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A Leica SL against all odds


Torpille

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Hi everybody,

I am a surprised but a proud owner of a leica sl since this weekend. 

I got an offer for the SL just the body, which I couldn't refuse and had only a few minutes to decide me.

I've been using the M for a few years now and preferably with the 35mm or with my favorite focal length the 90mm. 

One year ago I made the choice of all leica, sold my 6d gun slr and bought a CL. First for the size of the CL system and to be able to use my M optics. 

I know many of you use it and love it but even if the image quality is there most of the time, I'm a little disappointed by the native optics of the system.

I use the 11-23mm and 18-56mm zooms and the 18mm. 

I sold the 23mm which didn't excite me and preferred the 18mm for its compactness. 

the tl-35mm, which is not a focal length I use, was not an option. 

I regret having left the Canon EF lenses. 

I'm trying my luck again at leica, hoping it's the right one. 

But here it is, I don't have a native lens and I'm wondering about the choice of a first L lens to take for the SL. 

Even if my first choice would be the SL 90, summicrons are not in my budget, until I decide if I keep or sell my CL system.

TL lenses are obviously a possibility but I don't expect better than with the CL and apparently just with a resolution of 10 million pixels.

So the vario 24-90? But its size...

the sigma? the Panasonic? 

I'm not against your advice!

Cheers

 

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1. If you still have your CL the rather excellent Sigma 56mm 1.4 (plus 23 and 35mm) is coming to L mount. So you'll get an 85mm which is close to the 90 you prefer. It'll be the cheapest solution and it's fast light sharp and well made. I have used it on Sony E mount and it's very very good.

2. All the L mount zooms are good to excellent. The Leica goes to 90mm but is slightly weaker there than at 24mm. The Panasonic has a 24-105 which is a nice range and might suit you. It's lighter and about the same at to 90mm end as the Leica. But....

3. Again I'm going to recommend a Sigma. Just arrived is the new 85mm 1.4 Art in L mount. I haven't used it but reviews are excellent so far. I will be trying one as 85mm is a favorite of mine. I have the old version (for EF) and it's fantastic. the new one is lighter and smaller (a lot smaller). It also has an aperture ring. (yay!) It's cheap enough you might be able to get the SL35mm if you do decide to sell you CL kit.

Gordon

 

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+1 for the L mount Sigma lenses. Excellent image quality, well built, and affordable, without having to sell a kidney.

The first Sigma lens I ever purchased was the 45mm f2.8 as an everyday walk around lens for my SL (I love the fact that it has an aperture ring!).  Based on that, I went on to buy the excellent Sigma 14-24mm L and the 135mm f1.8 L which I use on the SL and SL2.  The new Sigma 85mm f1.4 L lens is now on my radar.

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12 hours ago, FlashGordonPhotography said:

1. If you still have your CL the rather excellent Sigma 56mm 1.4 (plus 23 and 35mm) is coming to L mount. So you'll get an 85mm which is close to the 90 you prefer. It'll be the cheapest solution and it's fast light sharp and well made. I have used it on Sony E mount and it's very very good.

2. All the L mount zooms are good to excellent. The Leica goes to 90mm but is slightly weaker there than at 24mm. The Panasonic has a 24-105 which is a nice range and might suit you. It's lighter and about the same at to 90mm end as the Leica. But....

3. Again I'm going to recommend a Sigma. Just arrived is the new 85mm 1.4 Art in L mount. I haven't used it but reviews are excellent so far. I will be trying one as 85mm is a favorite of mine. I have the old version (for EF) and it's fantastic. the new one is lighter and smaller (a lot smaller). It also has an aperture ring. (yay!) It's cheap enough you might be able to get the SL35mm if you do decide to sell you CL kit.

Gordon

 

Thank you for your response.

For the moment I don't know if I'm going to keep the CL and I don't think I'll invest more than I did in the TL system at the moment.

In order to be able to test the SL and see if it is what I am looking for, the Sigma 85 may be a nice option but I don't see it available yet . 

Does the 45mm sigma, mentioned by Michali, bring out the potential of the SL?

Pete

Edited by Torpille
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4 hours ago, michali said:

+1 for the L mount Sigma lenses. Excellent image quality, well built, and affordable, without having to sell a kidney.

The first Sigma lens I ever purchased was the 45mm f2.8 as an everyday walk around lens for my SL (I love the fact that it has an aperture ring!).  Based on that, I went on to buy the excellent Sigma 14-24mm L and the 135mm f1.8 L which I use on the SL and SL2.  The new Sigma 85mm f1.4 L lens is now on my radar.

What level of quality are we at with sigma 45mm?

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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!

I have had really good luck with the Sigma 45mm as a “carry around” lens on my SL2.  It is inexpensive, light, compact, and produces great results. No, it isn’t as bightingly sharp as the Summicron SL lenses straight out of camera, but I certainly don’t feel like I am struggling to get what I want after post processing.  Resolution is there even if contrast is a touch low. All lenses are compromises.  You trade off size, cost, speed, vignetting, distortion, weight, contrast, and resolution against each other to come up with something that works well. The Sigma gives up a bit of contrast and speed but that pays dividends in terms of weight, cost, and size.  It’s a good lens. Edited by Jared
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On 8/25/2020 at 5:17 AM, Jared said:

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!

