Help-Lens coder kit does not work

[otumay]

Tom, thanks for the update. What type of marker you prefer?
Best,
Osman

 

[wilsonlaidlaw]

I found the only problem with the D-Coder kit is that the fine side of the pen tends to dry up quite quickly. It often takes two or three goes to get the coding to work. I think the critical factor is the width of the lines you draw. I generally mark the position with the coder and an ultra fine black marker (even finer that the supplied pen) and then widen them out slightly, after having removed the coder. I still find that a Pentel Sharpie gives the most consistent results. The only lens I have failed on (and then only on my M9 - it works fine on my M8 ??????) is my older model Zeiss ZM 50/2 Planar. This is the model before they moved the mount retaining screw countersink. I have tried filling the recess with various materials but still no joy on the M9. Of course I can code manually, which is why I am not too worried.

Wilson

 

[tom in mpls]

Tom, thanks for the update. What type of marker you prefer?

I have coded only one lens thus far, using the marker included in the kit.

 

[Cindy Flood]

I have coded only one lens thus far, using the marker included in the kit.

Not to burst your bubble, Tom, but my M8 read my 90 pre-ASPH as a 90 pre-ASPH with no coding. It seems the screw is in such a place that the M8 read it as a code.
I have used both the Tim Issac and the $5 coders. I use the $5 now. Both work great. If you are looking for a more permanent solution, you might check with Don Goldberg. He sent one of my mounts out for coding, while my lens was in for adjustment. He may still be offering that service.

 

[tom in mpls]

Burst away, Cindy. The lens I coded was a 90 Elmarit, not the Cron. :grin:

I have also just coded a Zeiss Biogon 28/2.8 successfully. I thought this might not work because of the screw located exactly where one of the black dots goes, but it did succeed. I coded it as the 28/2.8 pre-ASPH.

 

[Cindy Flood]

Burst away, Cindy. The lens I coded was a 90 Elmarit, not the Cron. :grin:

I have also just coded a Zeiss Biogon 28/2.8 successfully. I thought this might not work because of the screw located exactly where one of the black dots goes, but it did succeed. I coded it as the 28/2.8 pre-ASPH.

I was just kidding. :ROTFL:
The M8 did often read screws as black dots...that is why it read my 90 cron correctly without any coding. That might not be true if the M9 is more demanding.

 

[tom in mpls]

Cindy, that is interesting about screws being read as a black dot. I had assumed that my effort to blacken the screw, which was only partially successful, had done the trick. That would suggest that there are some lenses that cannot be hand coded a screw is located where a white dot must be. Maybe whiteout would work? I had intended that as a joke, but then it might work.

 

[Cindy Flood]

Whiteout might flake off. We had good success with black and white nail polish when there were detents reamed out. I haven't heard of any lenses that were not able to be coded. I wouldn't worry about any lens over 50mm that was not coded anyway. You would just lose the ability to check the exif, but vignette correction is not usually needed over 50mm (in my experience).

 

[ampguy]

I was an early tester for the Bo $5 coder. It works very straightforward. You can go to your favorite office supply store and pick up a few sharpies of different tip thickness that work for you.

However, after doing my own tests, and studying Sean Reid's, I haven't found coding needed for these lenses:

CV 15/4.5, CV 21/4, M-Hexanon 28/2.8, Canon 28/2.8 ('50s), CV 40/1.4, Leica E43 50/1.4, Leica E46 50/1.4, Leica 75/1.4, Noctilux F1 E60, Summicron 35/2, or a dozen other Leica and non Leica lenses.

IR/UV filters on the other hand are good to keep around for specific situations.

 

[Cindy Flood]

I was an early tester for the Bo $5 coder. It works very straightforward. You can go to your favorite office supply store and pick up a few sharpies of different tip thickness that work for you.

:thumbs:+1

 

[mike mm]

:thumbs: bo's coder also worked for me

 

[Bob Parsons]

The type of ink used in the pen is important. Many pigments used in the inks look dark or black to the eye but are transparent to infrared and will not work. The M8 and M9 use pairs of infrared transmitter/receiver diodes to read each code bit. If you can't make a coder work (although it should work with pens supplied) it's worth trying different makes of pens.

Bob.