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Akara Labs

Leica M Mount Lens Precision 6-Bit Encoder

Leica M Mount Lens Precision 6-Bit Encoder

Regular price £28.00 GBP
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Kit

Leica M Mount 6-Bit Encoder. The coder clips on to un-encoded lenses and allows quick and easy coding of any M mount lens.

Once the lens is encoded, your Leica camera will know which focal length lens it has mounted and record that information in to your photos (meta data) which will then be displayed in Lightroom and any other software allowing you to filter your photos by lens and focal length.

Your Leica will also apply various adjustments including vignetting, chromatic aberration and barrel distortion for cleaner JPG images and less post processing for RAW files.

Any other manufacturer lens can be coded to the closest Leica equivalent, generally improving the quality of your photos through the automatic corrections applied and the recording of meta data for lens length (28mm, 50mm etc).

For coding third party lenses, some experimentation may be required to find the closest and best match.

Why are there two options?

Encoder Kit:
If you purchase the Kit, white and black pens are included along with the 6-bit coder, instructions and table of lenses and what to code them to. These pens are fully compatible with the Leica 6-bit sensor.

Encoder Only:
Exactly the same as the kit, but without the pens. You will need a compatible black marker; many black markers do not work with the Leica 6-bit sensor or do not adhere to the metal on the lens as well but there are also plenty that work perfectly.

The recommend pen is the Black Uni-ball Super Ink Marker Pen 0.9. A white pen (Posca PC1-MR) is usually not required but can help with successful coding for some cameras (usually the M8 and M240 are more picky).

If you have a lens not listed in the table below, mounting your camera on a tripod and photographing a scene uncoded, then photographing the same scene with a few of the closest codes will allow you to compare and choose the best one for your particular setup. This should only take around 20 minutes for more than one lens due to it only taking around 20 seconds or so to clean a previous code off a lens and then re-coding it.

A few lenses can have a screw where a 1-bit should be, filling this in with white allows you to then either leave it as white or place a black mark on top of it for successful coding.

Note: The QR code on the encoder takes you to the instructions online which includes the table of lens codes. If you are out and about with the encoder and pen in your bag, this should hopefully help code your lens quickly.

Matt Osbourne, a professional model photographer reviewed version 1 of our encoder. See what he thought about it here:


A short introduction and tutorial can be found here:


Please see this excellent table below from lavidaleica.com (The original table was posted on Carsten Whimster's site (site no longer active) and with thanks to Sean Reid, Jan Dvorak, Dante Stella and others who had made it possible).

Thanks also goes out to many others in the Leica community who are providing valuable information that allow us all to code our lenses effectively.

Product photos by the fantastic and talented Rikard Landberg - https://www.rikardlandberg.com

Lens Name Black Chrome Code Picture Framelines Other Lenses
Tri-Elmar-M 16-18-21mm f/4 ASPH 11626 - 010000 ⬜⬛⬜⬜⬜⬜ 28/90 Voigtländer 15mm f/4.5
Super-Elmar-M 18mm f/3.8 ASPH 11649 - 110100 ⬛⬛⬜⬛⬜⬜

Tri-Elmar-M 16-18-21mm f/4 ASPH

11626

-

010000

⬜⬛⬜⬜⬜⬜

28/90

Voigtländer 15mm f/4.5

Super-Elmar-M 18mm f/3.8 ASPH

11649

-

110100

⬛⬛⬜⬛⬜⬜

50/75

Zeiss Distagon T* 4/18 ZM

Super-Elmar-M 21mm f/3.4

11145

-

110011

⬛⬛⬜⬜⬛⬛

28/90

 

Elmarit-M 21mm f/2.8

11134

-

000001

⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬛

28/90

Konica M-Hexanon 21-35mm f/3.4-4.0 (1)

Voigtländer 21mm f/1.8 Ultron

Elmarit-M 21mm f/2.8 ASPH

11135

11897

011000

⬜⬛⬛⬜⬜⬜

28/90

Voigtländer 21mm f/4 Color Skopar

Zeiss Biogon T* 2.8/21 ZM

Kobalux 21mm f/2.8

Summilux-M 21mm f/1.4 ASPH

11647

-

101111

⬛⬜⬛⬛⬛⬛

28/90

 

Elmar-M 24mm f/3.8 ASPH

11648

-

110010

⬛⬛⬜⬜⬛⬜

24/35 or 35/135

Voigtländer 25mm f/4 Snapshot Skopar

Elmarit-M 24mm f/2.8 ASPH

11878

11898

011001

⬜⬛⬛⬜⬜⬛

24/35 or 35/135

Zeiss Biogon T* 2.8/25 ZM (with mount fix)

Summilux-M 24mm f/1.4 ASPH

11601

-

110000

⬛⬛⬜⬜⬜⬜

24/35 or 35/135

 

Tri-Elmar-M 28-35-50mm f/4 ASPH

11890

11625

11894

101010

⬛⬜⬛⬜⬛⬜

28/90, 24/35, 50/75

 

Summaron-M 28mm f/5.6



001011

⬜⬜⬛⬜⬛⬛

28/90


Elmarit-M 28mm f/2.8 (III)

11804

-

000011

⬜⬜⬜⬛⬛

28/90

 

Elmarit-M 28mm f/2.8 (IV)

11809

-

011011

⬜⬛⬛⬜⬛⬛

28/90

 

