86 / Comprehensive instructions/The most important settings
The most important settings / controls
Leica M lenses
Essentially, most Leica M lenses can be used with the
LEICA M8. Details on the small number of exceptions
and restrictions can be found in the following notes.
Usage is independent of the initial format of the
respective camera – whether 18x27mm (sensor size)
for the digital LEICA M8 or 24x36mm for the 35mm
models up to the LEICA M7, and also independent of
the lens features – with or without the 6-bit coding in
the bayonet (the latest version, see next section).
Even without this additional feature, i.e. when using
Leica M lenses without identification, the LEICA M8
will supply good pictures in all cases.
Important:
• Cannot be used:
Hologon 15mm f/8,
Summicron 50mm f/2 with close focusing.
Elmar 90mm f/4 with collapsible tube (production
period 1954-1968)
• Can be used, but risks damaging the camera
Lenses with retractable tubes can only be used with
their tubes extended, i.e. their tubes must never be
retracted into the LEICA M8.
This is not the case with the current Macro-Elmar-M
90mm f/4, whose tube does not protrude into the
camera body even when retracted. It can therefore
be used without any restrictions.
• Can be used, but precise composition is not
possible
The LEICA M8 has bright-line frames for focal
lengths up to 90mm (see p. 102). Therefore, when
using longer focal lengths such as the 135mm mod-
els, their image field in the camera viewfinder –
which is very small to start with – can only be
“determined” very imprecisely.
Notes:
• Exposure metering is not possible with:
Super-Angulon-M 21mm f/4
Super-Angulon-M 21mm f/3.4
Elmarit-M 28mm f/2.8 with serial nos. earlier than
2 314 921.
• Leica Customer Service can update many Leica M
lenses with the 6-bit coding. Enquire for specific
cases to (address, see p. 137).
Turning the lens type detection on/off
The 6-bit coding in the bayonet (1.11) of current Leica
M lenses allows the LEICA M8 to recognize the type of
lens. It does this using the sensor in its bayonet (1.10).
– This information is used among other things for opti-
mizing the image data. Thus vignetting which can be
particularly noticeable with wide-angle lenses and
large apertures can be compensated in the respec-
tive image data.
– Flash exposure and flash reflector control also uses
the lens data (see “Compatible flash units”, p. 110).
– In addition, the information delivered by this 6-bit
coding is written to the respective EXIF file for the
picture. The picture data shown in the INFO display
(see “The monitor”, p. 92) additionally includes the
display of the lens focal length (4.2.6b, see p. 79).
When using a lens without 6-bit coding, the recogni-
tion function of the camera must always be turned off,
to prevent malfunctions.
Setting the function
1. In the main menu (see p. 80/93), select Lens
Detection (5.1.1) and
in the respective sub-menu, select the desired
option.
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