Leica M on Weapon

[Matt Elkind]

Hey Phil and Jarred-

I know you guys love that Leica M glass. It was really cool how red made a little tweak to the port so that when I upgraded my epic to dragon, it was suddenly possible to slap some wider lenses into the leica m mount. It made it clear that even though this is a total niche, it's one that you guys share my soft spot for.

Unfortunately there were some artifacts with a good deal of this wider glass that have been well documented on this forum. This wasn't a defect; rather just a result of the fact that these lenses were designed for a radically different camera system. That's why I'm not too too optimistic about it, but I have to ask: were you guys able to make any further tweaks with the new body to make it play nicer with more leica m glass?

Sure would be sweet... The idea of those little guys on a smaller and lighter camera that can do what the weapon does gets me all worked up.

Phil, I'm sure this is something you'll be testing asap. Just wondering if there's anything to report at this point. Or at least hint at.


-elkind

 

[Phil Holland]

That's a Jarred question if there have been any tweaks.

There are some freaking gems in Leica-M mount too. Imagine a Weapon 8K Dragon CF with a REDVOLT XL and a tiny Leica-M lens. That's going to rock for certain things.

The reason we are getting the false color vignette and pixel smearing on the wider Leica-M Mount lenses is due to them being designed for a different medium employing an optical design that was optimized for that.

Sensors however have "buckets" and microlenses. Generally speaking to get the highest quality image you want to shoot light straight into those buckets the best you can. When it comes at more extreme angles this is where the weirdness occurs. Leica-M digital still cameras actually use a more bulbous mircolens to to compensate for that. The Dragon sensor (like all digital cinema cameras really) wants straighter beams than those wider Leica-M Mount lenses can provide.

Unless something drastic has changed it will likely perform the same, but it is indeed something I'll test.

 

[Matt Elkind]

Thanks for the response, Phil. We harbor a lot of the same fantasies regarding small lightweight setups with that Leica look.

Good to know that it's unlikely that those issues will resolve themselves. I've held off on adding some wider m glass to my collection and this is a really useful hint as I strategize future revisions to my glass package.

Can't wait to slap that noctilux onto a weapon...


-elkind