Advice Appreciated: Telephoto on SL2

[Sjz]

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Hi,

i am looking for some advice.  
 

I enjoy landscape / cityscape / street photography (I have a cl for street, it replaced my Fuji x-100t). I recently moved from Canon to the SL2.  Still at the foothills of the learning curve.

I have the 24-90 on the camera most of the time.  I also have the Summicron 35 and the Sigma 14-24.  I am swallowing hard at the cost of the 90-280 especially as I have a Mark I Canon 100-400.

Now for the questions:

• Does anyone use canon’s  Mark I 100-400 on the SL2?
• Are there alternatives which people could recommend which would take me up to around the 300mm maybe 400mm? Does not have to be a zoom.

Sorry for the long question and thank you in advance

[jankap]

I have long primes only. A zoom could be helpful to aim at the subject.

You would need an adapter for the Canon and it is manual, but why not.

[caissa]

The EF 100-400 IS II works better with the MC-21, maybe you can switch.   The EF 4/400 DO IS II is even better.

To save money, buy an old FD lens and use it with the internal IBIS.  https://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/companies/canon/fdresources/fdlenses/400mm.htm

Edited February 16, 2020 by caissa

[Sjz]

Hi,

Thank you for the advice, I was rather hoping to avoid spending any more money (other than the Sigma MC-21) I really like my copy of the100-400 mk1.

if the fd works surely the Mk1 will ;-/ Sod’s law says ‘no’.

I am happy to be manual, may just take the risk and order the Mc-21 🙂

Genuine thank you

 

 

[michali]

2 hours ago, Sjz said:

Hi,

Thank you for the advice, I was rather hoping to avoid spending any more money (other than the Sigma MC-21) I really like my copy of the100-400 mk1.

if the fd works surely the Mk1 will ;-/ Sod’s law says ‘no’.

I am happy to be manual, may just take the risk and order the Mc-21 🙂

Genuine thank you

I use the Canon 400mm f4 DO IS II with the MC-21 adapter on the SL2. AFS works well (no AFC), it's accurate, not lightning fast but perfectly acceptable. It's an outstanding but expensive lens.

Your Canon zoom should work with the MC-21, I'm just not sure how much focus hunting there'll be, I suspect a fair amount due to the fact that it's a zoom. You can order the MC-21 and always return it if things don't work out. 

if you don't want to spend a lot of money and depending on what you want to use the tele lens for, there are several cheaper options that you can explore .  

Off the top of my head, here are 2 options:

New Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM Lens at about $1, 1150- AFC works via MC-21. Excellent image quality for the price.

Older CONTAX Carl Zeiss Tele-Tessar T* 300mm f/4  a good copy can be found for about $300- to $400- fully manual via Novoflex CY-SL adapter (see image below CZ 300mm f4 & SL2). I also have the rarer Carl Zeiss 300mm f2.8  APO-Tessar, however it's a monster lens and still expensive.

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Edited February 16, 2020 by michali

[Sjz]

Great Photo, you have been spotted and are about to be attacked or pointedly ignored?

i will order the MC-21, you are correct I could return if it does not work.

i am ok with manual focussing.

Thank you for the help 🙂

[Boojay]

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37 minutes ago, Sjz said:

Great Photo, you have been spotted and are about to be attacked or pointedly ignored?

i will order the MC-21, you are correct I could return if it does not work.

i am ok with manual focussing.

Thank you for the help 🙂

I've posted think link several times on the forum as it's a really good source for info on lenses with the MC-21, on the Panasonic S1/S1R and the SL2.  If you look you will see the 1st version of the 100-400 canon doesn't do well, whereas version II works just fine in AF-S.  

https://www.tttphotography.com/sigma-mc-21-ef-l-lens-adapter-compatibility/

I have used the MC-21 with both S1 and now the SL2, mounting my EF 70-200 2.8 IS II, and with it's 1.4 extender, AF is pretty good, extender making little or no difference to focus speed and lens stabilisation works fine.

I'm just waiting to see what Sigma do in L mount on their telephoto's and wishing they would hurry them along.

 

[jaapv]

7 hours ago, Sjz said:

Hi,

i am looking for some advice.  
 

I enjoy landscape / cityscape / street photography (I have a cl for street, it replaced my Fuji x-100t). I recently moved from Canon to the SL2.  Still at the foothills of the learning curve.

I have the 24-90 on the camera most of the time.  I also have the Summicron 35 and the Sigma 14-24.  I am swallowing hard at the cost of the 90-280 especially as I have a Mark I Canon 100-400.

Now for the questions:

• Does anyone use canon’s  Mark I 100-400 on the SL2?
• Are there alternatives which people could recommend which would take me up to around the 300mm maybe 400mm? Does not have to be a zoom.

Sorry for the long question and thank you in advance

I used the Canon 100-400 Mk 1 in the early 2000nds and was distinctly not impressed. In fact I sold it after using it in the field once. Not Canon L standard. I understand Mk2 is better. If you don't mind manual focus there are quite a few better lenses.

