Csacwp Posted December 16, 2017 Share #1 Posted December 16, 2017 Advertisement (gone after registration) I’m heading off this Tuesday on a 2 month assignment. I was going to bring my SL and a film M as a backup, along with a 28mm summilux, 50mm summicron, and 90mm sunmicron. Then my SL broke and ended up at Leica NJ. I was promised a loaner, but it looks like that is no longer going to happen, even though my SL is under warranty. I’m crunched for cash but can afford the CL. Is the crop sensor good enough for professional use if large prints aren’t needed? How would it perform with my 28mm Summilux as a standard prime? If I got one, I would bring the 28mm along with a 75mm summilux rather than a 3 lens kit, giving me 40mm f/2 and 110mm f/2 full-frame equivalents. Is the CL easy to manually focus, and can you zoom in to check critical focus like on the SL? Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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Donzo98 Posted December 16, 2017 Share #2 Posted December 16, 2017 (edited) Sounds like the CL would fit your needs. You can always sell it when you get home if money is tight. The 28 would act as a 42.5... so that may be a bit long for you, but such is life I guess. I have the SL too (not the CL), but I think the CL should be fine for MF like the SL is. Edited December 16, 2017 by Donzo98 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
digitalfx Posted December 16, 2017 Share #3 Posted December 16, 2017 The CL is no SL...but its pretty damn sweet. It will stand in admirably. Just be sure to allow enough time to get familiar with it. Although simple, the menu is deep. It takes a bit more time to get the best out of it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lct Posted December 16, 2017 Share #4 Posted December 16, 2017 (edited) No problem to focus M lenses manually. Zooming works well but only in the center of the frame on the CL. Edit: Just received the camera today but i have not felt the need to use the manual so far. I only use M lenses though. Edited December 16, 2017 by lct Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alistairm Posted December 16, 2017 Share #5 Posted December 16, 2017 Yes, the CL will get you through fine. It's IQ is excellent and manually focussing M lenses is about as easy as on the SL. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlashGordonPhotography Posted December 16, 2017 Share #6 Posted December 16, 2017 Is the crop sensor good enough? Absolutely. Plenty of incredible work with Fujis and crop Sonys out there. The Leica glass is as good or better. You'll need to sort a wide angle solution if you were counting on the 28mm M lens on the SL. Are you getting the 18mm CL lens as well? As much as I prefer the CL, I'd also consider other brands if you are pushing the budget. Gordon 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Csacwp Posted December 16, 2017 Author Share #7 Posted December 16, 2017 (edited) Advertisement (gone after registration) WellI bought a CL... I couldn’t resist after trying it in-store with the 28 lux and 50 apo. This is without a doubt the most fun camera I have ever shot. Leica has hit a home run! I couldn’t find anything wrong with it. The size is great, the evf is more than good enough for focusing M lenses wide open, the layout is intuitive, and the evf blackout is not an issue. The ergonomics remind me of shooting my IIIc. Image quality seems very impressive... 14 stops of dynamic range! Edited December 16, 2017 by Csacwp 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Csacwp Posted December 17, 2017 Author Share #8 Posted December 17, 2017 Well, I got home from the Leica Store and tried out the new CL.... and it has a group of dead pixels on the sensor. Really Leica?! It might just be me, but I've had rotten luck as far as quality control goes... replacement 50 apo, 2 replacement 90 apos, M246 had to go in for repair (took 5 months before it was returned with a note saying the technician found nothing wrong. Had to send it back since the problem was still there), replacement 28mm Summilux, and now this problem with the CL. To top it off, the M-L adapter I bought with it is loose such that it moves side to side when I focus the lens to infinity. Sorry for the rant, but it's been building up for some time now. I plan on returning the CL for a refund and will not be buying any more Leica products unless they can get their act together. As much as I like them, I am considering selling my four M lenses and moving on to a different brand. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted December 17, 2017 Share #9 Posted December 17, 2017 Hero to zero! 