Disappointing Newsletter from Zeiss

Also the Richard Rosenman vignette plug in they mention seems to have vanished from the Richard Rosenman site.....although I do remember it did exist at one time.

Sandy

Hey Sandy can you give me a link to Cornerfix , I would like to post that in the Sunset bar or gear Garage and make that a sticky. thanks Guy

or if you want to put it in the gear garage i will make it a sticky.

Guy,

The link is:

http://sourceforge.net/projects/cornerfix/

Sandy

Thank you all set in the gear garage

sandymc said:

Also the Richard Rosenman vignette plug in they mention seems to have vanished from the Richard Rosenman site.....although I do remember it did exist at one time.

Sandy

Click to expand...

The link should have gone to Cornerfix. I don't know what they were thinking.

Cheers,

Sean

Maybe send them a note Sean and get it straightened out.

Sean_Reid said:

The link should have gone to Cornerfix. I don't know what they were thinking.

Cheers,

Sean

Click to expand...

Hi Sean
What were they thinking of period.
Surely they should be offering mounts with recesses for coding rather than trying to tell us all that we don't need it!

I think they're missing a huge market section here - I have a couple of zeiss lenses, they have different characteristics from the Leica lenses, and I've found them really useful - I'd buy more, but the hassle of buying extra mounts, sending them across the Atlantic to John for milling and then fitting them on the lens and destroying one's warranty . . . . .

They need to get their act together!

Guy Mancuso said:

Maybe send them a note Sean and get it straightened out.

Click to expand...

I already put Sandy and Zeiss together a few months ago but I'm not sure where it went from there.

Cheers,

Sean

jonoslack said:

Hi Sean
What were they thinking of period.
Surely they should be offering mounts with recesses for coding rather than trying to tell us all that we don't need it!

I think they're missing a huge market section here - I have a couple of zeiss lenses, they have different characteristics from the Leica lenses, and I've found them really useful - I'd buy more, but the hassle of buying extra mounts, sending them across the Atlantic to John for milling and then fitting them on the lens and destroying one's warranty . . . . .

They need to get their act together!

Click to expand...

Hi Jono,

They can't do anything that might violate patent and it's traditional, in that world, to be conservative about IP so recesses are not likely. As far as the wide lenses having the wrong bayonets for the M8 - that won't continue forever (can't say more but they're well aware of the issue).

It's true that they're great lenses and its also true that it can be a hassle to code them for the M8. Of course if the M8 didn't need filters, these lenses wouldn't need to be coded in the first place. A lens selection menu should have been implemented in the M8 a long time ago. Coding is needed, primarily, for cyan drift compensation which is an *M8 problem* rather than a lens problem per se.

But...I may as well try and catch the wind. <G>

Cheers,

Sean

Hi Sean

Sean_Reid said:

Hi Jono,

They can't do anything that might violate patent and it's traditional, in that world, to be conservative about IP so recesses are not likely. As far as the wide lenses having the wrong bayonets for the M8 - that won't continue forever (can't say more but they're well aware of the issue).

Click to expand...

Well, okay, I understand what you're saying, but surely they could at least develop some sort of service to do the job, one which did not invalidate your warranty at the same time.

As things stand, if you want to use filters you are pretty much committed to spending an extra $250, being without the lens for a few weeks, having a considerable hassle AND losing your warranty. It isn't a very attractive proposition, and I would have thought that the M8 was most likely their largest market for ZM lenses (unless, of course, they have an Ikon digital up their sleeve).

Sean_Reid said:

It's true that they're great lenses and its also true that it can be a hassle to code them for the M8. Of course if the M8 didn't need filters, these lenses wouldn't need to be coded in the first place. A lens selection menu should have been implemented in the M8 a long time ago. Coding is needed, primarily, for cyan drift compensation which is an *M8 problem* rather than a lens problem per se.

Click to expand...

Well, there are a couple of things that strike me here:

1. Any further digital rangefinder is also likely to need filters (unless they apply 'cornerfix' in the firmware, but the lenses will still need coding).

2. Leica aren't going to put a lens table into the firmware - why would they? At least, they aren't going to do it until there is some competition for the M8.

