Sony Wedding photographer switching systems

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MTF are only one side of the story. I much, much prefer the images I made/saw from a Leica Pre-FLE 35 1.4 than clinical perfect stuff from other "superior" lenses.

Also the tour the force of the Leica 35SL is that it is a "real" T2 lenses... most other lenses from the competition can say f1.4 or f1.8 and they are closer to T2

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[jaapv]

8 minutes ago, Steven said:

Photo sample to share ? 😇

Sorry, those were test shots from the Photokina when it was introduced. I'm afraid that  I ditched them. The reason that I didn't buy it was that it was a bit bulky on an M regarding VF intrusion. In the end I stuck with the Summicron asph and the Zeiss Biogon-C, which I like for its contrast on the Monochrom1.

[lx1713]

I have both the 35mm f1.4 ZM and the APO 35mm f2.0. If I can squeeze out the time I will shoot something. Unfortunately, I'm staying at a rather dreary location. Finding a nice subject might be difficult.

[beewee]

10 hours ago, Steven said:

If, hypothetically speaking, I was buying a Sony A1, what 35mm lens would I want to buy to get as close as possible to the micro contrast and 3D pop of the SL 35 APO? 

This one.

[lx1713]

3 hours ago, Steven said:

This would be so so incredible. Anything will do, a doll, a bottle of water, a dog a cat ! Anything.. 

And what are your personal thoughts on them ? A real difference ? 

😬It's a little embarrassing I have to confess. I buy lenses knowing they are already good. I don't put in a lot testing to know if I have a perfect copy.

I got the ZM because it's sharp and because it's bigger the vignetting is less than a Leica M equivalent and that I needed a lens that's tactile in response to manual focusing. I got the SL 35mm because I'm basically a lazy photographer and use AF a lot and more recently face detect under commercial lit jobs. Life is easier 😉

I got 3 APSC Sigma primes because if I do run and gun I don't really need a lot of pixels and sometimes they ask if I can shoot a bit of video. Honestly, the Sigmas are simply better for video than my Leica primes. Easier to handle and lighter and less tight on the focusing rotation.

I don't sweat the sharpness. Until the job sweats me 😂  So lets see how they work out. Bet I will be surprised. I just need the lens to be excellent so I can just focus on how bad I was 😂

Edited January 29, 2021 by lx1713

[Mick H]

16 hours ago, Steven said:

Thanks, just ordered the lens. Can’t wait to receive my A1 + 35mm GM, but somehow ill still doubt that it’ll be good enough to dethrone my SL2S + 35 Lux

I would love to hear back on how that new Sony combo works out and how it compares to your Leica combo.  I have the SL + 35 Sigma F1.2 Art DG DN setup.

[Zachary Harley]

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On 1/27/2021 at 11:38 AM, Steven said:

If you want an AF lens for an SL and your most used focal is 35mm, you need to buy the 35 SL APO. This way, you will immediately have the best lens ever made by Leica, as well as the best lens ever made, full stop. 

You need to see it to believe it. 

Thanks for the input .Agreed. I will put in the work and buy it someday for sure. It's amazing For now a cheaper third party option will build the foundation of my art. I'm looking at the Sigma 35 2.

[Zachary Harley]

On 1/27/2021 at 5:12 AM, Simone_DF said:

The new Sigma "I" line is small and light. Same for the new Panasonic 1.8 line - though only the 85mm has been released so far.

Is it out already? I hope I can find some reviews on it mounted on an SL. Thanks for the tip.

[Zachary Harley]

On 1/27/2021 at 11:48 AM, Macberg said:

@Zachary Harley I agree with Steven. And your second (or even first?) choice for weddings should be the Apo Summicron 90 SL (picture taken at a wedding job last August, with the SL2), even if that lens is not so small, it's not particularly big either:

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Amazing!

