New M8 owner questions

cincyMAT · 03-01-2009

I decided to pull the trigger on a demo M8 from Popflash Photo yesterday. I'd like to ask if any of you have used the lenses in my signature with a M8. If so, what are your thoughts?

I'd also like to know more about the lens coding and the use of IR cut filters. Will the M8 use these lenses without coding? Do any of the lenses listed absolutely require the filter? Any that don't? I've read wide angle lenses are more likely to benefit from use of the filter.

I plan to post process using Lightroom 2.3rc. I'll make my own camera color profile for daylight, flash, and mixed indoor lighting using the Adobe DNG profile editor. Anyone else do this?

Lastly (for now) what programs, plug-ins, or techniques do you use to process he color DNG files to black and white?

Many thanks,

tbarker13 · 03-01-2009

Lots of questions there. I'll answer a couple.

The filters are really about color rendition - so if you plan to shoot color, you should plan to have a UV/IR filter on the lens you are shooting with.
If you are just doing B&W, I don't see any reason you'd need a filter.

The 6-bit coding is the thing that's more likely to be needed on wide angle lenses to cope with some of the vignetting.

I do my B&W conversion in Capture One, but I also use the Photoshop plug-in Silver Efex Pro.

As to your lens collection, I think I've used all of them except for the 50 hexanon. I've enjoyed them all except for the CV 40/1.4. My copy had some nasty front focusing at close distances. If it were me, I'd probably look to add one of the many wonderful 35mm options out there.

oldoc · 03-01-2009

Well, Mark, I just got finished shooting the Elmarit 90 with my M8, and there is no difference in detectors from the M8.2. No problems. I am told that in MANY cases, and for shooting RAW, if you will there is no difference.
I have the CV 35/1.4, and have noted no problems thus far. Surely if my 35 were OK with that piece, your 40 is fine.
There are only a few lenses which CANNOT be used. As for coding, I have none thus far, and use Zeiss lenses 21/2.8 Biogon and 50/2.0 very happily. The 35/1.4 has been best for me so far, as an example is shown to you here.
Michael

cincyMAT · 03-01-2009

Thanks for your inputs gentlemen. I'll check the focus on my CV 40 when the M8 arrives. Haven't noticed any problems with the M6 using that lens but don't see any close up work in my pictures either.

Michael, I like the look of your 35/1.4 photo. Nice color rendition.

AlterIgnis · 03-01-2009

I'm using the 50/2 Hexanon on the M8 and I'm very pleased with the results.

This lens is an absolute joy to use, and there isn't any focusing problem.

cincyMAT · 03-01-2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlterIgnis

I'm using the 50/2 Hexanon on the M8 and I'm very pleased with the results.

This lens is an absolute joy to use, and there isn't any focusing problem.

That's good to know! Not much information available regarding the M8 and Hexanon 50/2 combination.

Thanks!

Ben Z · 03-01-2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by cincyMAT

I decided to pull the trigger on a demo M8 from Popflash Photo yesterday. I'd like to ask if any of you have used the lenses in my signature with a M8. If so, what are your thoughts?

Congrats. Popflash (Tony) is where I got mine too. A++++ guy. Of the lenses you list, I have the 75/2.5, 28/1.9 and 15/4.5. I'm not sure which 90 you are referring to. The original Elmarit (w/vulcanite band around the base)? I have 3 Leica 90's, but not that one. Mine are the early and late Tele-Elmarits and the pre-ASPH Summicron. All of the aforementioned work splendidly on the M8. Of course their angles of view are cropped 25% because of the sensor size. The in-camera framelines handle all but the 15. For that you'll want to use a 21mm slip-in finder.

Quote:

I'd also like to know more about the lens coding and the use of IR cut filters. Will the M8 use these lenses without coding? Do any of the lenses listed absolutely require the filter? Any that don't? I've read wide angle lenses are more likely to benefit from use of the filter.

You have some misunderstandings. For color work, indoors or out, and even b&w if you want the tonality to come close to "reality", you'll need an IR filter permanently on each lens. The "it's only needed for black fabrics in some lighting" is just not the case, despite that's Leica's story and they're sticking to it. As to the coding, it's not needed at all from 50mm and longer. Under 50mm you will get some greenish fade toward the corners of the image on account of the IR filters. Increasingly more the shorter the focal length. There are a couple of postprocessing programs (PanoTools and CornerFix) that can correct it, but the in-camera processing works great and saves the added step in post. You need the lens coded for that to operate. There are ways to code the lenses yourself, and in fact for most if not all the lenses you have, that will be your only recourse.

Quote:

I plan to post process using Lightroom 2.3rc. I'll make my own camera color profile for daylight, flash, and mixed indoor lighting using the Adobe DNG profile editor. Anyone else do this?

I use Dave Farkas' profile that he made using professional lighting equipment, and graciously shared. I got it from him in person but I understand he linked a download on the Leica User Forum.

Quote:

Lastly (for now) what programs, plug-ins, or techniques do you use to process he color DNG files to black and white?

