Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2009/01/20

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Subject: [Leica] Petition for initiating M8 lens identification in firmware
From: mitcha at mac.com (Mitch Alland)
Date: Tue Jan 20 12:26:45 2009

There has been extensive discussion of Leica's use of lens coding to  
identity lenses to the M8. Many of us feel that this is an extremely  
inconvenient and costly solution for the user and that this should be  
done, more simply, by providing for it in the M8 firmware, which is  
easy to implement. Accordingly, I have written an online petition to  
Andreas Kaufmann and Leica, which reads as follows:

 >While Leica's solution of coding lenses in order to identify them
 >to the camera may have made sense at the time the M8 was
 >introduced, today a better solution is available. Nikon deals with
 >lens identification in firmware, by simply allowing the used to enter
 >the focal length and maximum aperture of the lens. With such a
 >facility available in the M8 firmware the user would not have to send
 >lenses away for coding, which is not only relatively expensive but  
is also

 >bothersome in that the lenses have to be sent away and may not be

 >received back for some time; it is also often onerous for Leica M8

 >users who do not live in Europe and North America, in that lens
 >shipment is more costly, takes longer and involves troublesome
 >customs clearance when the lenses are shipped back.

 >We therefore call on Dr Andreas Kaufmann and Leica to institute
 >an M8 lens identification system in firmware, preferably on an
 >open-system basis for all lenses or at least for all Leica lenses
 >that can be used on the M8.

You can sign the petition at the following link, and I encourage you  
to list in the Comment field the Leica-M camaras that you own:

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/leica-M8-firmware/

My feeling is that, as this matter has been discussed so extensively,  
there is no need to discuss it here further. Please sign the petition  
if you support this initiative.

?Mitch/Potomac, MD
http://www.flickr.com/photos/malland/sets/72157594271568487/ 

Replies: Reply from hopsternew at gmail.com (Geoff Hopkinson) ([Leica] Petition for initiating M8 lens identification in firmware)