[Manicouagan1]

What do you want to take pictures of with a 400mm+ lens and the SL2?  When use a long focal length lens I am shooting either sports of wildlife including birds in flight.   I am not sure the SL2 is the right tool for those subjects; the limitation is the SL2 autofocus system's response to rapidly moving subjects.  My examination of SL2 reviews and comments in this forum is that autofocus is degraded with non-L mount autofocus lenses mounted using an adapter.   Examination of the lens road maps for L mount by Panasonic, Sigma or Leica suggests that native L mount super telepohoto lenses are not a near-term prospect.    The nature of the Panasonic/Leica contrast detection autofocus approach makes significant demand on the autofucus sensor, processing, battery power and coordination with the lens's drive that may be more than with a phase detection approach.  My observation of a of rapid hunting of the autofocus as seen in the viewfinder suggests that is the case.   The Leica zoom lenses appear to be optimized to meet the unique needs of the autofocus approach.

I have been able to get some good bird in flight and sports images with cropped dimensions of 2000x3000 pixels with the Leica 90-280mm lens at 280mm. I certainly don't get 100% usable images but I get enough.   That is a US$6000 dollar SL2 based solution but is the best I've found.   The quality of that lens and size and quality of the SL2 sensor allow extreme cropping for many uses of the SL2/90-280mm  images.   Alternately get the Canon 100-400mm II and the 1.4x III  Canon extender readily available on the used market.   Mount the lenses on your Canon body.  I used that combination for several years with great success.  

 

.  

[Leicaiste]

9 hours ago, jaapv said:

I used the Canon 100-400 Mk 1 in the early 2000nds and was distinctly not impressed. In fact I sold it after using it in the field once. Not Canon L standard. I understand Mk2 is better.

Yes, the V2 is clearly better. 

[Stonewall Brigade]

If you want to stick with Leica, one can add the very expensive R to L lens adapter (around $1,000) and search eBay for the Leitz-R Telyt 250mm or 350mm (each around $800).

[Sjz]

Hi,

Apologies for the bad form of asking a question and running away.

I intend using the telephoto to isolate certain parts of the landscape without having to crop, or use it to bring the background forwards to add interest to the photo.  

I don't need fast focus for those use cases, and I will need to save the pennies to justify the 90-280 for such infrequent use.

I do like the thought of staying within the Leica family though and had not thought of the R series of Lens.  

Sjz

ps: maybe I was lucky with my copy of the Mk1 100-400 or I am not as discerning as I should be, I found that lens to be superb.  Thank you for sharing the ef  lens + MC-21 listing.  A good read.

 

[hirohhhh]

I was hesitating buying 90-280 for a long time, mainly because I knew I won't use it too often, but then I realized it holds the value for a long time, so even 4 years later my lens is in a perfect mint condition and maybe lost $1000 in value, maybe less, so I'd not call it wasted money.

[Sjz]

I bit the bullet and I am now the proud owner of a 90-280, pre-owned but immaculate.  

My neighbours weather monitor is now ‘heavily’ photographed (there are few photo opportunities while locked down in London’s suburbia).

A couple of questions if I may:

1. i now have three lens with only their original pouches to protect them in my (padded) camera bag.  Does anyone know of a range of padded cases, three of which would fit  35, 24-90 and 90-280 and add further protection within my bag?  I see an another thread Lowpro appears to have a solution for at least one of the lens.  What are others doing?
2. Anyone tried the Panasonic x2 or x1.4 extenders on a Leica lens on a SL2?

[Photoworks]

On 2/16/2020 at 8:05 AM, Sjz said:

Hi,

i am looking for some advice.  
 

I enjoy landscape / cityscape / street photography (I have a cl for street, it replaced my Fuji x-100t). I recently moved from Canon to the SL2.  Still at the foothills of the learning curve.

I have the 24-90 on the camera most of the time.  I also have the Summicron 35 and the Sigma 14-24.  I am swallowing hard at the cost of the 90-280 especially as I have a Mark I Canon 100-400.

Now for the questions:

• Does anyone use canon’s  Mark I 100-400 on the SL2?
• Are there alternatives which people could recommend which would take me up to around the 300mm maybe 400mm? Does not have to be a zoom.

Sorry for the long question and thank you in advance

You should just wait until Panasonic or sigma come out with something comparable..

People that have tested manual R lenses in comparison to the 90-280 said that the SL lens is miles better then any other lens on SL2.

the adapter canon lenses are slow focusing with adapter, In any case the Mark I 100-400 was never a good lens on the 24mp canon camera, Mark II is better.

I would suggest thinking how many times are you going to carry a big lens like that ? I would just rent it for a week when needed unless you want to use it all the time..

[michali]

4 hours ago, Sjz said:

I bit the bullet and I am now the proud owner of a 90-280, pre-owned but immaculate.  

My neighbours weather monitor is now ‘heavily’ photographed (there are few photo opportunities while locked down in London’s suburbia).

A couple of questions if I may:

1. i now have three lens with only their original pouches to protect them in my (padded) camera bag.  Does anyone know of a range of padded cases, three of which would fit  35, 24-90 and 90-280 and add further protection within my bag?  I see an another thread Lowpro appears to have a solution for at least one of the lens.  What are others doing?
2. Anyone tried the Panasonic x2 or x1.4 extenders on a Leica lens on a SL2?

The Panasonic tele extenders don't work with the Leica 90-280mm L lens.