CL dial button, Fn button and Favourites setup

[LocalHero1953]

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The CL introduced a variation on the customisable button interface by allowing you to assign a list of functions to a button and then choose which one that button will select. It's not as simple as choosing which function you want AT THAT MOMENT, but which function you want that button to select THE NEXT TIME you give it a short press. In other words, although by putting this capability on a button it appears to be making additional functions available on the fly while shooting, in practice they are not immediately available - you might use it to change your setup for the next series of shots you take (where you want to alter one parameter frequently), but not just for the next shot.

 

(My apologies to all those without the CL for whom the explanation above is probably as clear as mud! It's clearer with the CL in hand.)

 

After I got the CL, I set it up with my preferred Favourites menu, created my normal user profiles (Default, Flash, MF, Silent) and then added a few functions to the Fn button and RH dial button. After a few days I found I wasn't using the extra functions on those buttons, partly because I couldn't remember what I'd put there (it might come with time), but partly because I didn't have immediate access to them: I had to make them the single press option first, then use them with a separate single press - not a heat of the moment choice, so why not just put them on the Favourites menu?

 

On top of this, one can have different sets of functions assigned to the buttons depending on which user profile you select.

 

So, as CLs are now finding themselves out into the wild, I am curious to hear how others have made sense of all these options. For my needs, I have now assigned only ISO to the RH dial button, and User Profiles to the Fn button, in all profiles (even in Flash, for which ISO is set to 100), thereby ignoring the facility Leica introduced of having a list of functions to choose from. (My brain can remember this set up). My Favourites menu contains drive mode, focusing and exposure functions, self timer, WLAN and card formatting, although these do vary depending on user profile.

 

Leica puts so much store by its UI that I am sure they had good reason for adding this variant on button customisation, but I can't make it work - I've effectively ignored their variant and returned to the simple customisation approach. I am happy with this, but wonder if I'm missing something.

 

How are others dealing with this?

Edited November 30, 2017 by LocalHero1953

[scott kirkpatrick]

Don't have my CL yet, but I am also intrigued.  I like the idea that this lets us customize the single press.  Have yet to see if I can keep the lists under the single press in my head and use them effectively.  Did you start with the default set, or the Jono set?  It sounds as if he get fairly elaborate but in his review he describes a starting point that sounded reasonable, and was not the default.

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[LocalHero1953]

Don't have my CL yet, but I am also intrigued.  I like the idea that this lets us customize the single press.  Have yet to see if I can keep the lists under the single press in my head and use them effectively.  Did you start with the default set, or the Jono set?  It sounds as if he get fairly elaborate but in his review he describes a starting point that sounded reasonable, and was not the default.

I didn't start with Jono's - I'd forgotten that he had a set and will look at them.

I dived into the menus and customisation almost before I started using the camera so I don't think I ever used the default setting - I'll check this as well.

 

Edit: I've just looked at Jono's. I've been through a similar iteration like this, but still had the same problems for quick access: how to remember the list available on each button? It's the same problem for the Favourites, but there you can access each function there and then, and you don't have to short-press the button again.

 

Maybe I'm overthinking this, and I should just add a few other options to my current single functions for each button, just in case I might need the convenience of having them on a dial sometime for an obscure application. i.e. Forget about them being a quick access choice.

Edited November 30, 2017 by LocalHero1953

[helged]

The CL introduced a variation on the customisable button interface by allowing you to assign a list of functions to a button and then choose which one that button will select. It's not as simple as choosing which function you want AT THAT MOMENT, but which function you want that button to select THE NEXT TIME you give it a short press. In other words, although by putting this capability on a button it appears to be making additional functions available on the fly while shooting, in practice they are not immediately available - you might use it to change your setup for the next series of shots you take (where you want to alter one parameter frequently), but not just for the next shot.

 

(My apologies to all those without the CL for whom the explanation above is probably as clear as mud! It's clearer with the CL in hand.)

 

After I got the CL, I set it up with my preferred Favourites menu, created my normal user profiles (Default, Flash, MF, Silent) and then added a few functions to the Fn button and RH dial button. After a few days I found I wasn't using the extra functions on those buttons, partly because I couldn't remember what I'd put there (it might come with time), but partly because I didn't have immediate access to them: I had to make them the single press option first, then use them with a separate single press - not a heat of the moment choice, so why not just put them on the Favourites menu?

 

On top of this, one can have different sets of functions assigned to the buttons depending on which user profile you select.

 

So, as CLs are now finding themselves out into the wild, I am curious to hear how others have made sense of all these options. For my needs, I have now assigned only ISO to the RH dial button, and User Profiles to the Fn button, in all profiles (even in Flash, for which ISO is set to 100), thereby ignoring the facility Leica introduced of having a list of functions to choose from. (My brain can remember this set up). My Favourites menu contains drive mode, focusing and exposure functions, self timer, WLAN and card formatting, although these do vary depending on user profile.

