The new firmware v. 2.014 for the Leica M8 adds support for the new Super Elmar-M 21mm f/3.4 lens, as well as “optimization of internal processes”. Some users claimed higher ISO settings would show less noise now, others claimed the image preview was rendering faster now. Personally, I could not observe any changes in the camera’s behaviour since I installed the new firmware.
Of course, M8 users have been wondering what this “optimization” really was, and now we have an answer. A keen rff user dared to inquire with Leica, and here’s the reply he’s got:
In response to your question, there are no quantifiable examples of a process being optimised, other than the camera as a whole operating faster, smoother and with fewer glitches.
The processes that have been optimised are coding processes, these are running in the cameras CPU and dictate how the camera behaves and operates at a fundamental level, this code has been subtlety changed in the firmware update to remove areas identified over the cameras lifetime as problematic, and introduce new code where it has been deemed necessary by Leica’s electronics technicians.
I hope this answers your question and please feel free to reply with any further query’s you may have.
Thank you.
Another round of news and articles, this time a little late as I was pretty knocked out for more than a week sind last week, and have only just really recovered.
Noktor is dead! Long live Noktor!
Remember Noktor, a couple of chaps, operating from a shed somewhere in the U.S., retrofitting and rebranding Japanese CCTV lenses for Micro Four Thirds? They made quite a stir last year when they announced a 50mm f/0.95 high-speed lens with native m4/3 mount, but it turned out to be low quality and overpriced. Just recently, Noktor announced their death, just to announce their rebirth a couple of days later. As it seems, they have merged with SLR magic. We’ll see what that is going to bring to the Micro Four Thirds world!
How diffraction limits resolution …
… and what this means for technical implementation as well as actual photography. If you’re fluent in German, here’s an interesting article on the topic by photoscala.
How do instant cameras work?
Ever wondered about the magic behind your dad’s old Polaroid? Well, here’s a simple, easy to grasp explanation of how the Polaroid instant pictures work. Simple and effective, yet fascinating nonetheless!
The Sigma SD1′s Foven sensor analyzed
Here’s another interesting technical article, this time about the new 15 megapixel Foveon X3 sensor of Sigma’s latest DSLR flagship, the SD1. (Which, by the way, will shortly be available!)
Fujifilm X100 giveaway by PhotoRumors and Adorama
Do you want a Fujifilm X100, but don’t have the money to buy one? Well, here’s your chance to get one FOR FREE! Fantastic, isn’t it?
Fujifilm X100 vs. Leica X1
Steve Huff has put both the Leica X1 as well as the Fujifilm X100 through their respective paces, and has now taken the additional effort to compare the two in terms of looks, build quality, usability, fun-factor and — chief of all — image quality.
The challenge of the 24mms
And another one for those fluent in German  Photoscala has put together (or is putting together) a big challenge of high-speed 24mm lenses for various systems. The series has only just begun, but in the coming weeks the following lenses will undergo meticulous tests and will be compared to each other:
AF-S Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 G ED (for Nikon)
Sigma 24mm f/1.8 EX DG Macro (for Nikon)
Canon EF 24mm f/1.4 L (for Canon)
Zeiss Distagon T* 24mm f/2 SSM (for Sony)
Leica Summilux-M 24mm f/1.4 ASPH. (for Leica)
That’s it for today!
I just had a look at the lens schematics of the Leica 50mm Summicron-M and the Zeiss Planar 50 ZM, just out of curiousity. They’re remarkably similar. Now, I’m not a lens expert, but I find it striking how close the two lenses are in terms of their optical design. But look for yourself.
 Leica 50mm Summicron-M (current version) schematic. Picture © Leica Camera AG  Zeiss 50mm Planar ZM schematic. Picture © Carl Zeiss AG Striking, innit? The main difference seems to be in the second group, where the Leica lens has two elements with plane surfaces, whereas the elements in the Zeiss lens are both curved. The rest is almost identical, as are the basic specs: 50mm focal length, f/2 aperture, six elements in four groups. Both made for M mount rangefinders, both purely spherical constructions, designed to deliver high sharpness. If we are to believe what is being said about both lenses, they’re also pretty close in overall performance.
