Your Get Up And Go Lens for SL2-S

[augustwest100]

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With the sage advice from the forum, I may soon take the plunge on the SL2-S to replace my Sony A9, thank you!

I notice that I mostly have my 55mm Zeiss 1.8 on my Sony and not the 24-70mm G master. This has only been a problem when I need a wider angle, at which point I switch to the Zeiss Batis 25mm.

What would you say is your "get up and go" lens for your SL2 or SL2-S? If someone calls you and says they are taking you on a mystery ride, and you don't know whether you will be shooting Gorillas in the jungle or flowers in a garden, which is the lens you grab? 

What lens do you think is the best balance of weight and performance for walkabout work? Not studio, not tripod. Needs to be comfortably on your person for 10 hours of walking...

 

 

 

[Joakim]

I think you should definitely look into the new Sigma I-series, small well built with high IQ and reasonably priced. 

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[LD_50]

My most used lens is my 50 SL Summilux. It is my general walk about lens. 

My lens that fits your “get up and go” criteria the best is the 24-90 zoom. It is also my least used lens. I don’t often find myself needing the flexibility of so many focal lengths at one time. 

[ravinj]

Unless you can come really close to gorillas in the jungle (not advisable), I would carry a small zoom camera too if that is one of main objectives.

SL 50MM F2 for me is the go to 1 lens solution and my wide angle is my Q2. My favorite SL lens though is the SL 90. 

I wouldn't put a lesser lens on SL2 or SL2-S (or just buy Panasonic S1 if SL lens is not an option).

Edited February 16, 2021 by ravinj

[Simone_DF]

The Panasonic 20-60 or the 24-105, or maybe wait a little for the Sigma 28-70 to be announced next week

[augustwest100]

I have a 35mm summicron M and I learned the hard way never to give up Leica glass unless absolutely necessary so I'd like to keep it. Trying to decide what would be the "first" lens to pair with the SL2-S. Looking for something that is not too big and heavy, but balances well, and can be used for when I'm walking about and want the flexibility to autofocus. The weight of the Leica L mount 35mm and 50mm are about the same as the weight of the Sigma 24-70 2.8, so I suppose you could also say this thread question is about whether to make the first lens a "standard zoom" or a really really nice prime!

[LocalHero1953]

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Apo-Summicron-SL 35.

I started with the 24-90 zoom, but since getting some of the SL primes (75, 90), this zoom is hardly touched, though I do use the 16-35 from time to time. I doubt I will touch the 90-280 till I can go and shoot plays and concerts again. 

Edited February 16, 2021 by LocalHero1953

[Eclectic Man]

Whatever lens I put on the SL2 to go out and walk around with turns out to be the wrong one :o(

[augustwest100]

42 minutes ago, LocalHero1953 said:

Apo-Summicron-SL 35.

I started with the 24-90 zoom, but since getting some of the SL primes (75, 90), this zoom is hardly touched, though I do use the 16-35 from time to time. I doubt I will touch the 90-280 till I can go and shoot plays and concerts again. 

This is the most appealing to me personally. It gives me a flexible focal length, and I can play around with some M primes or other manufacturers lenses. Now that my decision is growing on me, I am excited to try some older M lenses, and perhaps the Sigma macro lens. But to get started, I think the SL 35 Cron looks pretty sweet. 

[steveBK]

SL2 body balances great with the Sigma I series, 35/45/65 are all pretty good walk around lenses.

[SJH]

Well for me it would be APO SL 35 as my first choice for my SL2-S followed up by the 24-90 in second, tough call on these two.

[Daniel C.1975]

Beside maybe a zoom (which than always lacks the brightness  ) the only lens with which I feel comfortable as a single lens is a 35mm lens. With every other prime lens I always think I should also take something shorter or longer. In this regard I am very happy with the summicron-sl.

Edited February 16, 2021 by Daniel C.1975

[chris_tribble]

It’s very much a question of your style of work and the context you’re in. In my case, and for a long time it was an M and 35 summicron asph. Now it’s the SL2  and the 24-90. If and when we can travel, go to cities and live more extensively it might be the SL2 and the 35 APO my wife has promised me for my birthday in May 🥳 

[beewee]

I’m really liking the I-series 24mm f/3.5. It’s sharp corner to corner at f/5.6 and has no coma. Works as great for landscape and astro photography.

