Jump to content
🇩🇪 Neu: Leica SL3 Reporter ×
🇺🇸🇬🇧 New: Leica SL3 Reporter ×

Leica please give the SL2 the S5 AF & AFC updates

SJH

By SJH
in Leica SL System

 Share

Recommended Posts

  • Replies 52
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Top Posters In This Topic

Popular Posts

FlashGordonPhotography
FlashGordonPhotography

No they don't. Or rather, in some metrics the SL2 outperforms other cameras on the market. Or you could say that no camera does it all better than all other cameras. The SL2 has a far better menu

tom0511
tom0511

if one wants good af-c, than rather buy a Nikon D500 or d6 or Canon d1x, instead of a mirrorless camera. Maybe the Sony A9 is also in this league. Howeber I find for anything except hard core act

sillbeers15
sillbeers15

Firstly, bigger subject wrt the AF box frame  turns ‘green’ easier & faster.  Tracking subject frame by frame, I used to get one frame sharp followed by the next frame soft in focus and the foll

SJH

SJH

Posted
  • Author
Posted

.. and just to add in broad terms in the UK you can buy the kit with 20-60 lens, grip, spare battery and receive the Sigma 45mm L mount lens for £2,079 https://www.wexphotovideo.com/panasonic-lumix-s5-digital-camera-with-20-60mm-lens-plus-shooting-grip-and-spare-battery-1750122/ Essentially the lenses would have been about £1,100 combined so you're getting the S5 for £1,000. Just a thought but an interesting option v a Q or a Q2 with not much weight difference. 

  • Thanks 1
Link to post
Share on other sites
caissa

caissa

Posted
Posted

Has anybody seen the improvement ? With S1 or with S1R.  If it is a clear difference, then I expect to get a similar improvement for the SL2. But maybe not in the next few days, they will need some time to implement and test. But maybe with the next firmware upgrade...

“Gut Ding braucht Weile.”  Take your time to do it right.

Link to post
Share on other sites
SJH

SJH

Posted
  • Author
Posted
31 minutes ago, caissa said:

Has anybody seen the improvement ? With S1 or with S1R.  If it is a clear difference, then I expect to get a similar improvement for the SL2. But maybe not in the next few days, they will need some time to implement and test. But maybe with the next firmware upgrade...

“Gut Ding braucht Weile.”  Take your time to do it right.

I think you just have to watch the many YouTube videos that have been posted to see the rather obvious differences :)  

  • Thanks 1
Link to post
Share on other sites
caissa

caissa

Posted
Posted
8 hours ago, SJH said:

I think you just have to watch the many YouTube videos that have been posted to see the rather obvious differences :)  

I asked about S1 or S1R with improvements. I could not find anything, yet. So they need some time to implement. The available videos are about the S5 but I have no interest in that.

Link to post
Share on other sites
caissa

caissa

Posted
Posted (edited)

Advertisement (gone after registration)

2 hours ago, Jim B said:

I think Leica should be embarrassed  having  all these cheap cameras out perform the SL2 I mean really pick any other brand And they work better.

That’s simply progress. It was to be expected. Nothing to be embarrassed about. I just wait for an announcement of new firmware for the SL2. But probably Panasonic has a larger team of programmers/testers. So it will take time until Leica is ready. The highres multishot also took time, but is now even slightly better than the Panasonic version.

If you buy a SL2 mainly for AFc, then you just show how misinformed you are ....

The AF is developed by Panasonic, so if anybody then they should feel embarrassed. But I don’t see it that way.

Edited by caissa
  • Thanks 1
Link to post
Share on other sites
helged

helged

Posted
Posted
57 minutes ago, caissa said:

I asked about S1 or S1R with improvements. I could not find anything, yet. So they need some time to implement. The available videos are about the S5 but I have no interest in that.

S1/S1R/S1H firmware update late in 2020: https://www.panasonicff.com/panasonic-releases-firmware-update-programs-for-the-lumix-s1r-s1h-and-s1/

Hard to see that SL will (or can) be updated accordingly. But SL2 - with new processor and quite some Panasonic tech built into the system - should be doable. From my view, everything before summer 2021 will be a positive surprise...

Bottom line: Good to see improvements to the L-mount system! 

  • Like 1
  • Thanks 2
Link to post
Share on other sites
SJH

SJH

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Firstly I really adore my SL2 but the Achilles heal is the fact that, whilst not expecting A9ii sports AF, the AFC isn’t really that great. The Pre-AF function is a joke and eats battery life, plus your £4K SL APO lens sounds like a grinder with it activated. The pulsing and ‘wobble’ affect in AFC isn’t also a great ‘Leica’ experience through their really excellent EVF. To me if we get to the S5 level with the SL2 then I’m more than happy. No not as good as Sony but not far off and the Leica SL2 has many more benefits to me outside of this anyway. 

