leica sl2 Jono Slack: Leica SL2 Review

[michali]

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13 hours ago, thighslapper said:

From my S1R experience Multi Shot High Def. mode is more of a novelty than a useful feature.

Although 180+ mpx images sounds wonderful the increased resolution does not appear to be as good as you would expect from a 16700x1100 sized sensor ....... and there are issues with subject movement (although the Lumix has a mode that mitigates some of this). 

I've messed about with it and even with a 5k iMac it's difficult to appreciate the difference, let alone print large enough to gain much benefit from it. As Paul mentions above, we are well into the territory of technical specifications that are well beyond the needs of most of us. 

Fully agree. I played around with Multi Shot High Def. mode quite a bit when I had the S1R on its maiden safari to Botswana earlier this year. One scene I experimented with repeatedly, but with no success, was across a lagoon with an endless row of palm trees on the horizon. I tried everything from a tripod to resting the camera on a bean bag and on a table. Never got it right, even the slightest breeze was recorded as movement blur in the palm trees. I gave up on it.

It comes back to the discussion of how many of these features are superfluous, and to what extent they divert our attention away from actually concentrating on the image, rather than fiddling around with the camera and its settings?  And of course, how many megapixels does one really need?

Edited November 12, 2019 by michali

[otto.f]

56 minutes ago, michali said:

how many of these features are superfluous

I think that this is what Puts is trying to say, but his evidence is poorly built up in this case.

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[rosuna]

This is a superb camera, second to none in the market right now.

Bravo Leica!

 

[scott kirkpatrick]

The S1/S1R algorithms for multi-shot seem to be fairly primitive, but I haven't tried their tricks for correcting moving foliage in a landscape scheme.  I did set up the most ideal test -- a wall of books in a closed room with decent lighting -- instant collection catalog.  I got the camera level, but did not have a good way to ensure that it was perpendicular to the opposite wall, so the best results are along the vertical midline.  Here at webscale is a crop of about half of the whole image, taken with S1R and SL-SC 35 @ f/2.0:

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

P1022462 by scott kirkpatrick, on Flickr

Now at 100%, first the full scale image:

P1022462 copy by scott kirkpatrick, on Flickr

and then the HD image, also at 100%

P1022461 copy by scott kirkpatrick, on Flickr

Some of the smallest text is better resolved, and could be further improved with a little sharpening to crisp up the effect of overlapping pixels.

However, when you go into extreme pixel-peeping at high contrast edges, artifacts appear:

Screen Shot 2019-10-14 at 2.45.41 PM by scott kirkpatrick, on Flickr

(I've posted these before.  Doing it again to get them all in one place, and because the question keeps coming up.)

Edited November 13, 2019 by scott kirkpatrick

[MarkP]

Hi Jono,

thanks for your review.  I have an SL2 on order.

Three things that have annoyed me most about the SL are:
1.  mandatory noise reduction on long exposures
2.  difficulty/impossibility to focus in very low light (AF and manually) for tripod-based available-light night photography
3.  and that the virtual horizon is on a different screen to the one with most of the other information including histogram.

I see that 1 is fixed. Can you please comment on 2 & 3 on the SL2?

Regards,
Mark

Edited November 13, 2019 by MarkP

[jonoslack]

2 hours ago, MarkP said:

Hi Jono,

thanks for your review.  I have an SL2 on order.

Three things that have annoyed me most about the SL are:
1.  mandatory noise reduction on long exposures
2.  difficulty/impossibility to focus in very low light (AF and manually) for tripod-based available-light night photography
3.  and that the virtual horizon is on a different screen to the one with most of the other information including histogram.

I see that 1 is fixed. Can you please comment on 2 & 3 on the SL2?

Regards,
Mark

Hi There Mark

As you say, 1 can be turned off, so that’s solved

2.  I’m sorry, I don’t do much tripod based photography - I can see the problem - how do other cameras work in such situations? Will the fact that a non-accelerated MF ring will be implemented in the near future help? 

3. Yes, that’s solved - in Camera Settings / Capture Assistants there are 4 available info profiles and for each you can turn on:

Info Bars

Grid

Clipping / Zebra

Focus Peaking

Level gauge

Histogram

You then need to set one of the function keys to toggle through these - you can also turn on or off each of the info profiles

So you can put the level gauge on any screen you like. (And I can switch it off!)

All the best

Jon

[bcorton]

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Jono,

Thanks for the review. I’m intrigued by the camera. One question for the astrophotographer: are the longer shutter speeds available at high ISO?  Or are they limited as on other Leica full frame offerings?

Thanks

Edited November 13, 2019 by jaapv

[LocalHero1953]

And another question @jonoslack!

Do you know if the planned linear focus option for L-lenses will be specific to the SL2? Or can it be rolled out to L-lenses on all Leica bodies? on all L-mount bodies?

[jonoslack]

5 hours ago, LocalHero1953 said:

And another question @jonoslack!

Do you know if the planned linear focus option for L-lenses will be specific to the SL2? Or can it be rolled out to L-lenses on all Leica bodies? on all L-mount bodies?

Hi Paul

That's an interesting question - I'm pretty certain they won't do it on the SL, I suppose they might do it on the CL, but I would think it was a bit unlikely. (the lens will have the ability, but the menu won't!)

