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How to trigger image magnification by the right thumb?


lct

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When you were using it and you did manage to reach the front button, what did it do? Do you think that adding a plastic "Bumpon" to the front button like many of us have done with the M240, would make it easier to reach?

 

The problem is to use manual focus with zoom and peaking, we need to reach the bottom left and right buttons, while holding with the right hand. Only then can one move one's left hand round to the front of the camera to focus. It is not clear from the somewhat ambiguously written manual, whether we can add these items to the "Favourites" list and then reassign them to other buttons and make a manual focus lens profile. I do wish someone from Leica was read. [/

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Sorry, I cannot comment on that. I was allowed to handle the camera with no card. The camera was not a demo, it's a customer camera.

 

I am sure that a lot of people will get their SLs shortly and comment in more details.

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Has anyone looked through the viewfinder of the Fuji XT1? If you have a manual focus lens attached, it can, on turning the focus ring, automatically and simultaneously  display a large full view and a smaller screen next to it with a magnified view with split-screen focussing, among other options.

 

This enables you to ignore the focus patch if you wish to concentrate on the full view, or focus with precision when you need to, or both at the same time if you're up to it, without having to press anything.

 

I don't know whether other cameras do the same,  but it really works beautifully. 

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Has anyone looked through the viewfinder of the Fuji XT1? If you have a manual focus lens attached, it can, on turning the focus ring, automatically and simultaneously  display a large full view and a smaller screen next to it with a magnified view  [...]

 

You mean with M lenses? If so i wonder how it may work. My Fuji X-E2 cannot do that. I have to click on the thumbwheel to activate magnification.

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Has anyone looked through the viewfinder of the Fuji XT1? If you have a manual focus lens attached, it can, on turning the focus ring, automatically and simultaneously  display a large full view and a smaller screen next to it with a magnified view with split-screen focussing, among other options.

 

This enables you to ignore the focus patch if you wish to concentrate on the full view, or focus with precision when you need to, or both at the same time if you're up to it, without having to press anything.

 

I don't know whether other cameras do the same,  but it really works beautifully. 

Peter, 

 

There is no RF lever on the SL to engage with the RF cam at the back of the lens and in any case it is all via the M to T adapter. In that case, I cannot see any way the camera can sense the focus ring on the MF lens being turned. 

 

Wilson

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You mean with M lenses? If so i wonder how it may work. My Fuji X-E2 cannot do that. I have to click on the thumbwheel to activate magnification.

Yes, with M and R lensea, with the Fuji M/X adapter. You set the preference in the menu once and that's it, automatic for evermore until you change it for some other display if you wish to. So if you switch between AF and MF, it rembers your preferences. Perfect.

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Don't you need to be able to switch backwards and forwards? Magnification for focusing and regular for framing? I have not heard from anyone yet if a half shutter press on the SL cancels magnification like it does on the M240. 

 

Wilson

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Yes, with M and R lensea, with the Fuji M/X adapter. You set the preference in the menu once and that's it, automatic for evermore until you change it for some other display if you wish to. So if you switch between AF and MF, it rembers your preferences. Perfect.

 

Interesting indeed. I have the same adapter but it does not seem to allow auto magnification on the X-E2. As there is no mechanical nor electrical link beween the lens and the body i did not take the time to read the manual on this point...

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Interesting indeed. I have the same adapter but it does not seem to allow auto magnification on the X-E2. As there is no mechanical nor electrical link beween the lens and the body i did not take the time to read the manual on this point...

I'm not familiar with how the X-E2 works, but it's worth a few minutes of manual reading because it's such a nice feature.

 

PS- lucky I read this before posting because my phone auto-corrected "manual" to "manslaughter", which I''d only recommend as a last resort.

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Don't you need to be able to switch backwards and forwards? Magnification for focusing and regular for framing? I have not heard from anyone yet if a half shutter press on the SL cancels magnification like it does on the M240. 

 

Wilson

 it does. 

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Another option for the SL and M lenses is automatic magnification.  While not available today, a new Leica M adapter could do this.  As a proof point, there was such an adapter for the Sony A7 cameras, Phigment, but its developer stopped making them earlier this year (https://www.phigmenttech.ca/lmnex/).

 

I mention this only because if an individual was able to do this, then surely Leica could manage the same.  IMO this would be the ideal solution for the SL because no button press would be needed at all, thus rendering the button assignment a non-issue.  The SL's little joystick would move around the magnification box / selection and it would be that simple.

