Dragon + Leica M lenses - Whats your favorite leica m lens with Dragon??

[Les Hillis]

Jordan, the Voigtlander 35mm f/1.4 looks like it should fit, judging by pictures of it that show it has practically no protruding rear lens element, unlike the f/1.2 and possibly the f/2.5 versions.

Haven't used it on Dragon but in general the 75/2.5 Summarit is a really great one that doesn't get nearly the attention it deserves.

I think the Summarit lenses in general tend to get overlooked, often being unfavorably compared to the more expensive Lux's and Crons etc. But the Summarit lenses can actually outperform the 'better' lenses, in some ways, sometimes. The 75mm focal length probably works against the recognition of the 75mm Summarit too, being a bit of an unconventional fit between the 50 and 90mm's.

Here's a nice review I found of the 75mm Summarit , if anyone's interested - http://photographsbypeter.com/2012/01/26/the-leica-75mm-summarit-f2-5/

 

[Lakis Amarantithis]

Anyone knows how the Leica's R compare to the Summicrons-C's?
For example how much better in the big screen or Imax the 50mm Summi-C f2 is vs the Summi-1.4 E60 in a percentage.
I am only interested for the final Imax or big screen quality.
Thanks,
Lakis

 

[Dylan McLaughlin]

Ok, this may be uncharted territory. Maybe unnecessary territory for some.

With all of these Leica M color vignetting issues, mostly on wider lenses, I'm wondering if it would be possible to correct this in Adobe Premiere using the Lens Distortion Removal Presets. One would have to create the presets of course. But in theory, if someone were to spend the time creating the Adobe Lens Profiles for an Epic Dragon, and had the know how to add them to Premiere, couldn't this be a fix for such distortions?

Just a thought. Maybe one of you know whether or not this is possible. I'm going to try and create Lens Profiles later today for a Dragon at 5k. I'm not sure how to add these profiles to Premiere, or if it's possible, but I'm going to give it a try.

Maybe this is not possible, and a waste of time, but maybe this could be something valuable to begin working on. What do you think?

 

[Les Hillis]

There's a freeware program called 'Corner Fix' that was made to do the sort of corrections you're talking about.

You can see some test results here (bearing in mind the lenses used were physically modified to fit the camera and probably don't fit otherwise) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYVqug-eEUQ

'Corner Fix' was made for use with still photo's, so using the program for motion footage requires converting your r3d's to DNG still image sequences and batch processing them.

I'm not sure any software can totally reverse all the wide-angle Leica-M mount lens distortions though.

The vignetting effect, in terms of basic exposure levels, is fairly trivial to fix.

The colour distortions are more problematic, but can probably be fixed to an acceptable degree with profiling software like 'Corner Fix'. Not sure that would always be the case though.

And not sure either about the ability to fix blurring or distortion effects that might show up even with fixed colours and vignetting due to the simple fact that the light coming through the lens is getting bent so far one way then another before it's read by the sensor. Just don't know how much of a factor that is or could be.

In any case, the way I see it, due to the the extra multi-step post-processing required, anything shot with the wider M-mount lenses basically becomes a special effects shot, which can be a bit much to deal with. You'd probably have to profile each lens at all its f/stops as well to be most accurate, and keep a record of which f/stops were used...

Anyway, I hope that all doesn't come across as too negative. Not trying to discourage anyone. I'd be interested in checking out any effective processes people have for overcoming those wider M-mount lenses visual quirks.

Sure is niche within a niche kind of stuff though, so I wouldn't expect much.

 

[Chris Jordan]

Posted this little combo up on instagram today just before shooting:



That's the Voigtlander 35mm f/1.2 on Epic Dragon. Word of caution for Leica-M Mount users. This lens fits, but you need to be gentle on the lens insert. There is a plastic OLPF port bushing/frame that helps wrangle flare. It can easily get bumped, moved, pushed in, etc....

Also had the 21mm f/1.8 Voigtlander up today, but need to test it out further. Don't think the lens hood is removable.

Panavision and Schneider PL glass was also present and accounted for. Love me some Primos. Can't get enough.

Do you have any reference footage Phil?

 

[vincent kardasik]

Really interesting thread.
It would be good to have a sticky dedicated to the M mount and which M lenses represent an issue or not when mounted on Dragon.
Same thing regarding the OLPF compatibility.
I dropped an email last week to my Bomb Squad to figure out if I will have to modify my OLPF or not to use the M mount.
I haven't got a reply so far but depending on this I might purchase one before my next shoot.

 

[Phil Holland]

Really interesting thread.
It would be god to have a sticky dedicated to the M mount and which M lenses represent an issue or not when mounted on Dragon.
Same thing regarding the OLPf compatibility.
I dropped an email lat week to my Bomb Squad to figure out if I will have to modify my OLPF or not to use the M mount.
I haven't got a reply so far but depending on this I might purchase one before my next shoot.