[Zachary Harley]

On 1/27/2021 at 2:23 PM, FrankX said:

I am using the new Sigma 85 1.4 DG DN lens and it is by far the best 85 mm lens I have used so far, but I never tried the 90 Cron. A very capable combination for weddings would be this relatively small 85 mm lens together with the Sigma 35 2.0 as starter set. I would probably add a Panasonic 50 1.4, but this is a big one... However, if you really want ‚the Leica look‘ you‘ll probably have to buy the 35 and 75 Summicron-SL for AF. I personally love the look of my almost tiny 35 an 50 mm Summilux-M ASPH lenses, especially with my M10.

However, as I said the Sigma 85 is a fantastic lens. The following photo may give you a first impression how the lens renders.

 

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The portrait is beautiful!  How do you find the focusing? Also, would you have any other experience with any other Sigma lenses with the SL? Thanks for sharing.

[Zachary Harley]

On 1/27/2021 at 2:28 PM, SonomaBear said:

I'm also building a new kit for my SL and I am thrilled at the quality of Sigma DG DN lenses.

The 85 1.4 is a "must have" and is a real go-to for a lot of scenes/people

The 45 2.8 should be standard equipment!  Inexpensive, small, yet very good

The 24-70 2.8 is your workhorse when earning a living.  Its a better buy than Panasonic

Their new "I series" are supposedly great/small/inexpensive/well built but I haven't tried

I walk around with the 45/2.8 mounted and the others in the bag.

Enjoy... I certainly do!           PS: Their customer service s really great...

Thanks for your input. Can you tell me your experience with the 85mm 1.4 for a subject that is walking towards you while you're walking backwards. How do you usually focus this scenario with your SL? Also how is your experience with the SL focusing in low light with the 85 and 45?

[Zachary Harley]

On 1/27/2021 at 4:46 PM, FlashGordonPhotography said:

Definitely not going to talk you out of an SL, The SL ecosystem is excellent for weddings. I've shot weddings with Sony and Leica. No way I'd go back, despite the *on paper* advantages of the Sony's. There WILL be a learning curve though. And it depends on which SL body you now have.

Your current Sony lenses are really very very good. I still have my 55 and 85 1.8's somewhere. I'm not a 35mm focal length shooter but I know the lens is great. The 55 is good enough to almost keep me considering a Sony. It pairs brilliantly with the bodies. You are going to end up with a bigger system. No way around that. Doesn't have to be vastly bigger but bigger and heavier it will be.

The Sigmas will be the closest to what you know. Similar look and drawing. A bit more *bite* than the Panasonics and Leicas. It's not really a sharpness thing. More a macro contrast difference. If you've shot a lot of Leica you might describe Sigma and Sony lenses as *gritty* in comparison. Some people describe the Sony 55mm as harsh. It can be a bit. But not always. In comparison the Panasonic and Leica versions are a bit more gentle. Colours are much easier to handle with the Leica. You'll need to adapt your post workflow but once you dial it in it's vastly better than the Sony's for skin tones.

I haven't seen anything from the new Panasonic lenses yet but I do have a bunch of them in M43 and a couple of the current L mount ones. I have no doubt that they will be very very good. They might be exactly what you're looking for plus the Sigma 85mm. The Leica L primes are the pinnacle though. Just wonderful. Very expensive and a small gain over the other L mount lenses. But if you want to best......

As for the Noctilux. Had one and sold it. Special optic but unique and extremely specialised for a huge amount of money. there are alternatives for a lot less. If you want MF have a look at the Voightlander M mount lenses and a lens adaptor. Especially some of the recent ones. Personally though, if You have an SL I'd stay native for weddings. I shot about 200 weddings with a pair of M9 bodies. Loved it but it's certainly less stress with the SL2.

Gordon

Thanks for the input! I will keep them in mind as I go through my journey with the SL. I am leaning towards the Sigma 35mm 2. I hope it doesn't render like how the Sony paired with Sigma does though. For some reason i just find it lacks soul and this is partly the reason of switching also. But like I mentioned earlier, the Sigma will be the foundation of my business and if it renders how a OSny does it with a Sigma, I'll just have to shoot more weddings to work my way up to the Leica 35. 

I totally appreciate you telling me about the learning curve. I'm going to put in the work and I'm so excited to create art!

