New Leica SL Lenses & Roadmap!

[tgdinamo]

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On 12/29/2018 at 9:36 PM, ropo54 said:

Thanks, TGD. I'd love you to share your thoughts. Rob

Rob,

I'm really enjoying the GFX system so far. GFX 50R is very intuitive and easy to use - great controls and ergonomics but the real stunner are the lenses (so far I have GF 45mm which is equivalent to 35mm FF, and  GF 110mm which is equivalent to about 90mm FF). I went out to shoot for the first time yesterday and posted few of those images:

https://spark.adobe.com/page/boWa2155jrPIU/

I have also posted quite a few images taken with my Q from that same location (NJ Swamp) over the last year (I posted those in the Q forum on this site).

Take care. Tom

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

[ropo54]

2 hours ago, tgdinamo said:

Rob,

I'm really enjoying the GFX system so far. GFX 50R is very intuitive and easy to use - great controls and ergonomics but the real stunner are the lenses (so far I have GF 45mm which is equivalent to 35mm FF, and  GF 110mm which is equivalent to about 90mm FF). I went out to shoot for the first time yesterday and posted few of those images:

https://spark.adobe.com/page/boWa2155jrPIU/

I have also posted quite a few images taken with my Q from that same location (NJ Swamp) over the last year (I posted those in the Q forum on this site).

Take care. Tom

Thank you for your thoughts.  Images have lots of nice details. I'm curious about AF speed.

Happy Holidays. Rob

[verwackelt]

vor 5 Stunden schrieb tgdinamo:

Rob,

I'm really enjoying the GFX system so far. GFX 50R is very intuitive and easy to use - great controls and ergonomics but the real stunner are the lenses (so far I have GF 45mm which is equivalent to 35mm FF, and  GF 110mm which is equivalent to about 90mm FF). I went out to shoot for the first time yesterday and posted few of those images:

https://spark.adobe.com/page/boWa2155jrPIU/

I have also posted quite a few images taken with my Q from that same location (NJ Swamp) over the last year (I posted those in the Q forum on this site).

Take care. Tom

This Spark gallery, it is very well done!
Do you need knowledge of html programming or other webdesign skills? 
Or is there a predesigned theme or so that you fill with your content?
Thanks in advance
Sönke

[6bit]

5 hours ago, tgdinamo said:

Rob,

I'm really enjoying the GFX system so far. GFX 50R is very intuitive and easy to use - great controls and ergonomics but the real stunner are the lenses (so far I have GF 45mm which is equivalent to 35mm FF, and  GF 110mm which is equivalent to about 90mm FF). I went out to shoot for the first time yesterday and posted few of those images:

https://spark.adobe.com/page/boWa2155jrPIU/

I have also posted quite a few images taken with my Q from that same location (NJ Swamp) over the last year (I posted those in the Q forum on this site).

Take care. Tom

Well done. That 45mm is sharp. 😉

[LocalHero1953]

32 minutes ago, verwackelt said:

This Spark gallery, it is very well done!
Do you need knowledge of html programming or other webdesign skills? 
Or is there a predesigned theme or so that you fill with your content?
Thanks in advance
Sönke

Spark is very intuitive, but limited in functionality and editing tools. Basically you just choose the particular element to add (full image, grid, text, 'glideshow' etc) and import your photos to it.

You can't reorder elements (a major PITA), but you can reorder images within a grid, say.

There are predesigned themes for styles if you want them.

No coding knowledge required.

Edited December 31, 2018 by LocalHero1953

[tgdinamo]

4 hours ago, ropo54 said:

Thank you for your thoughts.  Images have lots of nice details. I'm curious about AF speed.

Happy Holidays. Rob

I find AF perfectly fine the way I use the camera (same style of shooting as I do with my Q and what I've always done going back to film days). During daylight maybe it's just a touch slower than the Q but it's close. I do need to use the camera more in low light however before I have final opinion on this - I suspect the difference in AF speed may be more pronounced in low light. Something AF related I'm finding very assuring is using the very cool focus check feature on this camera - the way it works is that after you achieve AF you can just slightly rotate the physical focus on the lens and it automatically magnifies at achieved focus point plus turn on very well designed focus peaking (EVF is excellent), so it's super easy to quickly manually adjust focus after AF is done if not completely happy with the result (but I have not found it necessary because AF seems very accurate). I also cannot emphasize enough how helpful the tilting LCD screen is to me - makes the camera so much easier to use (even on tripod - I'm 6'4" and this allows me to take a shorter/lighter tripod). By the way, all those images I posted were out of camera jpg with very little PP (I need to wait for DxO to add raw processing support for this camera to their PhotoLab software which I prefer for raw for all my cameras).