Hi Vincent. You have Dragon and Dragon's OLPF is different than Mysterium-X. You shouldn't have an issue mounting most M lenses to the body mechanically. The Voigtlander 35mm f/1.2 I had modified because it "rubbed" the plastic bushing on insertion. Removing the fins, which are literally there for no reason and left over from the manufacturing process, allows for smoother action. Leica's 35mm primes have a lot of variation I've found. Don't know exactly why, but some have bits that protrude or are wider than others. You'll need to test that one out yourself.

As for lenses. The safe things to say is optically anything 50mm and longer works fine.

You can experience "pixel smearing" and have soft edges and corners on some of the wider lenses. Also, some of the wider lenses produce a blue-ish/purple vignette which is compounded by it not happening "all the time". It looks like this:

but isn't apparent in this:

Do you have any reference footage Phil?

I've used the combo on a project and can't show the footage yet, but here's a few stills as well as the two I just posted above here:

A lens worth looking at in my opinion is the Voigtlander 50mm f/1.4. It's actually very sharp and has a nice out of focus image. Only thing, is like most M lenses, it's not totally ideal for motion picture operation. Short focus through, focus gear is very close to the body, etc... But it's very small and light weight.

 

[vincent kardasik]

Hi Vincent. You have Dragon and Dragon's OLPF is different than Mysterium-X. You shouldn't have an issue mounting most M lenses to the body mechanically. The Voigtlander 35mm f/1.2 I had modified because it "rubbed" the plastic bushing on insertion. Removing the fins, which are literally there for no reason and left over from the manufacturing process, allows for smoother action. Leica's 35mm primes have a lot of variation I've found. Don't know exactly why, but some have bits that protrude or are wider than others. You'll need to test that one out yourself.

As for lenses. The safe things to say is optically anything 50mm and longer works fine.

You can experience "pixel smearing" and have soft edges and corners on some of the wider lenses. Also, some of the wider lenses produce a blue-ish/purple vignette which is compounded by it not happening "all the time". It looks like this:

but isn't apparent in this:

I've used the combo on a project and can't show the footage yet, but here's a few stills as well as the two I just posted above here:

A lens worth looking at in my opinion is the Voigtlander 50mm f/1.4. It's actually very sharp and has a nice out of focus image. Only thing, is like most M lenses, it's not totally ideal for motion picture operation. Short focus through, focus gear is very close to the body, etc... But it's very small and light weight.

Thanks a lot for this detailed reply Phil, really instructive as always.

I own a 50mm Summilux and I will have access to a couple of different 35mm Summilux next week so I'll test them and check what's up.
Looks like I'm going to order that mount

One more question if you don't mind, how do you filter those M lenses? They are so tiny that I don't feel like mounting a matte box on my rig... Maybe a step-up ring and some screw-in filters?

BTW these pics in your post are amazing!

 

[Josh K]

Also, some of the wider lenses produce a blue-ish/purple vignette which is compounded by it not happening "all the time".

Over on the Fred Miranda Alt Glass Forum (http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/board/56) it's pretty much accepted that this is an at/near infinity issue which for most lenses goes away at closer focus distances.

 

[Phil Holland]

Thanks a lot for this detailed reply Phil, really instructive as always.

I own a 50mm Summilux and I will have access to a couple of different 35mm Summilux next week so I'll test them and check what's up.
Looks like I'm going to order that mount

One more question if you don't mind, how do you filter those M lenses? They are so tiny that I don't feel like mounting a matte box on my rig... Maybe a step-up ring and some screw-in filters?

BTW these pics in your post are amazing!

Glad to help Vincent. It is a specialty mount for sure, but there are some great lenses in there that can work just fine. It's just a matter of exploring really.

I use screw-in for a lot of my smaller lenses. Most I have step-up rings to 77mm and use that size. Similar to the typical Duclos mod as I have a couple lenses that have gone through that process.

Over on the Fred Miranda Alt Glass Forum (http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/board/56) it's pretty much accepted that this is an at/near infinity issue which for most lenses goes away at closer focus distances.

Yep. I've also noticed some variation occasionally, but that's the general rule of thumb.

 

[vincent kardasik]

Glad to help Vincent. It is a specialty mount for sure, but there are some great lenses in there that can work just fine. It's just a matter of exploring really.

I use screw-in for a lot of my smaller lenses. Most I have step-up rings to 77mm and use that size. Similar to the typical Duclos mod as I have a couple lenses that have gone through that process.

Good to know, thanks again Phil for your advices.

 

[Jacobo Martinez]

Has anyone tried using them with a leica m to canon mount adapter?


http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1150821-REG

 

[Phil Holland]

Has anyone tried using them with a leica m to canon mount adapter?


http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1150821-REG

Note that what you are seeing is EF-M (not EF) to Leica-R Mount (not M). Canon EF to Leica M doesn't work without an optical adapter due to the flange distance.

 

[Luke Lasley]

Has anyone tested the newest 28mm Summilux or Summicron? Looking to rent one for an upcoming shoot, along with the 50mm Noctilux.

 

[Andrew Baik]

Trying to get a set of 0.8 Leica lenses but worried about vinegetting on Helium. Anyone try them yet?