Reviews

[jrp]

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https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/leica-sl-typ-601

 

In the end, if you are looking for an all-around capable photographic experience and don't mind the weight or ergonomic troubles it brings, the SL will serve you fine if you have the cash. But if you don't have the cash, I wouldn't worry too much about what you're missing.

 

A fair review, although it does not mention the benefits of using the camera with M/R lenses.

[FlashGordonPhotography]

https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/leica-sl-typ-601

 

In the end, if you are looking for an all-around capable photographic experience and don't mind the weight or ergonomic troubles it brings, the SL will serve you fine if you have the cash. But if you don't have the cash, I wouldn't worry too much about what you're missing.

 

A fair review, although it does not mention the benefits of using the camera with M/R lenses.

 

 

Or S lenses or AF with some Nikon lenses.....

 

Gordon

[helged]

...or most lenses ever produced.

 

My hand must be different from that of the dpreview-guy, I actually find the ergonomics of the SL comfortable compared to any of the bodies I have owned up to now.

 

The main drawback - for me - is the lack of long lenses with reliable and quick auto focus and image stabilisation. Otherwise, the SL is a very capable and enjoyable machine.

[jrp]

Here's a long lens review:

 

http://www.leica.paris-montmartre.fr/l1/p338-Prise-en-main-90-280-SL.html

[steppenw0lf]

An extender (AF and OIS capable) would relief the pain a lot. I would like it to be 1.7x .

This should not be too difficult for Leica. 

[saxo]

The dp review of the leica sl is fair, but concerning handling very subjective as price discussion is.

 

I remember the first picture of the SL on dpreview: SL with the standard zoom lens. It was taken with a wide lens to increase size impact. DPreview was astonished seeing a fairly big EVF camera. They expected another tiny camera. But is the Leica SL really very bulky and heavy?

Weight of SL plus Standard zoom:  1987g

Weight of A7rII plus Standard zoom: 1511g

 

Taken into account the stiffness of the SL camera, the better battery capacity and the increased zoom range (90mm instead of 70mm, which is very(!) convenient) the SL is still heavier, but acceptable. I wonder how the new ‘professional’ Sony A9 will compete in terms of weight and size if it enters the market.

I personally had more difficulties handling the tiny sony A7rII with the comparable bulky lenses compared to the SL. I use the SL for over a year and have small hands (Size 7), and still no wrist pain at all. This seems to be a very personal opinion of Carey Rose to me, and/or a difference in camera handling. Nevertheless the grip of the Leica S is doubtless more ergonomic.

 

I agree on the other points he made about picture quality and AF.

 

From marketing point of view Leica did one mistake. Sony introduced the a7 series together with a tiny, slow and small prime lens. This was a nice combo. Not as useful as a standard zoom, but it looked tiny. This picture was remembered since then, even when other bulky lenses appeared. The Sony was the tiny camera. Leica goes the other way round: big zoom lenses first. I believe this is an important part of the story. We will see how the new smaller Leica prime lenses will be accepted by the market.

 

 

The discussion about price is subjective too.

 

The build quality of the camera and the lenses are impressive. Remember the great variance in quality of E-Mount lenses reported by lensrentals. I’ve not heard about that concerning the SL-lenses. Buying a lens shouldn’t be a gambling game. Regarding the zoom lenses I’ve nothing to complain about the Leica SL lenses. But I know nothing about the SL Summilux 50mm, the lighter and smaller M-Summilux serves me fine.

 

Just my experience with the SL.

[LocalHero1953]

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In his summary Carey Rose gives little weight to ergonomics and interface - not surprisingly, because he was either neutral or negative towards them.

These are subjective matters, but I don't have a particular problem with the weight or grip (with the 24-90), unless I'm carrying it round in one hand for hours at a time.

And I find the interface as one of the main attractions of the SL over comparable cameras - as has been said so often about Leicas, it just gets out of your way and allows you to concentrate on taking pictures. This aspect is rarely considered in reviews of any camera, but for me it is critical.

 

BTW, he repeats the BS that I wish we could get away from, that the M is a camera whose interface and ergonomics make you slow down in your photography, as if that is a good thing. That is an old man's remark (and I am classified as such by my daughters). The whole point of an M is that it gets out of your way and allows you to take photos at blindingly quick reactive speed - as my wife notices so often, I get my shot while she is still sorting out her (otherwise excellent) MFT camera with its too many buttons and settings and lags.

Rant over.

[phovsho]

Curious what folks with M10 and SL make of these sentiments?

 

http://www.streetsilhouettes.com/home/2017/2/23/leica-m10-vs-leica-sl-part-i-under-normal-use

 

http://www.streetsilhouettes.com/home/2017/2/28/an-investigation-into-why-the-leica-sl-isnt-an-m-camera

 

My wife shoots an M10 and we haven't done back to back testing of it vs my SL. Certainly I feel the images the SL captures are every bit as good, and despite its extra size and weight I prefer the SL ergonomics and photo taking experience, at least with the nocti and 21/1.4.