3. Leica aren't going to SAY that they won't put a lens table into the firmware . . . (why would they?).

Sean_Reid said:

But...I may as well try and catch the wind. <G>

Click to expand...

LOL Nice though they are, sometimes it seems to me that buying a Zeiss lens is more like pissing into the wind than trying to catch it!

Sean_Reid said:

I already put Sandy and Zeiss together a few months ago but I'm not sure where it went from there.

Cheers,

Sean

Click to expand...

Sean,

They never contacted me.........

Sandy

jonoslack said:

LOL Nice though they are, sometimes it seems to me that buying a Zeiss lens is more like pissing into the wind than trying to catch it!

Click to expand...

This is where the screw mount Voitlander lenses have the advantage. It is much easier to order a coded adapter from John Milich and just screw it on.

It certainly makes it easier i agree Robert. Just look what John had to do with my Zeiss 18mm to get it working like the WATE for coding on the M8. i needed a whole new mount to be made.

robsteve said:

This is where the screw mount Voitlander lenses have the advantage. It is much easier to order a coded adapter from John Milich and just screw it on.

Click to expand...

HI Rob
Absolutely - and you can wait until he adaptor comes before ordering the lens. But I still feel that there ought to be a simpler way of organising all of this.

I got a couple of ZM lenses from Vieri (who had already gone through the pain). The 25 (which I wanted) and the 50 Sonnar (or is it Softar) are lovely lenses. I like the handling better than the CV lenses as well.

Sean_Reid said:

Coding is needed, primarily, for cyan drift compensation which is an *M8 problem* rather than a lens problem per se.

Click to expand...

Okay, as a neophyte when it comes to Leica, my question was going to be what does coding get you; but that's has been answered to some degree.

So my new question is:
1.) What (if anything) is different about using a coded vs. uncoded lens on an M6?
2.) Is it always better to have a lens coded? Is there every a time you would rather have an uncoded lens? Why/Why not?

Thanks!

-Chris

Hi Chris

Nice to see you here.

The M6 has no need for coding and wouldn't recognize it if it were there. the 6 bit code tells the M8 which lens is mounted and there is a table inside the M8 which then applies corner corrections for vignetting and cyan color removal. However for it to work the M8 has to be set for lens recognition and correction to "on." This is all a result of the need to use UV/IR filters for the M8 sensor. Without the filter you get color aberrations although it doesn't bother everyone and for black and white the IR can be seen as a friend.

So have fun with your M6 and no worries about lens coding. But remember that one day you will just have to own a Digital Leica so if you can get lenses that are coded now you are future proofed.
Best

Woody

Hi Jono,

We don't know that a future Leica DRF will need filters. It's a hassle to prep Zeiss lenses for coding but keep in mind that the problem lies with the M8 and not with the lenses. I love the camera but it's IR problem is at the root of all this. Otherwise coding would be nice but certainly not needed. I think Leica should be responsible for sorting out Leica's problem. The lens menu selection should have been implemented a long time ago. I can't explain further but we almost had that feature.

So, rather than rail at Zeiss one might want to rail at the closed system of 6-bit coding which is, essentially, needed because of a camera problem.

In a nutshell:

1. Leica created a camera with an IR sensitivity problem

2. Leica addressed the problem with IR cut filters and in-camera corrections triggered by existing coding system. Patents had already been applied for. Coding only available for certain Leica lenses.

3. Photographers whose lenses cannot be coded by Leica must resort to their own solutions. Other lens companies in no position to use Leica's coding in their lenses (to correct for problem created by Leica camera).

Its frustrating but let's be clear about where the primary responsibility for the problem lies.

Cheers,

Sean

sandymc said:

Sean,

They never contacted me.........

Sandy

Click to expand...

Really...e-mail me and lets discuss further.

Cheers,

Sean

robsteve said:

This is where the screw mount Voitlander lenses have the advantage. It is much easier to order a coded adapter from John Milich and just screw it on.

Click to expand...

Absolutely. The LT-M8 makes this quite easy.

Cheers,

Sean