[Zachary Harley]

On 1/28/2021 at 3:28 AM, SiggiGun said:

As @Steven wrote, the APO-Summcrion-SL f2.0/35mm ASPH. is the lens you need! I had the chance to try all the current SL Primes.  I guess also, that the upcoming Vairo-Elmarit 28-70mm will be a good extension for Weding. And finally of course: Noctilux is a must. This lens is so different and so special, especialy for wedding. But not easy to focus.

 

Enjoy the Leica world

Thanks for the tips! Leica let's go!!! I'm pumped!

[Zachary Harley]

On 1/29/2021 at 3:03 AM, lx1713 said:

I don't shoot much weddings but I found the Q2 a beautiful match with an SL2 and the 24-90. If I were younger, the 90-280 will be in the bag. 

The SL is still used frequently but only in the studio.

Thanks for the input! The Q2 is amazing. I briefly checked it out. The thing that scares me the most is that 1 sd slot.

[Reggie]

Zachary, from what I’ve seen, the Sigma 35 f2 DG DN does not render as nicely as the 45 f2.8 or 85 f1.4. It suffers from poor LoCA and fringing in the OOF areas which leads to busy OOF and poor focus transitions. The new 65 f2 is not as bad and the 24 f3.5 is close to the smooth render of the 45 f2.8. Based on what I’ve seen so far, the 35 is actually the worst of the new I-series lenses. 
 

A number of people (including myself) are heading down the sigma route of I-series 24, 45 and Art 85. If you want a 35mm Sigma for professional work, you need to be looking at the Art series 35 f1.2. 
 

A left field alternative on the upgrade path to the SL 35 f2 is to consider the Leica TL 35 f1.4. It’s more like the Sigma I-series in terms of size and weight. It’ll mean that the SL2 operates in crop mode but 20+mp ought to be more than enough if you’re shooting wide anyway. 

Edited January 30, 2021 by Reggie

[Snooopy]

@Zachary HarleyI recently started using a Lumix S5 and I'm thrilled. The camera is really robust, has great functions and an excellent sensor. I wouldn't buy a SL for what purpose? The rest of the money can be invested in lenses, the Panasonic has a movable display an the Body is smaller. I also have a Q2 as a travel camera and both complement each other great.

[FrankX]

vor 9 Stunden schrieb Zachary Harley:

The portrait is beautiful!  How do you find the focusing? Also, would you have any other experience with any other Sigma lenses with the SL? Thanks for sharing.

Focusing is quick enough for portraits (comparable to the Fuji XF56 1.2 which I also used without any problems for weddings) and usually also very precise. In most cases, I use AF-S in combination with face detection. I am not so happy with AF-C and the SL2 with this lens, as it creates a slightly wobbling picture in the viewfinder. The sharpness at f/1.4 is in my opinion outstanding (not only for the price of the lens). See the 200% crop of a portrait below.

I have currently only the Sigma 24-70 mm f/2.8 which is a stunning lens optically and also very quick regarding AF-S (much better with AF-C). Very sharp wide open for a zoom lens. However, I don't like the weight and size of the lens - and I am not a fan of zoom lenses in general. The 85 1.4 feels small and lightweight compared to 24-70 2.8, but it is of course very versatile. For a wedding, I personally need only three lenses which should be ideally at least 2.0 better 1.4: a 35 mm (70%), a 85 mm (25%) and a 24 mm (5%).

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[Simone_DF]

11 hours ago, Zachary Harley said:

Is it out already? I hope I can find some reviews on it mounted on an SL. Thanks for the tip.

Not yet. 

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica L-Mount

[Daniel81]

The Leica R lenses work spectacularly well with the SL and SL2-S  . . . . the focus peaking makes the manual focussing much easier than its ever been in my experience.

 

[Guest JMF]

Just now, Steven said:

I know very little about R lenses and how they compare to M lenses. 
ive always been under the impression than m equivalent usually performed better and were better designs. 

Actually both the 28 Elmarit R v2 and the 50 Summilux e60 R v2 are stunning performers and I prefer them on the SL 601 over their M cousins .