Long L Mount telephoto

[rjsphd]

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As far as i can tell from Googling, the longest L Mount telephoto is Leica's 90-280.  Am I missing a longer telephoto in the market or announced?

[Boojay]

1 hour ago, rjsphd said:

As far as i can tell from Googling, the longest L Mount telephoto is Leica's 90-280.  Am I missing a longer telephoto in the market or announced?

Nope, you're missing nothing other than maybe adapted lenses, it's a hole that needs filling.  There are the 70-200 Panasonics and I think there is a x2 teleconverter, but that's as good as it gets just now.

 

 

Edited March 31, 2020 by Boojay

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[adan]

Not that I know of, in native L mount.

Panasonic is actively promoting their 70-200 f/2.8 as a "280 f/4" and "400 f/5.6" - by using their 1.4x and 2x teleconverters. Which should also work on Leica L lenses.

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And I think that for the time being, the L-mount consortium simply thinks that 1) using tele-converters, 2) cropping from high-Mpixel (SL2, S1R) sensors, 3) adapting the pool of existing R Leica (and other) manual-focus 360-800mm lenses, suits the market just fine, and is much more cost-effective, for both themselves and users, than dedicated 300mm+ lenses. There is also the option of 4) using a "pre-cropped" Leica CL/TL APS-C camera for a 1.5x magnification factor (without aperture loss).

I've been watching this phenomenon as an "interested outside observer" who is currently using a Canon 5D2/100-400 zoom alongside my M10s, but watching for an opportunity to edge into the SL/TL system for that range (and so I can post pictures here ). I've kicked around the idea of getting a CL with 180, 250 and 400 R lenses (equivalents: 270, 375 and 600mm).

I expect the breakthrough will be Sigma "porting" their multi-mount 100-400 or 150-600 lenses to L mount.

Edited March 31, 2020 by adan

[Leicaiste]

Or their 500/4, but improved please. 

[Paolou Pigini]

Panasonic plans to release a new telephoto lens during this year; firstly was supposed to be a supertele prime but with the updated roadmap the zoom hypotesis is taking off.

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Sigma will surely present a 70-200 f/2.8, though I expect also something longer within the year.

[Beowulf]

Any news on this topic? Got the Leica 90-280, but a longer lens would be fantastic!

[rjsphd]

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Having not heard of any other longer L mount lenses in the works, I picked up the Leica 90-280, as well.  I sincerely hope that Leica or a 3rd party seizes the opportunity to meet the needs of those who would welcome even longer focal lengths.  Perhaps a doubler for the 90-280?  Not likely, I know, but a boy can hope!

[Beowulf]

16 minutes ago, rjsphd said:

Having not heard of any other longer L mount lenses in the works, I picked up the Leica 90-280, as well.  I sincerely hope that Leica or a 3rd party seizes the opportunity to meet the needs of those who would welcome even longer focal lengths.  Perhaps a doubler for the 90-280?  Not likely, I know, but a boy can hope!

I wrote Leica and asked if they had any plans for a converter, and got a firm No as a reply. So Sigma or Panasonic seems to be the best bet. Not sure how well Sigma's superteles compare to e.g. Canon's or Nikon's though.

[SugarBubble]

Announced or leaked yesterday is the new sigma 100-400 for L mount.  about 2 pounds in weight pretty slow, i think 7.1 on the long end.  Search on Leica rumors for more information.  I am excited about this lens, as it will help me a lot in my quest for a birding lens using my CL

[Kyros Moutsouris]

ta-daaaah......

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/12R0SD6sngwVRJpdPWs34ivYsBKE6jjx4

[Boojay]

12 hours ago, Kyros Moutsouris said:

ta-daaaah......

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/12R0SD6sngwVRJpdPWs34ivYsBKE6jjx4

 

Available for pre-order some uk sites - anticipated delivery mid July.  I never pre order anything but this time I have - stock expected 10th July.

 

 

Edited June 18, 2020 by Boojay

[rjsphd]

Retail Price? Looks like a lens doubler available, too?

[Boojay]

2 minutes ago, rjsphd said:

Retail Price? Looks like a lens doubler available, too?

£899 and I think the 1.4 and x2 extenders both £369. 

[chris_tribble]

On 3/31/2020 at 7:10 PM, adan said:

Not that I know of, in native L mount.

Panasonic is actively promoting their 70-200 f/2.8 as a "280 f/4" and "400 f/5.6" - by using their 1.4x and 2x teleconverters. Which should also work on Leica L lenses.

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!

