Leitz Cine announced the Leitz iD Mount, an optional mount with a metadata interface for Leitz HUGO and Leitz SUMMILUX-C lenses. Compatible cameras recognize the lens and record a set of static /i metadata, including lens name, focal length, serial number, distortion map, and shading map, for every clip.
What is the Leitz iD Mount ?
By retaining this information along with the video data through daily and post-production, the “iD Mount” reduces the burden of manual lens log creation, facilitating the identification of the exact lens and focal length used during reshoots, and giving VFX teams instant access to useful optical data. The recorded maps support plate distortion correction, compositing, lens matching and emulation, and the reapplication of the original lens characteristics after VFX work is complete.
The iD mount continuously provides lens identification and characteristic data, but not complete telemetry data for the lens. It does not transmit live frame-by-frame focus or iris position, or calculated values based on changing lens settings.
Pre-Install HUGO and SUMMILUX-C Lenses with the Leitz iD Mount
The new HUGO and SUMMILUX-C lenses can be ordered with the optional iD mount pre-installed and programmed at the factory. Users who already own these lenses can purchase the mount as an upgrade. The SUMMILUX-C version uses a PL mount, while the HUGO version uses an LPL mount.
Users who own older lenses can receive an iD mount with lens-specific information encoded before shipment by providing the serial number of their existing lens and paying an additional fee. This eliminates the need for the user to program the mount themselves, and it arrives ready to mount. This self-contained interface does not require any electronic connection to the lens’s internal components. Installation is completed simply by replacing the mount, performing a standard back focus check, and making any necessary shim adjustments.
Managing Director Rainer Helcher commented as follows:
“Lens metadata is becoming increasingly important, from production to post-production. Leitz iD Mount provides owners of HUGO and SUMMILUX-C lenses with a practical way to add useful identification information and optical data without changing the performance or characteristics of the lens itself. It’s a simple upgrade designed to make these lens series even easier to use in modern workflows.”
Configure Your Lenses Yourself Too
Users who wish to configure their mount settings themselves can use “Leitz iD Mount Update Base” and the free Leitz software to create, view, modify, and delete saved information. By selecting the lens series and focal length, the software automatically loads the corresponding map. The software is available from the respective app stores for macOS and Windows. Detailed instructions via tutorial videos will be released soon.
The Leitz iD Mount and Leitz iD Mount Update Base will be available worldwide through Leitz Cine and authorized distributors.