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff S Posted December 17, 2017 Share #10 Posted December 17, 2017 What was wrong with the SL? Jeff Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donzo98 Posted December 17, 2017 Share #11 Posted December 17, 2017 Well, I got home from the Leica Store and tried out the new CL.... and it has a group of dead pixels on the sensor. Really Leica?! It might just be me, but I've had rotten luck as far as quality control goes... replacement 50 apo, 2 replacement 90 apos, M246 had to go in for repair (took 5 months before it was returned with a note saying the technician found nothing wrong. Had to send it back since the problem was still there), replacement 28mm Summilux, and now this problem with the CL. To top it off, the M-L adapter I bought with it is loose such that it moves side to side when I focus the lens to infinity. Sorry for the rant, but it's been building up for some time now. I plan on returning the CL for a refund and will not be buying any more Leica products unless they can get their act together. As much as I like them, I am considering selling my four M lenses and moving on to a different brand. ...and the whole thing started because the SL broke?? I would say you are having some BAD luck Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Csacwp Posted December 17, 2017 Author Share #12 Posted December 17, 2017 No, it occured in the order I wrote it. My SL has a sensor that is misaligned... didn’t notice it until I got my first 28 lux- the vignetting wide open was extreme on one side of a shot and very minimal on the other. It also was occuring outside of the corners. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
enboe Posted December 17, 2017 Share #13 Posted December 17, 2017 Blasphemy, but I would hunt down an M240 (or request one on loan) and shoot twin M's, one lens on each. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
digitalfx Posted December 17, 2017 Share #14 Posted December 17, 2017 I plan on returning the CL for a refund and will not be buying any more Leica products unless they can get their act together. "rotten luck" is an understatement...quite frankly its hard to believe- 8 returns? Maybe you should go buy a lottery ticket...or not. but just curious...based on this. What is the criteria for Leica to "get their act together"? It seems like you would have to buy at least eight more new items and not experience any issues to just get back to zero. That could take a years...maybe its time to just cut your losses? Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tsleica Posted December 17, 2017 Share #15 Posted December 17, 2017 Leica mantra.. "Send it back..." Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Belle123 Posted December 17, 2017 Share #16 Posted December 17, 2017 You seem to have bad luck in general. New CL with bad pixels? Broken new SL? Only Leicas I have owned that needed repair was R8, and new T that was defective right off the batt and was replaced immediately by dealer and no problems since, and have had many Leica cameras over the years. If you like the CL, just get a replacement. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arai Posted December 17, 2017 Share #17 Posted December 17, 2017 I have zero issues with all of my Leica until now, maybe that’s just bad luck.. But I may encountered flare issue from my old 50APO but I traded it with 50APO titanium, other than that my Dlux109, MP240, Q, SL, MM ccd, M10 all perform flawlessly. Hope Leica can find best solution for your problems.. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Csacwp Posted December 17, 2017 Author Share #18 Posted December 17, 2017 All I’d ask for is more reasonable repair times or loaner cameras... that or better quality control. The only Leica I’ve owned that had no issues was my M-P 240... well, that and my trusty M4. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlashGordonPhotography Posted December 17, 2017 Share #19 Posted December 17, 2017 Leica is a small company with a lot of hand assembly of their products. I'd like to see an improvement but unless they remove the people (which I hope they never do) they can't feasibly have the same precision as a fully automated assembly. Unfortunately it is and will be part of being a Leica customer. Having said that, hot pixels happen in new cameras. Somewhat frustrating but this time I wouldn't be stringing Leica up. Just exchange it and move on. Gordon 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
digitalfx Posted December 17, 2017 Share #20 Posted December 17, 2017 All I’d ask for is more reasonable repair times or loaner cameras... that or better quality control. The only Leica I’ve owned that had no issues was my M-P 240... well, that and my trusty M4. I never understood the lack of loaner cameras, especially considering the typically long repair times. But, Ive owned quite a few Leica's over the years (IIIf, M3, CL, CLE, M4, M4P, M6, M7, M8, M9, M240, MM, M10, TL (twice), SL, CL...and only three or four times in 30 years have I sent one in for repair. Once was the lug issue recall. once for for a rangefinder adjustment and I dont recall the other times, but it was after years of use. I still have the IIIf, M3, M7, M10 and new CL. There seem to be many issues reported on the forums, especially at launch...Ive guess Ive been very fortunate. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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