 

Leica puts so much store by its UI that I am sure they had good reason for adding this variant on button customisation, but I can't make it work - I've effectively ignored their variant and returned to the simple customisation approach. I am happy with this, but wonder if I'm missing something.

 

How are others dealing with this?

 

 

Paul, since you seem to be in the midst of exploring the virtues of the CL:

 

With a manual lens on the CL, is it possible to use the wheels/knobs/the Fn button to fully control exposure and to check the focus through magnification? I ask since - to the best of my understanding - this is not possible on the TL2 (see link where I attempted to explain the issue). One of the beauties of the SL, in my view, is that I can quickly and logically set the exposure and check the focus (and change the ISO, if desirable) without removing the eye from the EVF. This is therefore my dream scenario for CL as well.

 

Thanks...

[LocalHero1953]

Hi Helged - I had to go and check

 

With a M lens mounted and in A-mode, then by default:

- left dial controls exposure compensation

- right dial controls magnification manually (with a TL lens, you have Automagnification as an option as well)

So you have full and direct control of exposure and focus.

 

In M-mode, then by default

- left dial controls shutter speed

- right dial controls magnification manually

So you have full and direct control of exposure and focus as long as you also set ISO manually.

If you set AutoISO, then you could assign exposure compensation to a short-press right dial function, which is still pretty quick access.

 

Does this help?

[helged]

Hi Helged - I had to go and check

 

With a M lens mounted and in A-mode, then by default:

- left dial controls exposure compensation

- right dial controls magnification manually (with a TL lens, you have Automagnification as an option as well)

So you have full and direct control of exposure and focus.

 

In M-mode, then by default

- left dial controls shutter speed

- right dial controls magnification manually

So you have full and direct control of exposure and focus as long as you also set ISO manually.

If you set AutoISO, then you could assign exposure compensation to a short-press right dial function, which is still pretty quick access.

 

Does this help?

 

 

Perfect.

[Ricard0]

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On 11/30/2017 at 8:24 AM, LocalHero1953 said:

 

Edit: I've just looked at Jono's. I've been through a similar iteration like this, but still had the same problems for quick access: how to remember the list available on each button? It's the same problem for the Favourites, but there you can access each function there and then, and you don't have to short-press the button again.

Do you have a link to Jono's setup?  I've googled for hours and cannot find this information.

 

Thanks,

-rich-

[LocalHero1953]

28 minutes ago, Ricard0 said:

Do you have a link to Jono's setup?  I've googled for hours and cannot find this information.

 

Thanks,

-rich-

Jono Slack's CL review

Or here on the Leica Forum blog

Edited January 5, 2019 by LocalHero1953

[ramarren]

I have my CL set up to be very simple, for me at least. I only use adapted lenses (both R and M) ... All my user profiles have these selections the same:

Favorites Menu

• Drive Mode
• Exposure Metering
• User Profile
• Lens Profiles
• WLAN
• Main Menu

FN Button list

• Self Timer
• Exposure Compensation
• Auto ISO Settings
• White Balance
• Color Temperature

Right Button list

• Focus Peaking
• ISO

The defaults for the FN and Right buttons are italicized. 

[lct]

I only use M and LTM lenses on the CL and i'm not interested in wireless features so my set up is among the simplest possible i guess.

Favorites Menu:
• Drive Mode
• Exposure Metering
• User Profiles
• Lens Profiles
• Main Menu

FN Button list:
• Default Profile (inadvertent use only, any idea how to remove it?)
• Auto (auto iso in manual mode, silent shutter, no focus peaking)
• Shutter (same as Auto w/o silent shutter)
• Peak (same as Auto with focus peaking)
• 3514 (same as Auto for uncoded Summilux 35/1.4 v2)
• Mate (same as Auto for uncoded Tri-Elmar 28-35-50/4 v1)
• 1545 (same as Auto for uncoded CV 15/4.5 v2)

Right Button list:
• Exposure compensation (default)
• ISO

[hoppyman]

I don’t use profiles and just the native lenses.

it initially took me time to work out how the assignment system worked, with help from questions to this Forum.

my Favorites are

fociusing, focus mode, AF mode, exposure metering and ISO

my FN button is assigned to call up ISO only

my right wheel button just has two functions assigned, I just checked. I don’t typically use it. Ivar can you not cycle through the assigned functions with a series of presses?

In A, my left wheel is used  to operate exposure compensation. With a single left button press,  an I can then select exposure mode by turning the left wheel

my right wheel to operate aperture

 

Edited January 6, 2019 by hoppyman