APO-Vario-Elmarit-SL 90-280 on the TL2

[IkarusJohn]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

With 24MP on the new TL2, it occurs to me that, ergonomics aside, the SL 90-280 zoom will provide excellent reach with an effective range of 135-420, with better resolution than a cropped image on the SL.

 

As for the ergonomics, the large zoom on the SL is big anyway. If you're using a tripod on the lens, I don't really see a downside.

 

Anyone tried this combination yet? Gordon?

[farnz]

Jono Slack says he has in his review of the TL2.

 

Pete.

[Advertisement]

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

[bencoyote]

I was kind of curious about that myself. I ran the numbers a while back:

 

55-135mm @135mm

    Horizontal: 10.0° Vertical: 6.61° Diagonal: 12.0°

90-280mm @280mm 

    Horizontal: 4.84° Vertical: 2.19° Diagonal: 5.79°

 

So it is like a 8.4x zoom which should be enough for some birding.

 

The T is optimized as a general use camera. It isn't really targeted at the kind of photographers that need super telephotos. That is more where the more pro oriented SL would fit for sports and wildlife but currently Leica hasn't put a SL supertelephoto on their roadmap yet. Maybe in 2018? But that is a topic for the SL forum not the TL forum.

[IkarusJohn]

Thanks Pete - I missed that.

 

I'm not really into birding that much, but apart from ergonomics (such a small camera hanging off such a big lens), I can't see why the image quality would be any worse than the SL, and the reach is better.

Edited July 14, 2017 by IkarusJohn

[scott kirkpatrick]

Jono Slack says he has in his review of the TL2.

 

Pete.

I read that as well, so I went looking for the results.  Nada.  Not in the article, and the gallery that has EXIF doesn't identify any.  He seems to have shot his "telephone/selfie" series with the 55-135 only.  That would seem like a reasonable and inconspicuous choice.  The last Jono BIF exercise that I can recall was starling murmurations, shot in video with the Olympus M1.2 and its OIS 12-100 lens.  So we don't yet have a strong recommendation for the TL2/90-280 combination.

[FlashGordonPhotography]

With 24MP on the new TL2, it occurs to me that, ergonomics aside, the SL 90-280 zoom will provide excellent reach with an effective range of 135-420, with better resolution than a cropped image on the SL.

 

As for the ergonomics, the large zoom on the SL is big anyway. If you're using a tripod on the lens, I don't really see a downside.

 

Anyone tried this combination yet? Gordon?

 

I've tried it to make sure it works. It does. But I haven't really played with it. I won't get a chance till early next week.

 

But one of the attractions of the TL2 for me was to have a 1.5 teleconverter on the SL lenses....

 

Gordon

[tritentrue]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

I was just at a local Leica store for the purpose of testing the 90-280mm on my TL2.

 

The salesman told me his colleague had just discovered that the lens is not supported, but that it will be supported after a firmware update.  He encouraged me to mount the lens anyway, after which the TL2's monitor displayed the following message:

 

"This lens/adapter is not supported"  

 

I had previously tested the lens on my T (FW v. 1.61) and autofocus was decently fast and accurate in low to moderate indoor light.

 

The salesman was unable to offer information as to when the firmware update will be available.

 

What led me to buy the TL2 was the prospect of having Leica image and build quality along with a telephoto lens with crop-sensor angle of view and autofocus capability; as well as the belief that SL and TL lenses would be universally cross-compatible.

Edited July 17, 2017 by tritentrue

[IkarusJohn]

I just attached both SL zooms to my TL2; after a brief message "lens software updating", they worked perfectly.

[tritentrue]

My TL2 updated with my 24-90, but not with the 90-280.

 

The message I saw was same as the one I saw when I mounted the Novoflex SL/NIK adapter on my TL2 (which Novoflex fairly states does not work on the T series).

 

Possibly the store's display copy of the 90-280 lens may have a firmware anomaly, since it didn't work with the Leica store's copy of the TL2, either.

[FlashGordonPhotography]

I would think it needs to be at the latest version of firmware. Originally the SL lenses didn't work on the T until there were firmware updates.