I'm not really into fancy b&w techniques so I prefer the Q&P (quick and painless) approach: just desaturate. Just about every program has a saturation slider. Again, there are many more qualified people who know advanced techniques for b&w. And although I shoot DNG 99% of the time and believe the M8 jpegs are somewhat more inferior w.r.t. RAW than eg on my Canons (ready to be flamed

), I notice it more in color. Frankly I haven't been all that disappointed with monochrome jpegs from the M8. Again, I'm not a b&w "artiste".

cincyMAT · 03-01-2009

Ben,

Thank you for the detailed answers to my questions. I am used to mounting filters to get proper colors from my Nikon D2h days. That camera really needed a hot mirror filter as the sensor is susceptible to certain IR wave lengths. Sounds as if the M8 sensor is the same.

I'll find the color profile you mentioned over at LUF. Though I'm not a color professional I am quite versed in building color profiles for my equipment. Not the most fun thing though so a ready made one will make life a bit easier.

As for a lens coding kit, does the one sold by Popflash work well?

buzzardkid · 03-01-2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by cincyMAT

That's good to know! Not much information available regarding the M8 and Hexanon 50/2 combination.

Thanks!

I might be able to add to that in the near future. I'm in the process of trading in my complete D300-with-lenses set for a near-new M8 and already own the M-Hex 50/1.2. Thursday will be the day it will all go down, can't wait!

Particularly interested in setting up a work flow in Lightroom, since that's my tool as well.

Happy shooting, love to see some shots.

baycrest · 03-01-2009

I've got the CV 40. You'll find the bokeh is fairly "jarring" wide open. Whether you like it or not is a matter of personal taste.

The CV Ultron 35 & 50 lenses using the older LTM adapter, had a bit of focus shift all over that many attribute to the thickness of the adapter. But both were very sharp lenses if you could find the focus point.

There's a thread on it on how to fix this issue.... For myself the thread came out after I had returned the lenses to the dealer.

Best Rob

GrahamWelland · 03-02-2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by oldoc

As for coding, I have none thus far, and use Zeiss lenses 21/2.8 Biogon and 50/2.0 very happily.

You must have been dodging a bullet if you've been using the 21/2.8 Zeiss with UV/IR filter and without coding or some form of software correction. I have this combination and if you'd tried to shoot that winter scene with UV/IR on and no correction the you'd have definitely been greeted with colour vignetting - nice shift to cyan in fact. You might get away with this with certain types of scene but from my experience it'll get you just when it matters most - snow, fog, full light coloured frame, even a blue sky.

__hh · 03-02-2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by GrahamWelland

You must have been dodging a bullet if you've been using the 21/2.8 Zeiss with UV/IR filter and without coding or some form of software correction. I have this combination and if you'd tried to shoot that winter scene with UV/IR on and no correction the you'd have definitely been greeted with colour vignetting - nice shift to cyan in fact. You might get away with this with certain types of scene but from my experience it'll get you just when it matters most - snow, fog, full light coloured frame, even a blue sky.

Would this help solve the problem of not having the lens coded ?

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

GrahamWelland · 03-02-2009

Cornerfix - absolutely. Create a profile for your non-coded lenses and then use that in pre-processing of the DNG files to remove the colour cast. No need to code the lenses if you use CornerFix.

__hh · 03-02-2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by GrahamWelland

Cornerfix - absolutely. Create a profile for your non-coded lenses and then use that in pre-processing of the DNG files to remove the colour cast. No need to code the lenses if you use CornerFix.

Graham,

I've been looking at Cornerfix for a little while now. Do you (or anyone) know where I can find instructions on how to work this program properly? There is no help file, and the sourceforge website does not say much about it.

I assume that one must go through some sort of controlled shooting, generate a profile, and applying the profile for that particular lens?

Thanks.

GrahamWelland · 03-02-2009

You might want to do a search here on CornerFix as I am sure that there will be instructions somewhere in the forum.

In summary, shoot a white wall wit UV/ir filter on but menu setting for detection off (just in case). Use that DNG file to produce a profile for that lens. Next time you shoot a pic with that lens & filter, load the DNG file and use the saved lens profile to write a corrected DNG file out.

cincyMAT · 03-02-2009

Great stuff everyone! I knew there had to be established methods for dealing with IR and lens coding.

Thanks to everyone for adding to this thread.

sandymc · 03-02-2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by hunghang

I've been looking at Cornerfix for a little while now. Do you (or anyone) know where I can find instructions on how to work this program properly?

There's a PDF file included into the zip file that you downloaded that has full instructions.

Sandy

GrahamWelland · 03-02-2009

Sandy should know ... he wrote it!

Jim Evidon · 03-04-2009

My first lens for the M8 was the 35mm CV f1.8 Ultron. It's very sharp across the field and from wide open to stopped down No focus shift. It is a fairly low contrast lens, though, which gives good shadow detail not not the contrasty snap of the German glass. I also have the 90mm Elmarit and it is extremely good in contrast and sharpness. But my favorite lens is the 35mm CV f1.2 Nokton, for all of it's weight. Great bokeh, very sharp and nice contrast.