Tag: lens

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!

Lensbaby wide-angle conversion lenses

Nicolai Grossman Leave a comment

Lensbabies launches the new Lensbaby accessory lenses, a Lensbaby Wide Angle/Macro Conversion Lens and a Lensbaby Wide Angle/Telephoto Lens kit. Most notable about the new wide angle accessory lens is that it is optimized for use with the Lensbaby – no other wide angle accessory on the market preserves the size of the sweet spot of focus the way the Lensbaby wide angle lens does. When a photographer uses an industry standard wide angle conversion lens with a Lensbaby it shrinks the size of the Sweet Spot. The shrinking Sweet Spot makes it harder to shoot wide open at f/2.0 or f/2.8, because the Sweet Spot reduces to quite a small percentage of the photo. Our new Lensbaby wide angle conversion lenses solve the problem of the shrinking Sweet Spot…

Continue reading at the Photonika Show Web site

Lens marks and image quality: shocking truth revealed!

Nicolai Grossman 5 Comments

How many times have you seen "small cleaning mark on lens, does not affect image quality" in ads for used cameras? Is it true? What about severe defects, like, say, "a loose spiral spring, some odd hardened liquid bubbles, dust, and a unidentified German insect in the lens"? Jurgen Kreckel, who repairs and rebuilds vintage medium format folding cameras, took such a lens—a 50/1.4 Planar—to Dresden and found out.

The results are nothing short of shocking.

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM Lens review at CameraLabs

Nicolai Grossman 1 Comment

The lens performed well across its range, particularly in terms of corner sharpness at wide angle, while essentially matching our EF 85mm f1.8 prime in terms of resolving power. We were also impressed with the Image Stabilisation which allowed us to handhold at much slower shutter speeds than normal. Compared to lenses designed for bodies with smaller sensors though, it suffered from a worse degree of light fall-off, but this is par for the course for wide-angle lenses designed for full-frame bodies.

There’s an effective demonstration of Canon’s IS (Image Stabilisation) handheld at 1/13 second, too. (The shit works!)

Read review at Camera Labs

Via PhotographyBLOG

See also: Bill Caulfeild-Browne’s A Comparison of the new Canon 24-105 mm f4 L IS lens with the Canon 24-70 mm f2.8 L and Mark D. Segal’s How I Decided to Up-Grade From a Canon 28~135 IS to a Canon 24~105 F/4L IS at Luminous Landscape

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