 

Get the store to hook up the lens to a SL running 3.0 so the lens firmware updates and then it should work.

 

Gordon

[erlingmm]

...and it would be interesting if the adapter for S lenses on the SL could work on TL2. Mechanically it does, I guess it is again a question of firmware - it does not work on the 701 - original T.

 

Very esoteric of course, pure backup/experimentation, but it would be interesting to try.

[tritentrue]

I would think it needs to be at the latest version of firmware. Originally the SL lenses didn't work on the T until there were firmware updates.

 

Get the store to hook up the lens to a SL running 3.0 so the lens firmware updates and then it should work.

 

Gordon

 

 

Thanks for that suggestion.  

 

I just sent an email with your suggestion to that Leica store branch.

[FlashGordonPhotography]

...and it would be interesting if the adapter for S lenses on the SL could work on TL2. Mechanically it does, I guess it is again a question of firmware - it does not work on the 701 - original T.

 

Very esoteric of course, pure backup/experimentation, but it would be interesting to try.

 

I tried. Doesn't work on either the T or TL2. Unsupported message appears. Tried my adaptor and the one in store.

 

Gordon

[erlingmm]

I tried. Doesn't work on either the T or TL2. Unsupported message appears. Tried my adaptor and the one in store.

 

Gordon

 

 I know, with current FW it does not work, but I could imagine it is possible to fix in firmware, if they want to. Could be limitations on how much power the camera can deliver to lenses, of course.

Edited July 17, 2017 by erlingmm

[tritentrue]

Here's the message I received from Leica explaining why the 90-280mm lens works on some copies of the TL2 but not on my copy or their demo copy:

 

"... for some reason the TL2 that delivered to different market seems to have different firmware, some are 0.xxx and some are 1.000, even our own demo set is unable to use the 90-280mm and the lens has been firmware updated with the SL with version 3.0."

 

[IkarusJohn]

I have firmware v1.0, and my SL has the latest version.

 

As mentioned above, when I connected the SL zooms to the TL2, the camera updated the firmware in the lenses.  I must say, it all seems odd.

 

On a more positive note, both the 24-90 and 90-280 seem to work well on the TL2.  I'm looking forward to trying them out in earnest.  Having 24Mp in APS-C format, as opposed to 10MP(?) cropped on the SL potentially increases options (not really sure about that - I'm generally not worried about resolution).  AF seems to work fine.

[tritentrue]

My TL2 also purports to be running FW v. 1.0. and my SL 24-90 works well on my TL2.

 

The possibility of having a 420mm AOV lens with OIS, autofocus, and Leica optics coupled with the TL2's superb imaging capability is enticing.  The Leica salesman seemed to think that Leica will rectify this very soon.

[IkarusJohn]

My TL2 also purports to be running FW v. 1.0. and my SL 24-90 works well on my TL2.

 

The possibility of having a 420mm AOV lens with OIS, autofocus, and Leica optics coupled with the TL2's superb imaging capability is enticing.  The Leica salesman seemed to think that Leica will rectify this very soon.

 

 

I suspect that if the 90-280 zoom has been updated to the latest software (on an SL), it will work on the TL2 - mine does.

[tritentrue]

I suspect that if the 90-280 zoom has been updated to the latest software (on an SL), it will work on the TL2 - mine does.

 

 

As indicated by Leica's reply to me, quoted above, this is not the case with some copies of the TL2.  They clearly stated that their copy of the 90-280mm had its firmware updated by an SL with FW 3.0.

 

It's obvious from what's being posted in another thread that some copies of the TL2 have differences from others, the starkest being that some copies are no longer working while others are.

Edited July 18, 2017 by tritentrue

[Advertisement]

Hallo,

Look here: Leica L-Mount

[vikasmg]

As indicated by Leica's reply to me, quoted above, this is not the case with some copies of the TL2.  They clearly stated that their copy of the 90-280mm had its firmware updated by an SL with FW 3.0.

 

It's obvious from what's being posted in another thread that some copies of the TL2 have differences from others, the starkest being that some copies are no longer working while others are.

Just wondering whether TL2 firmware 1.1 has made any difference.

 

- Vikas