Category Archives: Film

Adding EXIF data to film scans – improved

Film, Leica

A better mousetrap.

For an index of all Leica-related articles click here.

I wrote about adding EXIF data to scanned images here. While effective that tool is rather clunky in use, even if the price is right, as in free.

But there’s something better to be had for the modest sum of $17 or so, and it’s named Capture Time to EXIF. While originally intended to change capture times in EXIF data it’s a good deal more versatile than that and makes it easy to change lens data, ISO, camera serial # and a host of other variable, thus:



The variables which can be changed.

In practice this tool is not restricted to film scans. I use it on Leica M10 files where the lens name, derived from 6-bit coding, is incorrect. The camera only stores Leica lens names (duh!) whereas I use Voigtländer and Canon LTM lenses on my M10 body. Because I tend to remember images by the lens used, having the right lens name in EXIF data helps greatly when retrieving images in Lightroom Classic. After download move the plugin to this directory on a Mac, replacing ‘Tigger’ with your username:



The plugin location.

The plugin permits saving of your favorite lens data sets and that’s important because if you mess up on the wording even one tiny bit you will see two lenses where there should be one. For example ’35mm Canon LTM f/2.0′ and ’35mm Canon LTM f/2′ will be shown in the LRc Metadata panel as two different lenses. But if you save your preferred setting then the name used will always be the same. Here are the ones I have saved so far:



Saved files.

Note that in the above example I am leaving the files’ Date and Time unchanged (‘Use the Date Created field’ at the top).

In use you highlight the files where you wish to make changes then invoke the plugin in LRc->Library->Plug-in Extras->Save capture time. A recent outing during which I took 37 pictures on the M10 is instructive. Of my three 6-bit coded lenses, one is made by Leitz, the 90mm Tele-Elmarit, so no changes are necessary. The two Canons, coded as a 35mm Summicron and 50mm Summilux respectively, need the lens’ names changed. Here’s the Metadata panel with the file first loaded in LRc:



Metadata as downloaded from the camera.

After selecting the 35mm Summicron files in the Metadata panel, I invoke the plugin and load my saved Canon 35mm profile in ‘Save capture time’:



The 35mm Canon saved data file has been chosen.

The full lens description is ‘Canon LTM 1:2/35′, partly hidden in this screenshot but consistent with the Leica lens naming methodology. When you run the plugin there’s no need to save Metadata to XMP files. It’s automatic. The file write takes around one second per image.

I then repeat the process for the 50mm Canon LTM lens, running the plugin after selecting all the ’50mm Summilux’ images in the metadata panel. And here is the happy result after reloading the Metadata panel:



EXIF data corrected.

Simple and effective, the plugin represents a good return on a modest outlay.

Sharpness – film scans vs. digital files

Film, Leica

Forget film if you want ultimate resolution.

For an index of all Leica-related articles click here.



Test target, SOOC. Leica M10, 35mm f/2 Canon LTM at f/8.

Using the very sharp Canon 35mm f/2 LTM lens at f/8 and an iPhone I photographed my local ‘test target’ using four delivery methods:

Here are the results showing 100% enlargements in LRc, which means the equivalent of a 72″x48″ print.

JPG film scan:




TIF film scan:




iPhone:




Leica M10:



Click the image for an even larger version at 200%.

The conclusions are obvious, even using a small display device. Want to waste your money and get the scan fast? Speedy ePhoto is for you. Want the best possible TIF scans but with a gargantuan file size then The Film Developing.Co is good and the turnaround is 24 hours from receipt of your film. Want even better results from a pocket device? The iPhone is splendid and I would bet that current versions are better still. But if you want to blow the doors completely off there’s only once choice. A big digital sensor, be it Leica, Nikon, Canon or Sony.

Want resolution? Forget film.

A note from the owner of The Film Developing Co.:

I had an interesting exchange with Zach who writes:

Film is indeed a fascinating case study in the digital era, but we’re certainly happy for its little resurgence. Practical/commercial film scanning has seen very little progress since the “death” of film in the mid 2000s – the Noritsu HS-1800, which is generally regarded as the best commercial scanner for 35mm and 120 film, was released in 2007. The system is almost 20 years old at this point, so that is the simple explanation for the now comical lack of efficiency in file structure. The machine, however, holds up remarkably well against modern alternatives, which speaks to the incredible strength of the film market up until its collapse. Back then, there was the money and incentive to invest heavily in research and development in the film sector.

DSLR scanning can certainly produce wonderful results, but at the expense of much more labor and subjective color conversions. I am much from the camp that favors film for its distinction from digital photography, and I believe that is its main allure in a world where almost everyone has a digital camera in their pocket. There is romance in the wait and anticipation in seeing the image, the care needed in making exposures, and inherent physical nature of the negative. And you’re right, film is not about resolution or perfect image making; at this point it is about the departure from current photo making norms, and perhaps above all else, nostalgia.

Leica M2 – Asahi Camera review

Cameras, Film, Leica

From my archives.

For an index of all Leica-related articles click here.

In April, 1959 the well regarded Asahi Camera magazine (it ran from 4/1926 through 7/2020) published an extraordinarily detailed review of the recently introduced Leica M2.



Late version of the Leica M2 with the first version of the rigid 50mm f/2 Summicorn.

Like the revolutionary Leica M3 of 1954, the M2 continued with the magnificent combined range/viewfinder but stepped the magnification down from 0.91x (almost life size) to 0.72x (not 0.75x as stated in the Asahi Camera report), to permit display of the 35mm frame. M3 users had to either use an external finder (not possible if you wanted the Leicameter fitted) or had to resort to the clunky ‘goggles’ versions of the 35mm optic to get the correct field of view. The M3’s native frames are 50mm (always displayed), 90mm and 135mm, the latter two switched either with the selector lever on the front of the camera or when the related lens was fitted.

