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SL lenses dimensions


stevieg

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Andreas has a great summary of the SL lenses, but the dimensions/weight section of the table is blank. Does anyone know these figures, particularly the 90-280? I'm wondering how it compares to my Nikon 70-200 f2.8 VRII. Apologies if this info is available. I have had a quick look through the Leica site and here, to no avail.

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Does anyone know these figures, particularly the 90-280?

Apo-Vario-Elmar-SL 1:2.8–4/90–280mm

Diameter: 88 mm

Length: 238 mm

Weight: 1780 g

 

Vario-Elmar-SL 1:2.8–4/24–90mm Asph.

Diameter: 88 mm

Length: 139 mm

Weight: 1130 g

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238mm!

 

Yikes!

The Nikon 70–200mm 1:2,8G ED VR II measures 87 mm x 205.5 mm. Due to the SL having a shorter flange distance (and the body being thinner than that of a Nikon DSLR) the lens must be 26.5 mm longer anyway (232 mm) – but then the Nikkor maxes out at 200 mm while the SL zoom reaches 280 mm. Not bad at all.

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The Nikon 70–200mm 1:2,8G ED VR II measures 87 mm x 205.5 mm. Due to the SL having a shorter flange distance (and the body being thinner than that of a Nikon DSLR) the lens must be 26.5 mm longer anyway (232 mm) – but then the Nikkor maxes out at 200 mm while the SL zoom reaches 280 mm. Not bad at all.

 

Michael, I believe, if I understand you correctly, you want to state that to compare the SL + SL lens with the Nikon + Nikon lens, in overall length (including the camera) you have to add 26,5 mm, because of flange difference..

 

It is not because of lens design parameters of the Leica lenses, that the lens has to be that much longer.

 

Perhaps some rephrasing?

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When the flange distance is shorter the body gets slimmer and the lens correspondingly longer; with a similar lens design this cancels out. But if you are comparing just the lengths of lenses, you have to take into account that telephoto lenses for mirrorless cameras will general be longer than those for DSLRs, due to the shorter flange distance.

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When the flange distance is shorter the body gets slimmer and the lens correspondingly longer; with a similar lens design this cancels out. But if you are comparing just the lengths of lenses, you have to take into account that telephoto lenses for mirrorless cameras will general be longer than those for DSLRs, due to the shorter flange distance.

 

So there is a need to have a greater distance (26,5 mm in this case) from the back element of a (telephoto?) lens to the sensor, than the flange distance itself, to have a (more) optimal lens design? Thus still in the region of 45 mm, like the M and R.

 

A slimmer body gives, besides weight and handling advantages, room for the different adapters, obviously.

Larger lenses negates a bit the total weight advantage of a mirrorless camera, comparing it to the DSLR.

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When the flange distance is shorter the body gets slimmer and the lens correspondingly longer; with a similar lens design this cancels out. But if you are comparing just the lengths of lenses, you have to take into account that telephoto lenses for mirrorless cameras will general be longer than those for DSLRs, due to the shorter flange distance.

I follow you up to: "...the lens correspondingly longer..." I've got 3 books on optics on my shelf but I admit that they are 20 years old and I have no practical experience in lens design but I don't understand the logic behind that.

 

Do you hit some sort of practical limit on how much you can bend the light at any given time while keeping the colors together by using aspherical lenses and coatings or something like that?

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So there is a need to have a greater distance (26,5 mm in this case) from the back element of a (telephoto?) lens to the sensor, than the flange distance itself, to have a (more) optimal lens design?

No, for the sake of the argument I am assuming that the lens design is the same. The back focus distance between rear element and sensor must be the same and as the flange distance (mount to sensor) is shorter, the distance between rear element and mount must be longer by the same amount.

 

Now of course a lens designed by Nikon for a Nikon DSLR will differ from a lens designed by Leica for a Leica mirrorless camera, resulting in a different length – that’s why Leica’s 90–280mm lens is roughly the same length (if the flange distance is taken into account) as the Nikon 70–200mm, despite its longer maximum focal length.

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There is no crop. The S lenses will behave like the listed focal length in 35mm format terms. As the 70mm behaves roughly like a standard lens on the S sensor (55mm in 35mm terms), it will behave like a 70mm on the S. It will be mild telephoto, full frame - 70mm. 

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These two photos, posted over from another thread, do a good job of showing how the thin SL body affects total lens length: 

 

12031571_1051756251553173_41619892079434

 

12113478_1051756288219836_82305886324179

 

The 24-90 seems almost petite when compared against the Nikon lens, but the 90-280 is a bit of a howitzer. :-)

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I need my head read, but in a moment of weakness, I've just bought an APO-Elmarit-R 180/2.8 (reminiscent of a Nikkor lens of the same specs I loved).

 

132mm long, E67 filter and weighs 970g

(cf the SL 24-90mm, 138mm, E82 filter and weighs 1.140kg)

 

Granted, the SL AF zoom is 90-280mm and f/2.8-4, but it's huge, heavy and for some reason I find 180mm about the limit I want handheld.  I am rather hoping in years to come, Leica will populate the SL system with some very good primes - a new AF 180 Summicron? of a new version of the 280/4?

 

I did look at the 280/4 (Holy Moley, that's expensive) and the 180/2 (I don't have a Sherpa available to carry that beast) - the 180/2.8 looked like a nice compromise, and not in the same price stratosphere.  I did also look at the Contax 200/2 - it comes in what looks like its own Louis Vuitton case, and priced at the same levels as the Leica 280/4!

 

Hey ho ... I wonder if I'll ever get the camera (still don't have a price)!

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I'm sure you'll love the APO-Elmarit-R 180/2.8. 

 

I have the original Elmarit-R 180/2.8 v1 (a beast of a lens but beautiful bokeh) and it's little brother, the Elmar-R 180/4. The latter is actually small and light, and renders beautifully too. Check out this series, just testing bokeh with it. Focus on the left at about 7' distance, each photo shows the same scene from f/4 to f/22 in whole stops: 

 

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/25268645/Leaves-Test/Leaves-Test-1.jpg

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/25268645/Leaves-Test/Leaves-Test-2.jpg

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/25268645/Leaves-Test/Leaves-Test-3.jpg

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/25268645/Leaves-Test/Leaves-Test-4.jpg

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/25268645/Leaves-Test/Leaves-Test-5.jpg

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/25268645/Leaves-Test/Leaves-Test-6.jpg

 

The f/2.8 is even nicer. (Taken with Leica M-P fitted with R Adapter M.)

 

I've got my SL on order at two shops ... Which ever gets one in for me first gets the gold. US$7500 ... 

 

G

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