[tgdinamo]

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1 hour ago, LocalHero1953 said:

Spark is very intuitive, but limited in functionality and editing tools. Basically you just choose the particular element to add (full image, grid, text, 'glideshow' etc) and import your photos to it.

You can't reorder elements (a major PITA), but you can reorder images within a grid, say.

There are predesigned themes for styles if you want them.

No coding knowledge required.

I agree - Spark is very easy to use. They have various templates available and I used whatever was the most popular one that was listed for photography to get started - it took no time to put that together - absolutely no programming required.

[ropo54]

49 minutes ago, tgdinamo said:

I find AF perfectly fine the way I use the camera (same style of shooting as I do with my Q and what I've always done going back to film days). During daylight maybe it's just a touch slower than the Q but it's close. I do need to use the camera more in low light however before I have final opinion on this - I suspect the difference in AF speed may be more pronounced in low light. Something AF related I'm finding very assuring is using the very cool focus check feature on this camera - the way it works is that after you achieve AF you can just slightly rotate the physical focus on the lens and it automatically magnifies at achieved focus point plus turn on very well designed focus peaking (EVF is excellent), so it's super easy to quickly manually adjust focus after AF is done if not completely happy with the result (but I have not found it necessary because AF seems very accurate). I also cannot emphasize enough how helpful the tilting LCD screen is to me - makes the camera so much easier to use (even on tripod - I'm 6'4" and this allows me to take a shorter/lighter tripod). By the way, all those images I posted were out of camera jpg with very little PP (I need to wait for DxO to add raw processing support for this camera to their PhotoLab software which I prefer for raw for all my cameras).

Thanks, Tom.  I appreciate that input. Have you ever compared it in use to the S007?

Regards, Rob

[tgdinamo]

Just now, ropo54 said:

Thanks, Tom.  I appreciate that input. Have you ever compared it in use to the S007?

Regards, Rob

Rob, I have never tried the S system. Out of curiousity I have of course looked at the S reviews and samples posted on the web but never seriously considered it because of the price to get into the system (it if was not for price I would have probably looked there first when I decided to buy into high end MF system - because my Q convinced me about Leica being very special).

Having said that, other than few non critical function buttons on 50R not being quite up to par, I can't really find any faults with this Fuji - images are superb because the lenses and sensor are amazing and the camera is designed for photographers (like Leica it has all the proper physical dials and aperture ring on the lens, plus it's weather sealed  - feels as solidly built as my old Canon EOS 1D from early 2000's which was an absolute tank). Actually, one of the important compromises Fuji made (which makes hand held shooting plausible with MF) is staying away from metal in bodies/lenses - makes the system just light enough for handholding (at least the 45mm lens is actually much lighter then my Canon 35L 1.4), while still everything feels nice an rugged.

[caissa]

Tomorrow, one day before the CES in Las Vegas, Panasonic will present more details of the new full frame cameras and the new lenses. Hopefully this includes the price and the technical details of the l-mount lenses.

It will be January 7th at 10 o’clock. The catalogue front cover looks already great. (See panasonicff.com).     👍

https://www.panasonicff.com/panasonic-will-preview-s1-s1r-at-ces-2019-and-press-conference-on-jan-7th/

Edited January 6, 2019 by caissa

[Agent M10]

43 minutes ago, caissa said:

Tomorrow, one day before the CES in Las Vegas, Panasonic will present more details of the new full frame cameras and the new lenses. Hopefully this includes the price and the technical details of the l-mount lenses.

It will be January 7th at 10 o’clock. The catalogue front cover looks already great. (See panasonicff.com).     👍

https://www.panasonicff.com/panasonic-will-preview-s1-s1r-at-ces-2019-and-press-conference-on-jan-7th/

No doubt Leica will sell a lot of lenses from this. But I’m interested in the SL2.