And I think that for the time being, the L-mount consortium simply thinks that 1) using tele-converters, 2) cropping from high-Mpixel (SL2, S1R) sensors, 3) adapting the pool of existing R Leica (and other) manual-focus 360-800mm lenses, suits the market just fine, and is much more cost-effective, for both themselves and users, than dedicated 300mm+ lenses. There is also the option of 4) using a "pre-cropped" Leica CL/TL APS-C camera for a 1.5x magnification factor (without aperture loss).

I've been watching this phenomenon as an "interested outside observer" who is currently using a Canon 5D2/100-400 zoom alongside my M10s, but watching for an opportunity to edge into the SL/TL system for that range (and so I can post pictures here ). I've kicked around the idea of getting a CL with 180, 250 and 400 R lenses (equivalents: 270, 375 and 600mm).

I expect the breakthrough will be Sigma "porting" their multi-mount 100-400 or 150-600 lenses to L mount.

Andy,

Ive just jumped into the SL2 and I’m happy to say it works very well with Canon lenses + the Sigma MC-21 adapter.  My use is single shot + single point AF - I don’t do sports etc.  I’m getting rid of my Canon bodies + most lenses and keeping the L 70-200 f2.8 mk 2.  A simpler life!

[Ivar B]

The 100-400 is tempting, and I see that those who have reviewed it are quite positive.

But - I guess there will be a higher performing and faster Art series lens in the not too distant future?

Edited June 22, 2020 by Ivar B

[ropo54]

On 6/18/2020 at 10:39 AM, Boojay said:

£899 and I think the 1.4 and x2 extenders both £369. 

Jayne:  

The Sigma 100-400 is listed for $950 USD at B&H in New York. (Hope you and family are well).

Regards, 

Rob

[Boojay]

4 hours ago, ropo54 said:

Jayne:  

The Sigma 100-400 is listed for $950 USD at B&H in New York. (Hope you and family are well).

Regards, 

Rob

Thanks Rob, yes we are all doing fine here, things are gradually opening up and we can at last see a few people and family again.  Hope you and yours are all well too.

As I have been moaning for some time about no longer zoom for L mount, of course I'm looking forward to this one's arrival, pre order in, deposit paid, and apparently I'm top of the list at my supplier here, pretty similar cost UK US it seems £899/$950.   

Not sure where the 1 reviewer on B&H got his copy to test from and as it wasn't a very favourable review I will ignore till I try it myself.  On the plus side for me is the size and weight, it being only slightly heavier/bigger than the Pan 70-200 f/4 which I find very manageable on the CL with grip.  I'm just hoping its the lens that fits the bill for the odd occasion when I want to go long.   Not expecting anything amazing given the price point but a search on Flickr or other photo websites show some pretty fine examples of images from other systems with it, so we'll see.

Thanks again Rob.

 

[BernardC]

23 hours ago, Ivar B said:

But - I guess there will be a higher performing and faster Art series lens in the not too distant future?

It depends what you mean by "better performing." The Sigma presentation implied that it was at least as good as any existing 400mm-long zoom, and better than most. No doubt we will see faster and more expensive zooms in the future, but faster and heavier is not always an advantage, unless you shoot ultra-telephoto at night.

6 hours ago, Boojay said:

a search on Flickr or other photo websites show some pretty fine examples of images from other systems with it

It's an all-new lens, as yet unreleased in any lens mount. You must have found images taken with an older lens.

 

6 hours ago, Boojay said:

Not sure where the 1 reviewer on B&H got his copy to test from and as it wasn't a very favourable review I will ignore till I try it myself.

Wise choice. 

[Boojay]

47 minutes ago, BernardC said:

It depends what you mean by "better performing." The Sigma presentation implied that it was at least as good as any existing 400mm-long zoom, and better than most. No doubt we will see faster and more expensive zooms in the future, but faster and heavier is not always an advantage, unless you shoot ultra-telephoto at night.

It's an all-new lens, as yet unreleased in any lens mount. You must have found images taken with an older lens.

 

Wise choice. 

Yes I realise they are saying it's an all new lens 22 elements in 16 groups etc as opposed to 21 elements in 15 groups in the DSLR version, but I think IQ will be pretty similar, of course we can live in hope of something spectacular😀!

 

 

 

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica L-Mount

[BernardC]

45 minutes ago, Boojay said:

Yes I realise they are saying it's an all new lens 22 elements in 16 groups etc as opposed to 21 elements in 15 groups in the DSLR version, but I think IQ will be pretty similar, of course we can live in hope of something spectacular😀!

I skimmed through their video presentation (it's 45 minutes, and it's a full 15 minutes before they start talking about products). Apparently it's significantly improved, relative to the older non-DN SLR lens. "DN" is Sigma's mirrorless lineup. The DN 24-70 is much better than the non-DN lens.