Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2006/01/10

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Subject: [Leica] Re: Canon 5D + Leica Lens Exposure Question
From: rbaron at concentric.net (Robert D. Baron)
Date: Tue Jan 10 19:16:59 2006
References: <200601102120.k0ALKa1r027095@server1.waverley.reid.org>

Andrew Nemeth wrote in pertinent part:

> See the Leica FAQ entry I have on this at:
> 
> <http://nemeng.com/leica/002f.shtml>
> 
> After the page loads, scroll down to the "Non-Canon lens TTL exposure
>  errors" heading.
> 
> BTW, this info also turns up if you use a web search engine called 
> "Google":
> 
> <http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=canon+leica+exposure+error>
> 
> 
> :?)

Andrew, mea culpa, sort of.

I now recall having seen your FAQ entry, and of course you are right,
particularly when you note:

> The TTL lightmeter in Canon EOS cameras is inherently flaky when used
> with lenses which don't have a Canon-compatible ROM chip. Because
> Leica or Zeiss lenses lack this chip, TTL exposure problems will
> therefore arise. For example, many users complain of consistent
> one-stop over-exposures when using their R lenses.

My memory is such that I can no longer accept responsibility for 
remembering, however, everything I have read.

:-)  :-)

I did Google the question (and searched on it in various archives before 
posting it to the LUG) but my searching skills may not be up to snuff 
because I did not phrase the query as well as you did and thus did not 
get the hits you did.

And I do like the question you pose: why, if these problems exist, even 
bother with using the Leica lenses on a Canon body?

For me, it is because of the image I get....when I can get the focus and 
exposure right.

And when Nathan Wajsman added:

> I have now used Leica lenses on a Canon 10D, 20D and now 1D Mark II, and 
> have not noticed any exposure problems (beyond operator error, of course).

I can only respond that I got reasonably good exposures using Leica 
glass and a Canon 10D and then a 1D Mark II, so I am beginning to think 
there is something unique to the 5D that makes the exposure error greater.

What I really wanted to know however was whether I was the only one 
experiencing this problem with the 5D.  Thank you LUGGERS for telling me 
I am not.

--Bob