Question for Leica SL users

[jrp]

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I don't.  But it is just a DNG file.  You may lose correction data for M / R lenses, even if the DNG opens, and you may have to build your own profiles.

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[helged]

Do you know if Adobe Photoshop 6 ( the none cloud based ) can open the raw files from the SL ?.   

 

 

Sure, no problem. The SL (as for the other Leicas) - give you raw files in dng format, that is readily read by most software out there, Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop included.

[saxo]

For panorama, you may have a look at the current Elmarit M 1:3,4 21mm. This lens performs excellent and is reasonably priced.

[aage]

Thank you Saxo ,  I will look at that lens.   Do you know how it is in regard to vigneting ?

[LocalHero1953]

Thank you Saxo ,  I will look at that lens.   Do you know how it is in regard to vigneting ?

I have that lens, but I have used it only on the M. It has slight vignetting, and also colour shift towards the edges. Both are solved by the flat field correction plugin in Lightroom.

[lanetomlane]

The three lenses I would recommend for the SL are; 24-90, 24-90, 24-90.

 

I've been an M user since 1969 (double wind M3) and when I bought the SL body I had no intention of buying the large, heavy, gross 24-90; just intended using the M lenses. However, after reading reports about the performance of the 24-90 on the forum I felt I must be missing something and so bought one. Performance wise, in my opinion, it's a wonderful lens although it's still heavy, large and gross and so I have a love, hate relationship with it. (If only I could persuade the wife to carry it, it would be a great lens.)

 

A great travel combination for me is the 24-90 and the WATE. (An M lens with three settings; 16-18-21) This covers everything from wide to short tele.

 

Really to have an SL body without this lens is like having a Porsche and driving it at 30mph.

 

Whatever you decide I'm sure you'll love the SL.

[Jeff S]

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A great travel combination for me is the 24-90 and the WATE. (An M lens with three settings; 16-18-21) This covers everything from wide to short tele.

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The WATE works at intermediate settings as a true zoom, unlike the MATE, which works only at 28-35-50.

 

Jeff

[kiubabar]

Due to the subject you shot (landscapes), you need to wait for the 16-35mm SL native lens (deliver on 2018)for better images resolution. For me, I wound choose 16-35mm, 50/1.4 and 90-280mm. 

Honestly, if you have tight budget....Pentax 645z with their two new weather sealed lenses wound do the better job if you only shot landscapes.

 

Kiu

[lanetomlane]

The WATE works at intermediate settings as a true zoom, unlike the MATE, which works only at 28-35-50.

 

Jeff

 

 

Thanks for that Jeff; I've had one for well over five years and never realised. I've had the MATE since 2000 and when I bought the WATE assumed it was the same. Of course, I never read instruction books.

 

Cheers, Tom

[aage]

The pentax is to big for my liking,  I would rather look into the new Fuji gfx.

[Jeff S]

The Pentax also lacks a full range of weather sealed, modern AF options, whereas the Fuji is scheduled to fill out a broader set. Of course other factors come into play when comparing systems.

 

Jeff

[helged]

Yes, the 24-90 is a very fine lens, but a lens that tend to stay at home when hiking due to it's size and weight. My standard 3-lens set when hiking is 21Super-Elmar-M (filter thread 46mm), 50APO-M (39 mm) and 90Macro-Elmar-M (39mm). For a set with 39mm filters only - convenient if filters are used - I may substitute the 21SEM with 28Elmarit-M.

 

Weight of 28Elmarit + 50APO + 90Elmar: 710 g (the M-adapter-L comes in addition, about 50 g).

Weight of 24-90: 1140 g.

 

One the wide end, the new Voigtlander Super Wide-Heliar 15mm f/4.5 Aspherical III (247 g) or the Leica Tri-Elmar 16-18-21 (335 g) are fine alternatives.

[aage]

Helged.  your kit looks very tempting regarding size and weight.   Sometimes I do a long whole day walk with my kit, after one such day I dumped my Nikon 24 70 and my Nikon 14 24 lens because of their bulk and weight.   

 

A good quality light weight system is very nice to have,  but still the thought of having a SL with 24 90 along with the WATE also looks tempting.  Im more often now doing panorama than using a very wide lenses.  So ys , maybe the 24 90 would be enough.

[FlashGordonPhotography]

The SL with 24-90 and WATE is 2.4kg. Not too bad for such a versatile system. Of course that's without tripod, filters etc.

 

Gordon

[rpittal]

I am spending this week at Joshua Tree National Park with my SL. I have my 21SEM, 35 Zeiss Distagon, 50APO, 90APO and 135 APOTelyt with me. On day trips, I am carrying 2 or 3 (the Zeiss is getting the most use, followed by the 50 and then 90/21, rare with the 135). Night/evening are all with the 35 also (being my fastest/wide I have with me). With bright sun, no need for my fast lenses, and these are my sharpest irrespective of f stop. This set (21SEM, 35Distagon, 50APO) makes the most sense for my landscape set. I have been seriously looking at the 90-280 for birding, but that is another question/use. I am looking forward to the new 35 and 75SL lenses for their weather-sealing and expected excellent quality. In the meantime, I am very happy with my M lenses (but I am not much of a zoom guy when doing landscaping work).

