Jono's Review: Leica Vario Elmarit SL 24-70 f2.8 ASPH

[snz]

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Hi guys,

sorry to hijack Jono's thread but since I do have both the Sigma and Leica lenses with me right now I might share some insights after shooting with both side by side in my living room:

• The Sigma is a tad sharper wide open in the center, the Leica is sharper in the corners...again only a tad and differences are only visible when zooming in (like 200%). The more you close down the aperture the sharper the Leica gets overall. 
• On my SL2-S the Leica seem to be metered a bit faster than the Sigma in some cases. Not sure why but when it happened it was always in the favour of the Leica (e.g. the camera decided on a lower ISO for the Leica lens).
• The Leica has a metal construction, very solid, very Leica with no buttons. The Sigma has buttons which I found the AF button  to be useless because the Sigma works the same way as the Leica. Meaning you half press the shutter button and turn the focus ring and the camera will magnify the image with focus peaking. The lock button on the Sigma is actually useful in my opinion to prevent moving of the lens when carrying the camera. Sigma is also built very solidly, no issues here however it's "just" plastic. Same for the lens hood. So overall the built quality goes to the Leica.
• When importing images to Lightroom Classic (Desktop) or Lightroom (iPhone, iPad) the lens profile of the Sigma seems to be weird when you activate the lens correction. You get the opposite of what you want: lines are not straight and it overcompensates on the vignetting. You are better leaving it off. For the Leica I do see no difference. The Leica image and the Sigma image (without lens profile) look very similar which let me believe that there is some kind of correction already happening in camera. I'm not sure whether this is a thing as I'm new to the SL2-S.
• All things considered both lenses produce the exact same image in a real world scenario. They draw the same way, e.g. out of focus transition, bokeh, sharpness. If it wasn't for my pixel peeping I wouldn't have noticed any difference at all. Maybe you could say the Leica is a tiny bit more contrasty. It's raining outside so I couldn't compare flare, backlit situations etc pp

Here are some shot's side by side:

 

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Edited May 12, 2021 by snz

[aksclix]

Can someone share a sample image showing how big this lens gets when the zoom ring is extended? 

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[RBB]

10 hours ago, aksclix said:

Can someone share a sample image showing how big this lens gets when the zoom ring is extended? 

Here you go!

ps. Please don't look at the black tape, I do that with all my lenses and camera's.

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[RBB]

Some of the first shots.

 

 

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[Tailwagger]

18 hours ago, snz said:

Hi guys,

sorry to hijack Jono's thread but since I do have both the Sigma and Leica lenses with me right now I might share some insights after shooting with both side by side in my living room:

• The Sigma is a tad sharper wide open in the center, the Leica is sharper in the corners...again only a tad and differences are only visible when zooming in (like 200%). The more you close down the aperture the sharper the Leica gets overall....

 

Thanks for the comparison. IQ might possibly be more due to sample variation than anything else.  As you have both lenses, I wonder if you have noticed any difference in AF speed between the two. In general, I've noted that Sigma lenses seem to be a comparatively lethargic and more prone to hunting than the native offerings. 

[aksclix]

4 hours ago, RBB said:

Here you go!

ps. Please don't look at the black tape, I do that with all my lenses and camera's.

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Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

Thank you so much!! 

[TeleElmar135mm]

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Dpreview has a sample gallery

 

https://www.dpreview.com/samples/6202078261/leica-vario-elmarit-sl-24-70mm-f2-8-asph-sample-gallery

 

 

 

[snz]

8 hours ago, Tailwagger said:

 

Thanks for the comparison. IQ might possibly be more due to sample variation than anything else.  As you have both lenses, I wonder if you have noticed any difference in AF speed between the two. In general, I've noted that Sigma lenses seem to be a comparatively lethargic and more prone to hunting than the native offerings. 

They behave pretty much the same when it comes to AF and yes any differences may come down to sample variation. However I'm pretty sure the Leica is sharper across the frame, the sigma is better in the center.

[uranage]

14 hours ago, RBB said:

Here you go!

ps. Please don't look at the black tape, I do that with all my lenses and camera's.

 

 

 

What if you switched the lens hoods? How would the new lens look with the 24-90 hood? 

[Jeff S]

The Leica Miami guys will base tomorrow’s interactive YouTube series on the SL 24-70.  Questions can be submitted before or during the discussion.