Elmarit-M 28mm f/2.8 ASPH

11606

-

011100

⬜⬛⬛⬛⬜⬜

28/90

Zeiss Biogon T* 2.8/28 ZM

Konica M-Hexanon 28mm f/2.8

Summicron-M 28mm f/2 ASPH

11604

-

011010

⬜⬛⬛⬜⬛⬜

28/90

Voigtländer 28mm f/1.9 Ultron

Voigtländer 28mm f/2.0 Ultron II

Voigtländer 28mm f/3.5 Color Skopar

Zeiss Biogon T* 2.8/25 ZM

Summarit-M 35mm f/2.5

11643

-

101011

⬛⬜⬛⬜⬛⬛

24/35 or 35/135

Voigtländer 35mm f/2.5 Color Skopar

Summicron-M 35mm f/2 (IV)

11310

11311

000110

⬜⬜⬜⬛⬛⬜

24/35 or 35/135

Zeiss Biogon T* 2/35 ZM

Minolta M-Rokkor 40mm f/2.0 (3)

Summicron-M 35mm f/2 ASPH

11879

11882

011110

⬜⬛⬛⬛⬛⬜

24/35 or 35/135

Voigtländer 35mm f/1.7 Ultron

Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 ASPH

11874

11883

011101

⬜⬛⬛⬛⬜⬛

24/35 or 35/135

Voigtländer 40mm f/1.4 Nokton

Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 Steel rim



001100

⬜⬜⬛⬛⬜⬜


Thambar 90mm f/2.2

Elmar-M 50mm f/2.8

11831

(11824)

11823

100010

⬛⬜⬜⬜⬛⬜

50/75

 

Summarit-M 50mm f/2.5

11644

-

101100

⬛⬜⬛⬛⬜⬜

50/75

Voigtländer 50mm f/2.5 Color Skopar

Summicron-M 50mm f/2 (III)

11817

-

010111

⬜⬛⬜⬛⬛⬛

50/75

Konica M-Hexanon 50mm f/2

Summicron-M 50mm f/2 (IV, V)

11819

11826

11825

11816

100001

⬛⬜⬜⬜⬜⬛

50/75

Zeiss Planar T* 2/50 ZM

APO-Summicron-M 50mm f/2 (VI)

11141

-

101001

⬛⬜⬛⬜⬜⬛

50/75

 

Summilux-M 50mm f/1.4 (II)

11868

11856

000101

⬜⬜⬜⬛⬜⬛

50/75

Summarit 5cm f1.5

Summilux-M 50mm f/1.4 ASPH

11891

11892

100000

⬛⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜

50/75

Voigtländer 50mm f/1.5 Nokton

Zeiss C Sonnar T* 1.5/50 ZM

Noctilux-M 50mm f/1

11821

11822

-

011111

⬜⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛

50/75

 

Noctilux-M 50mm f/0.95 ASPH

11602

-

110001

⬛⬛⬜⬜⬜⬛

50/75

 

Summarit-M 75mm f/2.5

11645

-

101101

⬛⬜⬛⬛⬜⬛

50/75

Voigtländer 75mm f/2.5 Color Heliar

APO-Summicron-M 75mm f/2 ASPH

11637

-

100100

⬛⬜⬜⬛⬜⬜

50/75

 

Summilux-M 75mm f/1.4

11810

11814

11815

-

100011

⬛⬜⬜⬜⬛⬛

50/75

 

Macro-Elmar-M 90mm f/4

11633

11634

100111

⬛⬜⬜⬛⬛⬛

28/90

 

Macro-Adapter-M

14409

-

101000

⬛⬜⬛⬜⬜⬜

28/90?

 

Tele-Elmarit-M 90mm f/2.8 (II)

11800

-

000100

⬜⬜⬜⬛⬜⬜

28/90

Konica M-Hexanon 90mm f/2.8

Elmarit-M 90mm f/2.8

11807

11808

100110

⬛⬜⬜⬛⬛⬜

28/90

 

Summarit-M 90mm f/2.5

11646

-

101110

⬛⬜⬛⬛⬛⬜

28/90

 

Summicron-M 90mm f/2 (II)

11136

11137

000111

⬜⬜⬜⬛⬛⬛

28/90

 

APO-Summicron-M 90mm f/2 ASPH

11884

11885

100101

⬛⬜⬜⬛⬜⬛

28/90

 

Elmarit-M 135mm f/2.8 (I/II)

11829

-

001001

⬜⬜⬛⬜⬜⬛

28/90

 

APO-Telyt-M 135mm f/3.4

11889

-

110101

⬛⬛⬜⬛⬜⬛

35/135

 


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Customer Reviews

Based on 102 reviews
72%
(73)
12%
(12)
5%
(5)
4%
(4)
8%
(8)
B
Brandon Visconti
It didn't work on any of my lenses

I paid extra for them to send me a pen and I could not code any of my lenses

Hi Brandon, sorry to hear that it didn't work for you. Please get in touch and we can trouble-shoot what the issue might be.

L
Lanny
Brilliant and simple piece of kit

About 10 years ago I spent a fortune sending my old lenses to Leica to get them coded. Not only an expensive touch of madness, but I was without my lenses for ages. With this kit, I can alter any old lenses or new non Leica lens in minutes, and essentially for no cost. Now all my lenses have good exif data automatically, and benefit from lens correction and IBIS on SL system. So happy. Works so well. Thank you Ankara Labs!

J
John Twist

The product works well on both my Leica M11. I was easy to apply to my Voigtlander lenses. So far I am very happy.

L
Leo Q.
Simple, safe, effective hack for 3rd party M mount lenses

Don’t hesitate. If you have 3rd party lenses for the Leica M mount, get Akara Labs 6-bit encoder. It works! I’ve encoded 4 Voigtlander lenses and my M10 recognizes them without a glitch! Thanks Akara Labs!

D
D DAscenzo
Great quality and support

Everything when smooth!