Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2009/01/20

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Subject: [Leica] Petition for initiating M8 lens identification in firmware
From: hopsternew at gmail.com (Geoff Hopkinson)
Date: Tue Jan 20 14:15:12 2009
References: <E2C3B2FE-3B3E-4FEF-B466-E0DF0A87832F@mac.com>

Mitch, you would like support on our list for your petition but don't want
any discussion here ? I don't recall any discussion about this on this list
over the last several years.
The current coding system does more than provide a focal length and maximum
aperture. For example there are several 24mm M lenses. Each has different
coding and implicitly different correction applied.
You also need the correct bayonet flange design to bring up the right
framelines. Coding does not work without those. Zeiss has acknowledged this
with their excellent M lens designs now too.
Every new Leica lens made for the last several years has the coding. Not
unreasonably Leica would like to sell some of those new lenses as well to
help stay in business. Almost every other M lens ever made can still be
used. That is remarkable.
 Do you have the M8? Which lenses are not working well for you?
How about a petition to Nikon to put the aperture ring back on all of their
lens designs? ;-) Another one to stop them encrypting their white balance
data in NEFs to try to make their Raw format proprietary. DNGs would be
good. Good enough for Leica and Hasselblad  and Pentax.
I'l sign that one when it gets going.
2009/1/21 Mitch Alland <mitcha@mac.com>

> There has been extensive discussion of Leica's use of lens coding to
> identity lenses to the M8. Many of us feel that this is an extremely
> inconvenient and costly solution for the user and that this should be done,
> more simply, by providing for it in the M8 firmware, which is easy to
> implement. Accordingly, I have written an online petition to Andreas
> Kaufmann and Leica, which reads as follows:
>
> >While Leica's solution of coding lenses in order to identify them
> >to the camera may have made sense at the time the M8 was
> >introduced, today a better solution is available. Nikon deals with
> >lens identification in firmware, by simply allowing the used to enter
> >the focal length and maximum aperture of the lens. With such a
> >facility available in the M8 firmware the user would not have to send
> >lenses away for coding, which is not only relatively expensive but is also
>
> >bothersome in that the lenses have to be sent away and may not be
>
> >received back for some time; it is also often onerous for Leica M8
>
> >users who do not live in Europe and North America, in that lens
> >shipment is more costly, takes longer and involves troublesome
> >customs clearance when the lenses are shipped back.
>
> >We therefore call on Dr Andreas Kaufmann and Leica to institute
> >an M8 lens identification system in firmware, preferably on an
> >open-system basis for all lenses or at least for all Leica lenses
> >that can be used on the M8.
>
> You can sign the petition at the following link, and I encourage you to
> list in the Comment field the Leica-M camaras that you own:
>
> http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/leica-M8-firmware/
>
> My feeling is that, as this matter has been discussed so extensively, there
> is no need to discuss it here further. Please sign the petition if you
> support this initiative.
>
> ?Mitch/Potomac, MD
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/malland/sets/72157594271568487/
> _______________________________________________
> Leica Users Group.
> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information
>



-- 
Cheers
Geoff
Life's too short for slow zooms

Replies: Reply from crbirchenhall at googlemail.com (Christopher Birchenhall) ([Leica] Petition for initiating M8 lens identification in firmware)
Reply from ricc at embarqmail.com (Ric Carter) ([Leica] Petition for initiating M8 lens identification in firmware)
In reply to: Message from mitcha at mac.com (Mitch Alland) ([Leica] Petition for initiating M8 lens identification in firmware)