Rumors that the M2, which was cheaper at the time, was less well made are nonsense. Yes, the rangefinder design was simplified (??? Look at Figure 4 in the Asahi Camera report – both look insanely complex to me) to lower production costs, there was no self-timer and the frame counter had to be reset manually after changing films. But otherwise everything was very much identical and, in fact, to Leitz’s surprise, the M2 became increasingly popular as photojournalists migrated to the 35mm lens. Better still, the clunky and always displayed 50mm frame in the M3 with its rounded corners (a Kodachrome slide mount legacy) was gone and the three frames in the M2 (35/50/90mm) would only appear one at a time. I have owned and used both the M3 and M2 for decades and much prefer the finder of the M2 for street snapping, as I tend to favor the 35mm lens.


Click the image for the PDF file.

The Leica M2 had several minor variations. The first version came with a button you had to hold down while rewinding the film. Not great. The second version had the same button but once depressed it stayed down until the film advance lever was worked. Much better. The Asahi Camera report picks up on this. The third version reverted to the same small lever used on the M3. It’s very unlikely you will activate this accidentally, and quite how the earlier button design saved production costs beats me. The lever design is the best of all. You can see it in the first image above. Maybe this was just another case of the old German belief : “Why make it simple when complex works just as well?”

And the originally deleted self-timer could be retrofitted if desired (at goodness knows what horrendous cost) or came standard with later production. But these are minor quibbles. There are strong grounds for arguing that the M2 was the best street M Leica ever made. The successor to the M2 and M3 was the M4 and came with a cluttered finder, showing multiple frames at once. The M5 was a design disaster. The M6 saw construction quality fall, internal screws became rivets, and the whole thing just did not feel as good in the hands, TTL meter notwithstanding. I know. I used one a lot. The single worst feature was that there was no top plate readout to take an exposure reading so you had to raise the camera to the eye to accomplish this. A camera at eye level is anathema to the stealthy approach dictated by street photography of people.

The Asahi Camera report also reviews the first rigid version of the 50mm f/2 Summicron, the finest standard lens of the time. I used one for years and it really is wonderful. Sadly, the collector market has seen to it that a half decent copy will set you back $1,200. Many of this vintage have ‘cleaning’ scratches from fools who don’t seem to understand the purpose of a UV filter, or dried up grease, or corroded/oily diaphragm blades. And haze and fungus are common. Finding a good one is no mean feat.

The scans in the PDF above are high definition at 300dpi, and were made with the excellent scanner included in the Epson T-8550 printer. To view larger images on a Mac hit Command+.

Canon 35mm f/2 – some results

Film, Leica, Lenses

Compact and sharp.

For an index of all Leica-related articles click here.

I looked at the specifications the 35mm f/2 Canon LTM lens here.

After running a roll of Kodak Ektar 100 through it I can confirm that the lens is sharp and a delight to use. The only thing I miss is an infinity lock which would make it easier to mount and remove the small optic. The only modifications I made were the addition of the requisite LTM-to-M bayonet adapter, a protective, multicoated UV filter and a red indexing dome (extremely useful), all of which you can see below.



The 35mm Canon LTM f/2 on the M3.

In addition to being in ‘like new’ condition – hard to find for a lens which is over 5 decades old – mine came from Japan for a reasonable $35 shipping fee and arrived in just 4 days by FedEx. Amazing. If our government were so efficient the nation would have no debt, we would not be wasting a $trillion annually on losing wars, and the bad guys in Russia, NK and sundry other hell holes would have long been erased from the face of the earth. One can but dream.

While the M3 lacks a 35mm finder frame, I had no difficulty composing using the outer peripheries of the viewfinder image, which approximate the field of view of a 35mm lens. Handy. The only thing to remember is that you have the 35mm fitted as the 50mm frame in the M3 is visible at all times. To remind me I installed the 35mm/135mm version of the Fotodiox LTM-to-M adapter which shows the 135mm frame as an aide memoire.

Some snaps:


Decrepit machine shop.


Capitol dome.


Capitol wedding, at f/2.


Federal style furniture. 1/15th at f/2 and you can see I am not as steady as I was!


Red, yellow and blue. This one made a gorgeous big print.

If you can find a good one the Canon 35 is a cheap substitute for the ridiculously priced Leica optic.

Is the lens sharper than the costlier 35mm f/3.5 Leitz Summaron RF? I don’t know as the Speedy Photo scans (see below) are not as good as they could be. So some comparative tests using the same scanning service are called for. More when I do those.

A note on scanning: The film was scanned on a Noritsu scanner by Speedy Photo in Tacoma. They are fast – mailed on Saturday (USPS Ground), scans on Dropbox the following Tuesday – but I cannot recommend them. The resolution – and this with TIFF scans – is poor, the images are underexposed 1 stop (my exposure measurement is with the known accurate Reflx meter you can see in the first image above) and the color balance is poor. It looks to me like their scanner or operator is in serious need of service/education. I will revert to using SharpPrints in Wisconsin who use the same scanner manufacturer. I have learned that if you avoid their free pre-paid label, which uses molasses slow USPS bulk mail, and order through their Film Developing Company site which uses regular USPS, the film should get there faster and I know their HQ JPG scans to be of excellent quality. Their very responsive person assured me that C41 color negative scans are posted within 24 hours of receipt and round trip shipping is a very fair $6.95. For some reason they insist on returning your negatives. Whatever. Next time I will try their TIFF scans to determine if there is a discernible difference compared with HQ JPGs. They told me TIFF scans take no longer to produce.