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Leica SL 90/280mm.............is it really that good


Guest NEIL-D-WILLIAMS

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Guest NEIL-D-WILLIAMS

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I've been watching Dan Cooks posts with his SL plus 90/280mm................man that lens looks sharp. Can someone who has that lens comment on its usability, its weight ratio when hanging on the small SL body and the AF................I'm very close to calling Ffords in Scotland and getting one but would like to get some feedback first from current users whether its positive or negative :)

Thanks

 

Neil

 

Mods please change the heading to 90/280mm

Edited by NEIL-D-WILLIAMS
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I love it :) I hold it in the same position for extended periods waiting for the stars to align...

 

I also happily carry it around with me all day at events, weddings, festivals.

 

36046492235_e333942818.jpgtaken by a friend. by dancook1982, on Flickr

 

35999145865_f6e3eab48d.jpgLeica SL by dancook1982, on Flickr

 

Love having that bit of extended reach @ 280mm 

 

AF is very fast though sometimes held back by contrast detection of body.

 

in lens stabilisation is also great :)

Edited by dancook
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Hi Neil,

 

Put an R Strap onto the 1/4-20 attachment point of the lens, not the supplied foot, and carrying the lens is quite easy, more balanced than camera strap attachment.  

 

I also enjoy using my S lenses with the Leica adapter, the 180mm lens focuses more accurately on the SL than the S bodies, no stabilization as with the 90-280.  

 

I'd be surprised if there are any negative comments.  

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No doubt I t's a sharp and impressive looking lens. I took it with me on a 3 week trip to Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia but found that I would default to the 24mm-90mm more often than not. I found the lens big and top heavy but I do a lot of street photography. I sold it for the 50mm. I know another Leica enthusiast who recently did the same thing. But I also have the M10 and Q. I'm going to India for 2 weeks and plan to take all 3.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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can't see you carrying it in your tiny Lafuma bag, Neil .......  :p

 

It is big .... and heavy .... but not as awkward to use and hold as you would imagine from photos ...

 

Image quality is fantastic. AF is lightning fast, accurate and OIS has meant I have handheld down to 1/25 sec ...... even at 280mm. 

 

I posted a sequence of images here: https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/253192-leica-sl-image-thread-post-your-examples-here/page-48?do=findComment&comment=3026628 (all handheld) which might be interesting .....

 

Excellent for cycling holidays where it can go in a pannier ...... or as a solo lens for specific events/uses ..... but add it to a backpack or bag with the rest of the usual gear most folk take on trips (ie. too much) and you may live to regret it ......

 

I took it one day on a landscape trip a few months ago .... in a backpack with tripod, SL, Q, 24-90, loads of filters, several w/a lenses, noctilux and other 'essential' junk ..... and after a miserable ascent in bog and pouring rain began to doubt my sanity. The kick in the teeth was looking at all my wonderful tripod very long exposure waterfall pics afterwards...... and realising I had left OIS on which f*cked up the sharpness on most of them. 

Edited by thighslapper
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I wouldn't think of hanging it from a neck strap. Nor is this lens for "carry around use". OTOH, I have used it a lot for events, dancers, musicians etc where I can carry it to the venue mainly by car or bicycle with a short walk, and stay mainly in one place. OIS is terrific for shooting at shortish shutter speeds: 

http://www.paulashleyphotography.co.uk/collection/dancing-with-shadows/

Most of these were at 1/125 or 1/250 IIRC. I could have gone slower handheld for slower moving subjects.

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If you really need that focal range (in addition to the "universal" 24/90), then there is simply no alternative. The 90/280 performs fantastically in terms of IQ and usability (AF and OIS). BUT it is really big and heavy. Especially when you already have two SL bodies and the 24/90 the total weight of this equipment may be a bit "critical" even using the Peak Design Every Day Backpack... 

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love that lens, even if at the long end I get sometimes results that are under my expectations (not as sharp as expected). in the 90-135 range it is an absolute brilliant lens for portrait and fashion and the like. at 90 it is much better than the 24-90.

