Ron, thank you Beautiful rendering with #1 and 2. Low key rich effect
My understanding are LCC corrections in C1 are via ICC profiles, and have less effect on the rendering. The LCC corrections provide for both just colour and/or vignetting, depending on how correction is needed. I have just been using colour correction, as I would assume it being minimal effect on the file.
Adam is right, I have found with the 75 Lux, which is not coded, I find better rendering when I have forgotten to manually input the lens. I will test this idea further
Found this VW Beetle this evening. ISO 2500 1/15 f/2.8 hand held with the ZM 35 f/2.8. Could have benefitted from a faster lens here, but made due with the 2.8. Maybe Zeiss will eventually release a ZM 35 f/1.4...?
BTW, I also shot this scene with my Canon 1DIV and 50L. The 1DIV consistently had trouble nailing focus and had to use live view to guarantee accurate focus. This is one of the reasons the M appealed to me - low light work where rangefinder focusing provides a more positive way to manually focus accurately compared to to eyeballing focus manually in low light with an SLR focusing screen.
rscheffler wrote:
Sorry, did I miss something... what does LCC stand for and how does one go about applying one to images? Thanks for posting those images in colour Charles, I like them a lot, I think more so in colour than b&w.
Adam, that's an interesting observation. While I haven't used cornerfix yet, I have noticed in various blog posts that it can appear to somewhat affect lens rendering. I wonder if the Leica profiles can also have such an effect on the ZM 50 f/2. It interests me as it's probably the next lens I'll add to the M9.
The first two were with the ZM 35 f/2.8, the last with the ZM 21 f/2.8....Show more →
The weather here has been horrid, the days I'm not working it rains! So I really haven't used the 50/2 ZM in ideal conditions to be fair. You all might want to do testing, but I'm just going to keep the lens corrections off, I feel it's doing something unfavorable when activated.
I love the iron gate shot, and I find the last image to be hilarious.. It looks like the statue is casually waiting for the poor old man to come within striking distance.
charles.K wrote:
Adam, very nice shots!!! The ZM 50 Planar is a great lens Interesting thoughts about correction. I have found this before too, but I did not pay too much attention at the time. In reality you don't need any correction for lenses 50mm and longer as there will be no issues with diffraction and critical alignment.
joe88 wrote:
Pretty models Adam
Glad I'm not alone on the auto correction theory.
The models were walking fast, it was a really good practice in focusing. Now I know the M9 won't be a work camera for a very long time. I actually got about 50% keeper rate, but about 30% of the OOF shots I actually liked for one reason or another. I just adjusted the levels on these jpgs and that was about it. I usually shoot full manual with the M, but I totally forgot to set the white balance, however the camera seemed to do a decent job in auto this time, I think that's why I didn't notice it was in autoWB mode.
Joe - Yes, that's why I only posted three shots, I only liked 3 of the models The first shot was OOF, but I liked the mood of it, I'm treating the M9 as a camera that helps me overcome my need for technically perfect lighting etc. It's like my full manual point and shoot (although that's a contradiction, I think you all know what I mean), it comes everywhere with me.
I had the 28/2 ultron in my pocket the whole night. In case I couldn't maintain a good distance. I actually sold off my 90 tele-elmarit (slightly regret), so I'm in the market for either a 75AA, 75Lux, 90AA... Not sure which one will become available to me first, and not sure which one I want yet. But Denoir has been making a good arguement for the 75AA lately, and Charles for the 75Lux.. Out of the three I think the 75AA is the smallest correct? Though none will fit in my pants pocket, shame.
adamdewilde wrote:
First, has anyone painted there red dot to a different color?
I know DAG sells black dots, but I'm wondering who's actually painted theres, and did it turn out nice?
I painted mine, looks fine, you can tell from REALLY close up the the coat isn't perfect, but under almost all scrutiny it looks legit
Might take a picture later today. I only did it myself because DAG didn't have any dots when I wanted one, I recommend you get the 'real' one.
EDIT: Here's a 100% crop from when I was testing how slow I could handhold the 35 Nokton, 1/12s I believe
Adam, if you're after the smallest, the 75 AA is the one, with a MFD of 0.7m. It is designed very well, and the focusing cams are very accurate, so focusing is a breeze. To get a great 75 Lux is a lot more difficult, though it is my favourite lens with the 50 Lux The 90AA, but is prone to focusing issues, if you don't have a good copy. I think this is to do with the cam design and guides internally. Mine is still in Solms, the guides are being replaced and the lens being fully recalibrated. No doubt I will be pleased with the 90AA once its back home
Interesting observations about the lens corrections. I found the tones warmer and richer with the 50 Lux too. And for the WA's (35 and less) leave it off, and correct it with LCC in C1? Personally I do like the fact that we can choose. Adam I not sure how the corrections turned off, work with JPEG's though.
