Tag: leica

New $11,000 Leica f/0.95 50mm Noctilux ASPH lens

Nicolai Grossman 1 Comment

According to Wired, a French magazine leaked details of a new Leica aspherical f/0.95 50mm Noctilux, coming in at a predictably heavy 8,000 euros.

While that’s cool and all, I’m not sure I see the point… as the article points out, the depth of field is "ridiculously small — focus on a pupil and the edge of the eye will blur". I don’t equate sharpness with goodness, but if you want to make blur, there are a lot cheaper ways to do it. Quality of blur does matter—greatly, in my opinion—but this seems like it’s going to be marketed as a tool for taking very low-light photos in. Or maybe they don’t care about the actual utility and are counting on the people who will undoubtedly buy it just because the numbers will be limited and it says Leica on it.

Also rumored to be announced at Photokina [photo equipment trade show] by Leica are:

M Summilux 21mm f/1.4, 5,000 Euros
M Summilux 24mm f/1.4, 5,000 Euros
M Elmar 24mm f/3.8, 1,800 Euros

Leica announce new Summarit-M lens range

Nicolai Grossman Leave a comment

Today Leica announced a new range of M-mount rangefinder lenses, called Summarit. They will be available in focal lengths of 35mm, 50mm, 75mm, and 90mm—all f/2.5 and coded for the M8—from the end of November, 2007 forward.

Leica’s press release:

The new class of Leica precision lenses

It is the lenses on which the legend of the Leica brand was founded. Finely crafted masterpieces – compact and practical precision optics for analog and digital photography.

With the Leica Summarit-M class of lenses, Leica maintains its tradition of producing lenses that are renowned for optical and mechanical excellence. The new family consists of four lenses and covers the most popular focal lengths in the Leica M system:

LEICA SUMMARIT-M 35 mm f/2.5
LEICA SUMMARIT-M 50 mm f/2.5
LEICA SUMMARIT-M 75 mm f/2.5
LEICA SUMMARIT-M 90 mm f/2.5

The maximum aperture of f/2.5 and the concentration on the classic and proven spherical lens design leads to a new series of lenses that now brings famous Leica quality and a superb price/performance ratio.

The launch of the Leica Summarit-M family of lenses marks the return of important Leica heritage elements. All letter and number engravings are made with the traditional “Leitz-Norm” font as originally used by Leitz Wetzlar during the 1960s, and the red button on the lens mount is now true to the original color used on Leitz lenses produced since the introduction of the M mount through the 1960s.

Lens Campaign in Leica Rangefinder System

The launch of the new Leica Summarit-M lenses is the start of a campaign in which Leica is putting a greater focus on its core competencies in optics manufacture. Leica’s high-performance optics, which are all made by hand at Leica’s main factory in Solms near Wetzlar, Germany are the fruit of many years of experience in optics and precision mechanics, unique technologies, high-quality materials and the commitment and craftsmanship of competent staff.
Steven K. Lee

“Leica users are the most demanding customers in the world of photography. To satisfy their high expectations of quality, we put a unique amount of effort into manufacturing Leica lenses. This starts with a bold idea and continues with an ambitious optical design, a selection of the best materials on the market and sophisticated production processes. Meticulous quality assurance with 100% checks is, of course, an integral part of the process. The aim of all these efforts is to create high-class photographic and phototechnical images. Corner-to-corner definition and brilliance over the entire visual field, maximum imaging performance already at full aperture and superior stray light reduction – this is what photographers like about their Leica lenses, plus a unique mechanical excellence that is immediately felt when turning the focus ring or adjusting the aperture. This gives Leica photographers decades of pleasure – and enviable photographic results,” says Steven K. Lee, CEO of Leica Camera AG.

Deliveries of Leica Summarit-M lenses are scheduled to begin at the end of November 2007.

More info here from Leica, including a PDF technical data sheet.

(Thank goodness they nailed the most important part of any imaging system: the font used to engrave the lens. Yeah, they make nice kit—even if their film loading is still in the stone age—but it’s so hard not to laugh at anybody who takes this stuff seriously. (And I’m a designer!))

Leica digital lens code database

Nicolai Grossman Leave a comment

There’s now a growing database of Leica’s lens codes for use on the M8. Why pay $120 and wait 6–8 weeks to have Leica code your lenses when you can do it yourself with a marker?

Check out this how-to by Mike Prevette on the Leica user forums for details.

Previous posts on the subject: Hacking Leica digital lens coding, Leica M lenses coding for digital, Free digital coding upgrade on new Leica lenses in US & CA

Via the ever-vigilant Auspicious Dragon Photostream

Hacking Leica digital lens coding

Nicolai Grossman 2 Comments

As I posted previously [1, 2], Leica have a coding scheme for their lenses so that the new digital M8 body can automatically identify the mounted lens. It turns out that you can use a marker to code the lenses rather than paying Leica US $120 per lens for six dots of paint. You can use the same method to trick the body into thinking you have a different lens mounted than you actually do.

