Should also mention shot was taken wide open, hand-held and the distance was probably more like 2' from front element to snout.
The black area or 'vignetting' you see at bottom frame was caused by the mirror 'just' (and I mean just) grazing the surface of the rear element shroud. While the mirror always plowed thru, the resulting 'graze' slowed down the mirror just enough to get it out of sync with shutter.
The lens in question was borrowed from a friend for testing. During the EOS modification process he'd dropped some metal particles into the helicoid and had to send the lens for repair. During the repair, Leica kindly repainted the rear element housing where he'd filed it.
When you do the mod, it's a matter of taking off JUST enough metal to do the job for your camera+adapter combo. Why push your luck any further than you have to? However, in this case, the thickness of the new paint combined with a miniscule difference in the thickness of my EOS adapter vs. his (different make) caused the problem with my mirror.
The model II version of the 19mm (the only model to consider) behaves much like a 10mm wider version of the famous Leica 28mm/2.8 (mod II). SHARP starting WO, color reproduction very 'as remembered' (vs over-top reds and yellow greens from Canon), resolution of micro detail stunning -- with some weakness near frame edge. Clarity and transparency typically Leica/Zeiss - much like looking at a well-lit transparency.
Lens is a very compact and smooth focusing. Floating element very handy. Built-in filter turret is neat, but of little value in the digital B&W conversion age. Hood is a secure square snap-on type with a hood cover. MTF data and analysis can be downloaded from Leica.
Leica R-EOS Adapters with eproms custom encoded for (in this case) "19mm F2,8" for exif use and to activate focus confirmation on your Canon can be purchased for roughly $70 from 'happypagehk' (on eBay). Odd name, but Rudolph is a well respected adapter fabricator out of Hong Kong. Delivery to eastern Canada for me was 1 week.
I shoot almost exclusively Zeiss (Contax and Hasselblad) and Leica on my 1Ds2. Now that I have a 28/2.8 Mod II, the 19 is next on my WA wish list. The Nikon 14-24 with the upcoming G adapter (or a homemade alternative) would be better cross frame and roughly the same price as a used 19, but is a little to 'indiscreet' for my tastes.
