35mm 11625
• 28-35-50 f/4.0 ASPH. @50mm 11625

Welcome back to Leica ...

All the best.

Okay, so do I need to it for each FL? Also would it be beneficial to code the lens?

 

[Knorp]

Okay, so do I need to it for each FL? Also would it be beneficial to code the lens?

Yes Don, for every single change in FL you have to dig into the menu and select the right 'gear'.
I doubt coding would be of much help other than having the lens automatically recognized by your camera.
Still, you have to select the FL in the lens menu. The 6-bit coding is a stationary indicator for the lens type only.
It should require three different 6-bit codes for each FL.
Well frankly that's my understanding.

 

[Knorp]

Perhaps this article is of any interest to you and might give a clue whether coding is benificial or not:

The Leica MATE Lens Review (Medium Angle Tri-Elmar) by Ashwin Rao | Steve Huff Hi-Fi and Photo

Help support stevehuffphoto.com - shop at my sponsors, B&H Photo, Amazon and Dale Photo to keep this site going and growing! The Leica Tri Elmar 28-35-50 f/4 Aspherical (MATE) Lens Review By Ashwin Rao Hello, everyone. It’s Ashwin, here with a review for you all of one of the true engineering...

www.stevehuffphoto.com

Edit: unfortunately there's nothing about coding.

 

[Knorp]

Well here is hope, Don.
It seems coding the lens will trigger the correct FL in EXIF: https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/201956-leica-tri-elmar-28-35-50-and-6-bit-coding/

 

[DaveS]

Hi, it does work well on a M body. I have the TRI-E 28-35-50 V2 with the 49mm filter thread and 6 Bit coded by Leica.
I have attached pictures showing the mounting ring with a spring on part of the M mount. It moves in 3 different positions when you go between focal lengths.

On the back screen, you can see it change focal lengths as you switch. It takes about 2 seconds to show up when switching. I guess between the spring doing its thing and camera detecting a new length, it has a short delay to show up. When editing it shows the proper focal length, and in the view finder the frames auto change.

On the SL with M adapter, it gives you a choice when you first turn the camera on which of the 3 to choose from, and then if you change you have to do it via the menu. Which you might want to do so the IBIS knows how to behave.

I took it as my main daylight lens on a recent trip to Cyprus, and the Peloponnese region. 3 from below are from the TRI-E of that trip.

Dave

 

[Don Libby]

I wonder if the spring can be retrofitted....

 

[DaveS]

I wonder if the spring can be retrofitted....

 

[DaveS]

Hi, I think the spring is part of every TRI-Elmar, it actually changes the effect length of the cut out on the M mount. It pulls a piece of metal along the M mount that tells the Camera which frame lines to show so it matches the focal length set on the lens.

When you add 6 bit coding, it already has the frame line information, so then it can add to the Exif the lens and focal length and any lens corrections it uses. (I would guess all this additional mechanical complexity is why they don’t make them anymore)

It is a fun and convenient lens, but not as sharp as the latest ones.

 

[Don Libby]

I've been using my newly coded lens for a couple of days. The one issue I've had is the coding on my 28-50 lens wore off and I've since redone it this time allowing the ink to thoroughly dry before mounting. Yes, I do have that spring and yes the coding shows which FL I used so win win.

 

[getscreen]

The lack of coding can be a pain sometimes, but manually selecting the lens is a good workaround. It's strange that it's only showing up as 28mm though, especially if you shot the whole spread. Could be a compatibility issue or maybe a setting needs tweaking?

 

[Don Libby]

The lack of coding can be a pain sometimes, but manually selecting the lens is a good workaround. It's strange that it's only showing up as 28mm though, especially if you shot the whole spread. Could be a compatibility issue or maybe a setting needs tweaking?

I'm getting accurate readings now - so long as the paint doesn't get scratched off...