[Leica] Petition for initiating M8 lens identification in firmware

[mitcha at mac.com (mitcha@mac.com)]

Sorry, but the open letter to Stefan Daniel of Leica, linked above,  
was merged into a thread on the pettion; so here is, for your  
information, the text of the letter:

> Open letter to Stefan Daniel: petition for firmware M8 lens  
> identification
>
> As a recent buyer of the M8.2 and as an M6 user since 1988 I have  
> posted an online petition asking Leica to introduce a firmware  
> upgrade to identify lenses to the camera. This has been discussed in  
> a long thread on this forum. The links to the petition and to the  
> discussion are at the end of this letter.
>
> After 2-1/2 days, 220 Leica M8 owners have signed the petition,  
> excluding some 18 prank or nonsense signatures, which indicates  
> strong support for this measure, as you can see from some of the  
> comments by the signers of the petition.
>
> The LUF discussion referred to above, and previous discussions here  
> and on other forums, have been polarized, with vocal opponents of  
> the proposal concerned about being able to change lenses without  
> having to enter anything in menus. However, this petition only asks  
> for the firmware to identify lenses to the camera, which would be an  
> alternative to lens coding, so that the user would have a choice how  
> to deal with all or some of his or her lenses. Also, the petition  
> does not ask for Leica to open this up for all lenses as opposed to  
> Leica lenses. However, some people think that users will be able to  
> apply a firmware lens identification system to third-party lenses,  
> but it is clear that this is no different from the current situation  
> in which users are able to code third-party lenses.
>
> The case for firmware lens identification is simple. As many of the  
> signers of the petition have stated, the lens coding solution is  
> inconvenient and costly for most M8 users. Having the lenses coded  
> takes at least a month, and often much longer, and many users simply  
> cannot be without their lenses that long. It is also costly,  
> particularly for anyone who has four, five or more, M-lenses.  
> Moreover, for users outside of Europe and North America, shipping  
> lenses for coding is even more expensive, takes more time and, in  
> some countries, involves cumbersome customs clearance when the  
> lenses are returned, with the result being that customs duties,  
> which should not be payable, sometimes have to be paid. Against  
> this, a firmware lens identification system, similar to that  
> available on Nikon cameras, that either allows the user simply to  
> enter into a list of lenses, say 1 through 9, the focal length and  
> maximum aperture, or select a particular lens from a menu of Leica  
> lenses, provides an easy, inexpensive and practical alternative to  
> lens coding.
>
> Going by my own experience, lens coding is indeed a barrier for some  
> people to buy the M8: I've resisted getting the M8 up till now  
> because I did not want to get my lenses coded or use IR filters ? I  
> have eight Leica-M lenses. I live in Thailand from where sending  
> lenses abroad is expensive, time-consuming and inconvenient in terms  
> of customs clearance, as stated above. It was only some ten days ago  
> that I bought the M8.2, after I decided that I would use the camera  
> only for B&W and therefore didn't need to have the lenses coded.  
> There are a significant number of users in my category that are  
> holding off buying the M8 for this reason or are thinking of selling  
> off their M-lenses after they've stopped shooting film.
>
> It seems to me that providing a firmware upgrade for lens  
> identification would be an important step in maintaining and gaining  
> continued goodwill from Leica users.
>
> ?Mitch/Potomac, MD
>
> http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/l...natures-1.html
>
> http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-...-firmware.html