[MediaFotografie]

I'm walking around with the SL2 - and my favorite lens is also the Summicron-SL 35, by far!

But sometimes, when IQ isn't the most important point, Panasonic's 20-60 is more useful

 

😀

[TDK]

I use the Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 Art lens for a general purpose, single lens option.  I owned the 24-90mm Leica at the same time and, other than the extra 20mm on the long end, could barely see a difference in image quality, even comparing side by side shots.  This was on the SL2-S, by the way.

The Sigma is significantly lighter and a fair bit smaller than the Leica lens, which is also very appealing.  Add to that, the Sigma is a f/2.8 constant aperture, which is a bonus.  Budget wasn't an issue, so I went with what worked best for me, handled well and produced the best images.

Saying all that, I also like the Leica 50mm SL if I want a single focal length and an even smaller combination.

[augustwest100]

These are all good suggestions. For me, I mostly use for street, landscape, environmental portrait, and even some macro. I have a 35mm summicron M so wondering if the 50mm APO summicron L might be a good addition. 

[Archiver]

4 hours ago, augustwest100 said:

These are all good suggestions. For me, I mostly use for street, landscape, environmental portrait, and even some macro. I have a 35mm summicron M so wondering if the 50mm APO summicron L might be a good addition. 

Would you prefer to take advantage of the SL's ability to autofocus, because a lot of people successfully use manual focus on the SL. A M-mount adapter might be all you need if you already have a Summicron 35 M.

Given that I favour short zooms, and primes in the range of 28, 35 and 50 on my M9, I'd be inclined to try my M mount lenses on the SL first, and maybe get a Sigma 24-70 f2.8, or a Sigma compact L mount prime or two if I really wanted autofocus. If my budget allowed, I'd get the Summicron 35 SL if I wanted a general purpose Leica autofocus lens.

The newly announced Summicron 28 would appeal to me a lot as well, although I'd be happier with something much smaller like my Elmarit 28 ASPH or Zeiss Distagon 35 ZM. The Distagon is a stunning, stunning lens and I cannot recommend it enough.

If someone was taking me on a mystery ride, I'd want to be fairly nimble and flexible, so faster and lighter glass would be my go-to. The 'problem' with Leica's current L mount glass is that they prioritise image quality over size, so unless you are used to carrying a solid DSLR with a big prime, you have to be very choosy about what you carry for a 10 hour day.

[augustwest100]

I think the challenge for me really comes down to whether I would rather keep my Sony system for autofocus and get a M10R for street and perhaps personal travel enjoyment or get an SL2-S and “merge” both into one system, using M lenses for when I want a more  compact “manual” experience and use the Sony lenses, particularly the zooms for when I am someplace like Costa Rica trying to spot Sloths and Monkeys in the trees!

I’m probably off my own topic now, though, so to bring it back on topic, I suppose you would say that with an SL2-S as my primary system, I would think that the Sigma 24-70 makes some sense, or perhaps the Leica APO 35 or 50 L. I guess a 50 might make sense since I also have the 35 summicron.

Also, from my Sony experiences, I find it easier to focus a longer lens manually than a wide angle lens. For example, I can focus at 70mm without focus peaking or even punching in more zoom to focus, but with the Cron 35mm M, I need to punch in some zoom to focus. HOWEVER, the actual need to focus is less on a wide angle lens for me in many cases. I can zone focus my Cron for street photography. 

So, mashing this all together, I was thinking that I could get M lenses for the SL in the wide angle range (add a 21mm to my 35mm), then have one good AF zoom or prime, so either the 24-90, or perhaps the 50 L), and then if I ever need that long focal length, I might try to rent a long lens for that purpose. There’s also the option of getting the SL2 instead of the SL2-S and using in crop mode for the longer focal lengths. Argh!

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Hallo,

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[Pixeleater]

Summilux-M 50mm f/1.4 ASPH (Black Chrome Edition)