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Need Advice on Purchasing SL


rollsman4

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  My needs are for Portraits and social events( Sweet 16 parties and Family Functions)  I am just about retired from shooting ( 46 years )  I shot mainly with MF cameras and now have the 645D which I like.  I have had a Desire to get the SL for some time now. I shoot a lot with Flash on camera and off camera.

   So, I would need Very good skin tones right out of the camera. I don't need wide aperture lenses( f.1.4, 1.8 )  I shoot with F2 and above, I would get the SL with the 24-90 or 2 M lenses ( a 35mm and 85 or 105 for Portraits )  Should I consider the SL or just get it out of my mind that it won't work for me. 

   Any other suggestions and your help mainly on this SL camera.  Thank you for your time and experience.  

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I'm not sure why you think the SL might not work for you. There are lots of reasons other people cite (size, weight, lens line-up, price, no IBIS, AF performance, functionality cf Sony/Canon/Nikon etc) but only you can tell if any of these would affect you.

 

I have the SL and I use it for portraits and other people photography, in natural light and off-camera flash (previously Pocketwizards with old Nikon manual flashes, and now a Godox remote controllable system). I use it almost exclusively with the 24-90 and 90-280 zooms. I find it excellent.

 

You say you want natural skin tones straight out of camera. I think the SL does this well (though I think the CL is better), but this is not one of my top criteria. I have too many situations when, shooting in natural light outdoors (mixed shade and sunlight) or in mixed light indoors, I need to adjust white balance for skin tones. No camera, in my experience, can get this right all the time across the frame, unless you're shooting in a studio with perfectly controlled lighting.

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I'm not sure why you think the SL might not work for you. There are lots of reasons other people cite (size, weight, lens line-up, price, no IBIS, AF performance, functionality cf Sony/Canon/Nikon etc) but only you can tell if any of these would affect you.

 

I have the SL and I use it for portraits and other people photography, in natural light and off-camera flash (previously Pocketwizards with old Nikon manual flashes, and now a Godox remote controllable system). I use it almost exclusively with the 24-90 and 90-280 zooms. I find it excellent.

 

You say you want natural skin tones straight out of camera. I think the SL does this well (though I think the CL is better), but this is not one of my top criteria. I have too many situations when, shooting in natural light outdoors (mixed shade and sunlight) or in mixed light indoors, I need to adjust white balance for skin tones. No camera, in my experience, can get this right all the time across the frame, unless you're shooting in a studio with perfectly controlled lighting.

 

I could hot have said but it better. If you have the option to try both the SL and CL it might help.

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Coming from the SL I couldn't get used to the inferior viewfinder on the CL. Only reason not to go SL to me would be the relative age of the camera and an upcoming SL 2 which might have lovely things like sensor stabilizing and 36 Megapixel.... But so far there are no rumors on the horizon.

Edited by Lazytiger
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  I am good with 24 MP Sensor. Don't need a Larger one. Image Quality is my concern.  

 

 

Image quality of the SL and native glass is outstanding... that will not be a concern.

 

The AF speed and accuracy of the SL with prime glass could be better though. The SL with A9 autofocus would be perfect...

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I find I can carry the SL with the 24-90 all day comfortably. I use theHarry Benz Brogue SL long and carry it across the body. The strap does not dig in and slides so it functions like a sling strap. The Peak Design Slide Camera Strap SL-2 would be another good choice.

Roy

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If I may say so, I think your challenge here is that you're coming from a 645D; that won't make the transition to the SL easy. Indeed, the only thing I can think of that would be a benefit for you is that the SL will be slightly, but really only slightly, smaller than the Pentax.

 

That Pentax has a 40mp CCD sensor in it which means your skin tones are going to lovely out of the camera (I'm curreently testing a second hand Leica S (006) and can see that straight away). The SL will probably out resolve the Pentax though with the native lenses but not with M lenses. These are still very good but they do break down fairly quickly if you look too closely (which you probably won't be doing given you're a seasoned shooter with a background in film).

 

The look of the SL images will be quite different; they aren't going to feel quite as brittle as a lot of other digital high res cameras do and the colour and rendering is much more 'film like' as a result. But I think that the Pentax is probably still a very good camera and sets a high bar for the SL to clear. As I say, if you are going to use the M lenses then you will get a much smaller and lighter package, but if you use the native ones, it might even be just as large/heavy as the Pentax.

 

Your other challenge is flash; if you're happy using fully manual set ups then you're good to go with any Nikon trigger for any system. Otherwise you have much more limited options. I know that Local Hero has a lot of experience in this, more than anyone else I think, and while I have used OCF with a Profoto set up, I rarely use it so can't comment on anything other than to say, it works.

 

Someone on here, it may be Local Hero, has managed to get full TTL with OCF via a third party trigger (not an OEM trigger).

 

I love the SL's output; I think the skin tones are good but they will probably look a little more saturated and contrasty than you are likely used to. Personally I find fixing that in post is a lot harder than I would like it to be so having it just how you want it OOC is preferable. The SL's output with the 50SL (which is the only native lens I have experience of) tends more towards the warm with a slighy preponderance of magenta. By the contrast the 6 (006) I am currently testing tends much more towards neutral tones.

 

Perhaps the best thing to do is ask why you have an SL shaped itch? If it's just because you do, then jump in and enjoy, you will not be disappointed with the results. It is a fabulous camera and the colour rendering and dynamic range are easily as good as Nikon and Canon and it blows the piss out of Sony for colour rendition.

