"Attention No Lens Connected"

[Robert Campbell]

I have several non-coded lenses for the M240 (f/w 2.0.2.5) and M246 (f/w 1.0.0.4).

I get this error message when using some of them; Live View doesn't work, yet I can still get a snap. This happens with matrix metering; with Classic metering, I can't use Live View (which I haven't disabled).

What am I doing wrong this time?

 

[JohnBrew]

Robert, not sure this will work but I would go to the menu and pick "lens detection" and go to "manual" scroll down and pick the lens. Or perhaps assign the one closest to the lens you are shooting.
Good luck.

 

[Robert Campbell]

Robert, not sure this will work but I would go to the menu and pick "lens detection" and go to "manual" scroll down and pick the lens. Or perhaps assign the one closest to the lens you are shooting.
Good luck.

Thanks, John.

I checked, and 'lens detection' was set to 'automatic'. If I turn 'lens detection' off, or to manual there is no problem.

But...this doesn't happen with all lenses, only those with a longer focal length; no, I don't understand why either. Setting to manual doesn't include codes which I could use for other lenses—there isn't a value for an f/2.5 lens, for instance.

And..."no lens detected" isn't actually quite right. When 'lens detection' is set to auto, and "no lens detected" appears, it actually means 'no coded lens detected'.

So, Mr Leica, here's a freebie suggestion; let the 'auto detection' be the standard; when a non-coded lens is attached, the viewfinder frames will be actuated. In your latest models, the framelines are electronic, so you should be able to tap into this. It ought to be possible, after 'no coded lens detected' so say '35mm lens uncoded lens detected' (or whatever), and then give us the opportunity to 'ignore' this message, or 'continue' to manual coding. If you can't give us the exact focal length, at least give us the common focal lengths with a press to the sub-menu which could contain common aperture values.

What about it? Or is this a cunning marketing ploy to get us to only use up-to-date coded lenses?

 

[silver92b]

Re: "Attention No Lens Connected"

My copy of the M240 acts the same way. To make things more interesting, it does it some times with the same lens but not other times. I think that if I change lenses with the camera turned on, it seems to not realize a non-6 bit coded lens has replaced the previous lens. All this happens as others say, when the lens detection is set to "Automatic". Obviously with it set to "off" or "Manual" will eliminate that problem. However, with wide angle lenses the falloff can be significant if the camera does not "see" the lens... The Maestro processor, applies certain adjustments to wide angle 6 bit coded lenses to alleviate this. Of course, this is generally not an issue with longer lenses.

Hope this helps.

- - - Updated - - -

What about it? Or is this a cunning marketing ploy to get us to only use up-to-date coded lenses?

I think this is true .... They certainly got me using expensive 6 bit coded Leica lenses.....

 

[Robert Campbell]

I have some oldish LTM lenses, and I obtained some adapters off Ebay which have "pits" which can be painted in to code the lens. The pits seem to be a bit smaller than on original Leica coded lenses.

So, I coded the lenses, with a code approximating roughly to the lens. This seems to work fine on the M240, the lens is recognised for the code it has...but a couple of them simply don't work on the M246.

Now, what is this problem? Any ideas?

 

[Vivek]

I have some oldish LTM lenses, and I obtained some adapters off Ebay which have "pits" which can be painted in to code the lens. The pits seem to be a bit smaller than on original Leica coded lenses.

So, I coded the lenses, with a code approximating roughly to the lens. This seems to work fine on the M240, the lens is recognised for the code it has...but a couple of them simply don't work on the M246.

Now, what is this problem? Any ideas?

Some details as to which ones did not work and how they failed? Also, who made your adapters?

 

[Robert Campbell]

Some details as to which ones did not work and how they failed? Also, who made your adapters?

The adapters are Chinese. The "pits" for the coding seem smaller than the Leica originals, and perhaps shallower.

I 'recoded' a 35mm v/lander, and it now works on both the M240 and the M246.

But, despite 'recoding'—more work with a Sharpie equivalent—a 50mm and a 75mm (both v/lander) aren't recognised by the M246, but are correctly recognised by the M240. I'm assuming, perhaps naively, that the M240 and the M246 have the same internal gubbins.

And, sometimes these lenses give a "Attention no lens connected" warning, and won't let me use them; sometimes I can use them, with a lot of noises (I guess from the matrix exposing), yet at other times they will work with LV, where they are "uncoded".

All of which is annoying, but not really serious. Those of us of a certain vintage will remember the old advice to record exposure details in a notebook. EXIF relieves us of this, even if the aperture is no more than a guess; recording the lens in use is an extra, but welcome—and, like all things that don't work when they should, tiresome.

 

[Robert Campbell]

I also have an old Leica M-mount lens; this works fine in Live View.

So, is the "Attention no lens connected" triggered by the mount, rather than the 6 bit coding?

Yet, the screw lenses with adapters will bring up the correct frame lines.

And why only the warning with the M246 and not the M240?

 

[Vivek]

Robert, I will put all that in a mail and send it off to Leica along with the camera to fix it.

(FWIW, I use coded adapters-sold by Rong Jin- "jinfinances" on eBay- for many old lenses without any issues on my MM).

 

[Robert Campbell]

Robert, I will put all that in a mail and send it off to Leica along with the camera to fix it.

(FWIW, I use coded adapters-sold by Rong Jin- "jinfinances" on eBay- for many old lenses without any issues on my MM).

Thanks for the info, I will try different adapters (though one of the three 50/75 is fine).

I'd guess that if I involve Leica, I'd get a reply along the lines of, 'Sir is using unapproved adapters, we cannot commend this, we won't fix it'.

 

[Vivek]

Do they approve any ltm to m adapters? Their own from the ancient times do not work.

 

[Robert Campbell]

I've just received two more 50/75 LTM to M adapters. I coded them, and tried them on the M246; both worked fine. (And both are fine on the M240.)

I ordered them from a different supplier. But they came in boxes identical to the previous ones, identical to the handwriting on them; and there was the same identical 'Thank you' inside. The adapters themselves seem also to be identical to the ones that didn't work. I didn't check any measurements. Supposedly different vendors, but the same fulfillment.

I can only guess that the first couple were slightly out of tolerance, and that the M246 is very intolerant of even tiny misalignments.

 

[Godfrey]

The general problem with using generic brand mount adapters is variability ... the coding system isn't rocket science, but it does have its tolerance limits and those tolerances themselves might be slightly different from M body to M body.

I've stuck with all Voigtländer LTM->M-Mount adapters version II for this reason; I have five of them for different lenses in my cabinet. They're a higher grade of manufacture than the inexpensive generic ones, and are presumably held to tighter tolerances. I've had the default coding I want to use machined into them and the codes filled in with lacquer. None of these have displayed any unusual behavior on either M9 or M-P bodies.

G

 

[Vivek]

I've just received two more 50/75 LTM to M adapters. I coded them, and tried them on the M246; both worked fine. (And both are fine on the M240.)

I ordered them from a different supplier. But they came in boxes identical to the previous ones, identical to the handwriting on them; and there was the same identical 'Thank you' inside. The adapters themselves seem also to be identical to the ones that didn't work. I didn't check any measurements. Supposedly different vendors, but the same fulfillment.

I can only guess that the first couple were slightly out of tolerance, and that the M246 is very intolerant of even tiny misalignments.

I bet they are still cheaper than one Cosina adapter or a Leica lens cap! Glad it worked out for you!