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Leica TL Concept


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Today I went to my Leica dealer to look for the new TL2. First impression was it's nice shape, quality everywhere,  nice form factor. Feels solid and very basic simple design. The UI was like smartphone to operate, and it memorized now also the settings when you restart it. But for the experienced camera operator I feel, this is not the way to go. Everyone to it's taste. My last verdict is still open.

 

Taking after the Q in my hands my smile came back to my face. What a difference in handling. For the same money of a TL2 with one lens and EVF you receive the Q with bigger sensor, intuitive operating and compact form factor. Now if Leica brings out a longer focal length, say 40mm, than I am done.

 

The trusty salesman spoke to me that Leica is planning to bring out something like a mini SL with integrated viewfinder  :rolleyes: Maybe this autumn  :D

Whether it will have full format or APS-C is not known, but anything like that sounds promising. More is not known. Let's hope for a good solution. The difficult thing is, to build a intelligent concept like the Q which is not to pricey and good lens options.

 

The dealer was really disappointed about the slow deliveries of Leica, they don't receive enough cameras in time - to many backorders of M10 and Q.  :wacko:

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Gordon, you are seriously into Leica!  That is some investment also. However each one of them in their own right are good cameras for different purposes.

 

I shudder to think what I've spent on Leica gear and I also have other brands. Thankfully as a working photographer it all pays its way.

 

Gordon

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Today I went to my Leica dealer to look for the new TL2. First impression was it's nice shape, quality everywhere,  nice form factor. Feels solid and very basic simple design. The UI was like smartphone to operate, and it memorized now also the settings when you restart it. But for the experienced camera operator I feel, this is not the way to go. Everyone to it's taste. My last verdict is still open.

 

.....

 

Could you elaborate what bothers you with the new UI: is it more "change aversion" or does it lack functionality? Thanks.

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... The T isn't a *serious* camera. It's quite obviously a cool looking camera you can just take almost anywhere but with awesome Leica lenses. I want a pop up flash on the T because it's the camera I take when I'm out with the kids and I want to record us as a family. ...

 

Can you elaborate why T cameras are not serious cameras for, e.g., travel and landscape (where no flash is needed)? I would probably miss back-button focus capability.

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The funny thing, I am not a cell phone/iPhone/smart phone user, unlike the majority. I never take photos with them, and you can count the times I use my cell phone per month on one foot of toes, if at all! Call me old fashioned. But I immediately bonded with my first T, bugs and all. It was totally intuitive. More fun and convenient to shoot with than any other camera, and I have owned many. I bought it as needed a smaller less serious camera to carry around for my work, and being able to use my M lenses and have that quality appealed to me. The fact it had an EVF, even if external, won me over. I don't care for cameras that have no ability to use an EVF due problems seeing the screen in the sun.

 

Is funny here we are now pitting the TL against more serious cameras. That says a lot about just how good it is. Bravo Leica!

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Professionals are very happy with that UI. Using icons instead of text makes sense in 21st century.

 

Are you purely referring to changing menu settings?

 

Because changing spot focus point with a Touch UI is IMO painfully slow compared to with a joystick.

 

You need to take your eye off the EVF, hold your finger on the screen (about 2 secs), move the focus point, confirm (set) and move your eye back to the EVF.

 

Perhaps not an issue for landscapes, if you are shooting people way way too slow...

 

Touch AF is faster (though less accurate) and you still need to take your eye of the EVF.

 

Not using the EVF, Touch AF+Release and Face Recognition are faster but eg. Face Recognition is still a bit of a hit an miss, for me at least...

 

I am still mostly focusing and recomposing (which people have obviously been doing for decades) but do I get more pictures in focus with the SL using the joystick, yes... and faster, yes...

Edited by JorisV
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You have to take the UI of the TL2 as it is, not as comparable to that of the SL or another traditional camera. If you want the functionality of a DSLR or the SL with the same means of controlling it, then you are bound to find the TL2 unsatisfactory. OTOH, if you are used to a smartphone, then a touch UI on a camera designed to be used with arms extended or one handed makes sense.

 

Oddly, I went through a similar period of disconnection with a UI 35 years ago when I added a Rolleiflex T to my then Leica M3 and Pentax MX. Then as now, the idea of not holding a camera up to the eye seemed strange and awkward. However, I was then working in a remote part of south east Asia and I found that local children and some adults responded much better to a photographer who did not hide his face behind a black device with a big glassy lens pointed at them like a gun.

 

There's nothing particularly natural about an OVF or EVF in photography, though they are immensely practical for many ways of taking photographs. A touch UI is just for a different way of taking photographs in different scenarios and for different purposes. I wouldn't choose it as a backup for my M or SL, but I might choose it as a versatile camera to stick on my belt in social scenarios.

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Can you elaborate why T cameras are not serious cameras for, e.g., travel and landscape (where no flash is needed)? I would probably miss back-button focus capability.

 

I speak only for my use. For some it'll be the most *serious* camera they ever own. If I didn't make myself clear I'm not saying that the TL can't produce stunning results. In the right hands most cameras can and the TL lenses are a cut above any equivalents I've used. It's more about photographic intent. If I want to get *serious* I'll take a *serious* camera. For landscapes that'll be a S007 or X1D. For travel I'll take an M. For me the TL is a system that weighs little and has great optics so it's the gear I'll take out when photography isn't the purpose of the day. But at the same time I won't carry a camera that's not capable of great results.

 

But I do think that for Leica and probably some buyers it's aesthetic will be a significant part of the ownership ideal. It's a catchy bit of bling to have hanging off your shoulder. And there's nothing wrong with that. I'm partly drawn to cameras that are pretty. Hard core landscape photographers might be more drawn to a higher resolution sensor and as a keen travel photographer might be drawn to faster primes. Portrait photographers might prefer a camera with an optical finder (not me, I'm an EVF guy).

 

Of course, I'll be bias to my circumstances. So, as an example of where the T fits into my life. In April I went to Melbourne to hang out with some Leica photographers. I took an M system, plus the TL and standard zoom because it has AF and a flash for when I'm feeling lazy. In October I'm heading to Cuba. I'm taking an X1D as my primary system. I'll probably take the TL and a few lenses to have something more compact and for the occasional shots the X1D can't cover (longer lenses for example). During these school holidays I've been getting out and about with the kids. The TL with the standard zoom and 23mm is my camera of choice for that.

 

You can read any of my posts with my persona bias in mind and I think, from my usage you can see why I will miss the little pop up flash.

 

Gordon

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