 

It is a heavy lens, and I don't like to carry it around or work longer sessions with it. On the other hand, if you want the results you have to be brave :-)

 

Seriously, this lens is one of the reasons to have a SL

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Perfect in combination with the 24-90.

 

I took both zooms on a recent multi-day bush walk (tramping the Milford Track, for the kiwis here) - we were fully catered (glamping), so my pack was relatively light.  The track involved a slow assent day 1, steep climb day 2, long slow descent day three.  Days two and three were wet (this area gets 10 metres of rain a year, so I mean wet), which meant that I made lens choices pretty much for the day.  Pack on my back, camera across my torso, bandolier style, lens (the 90-280 is very long) hanging at my thigh.

 

In the overall scheme of things, it worked very well and was not too heavy.  These were long days, so I got a bit tired of the lens banging against my thigh, but that was about it.

 

The images were very pleasing.

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Neil, the 90-280mm is an excellent lens, extremely sharp and it draws pretty beautifully. AF is fast and silent, and very precise on the landscape (I don't do other work with it, so I can't speak for focus tracking or the like). It is big and heavy, at 1.8 kg, but not much heavier than i.e. the Nikkor 70-200 at 1.4 kg or Leica 180mm S at 1.3 kg and has more reach than the classic 70-200 zooms for 35mm SLR systems. It feels pretty balanced on the SL if you are used to holding long lenses, and its foot is quite well balanced on a tripod - the detents work great when you turn it, too.

 

Hope this helps, best regards

 

Vieri

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I only used it for a month.  Arthritis meant I never tried using it hand-held.  The removable tripod foot is very slick!  AF is very quick and silent, the lens is very very sharp, I expect it will do very well on future high-MP bodies.  My only complaint is the optical stabilization, I wish there were an option for ignoring the short, sudden movements associated with following the erratic movements of an animal (what Leica calls "unintentional wobble").  I want to be able to instruct the optical stabilization system on the finer points of "intentional wobble".  Aside from this and the SL's modest pixel count the SL plus 90-280 APO is a magnificent picture-making tool.

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Neil,

This is the lens that make me love and keep my SL601. The 24-90mm VE is good but it can still be replaced by prime lenses AF or no AF, but the 90-280mm is different. Fast, sharp, renders color really well (look at my shot below)and not the focus tracking on SL601 works well after FW3.0. I just would not trade this lens for any other. With the 24-90mm VE, the SL is covered from 24mm to 280mm in AF and great produces beautiful pics. So if you want to do priotraits, bring out the Noctilux and use it wide open. No conflict in application. Also use the 21lux on SL, no conflict against both zooms,...don't wait, just place your $ with Leica and pick one up soon.

 

34852915994_fb333498a0_k.jpgL1000004 by sillbeers15

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I took mine to the zoo last weekend out in country NSW Australia. Fanatastic quality pics. Image stabilization was excellent. Yes it's big, but not outrageously heavier than the 24-90.

 

I have a desire to stick in on a TL2 and get 24 MP APC shots at 135 to 420mm, image stabilized.

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Incredible lens.  Versatile and great results hand held.

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It is heavy, it is big,.... but AF is accurate and increadibly fast (as long as there is enough light), the OIS is good, the lens is robust, the close ups are increable, IQ is better than R-Apo Elmarit 2.8/100.

 

I believe you will not get a better tele zoom lens with less weight or size, unless you go for APSC instead.

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I've been watching Dan Cooks posts with his SL plus 90/280mm................man that lens looks sharp. Can someone who has that lens comment on its usability, its weight ratio when hanging on the small SL body and the AF................I'm very close to calling Ffords in Scotland and getting one but would like to get some feedback first from current users whether its positive or negative :)

Thanks

 

Neil,

I happen to bump into an early M systems tread which you've strayed on M21 lux taking Lee filters. You mention on modifying the lens hood to take on the Lee filters. Did you succeed in fabricating the one off adapter using the 21Lux lens hood? If so, what filter diameter size did you created on the metal lens hood to take on the Lee filter holder? Any additional tips to share?

 

Neil

 

Mods please change the heading to 90/280mm

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