[Leica] RE; Autofocusing M lenses

[Peter Klein]

It works fine. It looks like Sheeya enjoyed being your model.  Is it my
imagination, or is the Fuji 56mm a little contrastier than the Summicron?
--Peter

On Thu, Feb 11, 2016 at 10:53 PM, Jayanand Govindaraj <jayanand at gmail.com>
wrote:

> Never tried it. I find Focus Peaking works quite well, even for my weakish
> eyesight, as long as the subject is stationary. Here are some samples which
> I took mainly at the behest of Alastair Firkin, with various lenses mounted
> on the Fuji XT-1, all manually focused with the aid of focus peaking. All
> are just default processed in Lightroom, with no additional processing. The
> models were my niece Shreeya, and my younger son, Aditya :
>
> The first was an unscientific look at both the Summicron and the Fuji 56mm
> as short portrait lenses, both at f2:
>
> Shreeya - Leica Summicron:
>
> http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/album333/Leica+Summicron+50.jpg.html
>
> Shrreya - Fuji 56mm:
> http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/album333/Fuji+56.jpg.html
>
> Then, two of  Aditya with the Tele-Elmarit 90mm wide open:
>
> Natural Light:
> http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/album333/1+Natural+Light.jpg.html
>
> Artificial Light:
>
> http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/album333/2+Fluoroscent+Light.jpg.html
>
> Cheers
> Jayanand
>
> On Fri, Feb 12, 2016 at 11:47 AM, Peter Klein <
> boulanger.croissant at gmail.com
> > wrote:
>
> > Ah, another check mark on Fuji's chalkboard.  Didn't know they had a
> split
> > image. How accurate is it? One advantage of a "real" RF is that the
> > physical baselength can be as long as can fit on the camera body, whereas
> > the physical baselength of the digital split image is the diameter of the
> > lens. Although some magnification could mitigate that...?
> >
> > I will sometimes put a Leica lens on my Olympus E-M5, usually for
> > telephoto.  A 90mm Leica mount lens makes a rather compact 180mm
> > equivalent.  I usually just use the digital focus magnifier.  Easy.
> >
> > --Peter
> >
> > On Thu, Feb 11, 2016 at 9:52 PM, Jayanand Govindaraj <jayanand at gmail.com
> >
> > wrote:
> >
> > > Both a Digital Split Image overlay and Focus Peaking as manual focus
> aids
> > > are available on my Fuji XT-1, which accepts M lenses quite
> effortlessly
> > > with an adapter. In fact Fuji themselves make an adapter.
> > > Cheers
> > > Jayanand
> > >
> > > On Fri, Feb 12, 2016 at 8:42 AM, Peter Klein <
> > > boulanger.croissant at gmail.com>
> > > wrote:
> > >
> > > > In theory it should work just fine. You leave the lens on infinity,
> and
> > > the
> > > > adapter does the rest.  The adapter must:
> > > >
> > > > -Interface to the camera's AF electronics such that the camera can
> tell
> > > it
> > > > "forward, back, stop").
> > > > -Be thin enough to allow infinity focus.
> > > > -Contain motors and a mechanism that will rack the lens out
> > sufficiently
> > > to
> > > > focus the lens to a reasonable close distance. The mechanism must fit
> > in
> > > > the adapter. This is easier to do with SLR lens adapters. M lenses
> > have a
> > > > shorter back focus distance, and M to mirrorless adapters are quiet
> > short
> > > > compared to SLR adapters. Perhaps some of the mechanism could be
> below
> > > the
> > > > adapter, or concentric to it.)
> > > >
> > > > The major problems with M lenses on other cameras would still be
> corner
> > > > smearing and color shifts, unless the sensor's Bayer array was
> designed
> > > for
> > > > M lenses. And would the autofocus be fast and accurate enough, and
> > would
> > > > using the adapter be convenient enough that you wouldn't get fed up
> > with
> > > it
> > > > quickly?
> > > >
> > > > Personally, I'd love to have an autofocus M that also did RF
> focusing.
> > > But
> > > > as Larry mentions, it would have to be worth someone's while to
> > > > manufacture. Most manufacturers have already passed on making their
> own
> > > > rangefinder mechanism. Leica seems to be willing to make RF cameras
> > along
> > > > traditional M lines, but not to do anything radical with them.  But
> > what
> > > > about something entirely new by a third party--an AF camera that also
> > did
> > > > some sort of visual rangefinder simulation in an EVF, and was
> designed
> > to
> > > > take M lenses. Ideally, the version for M lenses would have a Bayer
> > array
> > > > with microlens offsets licensed from Leica.  The SLR lens version
> would
> > > > have a more conventional sensor.
> > > >
> > > > All technically possible. The big question is whether there are
> enough
> > > > legacy(*) lens fans, and in particular M lens fans, to make such a
> > camera
> > > > commercially viable.
> > > >
> > > > --Peter, who actually dislikes the word "legacy."
> > > >
> > > > On Thu, Feb 11, 2016 at 4:22 PM, Larry Zeitlin via LUG <
> > > > lug at leica-users.org>
> > > > wrote:
> > > >
> > > > > About 40 years ago, give or take a decade, a precision camera make,
> > > > > probably Zeiss. marketed a camera in which the focus was adjusted
> by
> > > > moving
> > > > > the film plane. This simplified lenses but had the downsides of
> > > increased
> > > > > expense for the camera body and the difficulty of providing enough
> > > motion
> > > > > for long focus lenses. The idea was abandoned after a few years
> but I
> > > > > believe that with modern electronics it could provide automatic
> focus
> > > > for M
> > > > > lenses. But, of course, there would be little incentive for Leica
> to
> > > > adopt
> > > > > such a system. Maybe a third party could sell a universal camera
> > which
> > > > > would autofocus with all makers lenses.
> > > > > Larry Z
> > > > >
> > > > > + + +
> > > > > LUG:
> > > > >
> > > > > Any idea whether this would actually work or not?
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > >
> > >
> >
> http://www.thephoblographer.com/2016/02/11/the-techart-pro-lens-adapter-promises-autofocus-for-leica-m-mount-glass/#.VrywD_krJaQ
> > > > >
> > > > > Tina
> > > > >
> > > > > _______________________________________________
> > > > > Leica Users Group.
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> information
> > > > >
> > > >
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