RomeoBravo Posted August 29, 2018 Share #81  Posted August 29, 2018 (edited) Advertisement (gone after registration) You wrote that you “had no opportunity to try an SL”, and I pointed out one such opportunity. Even if you are offended, others have been unaware of rental services and have been appreciative of the feedback and inquired about specifics. There are also other out of state dealers that are sometimes willing to arrange trials for camera gear, especially if they have a demo in stock.  In hindsight, wouldn’t you have rather spent a few bucks to test a new system before being so mad that you deemed it necessary to kick yourself here? Maybe you didn’t learn any lesson about pre-judging gear and assuming it’s all about perceived weight and size.  Jeff Ok, maybe I should have said "no feasible opportunity?" I looked into it, but it was more than $550 for an SL + 24-90. To me that wasn't worth the mild curiosity I had. $550 is a lot of money for a test drive! In hindsight? I don't know. I guess if I consider all of the time and effort I could have recouped, $550 may be worth it. But my brain usually doesn't work that way.  Edited August 29, 2018 by RomeoBravo Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted August 29, 2018 Posted August 29, 2018 Hi RomeoBravo, Take a look here IS the SL still worth buying in 2018?. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
Jeff S Posted August 29, 2018 Share #82 Â Posted August 29, 2018 Three day rental SL + 24-90 is $388 from LensRentals. And, as noted, some dealers will provide demos, and work out deals on subsequent purchase. (For those near Leica stores, Leica offered free one day test drives on the SL.). Â It pays to build dealer relations, even for dealers located elsewhere. I used the Leica S006 and S30-90 for a week from a reputable dealer not near me. Cost.... none. Even buying used and reselling if not happy is a tactic used by some, particularly when considering entry into an expensive new system. Â My point is that now you recognize the the benefits of trying before buying, it pays to be resourceful and check out all available options. Â Jeff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.Q Posted August 30, 2018 Share #83 Â Posted August 30, 2018 To be fair $388 is still a lot of money for a test drive. Maybe not in the Leica world, but for a person coming from Sony that's enough to buy a prime lens. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff S Posted August 30, 2018 Share #84  Posted August 30, 2018 (edited) To be fair $388 is still a lot of money for a test drive. Maybe not in the Leica world, but for a person coming from Sony that's enough to buy a prime lens.He’ll likely lose more than that selling the Sony gear that he now wishes he hadn’t wasted time on. Different ways to spend money.... and time. I saved thousands by renting a 50 Summicron-M APO, concluding that I preferred my already owned and far less expensive 50 Summilux-M ASPH.  Jeff Edited August 30, 2018 by Jeff S Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.Q Posted August 30, 2018 Share #85  Posted August 30, 2018 Well that's in hindsight though. If I rented every piece of gear I'm curious about (X1D, GFX, the new Z6/Z7, etc) I'd go broke real quick 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RomeoBravo Posted August 30, 2018 Share #86  Posted August 30, 2018 (edited) Three day rental SL + 24-90 is $388 from LensRentals. And, as noted, some dealers will provide demos, and work out deals on subsequent purchase. (For those near Leica stores, Leica offered free one day test drives on the SL.).  It pays to build dealer relations, even for dealers located elsewhere. I used the Leica S006 and S30-90 for a week from a reputable dealer not near me. Cost.... none. Even buying used and reselling if not happy is a tactic used by some, particularly when considering entry into an expensive new system.  My point is that now you recognize the the benefits of trying before buying, it pays to be resourceful and check out all available options.  Jeff I can now sense that you are legitimately trying to help, but you aren't mentioning anything I haven't tried before. On the Leica side of things, I did it with the T, M (240), Q, and CL. I ended up keeping the Q and CL. I just hadn't done it with the SL. Look at the first 3 lenses offered with the SL, and tell me they aren't massive. Couple that with the cost and it just didn't seem worth the gamble. Now that I've tried it (and the used prices are way down), the story has changed for me.  And as Mr Q mentioned - $388 is still a lot of money...especially for 3 days. Edited August 30, 2018 by RomeoBravo Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacek.PL Posted August 30, 2018 Share #87 Â Posted August 30, 2018 Advertisement (gone after registration) Wow , in Poland in Leicastore few days rent of SL, CL, M is for free. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
