[Leica] I have come to this conclusion

[len-1 at comcast.net (Leonard Taupier)]

Hello Alastair,

First let me congratulate you on your winning the Leica-Dior contest  
and your new M8. That is quite an honor and attests to your excellent  
photographic skills and photos.

Now on to your conclusions, #2 in particular.
First, if you have lenses 28mm and wider and you want to shoot color,  
get them coded and get the filters. Without coding and with or  
without filters the purple cast or the cyan corners are difficult to  
get rid of. If you don't care about accurate colors then don't worry  
about it.

Always use filters. Your photos will be sharper, especially with the  
non-APO lenses. IR and visible light focuses at a different point and  
with the high IR sensitivity of the M8 it might make a difference  
depending on the light source. The differences may be subtle but we  
don't spend $3500 for a lens and then get soft photos.

I would always use a filter on the 35mm lens, coded or not. I have a  
coded 35mm Summicron ASPH and the 35mm Summilux ASPH not coded. Both  
have filters and I have no problem with color casts with either.

Use Leica brand filters on the ultra wides, primarily the WATE and  
21mm Elmarit Asph. The difference in the color correction with  
different brand filters is noticeable in the corners. I have no  
problem with Heliopan, B+W or Tiffen on 35mm and longer lenses.

Cheers,
Len


On Aug 22, 2008, at 1:18 AM, Alastair Firkin wrote:

> I am home with the flu and my new M8, so its time for some playing  
> around.
>
> 1. if you have a UV/IR filter on the lens, make sure you have the  
> Lens detection/UV/IR "on". This applies to all lenses 50mm and  
> greater. The 35 is touch and go
>
> 2. if you are using a wide angle, and it is uncoded, do not use the  
> UV/IR filter. This probably includes the 35mm. It is counter  
> productive to put the filter on a wide uncoded lens, and you are  
> probably better off to use black/purple shift to correct any black  
> clothing in the image (given that you don't mind purples going black)
>
> 3. do not use the wide TE with the lens detection off unless you  
> remove the IR filter.
>
> 4. the 21 asph can be used without an external viewfinder (as  
> reported by Gene) as long as you don't wear glasses, the FOV will  
> equate almost exactly to everything you can see in the viewfinder  
> outside the frames: in some ways its more accurate than using the  
> frames, which have such a huge latitude that I find them annoying.
>
> 5. the 21 asph is a great lens, and I really should have it coded :- 
> ( Leica should really have allowed us to choose the lens from the  
> menu rather than force coding: but I suspect this is where they are  
> just collecting a bit of "cream". Also, the TE brings up the  
> appropriate focal length when coded: why could not the TEW.
>
> Oh well
>
> Cheers
>
> Alastair
>
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