Check out this how-to by Mike Prevette on the Leica user forums for details.

Via Auspicious Dragon Photostream

Free digital coding upgrade on new Leica lenses in US & CA

Nicolai Grossman 4 Comments

As I posted previously, Leica have a new digital coding system for their M lenses so their digital bodies can automatically detect which lens is mounted. The coding consists of six painted dots on the mount, and normally costs a characteristically extortionate $120. Now, for a limited time only, US and Canadian customers can get it for FREE when they buy a new Leica lens. And then wait only 6-8 weeks!

Leica press release

10/12/2006 – Purchase any new M lens from an authorized USA/Canadian Leica dealer between October 1 and December 31, 2006, and you will receive 2 free vouchers – worth $125 each entitling you to upgrade your existing Leica M lenses by adding the 6-bit code. Lens conversion for customers will begin on Nov. 1, 2006. To take advantage of this exciting, limited-time program, you must register your new Lieca M lens and submit any rebate claims within 30 days of purchase. Kindly return a copy of the original dated sales receipt and completed Leica USA warranty card along with the completed forms. After registration is completed, 2 vouchers for 6-bit coding will be sent to you. Please allow 6-8 weeks for processing. Lens conversion for customers will begin in November, 2006. Please contact Customer Serivce at (201) 995-0051 ext 236 for more information. This promotion is only in the United States of America and Canada.

This is cool and all, but, in my opinion, also bullshit. New Leica lenses are fucking expensive, with a capital EXPENSIVE. They should already come coded. Un-coded lenses still in the supply chain? Exchange coded lenses with the dealers for uncoded, code them, and ship them as you normally would.

Some update fee for older lenses is reasonable, but $120 is insane. It’s paint, for fuck’s sake. Why not abandon that paint—which must be made from some pretty spectacular shit to charge $20 per dot—and just sell stickers for each lens that people can put on themselves?

Lastly, let’s say I do drop 2 grand on a new lens and another 5 on an M8 body. What the fuck makes Leica think that I want to wait 6-8 weeks to use it? I can’t work out if Leica just don’t understand their customers or if the majority of their customers are simply insane. This is the kind of thing that makes me think thrice about investing in an M8. Sort yourselves out!

Immense shitload of new Zeiss F, M, and CF lenses

Nicolai Grossman Leave a comment

Zeiss are blasting out a huge range of new manual focus lenses:

Leica M mount

  • Distagon T* 18mm f/4
  • C Biogon T* 21mm f/4.5

Nikon F mount

  • ZF Distagon T* 35mm f/2
  • ZF Makro-Planar 50mm f/2
  • ZF Makro-Planar 100mm f/2
  • ZF Distagon T* 25mm f/2.8

Hasselblad CF mount (appear to be vintage-look versions of the currently available equivalents)

  • Makro-Planar T* 120mm f/4
  • Distagon T* 50mm f/4
  • Sonnar T* 180mm f/4

Check out Photos and commentary at The Online Photographer or Zeiss’ rundown (minus the Hasselblads).

Via Auspicious Dragon’s photostream blog

Leica M lenses coding for digital

Nicolai Grossman 3 Comments

Digital Photography Review write:

Leica has announced that all new M system lenses will carry a new 6-bit code (painted in black/white dots) which will allow the upcoming digital M camera to identify which len is being used (up to 64 in 6-bit coding) and also to store this information in image metadata. As well as applying this coding to new lenses Leica has announced an upgrade service which allows owners of existing M series lenses to have the coding written onto each lens at a cost of 95 EUROs. The press release also hints that the new M series digital will appear in the second half of 2006 (at Photokina no doubt).

Wow, only 95 EUR (US $120 as of today) for six dots of paint? That’s a mere 16 EUR/US $20 each! It must be because they "are fabricated with unequaled mechanical and optical precision" and "have an extraordinary aura that can evoke feelings and emotions" like the rest of their range. (Sorry, but how seriously can you really take a company that have a "Leica Mythology" section on their web site?)

Here’s the press release (PDF):

Leica Camera AG, Solms will be giving the lenses of the Leica rangefinder system a new code on the bayonet ring in future to enable the planned digital Leica M camera to recognize the lens type. The information on the lens that is being used helps the camera to optimize image quality. All lenses leaving the factory from July 1st, 2006 onwards will have the new coding, although they can still be fully used with the current analog cameras LEICA MP and LEICA M7 as well as classic models built after 1954. Lenses in the current range as well as many earlier models can be retrofitted at the cost of the owner to benefit from the image optimization in the camera. The lenses are compatible with the planned digital M camera even without retrofitting, except that the additional features cannot be used.

The lens coding is called ‘6-bit coding’ because six fields in the bayonet ring are marked in black or white to represent a number from 1 to 64 in binary code. The planned digital M camera reads this information optically and can identify the lens on the basis of this code. Apart from the improvement in image quality, this information is also written into the EXIF image file.

