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SL Firmware 3.0 update wishes


MRJohn

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If we don't keep the numbers going this will just turn into a waste of time.

 

Gordon

 

 

Thanks for instantiating the numbers onto my items, Gordon. I hope you can keep a spread sheet of the list as it grows as well... backup for safety. :-)

Edited by ramarren
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you can save profiles to a card and reload them. I think he means to no have the camera reset everything when you update the firmware. Other brands do this.

 

Gordon

 

 

Well, it's not simple. If you have created profiles, the SL's fw2.0 installation asks whether you want to save them. If you haven't, it just reinitializes everything. It's best to have one profile at least with your commonly used settings stored there, export it to the storage card manually before doing an update, and then let the camera do its thing knowing you can reload the config manually. I do double protection by saving to my normal user card, switching to a temporary card and exporting again, loading the firmware update to that card, and then running the update. 

 

Other brands I've used do not reset the camera on minor updates, but always reset it on major updates. If the camera has no way to save its 'current' configuration to card storage, it's all lost when the major update is performed. 

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16. Allow user to change order of the favourites menu. (I'd like to have user profiles at the top, for example. I know it's available as a long press but I use them for other stuff).

 

17. Option of electronic (silent) shutter at all shutter speeds. (with the normal limitations of using flash etc.)

 

18. Allow touch screen control of the menus. Selection and scrolling.

 

Gordon

+1 to 17

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If we don't keep the numbers going this will just turn into a waste of time.

 

Gordon

 

Well, you started with 1 when it should have actually started with 2 as mine was 1  ;) . And your 15 is hardware, not firmware.  ;)  ;) But still good to keep the numbers trending. - Since I started the topic I might consolidate (there is already some redundancy) the input on the weekend and repost. - I have to say that I am not sure about the voting and subsequent ranking proposals from some other posts. I might not use/need feature proposals which are very important to others, and vice versa. If one were to vote, one should probably just confirm whether what is proposed makes sense/could be useful. Let's see if we ever get to this stage (maybe surveymonkey could be used).

Edited by MRJohn
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With the experience I have in hardware/software development as background, I'd say that the best we can do as people external to Leica and as dedicated SL users is to list carefully what we consider to be bugs and what we would like as feature enhancements, rank them by noting how many times different people support each particular item in that list, and present that to the Leica marketing and engineering team for the SL as our coordinated list of what we would like to see. 

 

Only the engineering folks can determine what they can make of the hardware with firmware to do what we want, and assess how difficult that is. 

 

Only the marketing folks can determine how valuable each of those fixes and feature enhancements might be to the general audience for the SL, of which we are only a tiny part. 

 

It's important to make the list, hand it off to Leica, and be sure that Leica understands what we have offered them. It's also important to understand that none of us here on the outside can competently gauge what the engineers can actually achieve or how much it might cost, either in money, time, or functional compromise of other things. 

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With the experience I have in hardware/software development as background, I'd say that the best we can do as people external to Leica and as dedicated SL users is to list carefully what we consider to be bugs and what we would like as feature enhancements, rank them by noting how many times different people support each particular item in that list, and present that to the Leica marketing and engineering team for the SL as our coordinated list of what we would like to see. 

 

Only the engineering folks can determine what they can make of the hardware with firmware to do what we want, and assess how difficult that is. 

 

Only the marketing folks can determine how valuable each of those fixes and feature enhancements might be to the general audience for the SL, of which we are only a tiny part. 

 

It's important to make the list, hand it off to Leica, and be sure that Leica understands what we have offered them. It's also important to understand that none of us here on the outside can competently gauge what the engineers can actually achieve or how much it might cost, either in money, time, or functional compromise of other things. 

 

 

Absolutely.

 

When I got my SL, I was very disappointed with the camera and especially the TTL flash performance. I wrote to Leica Australia and I know for a fact that that information made it to the SL team in Germany and that they took it seriously. I know they considered everything I sent in but I also know they have to take other considerations into account. It does seem that the SL team are interested. It's still a small market share camera but an important product and I think they really want to get it as close to ideal as possible, and I think they value our feedback. Who better than actual users including a couple of working photographers to give them that field experience.

 

Gordon

 

p.s. keep 'em coming folks. I'll most certainly be sending the results to Leica Australia/Germany if we have a sensible list. I'm sure they are already doing things but there's bound to be stuff they hadn't considered that we, as a group think deserves more attention.