I have had really good luck with the Sigma 45mm as a “carry around” lens on my SL2.  It is inexpensive, light, compact, and produces great results. No, it isn’t as bightingly sharp as the Summicron SL lenses straight out of camera, but I certainly don’t feel like I am struggling to get what I want after post processing.  Resolution is there even if contrast is a touch low. All lenses are compromises.  You trade off size, cost, speed, vignetting, distortion, weight, contrast, and resolution against each other to come up with something that works well. The Sigma gives up a bit of contrast and speed but that pays dividends in terms of weight, cost, and size.  It’s a good lens.

Hi Jared,
Thanks a lot for you feedback, very useful indeed
I will try it next week 

 

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10 hours ago, chris_tribble said:

I’d second the Sigma 45 as a first L mount lens.  It continues to delight. A lot of recent images here are SL + Sigma 45:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/ctribble

Hello Chris, 

tank you for the link, very nice pictures :)
love these of the Solway coast with M10...

cheers

Pete

Edited by Torpille
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Thanks for kind comments - though Solway was M10 with 35 Cron Asph.

 

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I went through the same considerations coming from an M system. 
Having weighted practical, focal length, weight-size considerations, i chose the 24-90 f2.8-4 SL. The IQ on the SL is top notch vs my M primes such as 35 Lux FLE (the bokeh wins definitely) and 90 cron asph apo. It also has OIS which is good on the SL without the IBIS. There is 3D pop in the shots with the zoom.

The zoom provides versatility and IQ rivals the M primes on the SL and a Used can be had for quite a good price. 

 

 

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Edited by northernlights
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Hi Tim,

the vario 24-90mm is a great tool and for me still very expensive even bought used  and not to take out of the studio. 

As i like to walk a lot, i still need a light package. 
I think a M lens 35mm could be a great altenative to the sigma 45mm.

i will try this option next week on the streets of Vienna.

Cheers

Pete

 


 

 

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6 hours ago, chris_tribble said:

Pete,

interested to hear how it goes. I like M lenses on the SL, but AF can be quicker than it will be with the M lens. Now a 35 cron asph on an M10 for street... that’s another story...

Can you tell me how you find focusing the M lenses? Do you have to open up to focus and then stop down for each exposure? Do you have to zoom to focus, or is the standard EVF view good enough?

Rangefinder has clear advantages for M lenses - but the SL I assume is better for off-center subjects. Wondering if SL focusing with M lenses is fast enough to shoot things like people. 

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8 hours ago, Torpille said:

Hi Tim,

the vario 24-90mm is a great tool and for me still very expensive even bought used  and not to take out of the studio. 

As i like to walk a lot, i still need a light package. 
I think a M lens 35mm could be a great altenative to the sigma 45mm.

i will try this option next week on the streets of Vienna.

Cheers

Pete

 


 

 

The 35mm (summilux in my case) M is fantastic. As are the Crons. They are however way better on the leica M’s. With the SL, the advantage is being mirrorless, having AF and availability of zoom options. If i had a choice, i would always choose an M lens anytime because the SL is only 147g more than the M (Denser) although it is larger and the compactness is allows for long walks, being less obtrusive. But the AF is really useful after having using the 24-90. I almost forgot the convenience i used to have with the nikons, canons.  

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!

Edited by northernlights
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6 hours ago, gotium said:

Can you tell me how you find focusing the M lenses? Do you have to open up to focus and then stop down for each exposure? Do you have to zoom to focus, or is the standard EVF view good enough?

Rangefinder has clear advantages for M lenses - but the SL I assume is better for off-center subjects. Wondering if SL focusing with M lenses is fast enough to shoot things like people. 

My experience with lenses at 50 or wider on the SL is that moving subjects and  infinity or near infinity can be an issue, even with magnification (close focus on stationary subjects, by contrast, is good) , and that it’s slower to focus an M lens on the SL2 overall. The Frame / Focus (or vice-versa) process with an M is almost instantaneous. It’s not on the SL where I’ve got to push a button to get magnification.  OK I could stop down and zone focus, and do I this from time to time, but I love shooting wide open with Ms, and love being able to select focus point and frame simultaneously.  

I got the SL2 so I’d have the option of using my M lenses alongside zooms and AF lenses. This it does superlatively well. I wouldn’t choose it as the sole means for using M lenses however. That’s what an M body is for.

hope that helps...

Edited by chris_tribble
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10 hours ago, gotium said:

Can you tell me how you find focusing the M lenses? Do you have to open up to focus and then stop down for each exposure? Do you have to zoom to focus, or is the standard EVF view good enough?

Rangefinder has clear advantages for M lenses - but the SL I assume is better for off-center subjects. Wondering if SL focusing with M lenses is fast enough to shoot things like people. 

I found that focus was quite a bit faster on an M body when shooting between 28mm and 50mm.  Obviously, you din’t need to open up for focus then stop down again when using an M.  On the SL or SL2 you would sometimes need to (depending on aperture, subject distance, and light).  The SL/SL2 is better for focusing longer lenses or for ultrawides. The narrow depth of field at 75mm and above is challenging for a rangefinder, and uktrawides are awkward just for composition on an M body.

I don’t think I would recommend shooting moving people with an SL/SL2 excepts with an autofocus lens. It can be done, of course, but the hit rate is likely to be lower than with an M.

Oh, one other side note... In situations where there is plenty of time for focusing, the SL/SL2 is more accurate for critical focus than the M.  First, it can account for focus shift on lenses that have it (usually between f/1.4 and f/2.8). Second, it can account for field curvature since you can magnify view on whatever part of the frame you wish, not just the central patch. And if you like to shoot wide open at 75mm or above the SL/SL2 or Visoflex is a huge improvement on the M.

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