[wlaidlaw]

I would have to look at the relative pricings of the Panasonic S1R and SL2 but I would be reluctant to return to pre-programmed buttons after the excellent fully programmable interface of the SL. The S1R also looks even bigger than the SL or the Panasonic gentleman in the picture has very small hands. Having used my brother's Sony A7R Mk3, its small size and low weight for a full frame with IBIS did seem to be a remarkable technical achievement, especially with the 24-240mm lens as a travel partner. 

Wilson

[caissa]

I am actually more interested in the new lenses than the cameras. This will give us a much wider choice and a much faster generation of new lenses. If they are fully compatible with the SL, as the common L-mount should provide, at least this is what I understand by compatibility. And besides I expect these lenses to be less expensive than the Leica gear. And Panasonic seems to offer also good enough optical quality (no cheap imitations). Here probably a macro lens will come sooner than from Leica, and maybe also some longer tele lenses. And maybe even a 1.7x extender or a macro-adapter. Or a new adapter for Canon AF lenses.

Edited January 6, 2019 by caissa

[caissa]

Regarding the size of the sony cameras: Some like it, but others, like myself, find it rather nerve-racking. Especially with large lenses the cameras are simply not very good in the hand. And the menu system is another "sad story".  (So Sony is simply no valid option for me ...)  

Edited January 6, 2019 by caissa

[grahamhoey]

Bit off topic but in keeping with the supposed roadmap is anyone else getting as frustrated as me at the lack of progress by Leica on the promised SL Summicron lenses. Think their original press release had the 35mm being out a while ago now. I have been looking at Hasselblad and all the new lenses for the X1D theyhave come out with for a camera that was releaseda year after the SL. 

[Jeff S]

Besides the focal length options and optical quality of any Panasonic (or Sigma) L mount lenses, I’ll be interested to see if they incorporate weather sealing (especially in conjunction with the SL variants) or stabilization.

As regards the XCD lens line, the first zoom is still conspicuously absent.  It was first ruled out, then appeared on the Hasselblad roadmap, but without further reports or updates.  Leica clearly had different priorities for the SL system, although the zoom for the S system didn’t meet the same IQ standard (and lacks OIS).  Quality MF zooms are likely not a simple matter.

Jeff

[caissa]

In all Interviews the management mentions the professional quality of the S Panasonic system - referring to size (haptics) and weather resistance. And the lenses also do not look small, so I can believe that they are built for ruggedness and contain the necessary sealings.  They actually showed some drawings with the sealings.

It will be interesting to see if they are faster (regarding AF speed) than the current Leica lenses. (Especially the 50 mm lens).

The first three lenses are no big surprise, but the next few will be interesting. For example what kind of wide-angle zoom they will offer. Also a 16-35 or maybe rather a wider lens like 12-24 or similar.

Edited January 9, 2019 by caissa

[sillbeers15]

4 minutes ago, caissa said:

In all Interviews the management mentions the professional quality of the S Panasonic system - referring to size (haptics) and weather resistance. And the lenses also do not look small, so I can believe that they are built for ruggedness and contain the necessary sealings.  

It will be interesting to see if they are faster (regarding AF speed) than the current Leica lenses.

Seeing the Panasonic G9 AF performance on the 1.2 firmware, I am certain that the AF performance of the S1/S1R is better than the SL in AF tracking accuracy/ hit rate. Question is can the AF tracking capability match that of the industry’s top AF performer Sony A9? We can only wait and see as Panasonic needs to convince the sceptics on latest DFD technology’s AF speed improvements on Contrast Detect hit rate over tracking moving subjects vs Phase detect stability & speed contributing to high AF hit rate. 

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica L-Mount

[Jeff S]

This report by a visitor to Wetzlar hints at some things Leica is considering with the SL system besides more lenses, more MP and more elegant design, including faster AF and possibly IBIS. In addition, ideas for the M system (separate model with EVF?), as well as customer service improvements (pro service, NJ improvements)...

https://photobasecamp.com/leica-factory-future-product-news/

Jeff

Edited January 9, 2019 by Jeff S

[thighslapper]

From an SL point of view the inferences from this visit are both promising and depressing in equal measure.......

More lenses ..... but some still seem to be at the design stage so it all sounds desperately slow .......

More Mpx on the SL .....faster AF ...... fine ....  but it sounds like IBIS has been shelved till the SL3 to me..... Silence on the longstanding bete noire of LNER .....

SL alliance manufacturing co-operation does promise stuff that Leica would have difficulty developing alone .... but again maybe more for the next generation as SL2 must be close to production by now.