I don't know if jpgs access corrections (I'd assume they do, wouldn't make sense otherwise). So if you turn off corrections, it'll just leave it as is, aside from the regular saturation, sharpness, contrast corrections it makes, but those you can control if you want to, and standard for everything usually does the trick..
I'll have to play around with the DNG and JPG options, both with and without corrections to know if I'm crazy or not.
I'm leaning more towards trying the 75AA first, since it's probably going to be the easiest for me to get in a nice condition. I've seen a few beat up 90AAs and I tried a really bad 75Lux (I wished the lux was spot on, I probably would have picked it up).
As for work, well someone has to do it, might as well be me
Seriously though, shooting grumpy CEOs and other impatient upper management can sometimes be a PITA!
That and the time spent on the computer doing editing, is really killing me..
thrice wrote:
I painted mine, looks fine, you can tell from REALLY close up the the coat isn't perfect, but under almost all scrutiny it looks legit
Might take a picture later today. I only did it myself because DAG didn't have any dots when I wanted one, I recommend you get the 'real' one.
EDIT: Here's a 100% crop from when I was testing how slow I could handhold the 35 Nokton, 1/12s I believe
Thanks for the upload, DAG doesn't have dots in stock, plus I can get them for like $15 usd from Leica, by the time he sends a dot to me internationally I'm looking at paying more then double the price of buying a red one and painting it.
So I think I'll take the dot to my fiances manicurist, and have her paint it for me. I'm tossed between glossy black, matte black, or glitter black
LCC (lens cast correction) comes from medium format backs and large format scanning backs, where the photographers aren't as lazy as we are. It is generally known that some lens/sensor combinations result in various casts and colour shifts. For serious MF photographers, the solution is to carry around a white diffusor, and to take a shot with the diffuser, then the shot without. The diffusor shot is analyzed by C1 (or other, similar software, like Sinar eXposure, Hasselblad Phocus and so on), and the colour casts detected are removed from the real shot. This gives perfect colour when done right.
It is possible to simplify this a little, to avoid so much work for every shot, not to mention tripod setup, in that you put the lens on, make a shot against the sky or another uniform light source, with the diffusor in front of the lens, and then use this shot for all your LCC. If you want a bit more accuracy, do one for each aperture, or every second stop.
Even lazier is what we do. Let Leica calculate an average necessary correction over all lenses of that type, and all apertures. This of course doesn't work perfectly, especially for decentered or otherwise flawed lenses, but we can send them back to Leica for fixing, and they do it. It doesn't work at all with any other lenses, and you just have to try to get close by trying different Leica profiles. Luckily it isn't much of an issue from about 35/2 and up. For 35/1.4 it is, and anything wider as well.
My justification from this last bit comes from a comparison I once did:
thrice wrote:
You cannot get black dots direct from Leica.
You used to be able to. A Leica dealer likely has a few lying around for various special MP/M7 editions, and if you have a good relationship with them, they might sell you one, for $1 or something like that. On eBay, someone occasionally sells one for $50
Feel free to sell me one Carsten, I have a very good relationship with the Leica distributor here and he basically told me he cannot get them as a part and they are exclusively kept for servicing the M6-LHSA/M8.2 & special editions at the factory. There's an MP with a dot?
Oops, you are right I meant various special editions which use a black dot, but I guess the MP doesn't fall under that.
I do have one on my camera, and an extra one, both of which I got from my dealer, but I am keeping the extra one for when I buy an M10. I am not sure if my dealer would sell me any more, I think maybe not. I can ask the next time I am there, but I suppose there would be a lineup around the block for any I could get
haha yeah, let it spread through the internets that Carsten is the hookup for black dots
I have a spare red dot, I'll probably get it matched to the m9 paint and professionally painted (even though it's so small) by my girlfriend's brother who is a paint expert.
The easiest way to paint it might be to give it a thin, uniform layer of lacquer, and then carefully sand the letters clean again, with fine-grit sandpaper. If the lacquer is dry, this should give nice results. I tried this on an earlier, red-dot experiment, and it worked well.
Ron, nice shot of the Beetle, like the first one best.
(Off topic, Ron if you have low light AF problems with 1DMk4, try the D3s )
Daniel, there might be just one person out there who wants your spare Red dot for their M8.2 and would want to exchange their black dot for yours?
I've given up on searching for a black dot and have used a black tape on my black M9. Actually I can't wait for my M9 to start brassing.
Adam, I agree that OOF shots seems fine with the M setup. Sharpness can be sometimes overrated for certain types of shots. On getting a 75, I think you can't go wrong with the 75CronAA. That lens is also on my radar right now.
Interesting thoughts about correction. I have found this before too, but I did not pay too much attention at the time. In reality you don't need any correction for lenses 50mm and longer as there will be no issues with diffraction and critical alignment.
The first shot was OOF, but I liked the mood of it, I'm treating the M9 as a camera that helps me overcome my need for technically perfect lighting etc. It's like my full manual point and shoot (although that's a contradiction, I think you all know what I mean), it comes everywhere with me. 