 

The second link suggests the M10 images have more "pop" than the SL files which are described as flat. It is suggested this is because the M10 sensor is designed for M series lenses only, whereas the SL sensor is a bit of a compromise so as to accomodate SL, M, R and S lenses. I hope I've done the author of the piece justice in my summary.

 

Do folks notice the lack of "pop" on the SL vs the M10? Is the "flatness" in the SL files - if it exists - equivalent in some sense to the same criticism (or at least the same term "flatness" was used to describe the effect) which was levelled at files that came out of the monochrom V1 but could be readily addressed in Lightroom or similar.

 

I note that in the first article the author generally compares images captured with the 28/1.4 on the M10 and using the 21/1.4 on the SL. Maybe that explains some of it.

[Joshua Lowe]

I have no idea what that guy is talking about or what some OOF web-sized photos taken with an SL and a Canon 1DX2 have to do with the M10.

[thighslapper]

I have read his 'M10 has more pop' comments ...... and these have appeared with almost every new Leica camera ....

 

When Adobe produce the 'proper' profile for the camera rather than Leica's default effort the more lurid 'pictures with pop' tend to vanish. 

 

All of these observations are entirely processor profile dependent and essentially meaningless comparisons. 

[phovsho]

My guess was it was a software profile issue. Thanks.

[steppenw0lf]

Here a new review about the SL - and more stuff (link) at the end of the report.

Unfortunately it is on level 2.2, so does not yet include the latest improvements (it was written in May). But at least it shows more or less in detail what the SL is capable of (for pro photography).

Here the link:   https://www.ppmag.com/news/camera-review-with-its-sl-leica-has-thought-of-everything

 

For the mods, could we keep this thread of reviews near the top ? (make it sticky) or at least give it a more meaningful name - it took me quite a while to find it again.   (like Leica SL reviews, or SL reports, or SL report collection, etc.)

[LD_50]

As always, if you enjoy the images from the camera you're using, it really doesn't matter what another camera offers. It's even less relevant what someone else thinks of their own images. Add in these made up ideas like "pop" and "3D" and I can't see it mattering at all.

 

The only expections may be if you need to be competitive in a professional setting or if you plan on hanging side by side duplicate prints from alternate cameras. I don't believe anyone does this.

 

If you don't like what you're getting from your camera (not enough resolution, color issues, AF modes, etc) then by all means go test alternatives.

[jaapv]

I have no idea what that guy is talking about or what some OOF web-sized photos taken with an SL and a Canon 1DX2 have to do with the M10.

It shows that one can take holiday snaps with any camera...

[sillbeers15]

...or most lenses ever produced.

 

My hand must be different from that of the dpreview-guy, I actually find the ergonomics of the SL comfortable compared to any of the bodies I have owned up to now.

 

The main drawback - for me - is the lack of long lenses with reliable and quick auto focus and image stabilisation. Otherwise, the SL is a very capable and enjoyable machine.

There is room to further improve the AF locking on fast moving subjects against low contrast background on the SL even though the FE3.0 did significant improvements. No so sure if there will be another significant improvement on AF or we will have to wait for SL 2 release to expect more improvements. As for longer focal length lenses, I'm not so sure about any longer than 300mm telephoto lenses for FF cameras is still the way to go. It probably still has its merits but with 20 mega pixels or more on APSC sensors plus 100-400mm Leica-Panasonic lens, it sure looks much more mobile compared to a huge telephoto lens anchored onto a tripod.

[jaapv]

It IS a lot more mobile, with stabilisation that cannot be matched by a full-frame camera, (Nikon does not go beyond 600 mm and at the cost of 5.1 kg, try stabilising that... ), and an image quality that gets close, very close.

[mmradman]

It IS a lot more mobile, with stabilisation that cannot be matched by a full-frame camera, (Nikon does not go beyond 600 mm and at the cost of 5.1 kg, try stabilising that... ), and an image quality that gets close, very close.

Actually Nikon (& Canon) go beyond 600mm stabilised prime.  I think Nikon's 800mm comes with dedicated 1.2x converter.  Of course Micro 43 is different "small" system much easier to deal with if your life or livelihood does not depend on it.

 

And yes, you can take holiday snap with any camera, i would be first to consider iPhone if weight was constraint and quality of the end result was secondary consideration. 

[jaapv]

Yes, but to stabilize a 6 or 7 kg system with a length of over 50 cm is no mean task, next to impossible. Try action shooting/handholding that, even more so in bad light or stressful surroundings.

There are professional wildlife photographers scaling down to MFT exactly for this reason, since high-quality sensors combined with superb long lenses (Olympus, Leica/Panasonic) have come to the market..

It is not about the absolute pixel-peep, it is about the ability to get the shot. 

The same argument as a few decades ago. Nobody in his right mind would take a medium format camera for wildlife use (I know from bitter experience... ), instead the preferred system was 135 format, despite the lesser image quality. I think we are seeing exactly the same development now.

I would not be surprised to see sports photographers going down the same road a few years ahead.

The main hold-back will be the heavy investment in the present systems, but the day of the Dinosaurs is waning.