New Leica SL Lenses & Roadmap!

[LocalHero1953]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

There's a reference to an 'eye detection function' - AFAIK, the SL includes just face detection. Has anyone seen a description of this elsewhere? Maybe it's new, maybe it's just another name for face detection. If it works, it would be a useful addition to plain AF, but it would have to be consistently accurate to avoid being just a distraction.

Edited August 19, 2017 by LocalHero1953

[BernardC]

I do not fully understand why new lens designs can take so long to come to fruition e.g. years rather than months. And even when prototypes are seen, actual production can be years away. There are likely logistics problems bringing all the 'elements' (in the broadest sense) together but the basic designing may not take long. It's not as if designers are sitting down with logarithmic tables and slide rules … they have all the necessary lens CAD technology at their fingertips. However, lenses for smaller formats seem to be relatively quickly designed and manufactured e.g. the M4/3 PanaLeica 100-400mm and Olympus 300/4 which satisfy a growing wildlife / sports photography demand.  

 

dunk

 

 

Designing the optical layout is the easy part. Any optical designer can design a lens that is so good it can not be built economically. Leica famously had that problem with the 35-70/2.8 zoom for the R system.

 

New lenses require new production techniques, new tooling, new electronics. All of those have long lead times.

Knowing Leica, the new lenses probably require special optical glass that isn't available "off the shelf." They would need to create a batch for validation, and then a bigger batch for production, possibly with some changes applied.

 

The mechanical design needs to be fully tested. Leica does not want to repeat the problems they experienced with S-system AF motors.

After all that is done, they need to make enough for a product launch. As with any new product, the first units take longer to manufacture.

 

The Oly/Pana MFT system has been around since 2008. It's not surprising that they are finally getting around to producing more esoteric focal lengths.

[Advertisement]

The Leica Q3 is available for pre-order at B&H Photo Video and Adorama

[thighslapper]

Designing the optical layout is the easy part. Any optical designer can design a lens that is so good it can not be built economically. Leica famously had that problem with the 35-70/2.8 zoom for the R system.

 

New lenses require new production techniques, new tooling, new electronics. All of those have long lead times.

Knowing Leica, the new lenses probably require special optical glass that isn't available "off the shelf." 

 

Yup ..... some of the more exotic speciality glasses require months or even years of slow cooling to achieve the desired properties. The MATE was another lens that was barely economically practical and if I recall correctly production stopped when all the glass supplies for the front element were exhausted and replacements of suitable quality couldn't be found.  

Edited August 19, 2017 by thighslapper

[Jeff S]

This interview with Peter Karbe regarding the M- 50 Summilux ASPH is a case in point....

 

https://www.shutterbug.com/content/leica-lens-saga-interview-peter-karbe

 

On the second page he describes how he had to persuade a glassmaker to reinvent glass to suit, and that one element ended up costing more than all the glass elements combined in the prior Summilux.

 

Jeff

Edited August 19, 2017 by Jeff S

[Guest VVJ]

Do you really need stabilisation in an ultra wide angle lens? You could hand hold it at 1/30s and not worry and then for longer landscape exposures you'd be using a tripod anyway.

 

For me the OIS in the 24-90 is a life saver.  I would probably agree with your statement if it was a 12-24 or similar.  I personally use the 3 stops OIS gain in the 24-35 range all the time.

[Daedalus2000]

I was watching the following video and I realised that they use the forthcoming SL75 for the shots. You can see it at about 0:52 and then you can see the images from 0:58 to 1:05.  The rendering looks wonderful to me.

 

[steppenw0lf]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

Thanks for linking the video. I also like the SL 75.

(But I did not like this style of video - I find it boring and snobbish, but this is not your fault, so excuse the pun).

Thanks.

[frame-it]

update from a japanese site, not sure if it was posted but ill add it anyways:

 

ライカ アポ・ズミクロン SL f2/75mm ASPH.（2017年内発売予定）
ライカ アポ・ズミクロン SL f2/90mm ASPH.（2018年春発売予定）
ライカ スーパー・バリオ・エルマーSL f3.5-4.5/16-35mm ASPH.（2018年春発売予定）
ライカ ズミクロン SL f2/35mm ASPH.（2018年春発売予定）

 

 

>>

 

Leica Apo · Sumikuron SL f 2/75 mm ASPH. (To be released within 2017)
Leica Apo · Sumikuron SL f 2/90 mm ASPH. (To be released in the spring of 2018)
Leica Super Barrio Elmer SL f 3.5 - 4.5 / 16 - 35 mm ASPH. (To be released in the spring of 2018)
Leica Sumikuron SL f 2/35 mm ASPH. (To be released in the spring of 2018)

[alexander]

This was the original roadmap......

[cpclee]

The pictures really look like they come out of medium format digital in their tonality and smoothness, even at web clip resolutions you can see that. Amazing.

 

 

I was watching the following video and I realised that they use the forthcoming SL75 for the shots. You can see it at about 0:52 and then you can see the images from 0:58 to 1:05.  The rendering looks wonderful to me.

 

[Guest VVJ]

This was the original roadmap......

 

The original roadmap had 3 lenses this year, this one only 1, and released this year means in the hands of most people only in the April to June timeframe...

[LocalHero1953]

If this delay is down to revised design & engineering, learning from the release of the 50SL (and TL2) that AF which is slower than the SL zooms is just not acceptable, then I can live with a delay. Better a delay than disappointing performance IMO.