Regards,

Bob

[LocalHero1953]

Yes, the 24-90 is a very fine lens, but a lens that tend to stay at home when hiking due to it's size and weight. My standard 3-lens set when hiking is 21Super-Elmar-M (filter thread 46mm), 50APO-M (39 mm) and 90Macro-Elmar-M (39mm). For a set with 39mm filters only - convenient if filters are used - I may substitute the 21SEM with 28Elmarit-M.

 

Weight of 28Elmarit + 50APO + 90Elmar: 710 g (the M-adapter-L comes in addition, about 50 g).

Weight of 24-90: 1140 g.

 

One the wide end, the new Voigtlander Super Wide-Heliar 15mm f/4.5 Aspherical III (247 g) or the Leica Tri-Elmar 16-18-21 (335 g) are fine alternatives.

That Leica trio is very attractive. I made the mistake of getting the Apo 90 M which, great lens as it is, is a bit bulky in comparison with the Macro Elmar. I plan to replace the Apo 90 M with the SL 90 when it comes, assuming it fulfills its promise. I could be tempted by the Macro Elmar 90 M at the same time.

[Likaleica]

I am spending this week at Joshua Tree National Park with my SL. I have my 21SEM, 35 Zeiss Distagon, 50APO, 90APO and 135 APOTelyt with me. On day trips, I am carrying 2 or 3 (the Zeiss is getting the most use, followed by the 50 and then 90/21, rare with the 135). Night/evening are all with the 35 also (being my fastest/wide I have with me). With bright sun, no need for my fast lenses, and these are my sharpest irrespective of f stop. This set (21SEM, 35Distagon, 50APO) makes the most sense for my landscape set. I have been seriously looking at the 90-280 for birding, but that is another question/use. I am looking forward to the new 35 and 75SL lenses for their weather-sealing and expected excellent quality. In the meantime, I am very happy with my M lenses (but I am not much of a zoom guy when doing landscaping work).

Regards,

Bob

 

I just returned from Joshua Tree and mostly used my 24 Elmar-M (My 24-90 is in the shop).  I rather enjoyed working with this lens, which is incredibly sharp and very lightweight.  I would seriously consider it in your kit.

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[John Black]

I have a significant number of M lenses, so I use the SL with those M lenses.  That said, the SL (in my opinion) is designed first and foremost to be used with its native AF lenses.  Leica applies some pretty significant in-camera corrections to the Leica M lenses, so optically they work well on the SL.  But operationally, the SL has some trade-offs.  For me the biggest gripe is the magnification box always resets to center.  With AF lenses it remembers the selected focus, so there is not a tug a war with the camera of constantly re-centering the magnification box.  I have some other nits, but that's the biggie.

 

With the AF lenses you gain alot of functionality, such spot metering (if selected) being tied to the selected to the AF point.  That do-able with a M lenses, but LOTS of joy stick navigation involved.  Having optical stabilization is very handy if shooting handheld.  With the 24-90mm I generally trusted the AF, so I did not feel compelled to zoom and check the AF.  Whereas with the M lenses, I do most focusing zoomed in.  So the AF lenses work out being much faster for me.  There are some lenses I just rather use on the SL (vs my Monochrom 246).  The 75 Lux and Noctilux come to mind.

 

I had the 24-90mm earlier on, but sold it.  I'm seriously think about rebuying the lens.  It's quite big and heavy, but the SL "flows" better in my opinion better with its native SL lenses.  If the 24-90 had weighed ~1.5 pounds, I would have never sold it.  At 2.25 pounds, it's pretty weighty.  I've tried the Novoflex SL / Canon adapter.  It works, but...  alot of "but's".  I would not want the Canon EF lenses as my primary lenses with that adapter.  Maybe the Nikon adapter does better with its AF set-up.  

 

As for manual focus, I really can't imagine any other camera being better.  The 4.41 MP EVF is "the" stand-out feature.  I know some people have issues with its brightness in certain shooting conditions (or ways of shooting), but that has been a total non-issue for me.  My only gripe with it is not being able to have focus peaking and the live histogram on screen at the same time.

 

My biggest gripe with the SL is its weight, but for somebody coming from a D800, I'd imagine the weight to be a total non-issue.  Maybe the SL weighs less than a D800...?...  Anyway, I'm very used to my M's, so the SL is heavy in comparison.  

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[Jeff S]

Body with battery, SL is 15% lighter than D800.

 

Jeff

[Budfox]

24-90mm, 15mm Voightlander (new) 35mm summicron (second hand). Then wait 12 months and decide if anything else desired. Warning, getting into Leica is a potential slippery slope of buying more and expensive gear and losing site of the very high cost. So take it easy at the start and try not to overindulge until you are sure what you want/need. It is great gear of course - no doubting that.