Leica-M lenses on FS100
- Thread starter StudentsT
- Start date
novoluc
Active member
You may want to do some tests before. The rear lenses of the wide-angles are pretty close to the sensor, and were not designed for be paired with cameras with a short distance rear-lens to sensor. I had 5 Leica M lenses and did try with a NEX-7 (I suppose the results would be pretty much the same with any Sony NEX camera, since the distance from the mont to the sensor is the same. Sharpness, definition etc... were excellent. But... but there is a magenta cast that need to be corrected. From the right and left side of the frame toward the center. Intensity and size depend also on the stop used. In stills, there is a soft which allows to correct/remove this magenta cast and vignetting, after converting the image to a DNG (https://sites.google.com/site/cornerfix/). I didn't find a solution for video files.
I sold my lenses, and Leicas M, but still have a 21mm/2.8 (if someone is interested, after what I wrote
, it's posted in the For Sale forum).
L.
I sold my lenses, and Leicas M, but still have a 21mm/2.8 (if someone is interested, after what I wrote
, it's posted in the For Sale forum).L.
I've seen the magenta cast on the wider lenses. Not pretty. And I'm discovering that adapting them for follow focus in a non-destructive way is not as easy as I'd hoped. All in all, they can give beautiful results but there are issues. Still, I do a lot of still photography and I'll have the m lenses around no matter what. So . . . I'm still trying to figure out a follow focus solution. Because there seem to be so few lens gear solutions (hopefully there are more than zero), I'm focusing on that first, then I'll find a follow focus that works with the geared lenses. At least, that's the plan.
Here's what I've learned so far. In principle, I like the idea of Duclos gears, but the won't work for any lenses with focus tabs, or with lenses having scalloped focus rings, or lenses that are too small. That excludes almost every lens I have. The next option is the style of gear with interior tabs or screws that position the lens in the center of a larger focus gear. This is promising, but my initial search hasn't turned up anything that will work with my very small lenses. I have a RedrockMicro ring that works with (i.e., attaches securely to) my relatively large 90mm/2.0 Summicron and 135/2.8 Elmarit. The ring seems well-made and well-thought out. However, their smallest ring is too large for nearly all of my other lenses. A limited success, but the search continues.
Here's what I've learned so far. In principle, I like the idea of Duclos gears, but the won't work for any lenses with focus tabs, or with lenses having scalloped focus rings, or lenses that are too small. That excludes almost every lens I have. The next option is the style of gear with interior tabs or screws that position the lens in the center of a larger focus gear. This is promising, but my initial search hasn't turned up anything that will work with my very small lenses. I have a RedrockMicro ring that works with (i.e., attaches securely to) my relatively large 90mm/2.0 Summicron and 135/2.8 Elmarit. The ring seems well-made and well-thought out. However, their smallest ring is too large for nearly all of my other lenses. A limited success, but the search continues.
novoluc
Active member
IDC has a system of gearless follow focus (by friction). You may want to check it out. They are also fairly inexpensive, in comparison of the 'big brands'. Never used them, so I can't say about quality or reliability.
http://www.idcphotovideo.com/
L.
http://www.idcphotovideo.com/
L.
Hi StudentsT, I've been looking at Leica M lenses too and wondering why they seem not to have been used very much for video. At least there's very little writing on the web indicating so.
You mention the problems with adding follow focus. And Leica lenses are obviously very expensive. And they don't tend to focus very close. But what else? I should think their compactness and mechanical properties should make them very nice to shoot handheld with the NEX cameras. Plus the Voigtlanders and Zeiss ZM's, and some select few Leica lenses, are actually affordable and readily available.
This might be sacrilegious, but do you know if anyone has tried to declick Leica lenses?
You mention the problems with adding follow focus. And Leica lenses are obviously very expensive. And they don't tend to focus very close. But what else? I should think their compactness and mechanical properties should make them very nice to shoot handheld with the NEX cameras. Plus the Voigtlanders and Zeiss ZM's, and some select few Leica lenses, are actually affordable and readily available.
This might be sacrilegious, but do you know if anyone has tried to declick Leica lenses?
I don't know about declicking Leica M lenses. I still don't know much about using them in cine applications. I'm using them only because I have many as a result of years of using them in still photography and they are fabulous lenses. In addition to some very new, fast lenses, I have some older lenses, including old screw mount lenses with m-adapters, that are very interesting. It would be extremely expensive for me to duplicate them in cine equivalents - duplicate, not replace, because I still use them as still lenses. So for me, using them makes sense. Based on my (very limited) experience so far, If I were starting from scratch buying lenses for cine applications, I would be considering a lot of other options.
By the way, I figured out a follow focus solution: Cinevate gear rings (http://www.cinevate.com/store2/follow-focus-gear-ring.html#sthash.x20XPAUk.dpbs). They are simple, well-built, and accommodate the focus tabs on some of my lenses.
By the way, I figured out a follow focus solution: Cinevate gear rings (http://www.cinevate.com/store2/follow-focus-gear-ring.html#sthash.x20XPAUk.dpbs). They are simple, well-built, and accommodate the focus tabs on some of my lenses.
skibovision
Active member
the reason you get the color shift is that leica M lenses that are wider than about 35mm project light out at an angle towards the sensor. Lenses that are more telecentric, meaning they project light straight back perpendicular to the sensor dont have this problem.
None of this really mattered with film, but it becomes an issue when using digital sensors with microlenses on them that are designed for a certain angle of light.
http://diglloyd.com/articles/LeicaM/LeicaM-RayAngle.html
None of this really mattered with film, but it becomes an issue when using digital sensors with microlenses on them that are designed for a certain angle of light.
http://diglloyd.com/articles/LeicaM/LeicaM-RayAngle.html
I have two Leica R's a 50mm/2.0 Summicron and a 35mm/2.0 Summicron that I use on the FS100 they both work great, and the rack focus is smooth. Would never try to get them declicked though as that would greatly depreciate there value. I use a basic follow focus system with both and they work fine.
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