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Leica SL (Typ 601) - Mirrorless System Camera Without Compromise


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If the critter is in front of a bright background the thing I'm focusing on is definitely not bright.  Enabling exposure preview between exposures is much too cumbersome for a quick-moving animal.  This feature is a deal breaker for me.

 

 

You can't touch exposure compensation and half-press the shutter release? That's what I do in similar circumstances. 

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I'm not sure I understand this.  Conventional DSLRs do not show exposure preview.  If that is the way you prefer to work, you can turn it off on the SL.  Or are you saying you prefer it on all the time?  I am assuming you are in M mode because it hardly makes a difference in A mode.  When I have a subject like that I will meter in spot mode anyhow.   I am just trying to understand because I have seen your work, which is spectacular, and would like to better understand your methodology.

 

 

I prefer it on all the time.  For me it's one of the HUGE advantages of the EVF.  I'm in M mode 100% of the time.  auto-exposure is unreliable for my uses.  I know how I want my photos exposed and I don't want an algorithm to second-guess me.  Here are a few examples where the automatic viewfinder brightness fails:

 

veflyc00.jpg

 

rshawk04.jpg

 

rbsaps02.jpg

 

There's also the issue of the bird image going brighter or darker as I re-compose (imagine how that would work with the sapsucker above as I move the camera right or left).  I want to be able to see if the light has changed, such as when a cloud obscures or semi-obscures the sun, and I don't want to have to keep pressing buttons to do that.  I want real-time feedback.  I know what exposure I want on the bird, I want visual confirmation of that in the viewfinder, the HUGE advantage of the EVF.  I don't give a flying f*** about the exposure of the other s***.

 

Switching back into exposure preview mode after each exposure wastes my time and consequently I will miss the fleeting moments where the bird's posture is ideal.  I might as well be manually flipping an SLR mirror back down like in the days before instant-return mirrors.

 

I want to use the camera as though it were Leicaflex SL with a digital sensor.  There ought to be a firmware update that allows the user the option of setting exposure preview mode on and locking it on.  Why this isn't a default in manual exposure mode baffles me.

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You can't touch exposure compensation and half-press the shutter release? That's what I do in similar circumstances. 

 

Impractical when following a subject that is jumping from one branch to another while turning and twisting and the plane of focus changes several times / second.  I have more than enough to keep me busy just keeping the bird visible in the viewfinder.

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I want to use the camera as though it were Leicaflex SL with a digital sensor.  There ought to be a firmware update that allows the user the option of setting exposure preview mode on and locking it on.  Why this isn't a default in manual exposure mode baffles me.

Okay. Now I understand.  Even though the momentary press is ok for the way I shhot,  I agree Leica should provide an option for continuous exposure preview in firmware.  Doesn't sound like it would be very difficult, but then again this has not stopped them from choosing not to make requested changes before.

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I ought to mention that overall the SL is fabulous.  The file quality, handling, button layout, menus, viewfinder (aside from the automatic brightness thing), construction quality and responsiveness are first-rate and I'd be head-over-heels in love with this camera if the exposure preview mode could be locked on.

 

The automatic viewfinder brightness feature is a deal-killer.  In polite company I call it an epic fail.

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I don't know about an "epic fail" but if that's what you want and you don't want it without that, it kills the camera for you. 

The setup as it is works fine for everything I've needed so ... our needs are just different. Such it is..  :mellow:

 

I do agree: It should be an easy option to add ... essentially, make an option to use the exposure preview mode full time rather than on the half press. I wonder what else will be affected by doing that. 

 

 

 

Why this isn't a default in manual exposure mode baffles me.

 

In other EVF cameras, it's gone both ways. When it was the default, half the audience complained about the viewfinder going dark. When it was not, half the audience complained that the viewfinder didn't match the actual exposure. 

 

I'd hate to be a camera manufacturer. Nothing ever satisfies everyone!  :ph34r:

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I thought i was impossible to adjust EVF brightness, contrast & colours on the SL. Am i mistaken here?

 

The question Doug has raised has nothing to do with adjusting EVF brightness, contrast, or color. It has to do with having the EVF track actual exposure settings or be maintained as bright regardless of actual exposure. 

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In other EVF cameras, it's gone both ways. When it was the default, half the audience complained about the viewfinder going dark. When it was not, half the audience complained that the viewfinder didn't match the actual exposure. 

 

I'd hate to be a camera manufacturer. Nothing ever satisfies everyone!  :ph34r:

 

 

Allowing the user to choose would go a long way toward resolving this problem.

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Allowing the user to choose would go a long way toward resolving this problem.

 

 

That is ultimately the solution that Panasonic and Olympus made. Both have the default as a bright viewfinder in Manual mode, and an option to set it to to track the exposure. Sony, if I recall correctly, went the other way and have the default as tracking the exposure in Manual mode with an option to turn the simulation off. 

 

Leica (and Ricoh, if I recall correctly) provide the (much more useful to me) ability to see the viewfinder bright as normal and set it track exposure on the half press, both with options to defeat it. For the greatest number of photos, this works very well: I just half press the shutter release to see if I have the exposure where I want it, otherwise I can see to focus and frame at full brightness. 

 

I'd send a request in (to both Leica USA and Leica Wetzlar) to consider adding the feature in the the next firmware update. The SL is young and the firmware is still just 1.x ... I expect a long future for this camera and many things will come along in time. (For comparison, Olympus released the E-M1 in October 2013 with firmware 1.0. They're now just released firmware 4.1 with many very handy feature additions. That's a major rev with new features approximately every six to eight months on average... the SL is barely two months old.)

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The correct person to email about firmware requests for the SL at Wetzlar is Steffen Skopp. We are not allowed to post email addresses on the forum but the formula is first name dot last name at leica hyphen camera dot com. Leica assign priorities and costings to requested firmware alterations and then tackle them as and when funds are allocated for firmware updates. On that basis, the change to the EVF settings to allow tracking exposure should come up around the year 2027. 

 

Wilson

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Guest JonathanP

You could also forward a screen shot from the M240:

 

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

 

just in case they're confused about what you want  ;)

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