So yes professionally I do see it as embarrassing that the £5k SL2 is outdone by a £1,700 camera from Panasonic (whom they have an alliance with) and the fact the S range will all have the same AF update by Christmas. I also think that as much as I love the Q and Q2 if you have an M and/or SL2, the S5 is beginning to look like a better additional body for travel with the 20-60 zoom and Sigma 45mm 2.8; plus you can use your small M lenses with it as well. All of this for £2.1k plus an extra battery and the grip, you’d of course need the M adaptor as well but many of us have that anyway. 

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites
SJH

SJH

Posted
  • Author
Posted (edited)

Of course this is very true I'd just rather Leica update the SL2 given Panasonic are doing it with all their S camera's over the next few months, I'm very happy then :) Also fully understand your comment about you don't buy the SL2 for sports type A9 AFC but on the other hand you do expect things like Pre-Focus and the wobble/pulsing in and out and lens grinding to be rather better on a £5k camera, when I first got my SL2 and APO lenses I though their was something seriously wrong with the lens I tried first!!

Edited by SJH
  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites
caissa

caissa

Posted
Posted (edited)

pre-focus is typically turned off and AFc is in use only once or twice each year. I also hope for the update, but I am almost sure it will come. The question for me is only WHEN ?  Maybe next year ? I hope earlier.

By the way. Some commentators find AF much improved (in the S5). Others find it not really much improved and not much more reliable than before ....      Your mileage may vary ...   B)

Edited by caissa
  • Thanks 1
Link to post
Share on other sites
Sjz

Sjz

Posted
Posted
9 minutes ago, LocalHero1953 said:

I've just hit the credit card for the value of a new SL2 - to arrive tomorrow. I don't use AFc and I'm unlikely to use pre-focus - it solves a problem I don't have. But no camera has perfect focusing, so any improvements would be welcome. 

I look forward to seeing the results 👍

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites
FlashGordonPhotography

FlashGordonPhotography

Posted
Posted
17 hours ago, Jim B said:

I think Leica should be embarrassed  having  all these cheap cameras out perform the SL2 I mean really pick any other brand And they work better.

No they don't. Or rather, in some metrics the SL2 outperforms other cameras on the market. Or you could say that no camera does it all better than all other cameras.

The SL2 has a far better menus than any other system on the market and is equal to the X1D.

The SL2 is more responsive in playback/zooming in than the Sony A7R4 by some margin.

The SL2 has class leading/matching lens performance.

The SL2 has better video specs than the S1R.

The SL2 joystick is by far the best on the market.

The SL has the best EVF of any high resolution camera. Only the A9II has more VF resolution and the optics aren't as good, negating some of that.

The SL2 has the best weather sealing of any high resolution camera on the market. Maybe equaled by the S1R.

The SL2 doesn't have overheating issues.

** The SL2 has exactly two weak points. AFC and its price (and for me the lack of a flippy screen). If either of those are deal breakers there are alternatives. But for overall handling and a complex camera that gets out of the way and lets you shoot nothing beats the SL2, unless you shoot sports where the hit rate is OK but the user experience sucks. The usability of the SL2 is second to none and if you value that as much as AFC or more resolution then the SL2 is a great camera option. The S1 and S1R won't have the upgrades until Christmas and we don't know about what Leica is doing for the SL2. So maybe we get the improved AFC to boot.

Gordon

  • Like 8
  • Thanks 1
Link to post
Share on other sites
SJH

SJH

Posted
  • Author
Posted

I completely agree with you on all the fantastic pluses for the SL2 v the competition, my op was really highlighting though that the AFC and Pre-Focus etc aren't actually currently even average. If Leica crack this soon, via a version of the S5 firmware, we really are rolling; no still not a sports camera but I don't think any of us bought it for that :) Here's a good summary from T&C where they are really saying they rather like it and for stills the AFC is now pretty good compared to the A7iii 

 

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites
NRKstudio

NRKstudio

Posted
Posted

The dang Eye-AF is nonexistent (only very weak subject/body tracking), and AF-C is terrible on the SL2.  it’s not up to the level of tech in much of the mirrorless market.  I’m comparing to the Fuji xpro3 , the Fuji Gfx50r, Sony a7r3 or 4, Nikon Z7, etc.  

I use afs often, but need afc at home.  Who thought that wobble focus DFD bullshit was legitimately worth sticking to? 

The afc can’t keep up with my toddler unfortunately.  Very disappointing that Leica didn’t update afc in the 2.0 firmware, looks like they didn’t want to invest more in the system this year.   
 

still don’t want to sell it because of all the pluses and it’s dominance with M lenses.

 

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...