Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1998/04/12

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Subject: Re: [Leica] 3-Cam vs. ROM
From: budcook@ibm.net
Date: Sun, 12 Apr 1998 15:14:10 -0500

Pascal,
Thanks for the information.  I wouldn't doubt but that Leica's motivation=
 is
the same as with the molded aspheric lenses....cost reduction.  Eliminati=
ng
cams on future lenses would save a lot of money.
Bud
- -----Original Message-----
From: Pascal <cyberdog@ibm.net>
To: Leica Users Group <leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us>
Date: Sunday, April 12, 1998 2:35 PM
Subject: Re: [Leica] 3-Cam vs. ROM

On 08-04-1998 16:08 Bud Cook wrote:

>All my lenses are 3-cam lenses.  Would these lenses work on the R8?  Wha=
t
>functions of the R8 are lost without having a lens with built-in ROM?
>
>Do ROM lenses also have the 3-cams necessary for earlier R bodies?
>
Bud,

Sorry for the late answer. Here it goes.

Brian Bower in his book "Leica reflex photography" (new edition 1997)
says that at this stage the contact strip provides information for
dedicated flashguns and also to enable more precise stopping down of
lenses when the camera is in automatic shutter speed priority or program
operating modes.
The manual of my R8 confirms this (on page 7 of the Dutch language
version): "Not only a mechanical but also an electronic exposure control
takes place when using lenses with contact strip, and certain lens data
such as the lens' focal length, are passed on to the camera."

The contact strips provide for an additional (electronic) control, e.g.
compensation for light fall-of in the corners.
The thing is, the actual use and potential future of the contact strip
remains somewhat in the dark. Even Leica Solms will apparently not
comment much on the matter. Is there another version of the R8 in the
offing (with electronic focussing aids for which the contact strip is of
course essential), or even the R9 (autofocus =E0 la Contax AX)? Only futu=
re
will tell us.

Pascal


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