How to set the SL for manual focus

[didier]

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Dear all,

I maybe the latest GAS syndrom victim as I bought a Leica SL + 90-280 to use on a trip along with my M(240) and CL. Could be useful to photography whales and penguins in Cape Town

I am wondering how you set your SL when using manual lenses (M lenses in my case) ?

 

On the CL, I use the wheel to quickly zoom in, nail focus and shoot. I came to like that method.

But on the SL ? I found the default setting quite cumbersom (thought I've been playing around with the camera for 1/2 hour only...)

How do you set your SL  to be efficient and fast at focusing using the zoom-in possibility ? Is it possible to set a kind of automatic 10* zoom when you frame ?

 

thank you for your answers !

 

Didier

[howiebrou]

I have only been using the SL for a few days. I don’t think you can set it to automatically zoom when you focus manually like the M240 which is a big pity. I have to press the bottom left button once to zoom in x5 and then again to zoom x 10. It’s a bit cumbersome. If anyone has a better solution I’m all ears.

Edited October 6, 2018 by howiebrou

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[Chuck Albertson]

Set up the back button to zoom for focus. Since FW 3.0 it's been possible to do that for SL native lenses set for manual focus, and it has always been available for M and other manual-focus lenses.

[didier]

I find the lower left button to be unpractical to use the magnifier. Is it possible to change the magnifier button to another one (for faster operation) ?

Thanks for your help !

[jaapv]

I have only been using the SL for a few days. I don’t think you can set it to automatically zoom when you focus manually like the M240 which is a big pity. I have to press the bottom left button once to zoom in x5 and then again to zoom x 10. It’s a bit cumbersome. If anyone has a better solution I’m all ears.

That is correct. as the SL has no rangefinder coupling, there is no practical way to incorporate a focus movement sensor.

[Chuck Albertson]

I find the lower left button to be unpractical to use the magnifier. Is it possible to change the magnifier button to another one (for faster operation) ?

Thanks for your help !

Not *that* back button - set the nipple/joystick to zoom.

[didier]

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Thanks Chuck, it is much more usable with the joystick !

Although I prefer using the wheel on the CL

[Chuck Albertson]

Something to keep in mind is that the instruction manual that ships with the SL is stuck on FW version 2.0 (check the "Notes" on p. 147 to see if that has changed), and I think the download version from the Leica Owners website is the same. Subsequent FW versions have added/changed several features, especially FW 3.0. Check this post and video at the Red Dot Forum site https://www.reddotforum.com/content/2017/05/leica-sl-firmware-3-0-released-major-updates/#comment-112687 for a thorough discussion of the changes made.

[howiebrou]

Thanks Chuck, it is much more usable with the joystick !

Although I prefer using the wheel on the CL

Can you tell me how to make the joystick activate the zoom please?

 

Thanks

[didier]

Thank you Chuck, this link is a Treasury, vers valuable !

@howiebrou : I didn't do anything to activate the joystick, just press on it when looking through the EVF

Didier

[howiebrou]

Thank you Chuck, this link is a Treasury, vers valuable !

@howiebrou : I didn't do anything to activate the joystick, just press on it when looking through the EVF

Didier

Oh gosh. I didn’t realise. That is 10000% times better, thanks!

[MarkP]

 

 

Oh gosh. I didn’t realise. That is 10000% times better, thanks!

...only 5x better...