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It's not the SL, but for everything personal of late including social events and portraits I have been using the Hasselblad X1D with the XCD 90mm lens which I picked up for 6999 euro from Kamera Express

 

The most recent social event was a BBQ and I've got a few other galleries here

https://hasselbladx1d.wordpress.com/

 

I've used it for live music and plan to use it more for outdoor portrait shoots, as oppose to using the plethora of focal lengths with my Sony gear.

 

Skin tones are celebrated and I love the way it renders.

 

The AF speed is reasonable.

The rate of fire is slow with blackout.

The Image quality is splendid.

ISO 3200 looks great

 

Like the SL and Q EVF, and unlike the A9 EVF - I think the Hasselblad EVF makes things look better.

 

I've been recently made redundant from my job, so I've cut my spending - but I will get the 30mm lens in time (end of March all going well)

Edited by dancook
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................................................

Your other challenge is flash; if you're happy using fully manual set ups then you're good to go with any Nikon trigger for any system. Otherwise you have much more limited options. I know that Local Hero has a lot of experience in this, more than anyone else I think, and while I have used OCF with a Profoto set up, I rarely use it so can't comment on anything other than to say, it works.

 

Someone on here, it may be Local Hero, has managed to get full TTL with OCF via a third party trigger (not an OEM trigger).

 

............................................

Not me - I prefer manual control, or even A-mode if I use on-camera flash.

Silbeers has tried to get TTL/HSS with Leicas (and non-Leica flash equipment).

FlashGordon has more experience than anyone, but I don't think he is keen on TTL/HSS for off-camera either.

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  My needs are for Portraits and social events( Sweet 16 parties and Family Functions)  I am just about retired from shooting ( 46 years )  I shot mainly with MF cameras and now have the 645D which I like.  I have had a Desire to get the SL for some time now. I shoot a lot with Flash on camera and off camera.

   So, I would need Very good skin tones right out of the camera. I don't need wide aperture lenses( f.1.4, 1.8 )  I shoot with F2 and above, I would get the SL with the 24-90 or 2 M lenses ( a 35mm and 85 or 105 for Portraits )  Should I consider the SL or just get it out of my mind that it won't work for me. 

   Any other suggestions and your help mainly on this SL camera.  Thank you for your time and experience.  

 

I am a fashion photographer and shoot with Profoto strobes 100% of the time both in studio and on-location.  I love the SL for many reasons (the design, handling, "organic" feel to the images, and color).  If you shoot outside a lot, flash will potentially be a problem, if you need high sync speeds.  The Leica works with the Profoto remote trigger (in manual, which is what I use 100% of the time), but there is no capability for HSS.  I get around that by using an ND filter if I want to use the SL.  But more likely than not, I will opt for my Nikon D850, or my cameras that have leaf shutters (I also shoot fashion with a Phase One XF100 and Hasselblad X1D).  But if Leica bumps up the resolution of the SL in the next release and Profoto releases a dedicated remote for Leica that allows HSS, I would likely shoot with the SL solely because I really love this system.

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Not me - I prefer manual control, or even A-mode if I use on-camera flash.

Silbeers has tried to get TTL/HSS with Leicas (and non-Leica flash equipment).

FlashGordon has more experience than anyone, but I don't think he is keen on TTL/HSS for off-camera either.

 

I'm not God. I cannot make TTL happen on non Leica equipment till date. 

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It's not the SL, but for everything personal of late including social events and portraits I have been using the Hasselblad X1D with the XCD 90mm lens which I picked up for 6999 euro from Kamera Express

 

The most recent social event was a BBQ and I've got a few other galleries here

https://hasselbladx1d.wordpress.com/

 

I've used it for live music and plan to use it more for outdoor portrait shoots, as oppose to using the plethora of focal lengths with my Sony gear.

 

Skin tones are celebrated and I love the way it renders.

 

The AF speed is reasonable.

The rate of fire is slow with blackout.

The Image quality is splendid.

ISO 3200 looks great

 

Like the SL and Q EVF, and unlike the A9 EVF - I think the Hasselblad EVF makes things look better.

 

I've been recently made redundant from my job, so I've cut my spending - but I will get the 30mm lens in time (end of March all going well)

 

 

You still shooting with the A9?? Still like/love it??

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You still shooting with the A9?? Still like/love it??

 

:) for work I love it, for anything personal I rarely use it.. if I can get away with using the hasselblad and the single focal length I have - I will.

 

Started using the X1D for live music, even though the A9 would keep up with unpredictable movement better - but that's unpaid hobby stuff, so why not.

Edited by dancook
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It’s interesting how often this question comes up - medium format photographer considering a switch to the SL.

 

In days gone by, there was a gulf between medium format (Bronikas & Hasselblads) and 35mm format (F3, F1, OM & M3). The quality of output of medium format compared to 35mm was vast. Now we see a narrowing of that gap - Leica lenses and the whole system has improved dramatically, reducing the quality difference (with medium format becoming a little moribund in the process). To my mind, the 35mm options have moved on in quality, but it remains an exceptional pro-consumer system.

 

The medium format offerings, meanwhile, are not.

 

So, in consideriing the switch to the SL, I think you need to bear in mind that the SL is a consumer camera - a very good one, but not of the same ilk as medium format. I love my SL, and it really is close to medium format quality; but it isn’t.

Edited by IkarusJohn
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