[jonoslack]

22 hours ago, bcorton said:

Jono,

Thanks for the review. I’m intrigued by the camera. One question for the astrophotographer: are the longer shutter speeds available at high ISO?  Or are they limited as on other Leica full frame offerings?

Thanks

Hi there

As far as I'm aware they should be available at all ISO levels - but I'm not certain

best

[BlackDoc]

vor 10 Minuten schrieb jonoslack:

Hi there

As far as I'm aware they should be available at all ISO levels - but I'm not certain

best

They are available (30 min)  up ISO 50.000.

[Likaleica]

On 11/13/2019 at 4:37 AM, MarkP said:

2.  difficulty/impossibility to focus in very low light (AF and manually) for tripod-based available-light night photography

I see that 1 is fixed. Can you please comment on 2 & 3 on the SL2?

Regards,
Mark

 

On 11/13/2019 at 7:28 AM, jonoslack said:

2.  I’m sorry, I don’t do much tripod based photography - I can see the problem - how do other cameras work in such situations? Will the fact that a non-accelerated MF ring will be implemented in the near future help? 

 

I did some astrophotography and was able to focus on brighter stars and planets without difficulty.

[scroy]

Hi Jono,

I didn't see it answered in the thread, but for the AF depth setting, is there some guidance on how much depth is considered for each step?

Thanks for any insight.

 

[2M6TTLs]

I only take JPEG images.( I can hear the hordes screaming at me) To tell the truth I'm happy with them, and I truly hate all this jiggery pokery with sensor types, layers. number of pixels, post processing, Lightroom, Adobe and all that stuff. It's the reason it took me so long to even get a digital camera. I'm old school. Do all my composing and adjustments as much as possible in camera as as little as possible after that. Hate spending time in post on the computer, takes too long.Bearing this in mind, in your honest opinion, would it still be worth me getting an SL2? I would be using mostly M lenses on it ( I've a few including the 135 Apo-Telyt,) and also add a couple of L mount lenses later. I know I would love the finder and the simplicity of menus on the SL2, also the weatherproofing and build quality. Also ,am I right in thinking the JPEGS from this camera are 24MP, or are they also 48MP? It's either this camera or a CL, but I'm thinking it's nicer veto have full frame than APS-C.

 

[michali]

3 hours ago, 2M6TTLs said:

I only take JPEG images.( I can hear the hordes screaming at me) To tell the truth I'm happy with them, and I truly hate all this jiggery pokery with sensor types, layers. number of pixels, post processing, Lightroom, Adobe and all that stuff. It's the reason it took me so long to even get a digital camera. I'm old school. Do all my composing and adjustments as much as possible in camera as as little as possible after that. Hate spending time in post on the computer, takes too long.Bearing this in mind, in your honest opinion, would it still be worth me getting an SL2? I would be using mostly M lenses on it ( I've a few including the 135 Apo-Telyt,) and also add a couple of L mount lenses later. I know I would love the finder and the simplicity of menus on the SL2, also the weatherproofing and build quality. Also ,am I right in thinking the JPEGS from this camera are 24MP, or are they also 48MP? It's either this camera or a CL, but I'm thinking it's nicer veto have full frame than APS-C.

 

I agree with you! I shoot both RAW & Jpeg, my view is that if an image is not good enough when it's captured, it's not worth keeping.  No amount post-processing can turn a marginal or crap image into a decent one. I would far rather spend the time taking pictures than sitting behind a computer post-processing images. 

I have both the SL601 and the CL, there's almost no discernible difference in IQ. IMO with the advances in sensor technology, the debate about FF and APSC is largely irrelevant these days.  Whether you want to get an SL2 comes down to your style of photography and what you want to carry around with you. 

 

[lx1713]

I shoot RAW because it allows me to maximise the potential of the image. If it's great, you have the ability to make it better. Deleting, for me, is just a step away. Nothing wrong with JPGs, almost all my clients want jpgs as the final output because time and good enough is their criteria while beautiful is mine.

However, because my images are all processed from RAW, jpgs are the best I can deliver within their time frame I have happy clients.

[helged]

Regarding choosing output in RAW only, or RAW+JPG: Does the preview image differ in colour and/or resolution if you shoot the SL2 in RAW, or RAW+JPG? 

[Chaemono]

vor 13 Minuten schrieb helged:

Regarding choosing output in RAW only, or RAW+JPG: Does the preview image differ in colour and/or resolution if you shoot the SL2 in RAW, or RAW+JPG? 

You mean on the display of the camera, no it doesn’t. 

[helged]

Just now, Chaemono said:

You mean on the display of the camera, no it doesn’t. 

Yes, I was thinking of the preview image on the camera. Thanks, no reason to store the JPG then (for me).

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[scott kirkpatrick]

36 minutes ago, helged said:

Yes, I was thinking of the preview image on the camera. Thanks, no reason to store the JPG then (for me).

If the file structure of the SL2 is like that of the SL1, there will be a very large JPG (but not 24 MPx) inside that is probably used for display on he LCD with some magnification possible.  A DNG can contain multiple versions of its image, the raw file plus "thumbnails" in a wide range of sizes.