helged Posted August 30, 2018 Share #88 Â Posted August 30, 2018 Wow , in Poland in Leicastore few days rent of SL, CL, M is for free. Â Â I guess, actually I know, that the same is the case when the store(s) know you as a regular customer. This motivates me to (mostly) use one store. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff S Posted August 30, 2018 Share #89 Â Posted August 30, 2018 Exactly... I used the S006 and 30-90 S zoom for a week at no cost, and not even my local dealer. Â Jeff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff S Posted August 30, 2018 Share #90  Posted August 30, 2018 I can now sense that you are legitimately trying to help, but you aren't mentioning anything I haven't tried before. On the Leica side of things, I did it with the T, M (240), Q, and CL. I ended up keeping the Q and CL. I just hadn't done it with the SL. Look at the first 3 lenses offered with the SL, and tell me they aren't massive. Couple that with the cost and it just didn't seem worth the gamble. Now that I've tried it (and the used prices are way down), the story has changed for me. And as Mr Q mentioned - $388 is still a lot of money...especially for 3 days. I spent a couple of hours with the SL at a Leica Store (2-3 hour round trip) to make my assessment. I took enough shots to make prints using my typical workflow. I’m confident I could have found a demo unit at an out of state dealer for a free trial if I had been that interested... just as I did with the S.  Anyway, you’re the one who voiced your frustration here, not me. I merely gave ways to avoid it in the future... if you care.  Jeff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sillbeers15 Posted August 30, 2018 Share #91 Â Posted August 30, 2018 Zzzz...,waiting for SL2. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdw Posted August 31, 2018 Share #92  Posted August 31, 2018 Hm, the Leica Store SF refused to rent anything to me for more than a day, even when I offered to pay. I guess YMMV. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff S Posted August 31, 2018 Share #93  Posted August 31, 2018 (edited) Hm, the Leica Store SF refused to rent anything to me for more than a day, even when I offered to pay. I guess YMMV.Or YDMV (your dealer may vary). Need to find a better resource, or find one that is currently in a better position regarding demo availability. There are rental companies that can be depended on. But even better if you can get a dealer courtesy loan or bargain. Relationships help. And it depends on the specific gear. Jeff Edited August 31, 2018 by Jeff S Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdw Posted August 31, 2018 Share #94  Posted August 31, 2018 I just bought the damn thing  Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
helged Posted August 31, 2018 Share #95  Posted August 31, 2018 I just bought the damn thing   +1; and pass a word with your experience when the thing arrives... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
simon_hsn Posted August 31, 2018 Share #96  Posted August 31, 2018 I think it the original question is pretty easy to answer:  1. If you are only into PHOTO: YES, the SL is still great (unless you want 50+ MP or usable high ISO of 50k;) 2. If you are equally interested in VIDEO and need a hybrid camera, then clearly: NO! (autofocus, low bit rate=video quality, cropped 4k; though the external 10 bit is quite nice).  I think we now enter a stage where picture quality for photos does not matter anymore for most people (off course some people have special requirements, e.g. high MP for landscapes). Where it gets interesting for me is video: Give us usable AUTOFOCUS (aka dual pixel or reliable phase detect) and In-Body-Image-Stabilization. In terms of VIDEO QUALITY, the ultimate would be a raw codec. ProRes Raw recording might be really interesting: the processing power of the camera is not the bottle neck anymore with this codec as the processing will be done by the computer in post. The only thing we need is fast enough cards, which are already available (XQD, CFAST, SD UHS-II). The SL2 should, in my opinion focus on those three things:  - In-Body Stabilization (if this feature is not available, then I'll switch to Sony/Nikon/whatever) - Reliable Autofocus for video without any form of hunting - Best possible codec: 10 Bit, full-sensor readout/no crop & and ultimately RAW recording for video. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LD_50 Posted August 31, 2018 Share #97  Posted August 31, 2018 If photo quality has reached the point for you that the camera body/lens don’t really matter (you believe everything has become “good enough”) and you are focused on video quality I can’t see any reason you’d be shooting an SL or its native lenses.  Panasonic or Canon would probably be the way to go. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMF Posted August 31, 2018 Share #98  Posted August 31, 2018 If photo quality has reached the point for you that the camera body/lens don’t really matter (you believe everything has become “good enough”) and you are focused on video quality I can’t see any reason you’d be shooting an SL or its native lenses. Panasonic or Canon would probably be the way to go. Or perhaps just go to Red. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LD_50 Posted August 31, 2018 Share #99  Posted August 31, 2018 Or perhaps just go to Red. For video, yes. For photos and video I’d go to Panasonic. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lx1713 Posted September 1, 2018 Share #100  Posted September 1, 2018 Zzzz...,waiting for SL2.  100% sure you didn't waste any time waiting. You were probably busy shooting away Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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