"On account of their legendary quality, nearly all Leica M lenses are ideal for digital use. However, the new 6-bit coding also uses the performance reserves in the image processing of the camera to give our customers the excellent image result they expect from Leica," says Rainer Bültert, product manager for the M system at Leica Camera AG.

Lenses bought in the past will be converted at the request of the customer for 95 euros at the Customer Service of Leica Camera AG in Solms or the Leica agencies of other countries.

Many of the lenses made from 1963 onwards can be converted. A list of such models is available on the following pages or from the Leica Info-Service (Tel. 06442/208-111). The only lens in the current range that will not be given a 6-bit coding is the LEICA APO-TELYT-M 135 mm f/3.4. It is not codable later, either, as its extension factor of 1.33 makes it unsuitable for use on the planned digital M camera. The launch of the digital Leica rangefinder camera is planned for the second half of 2006.

List of present lenses that can be updated

Name Color Order no. Delivered from
Elmarit-M 21mm f/2.8 ASPH. Black 11135 1997
Summicron-M 28mm f/2 ASPH. Black 11604 2000
Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 ASPH. Black 11874 1994
Summicron-M 35mm f/2 ASPH. Silver 11882 1996
Summilux-M 50mm f/1.4 ASPH. Black 11891 2004
Summicron-M 50mm f/2 Black 11826 1994
Elmar-M 50mm f/2.8 Black 11831 1995
Summilux-M 75mm f/1.4 Black 11810 1998
Apo-Summicron-M 90mm f/2 ASPH. Black 11884 1998
Macro-Elmar-M 90mm f/4 Black 11633 2002
Macro-Adapter M Black 14409 2002

Discontinued lenses that can be updated

Besides those presently available, even lenses that were discontinued quite a while ago can be updated (see list below). Since Leica Camera AG regards system compatibility as a vital virtue, many lenses introduced as long ago as 1963 can be updated.

Name Color Order No. Delivered from-until
Elmarit-M 21mm f/2.8 Black 11134 1980-1997
Elmarit-M 21mm f/2.8 ASPH. Silver 11897 1997-2004
Elmarit-M 24mm f/2.8 ASPH. Silver 11898 1996-2005
Elmarit-M 28mm f/2.8 Black 11804 1979-1992
Elmarit-M 28mm f/2.8 Black 11809 1992-2005
Tri-Elmar-M 28-35-50mm f/4 ASPH. Black 11890 1998-2000
Tri-Elmar-M 28-35-50mm f/4 ASPH. Silver 11894 1999-2000
Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 ASPH. Silver 11883 1994-2004
Summicron-M 35mm f/2 Black 11310 1979-1996
Summicron-M 35mm f/2 Silver 11311 1993-1996
Noctilux-M 50mm f/1.0 Black 11821 1975-1994
Summilux-M 50mm f/1.4 Black 11868 1992-2004
Summilux-M 50mm f/1.4 Silver 11856 1992-2004
Summicron-M 50mm f/2 Black 11817 1969-1979
Summicron-M 50mm f/2 Black 11819 1979-1994
Summicron-M 50mm f/2 Silver 11825 1992-1994
Summilux-M 75mm f/1.4 Black 11814 1980-1982
Summilux-M 75mm f/1.4 Black 11815 1982-1998
Summicron-M 90mm f/2 Black 11136 1980-1989
Summicron-M 90mm f/2 Silver 11137 1993-1989
Apo-Summicron-M 90mm f/2 ASPH. Silver 11885 2002-2004
Tele-Elmarit-M 90mm f/2.8 Black 11800 1973-1989
Elmarit-M 90mm f/2.8 Silver 11808 1997-2004
Elmarit-M 135mm f/2.8 Black 11829 1963-1997

Please ask either your authorized Leica dealer or Customer Service in Solms to perform the update. The latter will be happy to inform you on this subject. Customer Service is available under the phone number +49 (0)6442 208-189.

Via Digital Photography Review

Resolving power record with Zeiss 2.8/25 ZM lens

Nicolai Grossman Leave a comment

Apparently Zeiss’ Biogon T* 2.8/25 ZM lens for Leica M is ludicrous in at least one department.

From issue 24 of Zeiss Camera Lens News, released today:

"The result was a whopping 400 lp/mm on film, recorded with the Biogon 25 at f/4 in the center of the image. This value, 400 lp/mm, corresponds to the maximum resolution theoretically possible at f/4; in other words it represents the calculated ‘diffraction limited’ performance at this aperture…"

Continue reading at Zeiss.com

Um, seriously: holy shit.

Of course this is only one specification, and I’d personally be more interested in rectilinearity (the lack of which drives me utterly batshit when I’m after sharp photos) and chromatic aberration, but this is just insanely impressive.

(lp/mm = line pairs per millimeter)