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43: New feature: provide option to enable PIP (picture in picture) magnification when pressing joystick in M mode (using e.g. M lenses). This would allow focusing what needs to be in focus while keeping an eye on the scene itself (which might be moving). Would e.g. be very useful for street photography. Here is a mock up what I mean:

 

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38. For use of non-Leica lenses; have an option to manually select the (approximately) correct focal length from a list of "standard" focal lengths like 12, 15, 21, 24, 35, 50, 80, 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600 and 800 mm, so close-to-correct focal length info is embedded to the image. Alternatively, have the option to self-define focal lengths in a dedicated menu for non-native Leica lenses.

 

I would probably go one step further and say:

 

44: For non-Leica lenses, have the ability to create custom lens metadata profiles which get written to EXIF. E.g. I'd like to add Konica Hexanon 50mm f1.2 to the pull-down catalog (i.e. name, focal length, aperture). Of course without any lens corrections applied. This would spare me to do it manually in Lightroom.

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Here is a consolidated list on one page:

 

1. Fix the EVF behaviour. Make it adjustable by the end user in brightness and contrast.

 

2. Fix the live exposure preview behaviour. Make it the same regardless of the mode you're in. MENU>LIVE EXPOSURE PREVIEW> 1) OFF 2) ALWAYS ON 3) on, on half press of shutter button.

 

3. Fix the issue that normal live exposure preview is disabled when attaching a TTL flash to the camera (God only knows who though that was a good idea??)

 

4. Have a setting SLOW FLASH SYNC SPEED = OFF in the slow sync settings for A, P and T modes.

 

5. Allow the user to set which dial does what in semi-auto modes. Have an option to make the same dial exposure preview in all semi auto modes rather than switching what dial does what depending on what mode you're in. ie: I want the exposure compensation dial to be the same in A and T modes, which I can't do now.

 

6. Allow more flexibility in what file is written to which card and how.

 

7. Fix the 0.0.0 GPS location issue.

 

8. Option to have the camera remember the last user selected manual focus assist position.

 

9. Option to quickly reset the focus point to the centre of the screen. Double tap joystick perhaps?

 

10. Add the option to have the joystick set a lower magnification when pressed and used with MF lenses.

 

11. Have the option to enable focus peaking at the same time as other display modes (histogram etc).

 

12. Improve Auto ISO functionality, especially when used with TTL flash.

 

13. Move as many on screen indicators (eg: the focus peaking symbol) out of the imaging area in the EVF, to the black bar at the top of the display.

 

14. Add the option to assign the user quick menu to a long press button.

 

15. Announce the 85mm Summilux I really want

 

16. Allow user to change order of the favourites menu. (I'd like to have user profiles at the top, for example. I know it's available as a long press but I use them for other stuff).

 

17. Option of electronic (silent) shutter at all shutter speeds. (with the normal limitations of using flash etc.)

 

18. Allow touch screen control of the menus. Selection and scrolling.

 

19. Save user profiles during firmware updates 

 

17. Option to set up and manage menu functions, settings, and profiles via the SL application on another device, similar to the way this can be done on iOS devices from a macOS computer. Doing this from the camera feels slow and cumbersome.

18. Top display to show the focus distance scale when the SL-mount lenses are manually focused without having to partially press and hold the shutter release. The S-007 already has this updated in its most recent firmware.

19. Option for the camera to recognize via software that manual focus lenses (M, R, adapted) are being manually focused and prompt magnification. I believe this would be possible very easily by the camera recognizing the image changing focus by a certain degree (you wouldn't want this triggered by a small change in position). I miss the RF mechanism triggering magnification from my M-P.


20. Option to have the camera "remember" focus point position when changing between landscape and portrait orientation. Nikon and Canon have this option.


21. Option to change focus point selection color. I preferred the red on my Nikon D4s for focus confirmation.

22. Option to change the size of the focus selection boxes. I don't necessarily want more points but an option to make the focus point selection more precise while still allowing more advanced grouping of points (see Nikon D# series cameras grouping options) would be helpful.

23. Full electronic shutter option at all shutter speeds.

24. Option to stop long exposures during capture. I cannot find a way to do this currently.

25. Option to view long exposures during capture on the rear-LCD (see Olympus OMD series).

26. Enable focus bracketing for SL-mount lenses.

27. Enable timed shutter release in combination with bracketing. 

 

28. Allow the user to select long exposure noise reduction = OFF.

 

29. Allow camera to take a dark frame subtraction frame of user set length that can be used in post processing. eg: take a dark frame after a series of photos like a star trail set.

 

30. Allow multiple tripod mounted exposures to be automatically blended into a single DNG file in camera. Increases DR and lowers noise. Also simulates a ND filter exposure. Sony has this as an add on app (smooth reflections) and it works well.

 

31. Add intervalometer options similar to Nikons

32. With all the additional options, and as part of my option 17, allow profile management that completely hides a lot of this stuff. I would set up a street shooting profile, a tripod profile, etc, none of which would carry video options. They'd be hidden for me. 