EDIT: After reading a bit more into the matter, I realised that both lenses exhibit a so-called “double Gauss” design, that’s why they are so similar in terms of their optical construction. I also found an interesting note Erwin Puts wrote on the topic of Planar vs. Summicron:
For several generations the Planar design has tried to challenge the Summicron 50mm and never became as good. Now at last we have a lens that equals the Summicron-M 50mm and is even a trace better in the curvature of field area. The optical performance of the Planar is simply as good as that what can be expected form the Leica Summicron. The Double-Gauss design has been studied exhaustingly and it is now possible to equal but not surpass the Summicron design as long as you stay within the D-G limits. It is worth some study to note that the curved elements of the Planar bring no significant improvements in comparison to the many planar surfaces of the current Summicron.
(Source: http://www.imx.nl/photo/zeiss/zeiss/page65.html)
… which you might have known already. There are several C-mount lenses with speed ratings well below 1:1 (for example the Fujinon 25mm f/0.85), but also lenses for 35mm. Recently 43rumors reported on a Kowa 42mm f/0.75 lens. Then there’s the crazy Rodenstock 50/0.75, and a lens with the same specifications has also been made by De Oude Delft.
The most famous über-fast lens though is probably the legendary Zeiss Planar 50/0.7, originally developed for NASA and later used by Stanley Kubrick for filming candle-lit scenes for the motion picture “Barry Lyndon”. There was even an adapter made turning it into a 36.5mm wide angle, for those scene needing a wider perspective.
 The famous Zeiss Planar 50/0.7 used by Stanley Kubrick in "Barry Lyndon". Picture © WestLicht Photographica But this is not where it ends … not by far! WestLicht Photographica, affiliated with Leica Shop Vienna, are currently auctioning what they claim is “the fastest lens in the world” — the Carl Zeiss Super-Q-Gigantar 40mm f/0.33. Yes, you read correctly, it’s a 40mm lens with an f/0.33 speed rating, meaning an aperture diameter of 12cm = 4.7 in! According to their website, the Gigantar was developed for advertising purposes. But it IS a REAL lens! And it can be yours — starting from € 6.000 with an estimated high of € 16.000!
 The Zeiss Super-Q-Gigantar 40mm f/0.33, claimed fastest lens in the world. Picture © WestLicht Photographica Oh, and while we’re at it, they’re also auctioning the 50/0.7 Planar. Yes, that Planar! Starting bid is € 9.000, estimated high is € 20.000. Bargain, if you ask me …
EDIT: According to this Italian website, the Super-Q-Gigantar never was a real lens to begin with. Rather, it was Zeiss’ answer to voices asking for more fast lenses. In fact, the Gigantar isn’t actually capable of producing what one would call a “photograph” …
There had to be a catch, hadn’t there? I mean, what do you expect when you buy a lens for 600 €, claimed to be in mint condition, which has a list price of almost 900 €?
I’m talking of my new Zeiss Biogon 28/2.8 ZM of course, which seems to have that infamous “Zeiss lens wobble” going on. It’s fine otherwise, but the inner lens barrel, containing the optical elements and the aperture mechanism, doesn’t sit 100% tightly inside the outer lens barrel, containing the bayonet and the focusing mechanism. This means that the inner part of the lens will “wobble” on the horizontal axis when you touch it, and also when you’re focusing.
So far it doesn’t seem to affect image quality (which is superb btw), but it is a bit annyoing, and I’m worried it might get worse in time. So I inquired with Zeiss Germany what to do about it, and what an eventual repair would cost me. (I don’t know if the lens is still under warranty, since I bought it from private and from abroad).
We’ll see, I’ll keep you posted. Until then, I’ll continue using this little gem, hoping the wobbling doesn’t get worse.
UPDATE: I received a reply from Zeiss the day after I sent my inquiry, which was saturday. Man, they’re working even on sundays? Anyhow, they told me that “slight tolerances in the mount of ZM lenses is normally non-critical and doesn’t affect image quality.” Well, the tolerance in this case is more than “slight” … They also wrote that I could send the lens in to be checked, and they could then calculate the costs for repairing the lens. They would also check if the lens was still under warranty.
Hm. I’m not sure what to do now. Sending it in means paying for shipping, and in the worst case for shipping twice, if it turns out the lens is no longer under warranty. If it is, though, it’ll be repaired and shipped for free. Also, while the wobbling really doesn’t seem to be much of a problem technically, it does annoy me. The lens somehow feels cheap. So, maybe I’ll just send it in next month, when finances are in the black again …
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Today’s gear Camera: Contax T
Film: Agfa APX 100
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July 4th, 2011, 9:37 am | 