[frame-it]

original >>

Leica APO-Summicron-SL 75mm f/2 ASPH. (Summer 2017)
Leica APO-Summicron-SL 90mm f/2 ASPH. (Fall 2017)
Leica Summicron-SL 35mm f/2 ASPH. (Spring 2018)
Leica Super-Vario-Elmar-SL 16-35mm f/3.5-4.5 ASPH (Winter 2017)

 

latest update from a Japanese site>

 

 

 

ライカ アポ・ズミクロン SL f2/75mm ASPH.（2017年内発売予定）
ライカ アポ・ズミクロン SL f2/90mm ASPH.（2018年春発売予定）
ライカ スーパー・バリオ・エルマーSL f3.5-4.5/16-35mm ASPH.（2018年春発売予定）
ライカ ズミクロン SL f2/35mm ASPH.（2018年春発売予定）

 

 

>>

 

Leica Apo · Sumikuron SL f 2/75 mm ASPH. (To be released within 2017)
Leica Apo · Sumikuron SL f 2/90 mm ASPH. (To be released in the spring of 2018)
Leica Super Barrio Elmer SL f 3.5 - 4.5 / 16 - 35 mm ASPH. (To be released in the spring of 2018)
Leica Sumikuron SL f 2/35 mm ASPH. (To be released in the spring of 2018)

 

This was the original roadmap......

[jplomley]

These delays are doing nothing to help the SL in the marketplace at all. Anyone thinking to invest would be thinking twice at this point. Just how committed are Leica to this system? Personally, the 16-35mm should have been the next lens out of the gate and then they should have offered a macro lens and a tilt-shift lens for product shoots. 

[wlaidlaw]

These delays are doing nothing to help the SL in the marketplace at all. Anyone thinking to invest would be thinking twice at this point. Just how committed are Leica to this system? Personally, the 16-35mm should have been the next lens out of the gate and then they should have offered a macro lens and a tilt-shift lens for product shoots. 

 

Agreed. Given that it is perfectly easy to use Summicron 75-M and 90-M lenses on the SL, it seems a very strange priority. Even the 50 seemed an odd choice to me, when both the 50APO-M and 50 Noctilux-M work so beautifully on the SL. Focusing the Noctilux on the SL is every bit as easy, if not easier, than on an M. The priority should have been lenses not available elsewhere or only on now quite old R lenses. 

 

Wilson

[sillbeers15]

Rather than to keep all of us waiting for more SL native lenses, why wouldn't like produce an AF adapter for M lenses to be employed on the SL just like what the Techart AF adapter provided AF for M lenses mounted onto Sony A7?

Granted that the adapter cannot support full range of R lenses due to the weight of the telephoto Rs and it would not be as fast as native SL lenses but it will certainly make lots of us happy and Leica can make more money (easy money producing AF adapters)and Leica can sell more SLs!

[Guest VVJ]

If this delay is down to revised design & engineering, learning from the release of the 50SL (and TL2) that AF which is slower than the SL zooms is just not acceptable, then I can live with a delay. Better a delay than disappointing performance IMO.

 

I don't disagree but that being said if you launch a new system you want to keep the momentum going and not releasing any new lenses is definitely not the way to go...

 

Even looking at it from the usual Leica is a small company limited resources etc kind of way, 3 lenses in 2 years for a new system simply is not enough...

[scott kirkpatrick]

I think I come down on the "no wine before its time" side of this one.  There are no lack of things I can do with the SLs today, and no lack of lenses to do it with.

 

And Leica is certainly not asking me for business advice.

 

scott

Edited September 22, 2017 by scott kirkpatrick

[IkarusJohn]

These delays are doing nothing to help the SL in the marketplace at all. Anyone thinking to invest would be thinking twice at this point. Just how committed are Leica to this system? Personally, the 16-35mm should have been the next lens out of the gate and then they should have offered a macro lens and a tilt-shift lens for product shoots.

 

The delay isn’t holding me back. The issue for me is, apart from the 50, which I don’t need as I have the Noctilux, the only lens of potential interest to me is the 16-35 zoom, and even then I wish it were 14-24.. I agree that Leica should be offering lenses not already available in M mount in parallel, like tilt & shift, macro or a fast 180mm prime. That would expand what’s available, rather than a long wait for duplication.

 

Somehow, it shows a lack of imagination. I expect they will be worth the wait, but meantime there is the risk the system will stall, like the S system. The SL system is more mainstream than that, or it should be.

Edited September 22, 2017 by IkarusJohn

[Advertisement]

Hallo,

Look here: Leica L-Mount

[tom0511]

Agreed. Given that it is perfectly easy to use Summicron 75-M and 90-M lenses on the SL, it seems a very strange priority. Even the 50 seemed an odd choice to me, when both the 50APO-M and 50 Noctilux-M work so beautifully on the SL. Focusing the Noctilux on the SL is every bit as easy, if not easier, than on an M. The priority should have been lenses not available elsewhere or only on now quite old R lenses. 

 

Wilson

 

TS and macro are areas where you usually use manual focus. So you can allways use a Canon TS lens without any problem. A 75 or 90 mm portrait lens benefits much more from AF.

I wish both was available soon, but the announced lenses I find pretty important. If I wanted to manually focus the 50 APO I put it on the M and not on the SL.