 

 

·       32 a. Fix the AutoISO mode so that it works properly when you set a bottom limit other than 50. 

·       33. Improve the metering accuracy and range at low EV values with adapted lenses, and make it consistent across metering modes.

·       34.  Provide an option for automatic extension of exposure time in AutoISO A mode when the ISO setting has maxed out.

·       35. Provide an option to split the card writes. 

·        Provide an option to disable dark frame subtraction noise reduction mode. ALREADY MENTIONED

·         Provide a way to customize the two dials with respect to exposure compensation operation. ALREADY MENTIONED

·       36.  Provide a way to do two-frame exposure bracketing with a settable EV step between them. 

 

37. When using manual lenses (M lenses in my case), I have to magnify the view and then move around to focus find the focus point.  That's silly and time consuming.  Instead the process should be reversed like it is with AF lenses - move the box and then magnify.  It's more time effective this way and I won't lose the composition. 

 

38. For use of non-Leica lenses; have an option to manually select the (approximately) correct focal length from a list of "standard" focal lengths like 12, 15, 21, 24, 35, 50, 80, 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600 and 800 mm, so close-to-correct focal length info is embedded to the image. Alternatively, have the option to self-define focal lengths in a dedicated menu for non-native Leica lenses.

 

39. Visible indication when the exposure metering is out of calibration range in low light.

 

40. In playback mode, redesign the delete menu so it does not block as much of the photo.

41. Increase playback volume for in-camera video playback.

42. Show an on-screen indication when reformatting SD cards in camera. 

 

43: New feature: provide option to enable PIP (picture in picture) magnification when pressing joystick in M mode (using e.g. M lenses). This would allow focusing what needs to be in focus while keeping an eye on the scene itself (which might be moving). Would e.g. be very useful for street photography.

 

44: For non-Leica lenses, have the ability to create custom lens metadata profiles which get written to EXIF. E.g. I'd like to add Konica Hexanon 50mm f1.2 to the pull-down catalog (i.e. name, focal length, aperture). Of course without any lens corrections applied. This would spare me to do it manually in Lightroom.

Edited by rriley
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Can the red focus assist lamp be turned off ? If yes, how ?

If no, can this be added to the wish list ?

 

 

Leica+SL_DE-EN.pdf page 210:

 
AF assist lamp
 
The built-in AF auxiliary lamp extends the operating range of the AF system in poor lighting conditions. If the function is switched on, the lamp will light up in such conditions when AF operation is started by pressing the shutter release button or the joystick (if set accordingly, see p. 223).
 
The lamp has an operating range of approx. 1 - 3m / 3-9 feet.
 
Setting the function
 
1. In the menu's SETUP section, select AF Setup, 
2. in the submenu, AF Assist Lamp, and
3. switch the function On or Off.
 
Note:
It is advisable to remove an attached lens hood because it may obstruct the lamp.
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11. Suggested Edit. I think number 11 should be edited to allow an additional customisable display mode on which you can select any combination of assistants you want. ie the preview select (BR button as default) would therefore be: normal > full screen > histogram > focus peaking > grid > horizon > custom > normal.

 

Custom would be controlled by a sub-menu allowing selection of any combination of the other screens.

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45. The current exposure settings (f stop, shutter speed) should be saved in the memory slot during the "Save as Profile" menu action.  I like going to a completely "known state" when I load a memory setting.

 

E.g.

 
Profile 1: Mode =  A, f stop = 5.6, shutter speed = auto
Profile 2: Mode =  M, f stop = 8, shutter speed = 1/125s
Profile 3: Mode =  T, f stop = auto, shutter speed = 1/640s
Profile 4: Mode =  M, f stop = 11, shutter speed = 1/60s
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Number 1 is the big one for me. 

 

46. Add the ability for the camera to write to an FTP server using the WIFI connection. - This would bring the camera into line with Canon and Nikon's flagship wireless capabilities

 

This would include the ability to choose what went where. e.g. save a raw to the SD and send a jpeg to the FTP. Or send a Raw and save a Raw. 

For people that cover live events/sports or just for wireless preview in a studio environment. 

 

A met a guy that had a modified Lacie Fuel drive (portable wireless hard drive with battery) in his back pack, and his camera was constantly writing files to the drive via FTP all while covering an event. Even if he used multiple SD cards, it was all there on the hard disk which simplified the import to his computer later on. 

 

It should be noted that both Nikon and Canon make you buy a wireless adapter in addition to the camera. So to add this ability so the SL has it out of the box would be 1 up on them!!

Edited by haydenc
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