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Having tried all this today I think you are worrying unnecessarily........ with the unmagnified viewfinder image focussing is very easy and accurate even using my 75/2 wide open ...... the EVF really is that good 

 

Checked unassisted focussing against peaking and magnified view ....... spot on every time.......

 

Peaking is not as sensitive and obvious as on the Q ........ but there again the lens is a fixed 28 ....... peaking on longer lenses on the M needs sharply defined edges. 

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Having tried all this today I think you are worrying unnecessarily........ with the unmagnified viewfinder image focussing is very easy and accurate even using my 75/2 wide open [...]

 

I would not expect any problem on a 75/2 wide open for sure but some people like yours truly prefer focussing at real aperture as far as possible to save time. As good as the SL's EVF may be, i would be very surprised it it allows to nail focussing at, say, f/4 or f/5.6 without image magnification, let alone with wider lenses than 70mm.

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I would not expect any problem on a 75/2 wide open for sure but some people like yours truly prefer focussing at real aperture as far as possible to save time. As good as the SL's EVF may be, i would be very surprised it it allows to nail focussing at, say, f/4 or f/5.6 without image magnification, let alone with wider lenses than 70mm.

 

I've found that, with a little bit of practice, I could focus a Summicron-R 35mm f/2 lens with very good consistency even stopped down to f/5.6 on the Sony A7 using no focusing magnification or peaking. Of course, it's easier to add some magnification (I only use peaking for fast focus rough-in speed) for better speed and precision, but certainly doable. The SL's much more capable EVF will likely improve on my consistency and speed by some amount.

 

I'll remap the magnification assist function to the front button, or put it in the favorites menu (access via right thumb on TR button) for ease of access. :-)

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I would not expect any problem on a 75/2 wide open for sure but some people like yours truly prefer focussing at real aperture as far as possible to save time. As good as the SL's EVF may be, i would be very surprised it it allows to nail focussing at, say, f/4 or f/5.6 without image magnification, let alone with wider lenses than 70mm.

 5.6 @ 6400 iso in my office at home is still dead easy ......  :)

 

..... and f16 in the kitchen is also fine ..... although there begins to be some noticeable granularity and slight flicker on the EVF.

 

Not a problem with the Zeiss 35/1.4 either ......

 

I think you need to try this yourselves and see what you think before coming to any fixed conclusions.

 

You cannot re-map magnification from bottom left to another button under the current firmware release. 

 

It is possible to toggle the button with your left thumb whilst using a couple of fingers to rotate the focus, particularly for lenses with a tab ...... not ideal, but workable. 

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Question: Do you plan allowing focus magnification to be activated by the joystick?

 

1) .....and/or allow magnification to be mapped to a different button other than bottom left? 

 

Already done Wilson i believe. Buttons 1, 11 & 12 as far as i know.

 

attachicon.gif LeicaSL601_front.jpg

 

attachicon.gif LeicaSL601_back_nos_web.jpg

 

Sadly not - at least not in the latest firmware I have 

 

Sad indeed. Makes me loose any interest in this otherwise tempting camera. Thanks for sharing anyway.

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I would not expect any problem on a 75/2 wide open for sure but some people like yours truly prefer focussing at real aperture as far as possible to save time. As good as the SL's EVF may be, i would be very surprised it it allows to nail focussing at, say, f/4 or f/5.6 without image magnification, let alone with wider lenses than 70mm.

 

 

I was going to ask the same. Did you try focusing any wides thighslapper? Thanks!

I spent 3 weeks in Crete focusing with M and R lenses on the SL - I very rarely used magnification and only used focus peaking when I switched it on by mistake. I always focused at the shooting aperture - using everything from the WATE to the 75 'cron . . .  I'm not aware of any unsuitable focusing - as thighslapper says - you need to try it first.

 

and LCT when I said "sadly not" I was referring to the current firmware - not to plans to implement it in the future. 

 

I absolutely agree that it would be nice to have focus magnification on any button you want . .. but I really really don't think it's any kind of a showstopper. 

 

best

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Hi Jono thanks but i know me i won't use the Leica beast as is and i don't want to wait as long as i did to get a firmware update for the M240. I will give the little Sony 7S a chance i think. It has so many buttons that i should find one that suits me hopefully. :rolleyes:

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Hi Jono thanks but i know me i won't use the Leica beast as is and i don't want to wait as long as i did to get a firmware update for the M240. I will give the little Sony 7S a chance i think. It has so many buttons that i should find one that suits me hopefully. :rolleyes:

Seems wilful to dismiss something untried on the basis of a crime it might not have committed. Especially when the two people who have really tried it protest its innocence!  Even more so when it's swapping something which does really well with M lenses for something which really doesn't!

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