Jeff

[setuporg]

For those who see differences between Leica and Sigma: do you also see UFOs?:)

[TeleElmar135mm]

vor 19 Minuten schrieb setuporg:

For those who see differences between Leica and Sigma: do you also see UFOs?:)

Hm, over Cologne (Köln) a German city not so far from Wetzlar, there was an UFO and it was red. So that's the proof there is a difference in favour of the red point

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqD-6ZsZEUI

,,, or not

[i-Leica]

vor 9 Stunden schrieb setuporg:

For those who see differences between Leica and Sigma: do you also see UFOs?:)

Do you see any difference between Porsche Cayenne and VW Touareg?..... 

[1Haufen]

On 5/12/2021 at 7:45 PM, snz said:

Hi guys,

sorry to hijack Jono's thread but since I do have both the Sigma and Leica lenses with me right now I might share some insights after shooting with both side by side in my living room:

• The Sigma is a tad sharper wide open in the center, the Leica is sharper in the corners...again only a tad and differences are only visible when zooming in (like 200%). The more you close down the aperture the sharper the Leica gets overall. 
• On my SL2-S the Leica seem to be metered a bit faster than the Sigma in some cases. Not sure why but when it happened it was always in the favour of the Leica (e.g. the camera decided on a lower ISO for the Leica lens).
• The Leica has a metal construction, very solid, very Leica with no buttons. The Sigma has buttons which I found the AF button  to be useless because the Sigma works the same way as the Leica. Meaning you half press the shutter button and turn the focus ring and the camera will magnify the image with focus peaking. The lock button on the Sigma is actually useful in my opinion to prevent moving of the lens when carrying the camera. Sigma is also built very solidly, no issues here however it's "just" plastic. Same for the lens hood. So overall the built quality goes to the Leica.
• When importing images to Lightroom Classic (Desktop) or Lightroom (iPhone, iPad) the lens profile of the Sigma seems to be weird when you activate the lens correction. You get the opposite of what you want: lines are not straight and it overcompensates on the vignetting. You are better leaving it off. For the Leica I do see no difference. The Leica image and the Sigma image (without lens profile) look very similar which let me believe that there is some kind of correction already happening in camera. I'm not sure whether this is a thing as I'm new to the SL2-S.
• All things considered both lenses produce the exact same image in a real world scenario. They draw the same way, e.g. out of focus transition, bokeh, sharpness. If it wasn't for my pixel peeping I wouldn't have noticed any difference at all. Maybe you could say the Leica is a tiny bit more contrasty. It's raining outside so I couldn't compare flare, backlit situations etc pp

Here are some shot's side by side:

 

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!

Thank you for this comparison. I believe the difference between Sigma and Leica can not be so big if it is almost the same structure and the same glasses. Also interesting would be how much the influence of the internal processing of the camera (including the profiles of the objective) influences the pictures.
Is there a noticeable difference in the autofocus performance between the two lenses (with the sl2-s)?

[dkCambridgeshire]

On 5/9/2021 at 7:02 PM, Stef63 said:

Then the Leica 280 F4 APO Telyt-R might be your thing? Eventually add the APO 1.4 adapter. That makes almost a 400 (which is not available on the native SL lens)

And before you say it : no autofocus. Indeed.  But optics are at such an incredible high level and the focus ring buttery smooth.  If you can find a clean late ROM version and want to put the cash for it on the table, do not hesitate a second.  Only 1000 3-cam and 1000 ROM version were made and they will hold value and will give you tremendous amounts of joy when using them on an SL2.  

The 280/4 APO Telyt R can suffer from 'sticky/slow to operate' lens diaphragm ... needs careful checking before purchase as costly to remedy 

[aksclix]

On 5/14/2021 at 11:42 AM, Jeff S said:

The Leica Miami guys will base tomorrow’s interactive YouTube series on the SL 24-70.  Questions can be submitted before or during the discussion.

Jeff

24-90 is winning so far

[Jeff S]

38 minutes ago, aksclix said:

24-90 is winning so far

Not surprising... I didn’t need the tests to know how good my 24-90 is. But the 90-280 is even better at 90 than the 24-90 at 90. In practical terms, though, for my own prints needs, all of these lenses are capable of terrific results, and  viewers wouldn’t be able to distinguish differences.  I might have purchased the 24-70 if it had been released first, but I won’t be adding it or selling the 24-90.  If the 24-70 didn’t telescope when zooming, however, that would be a different story.

Jeff
 

 

 

Edited May 16, 2021 by Jeff S

[setuporg]

18 hours ago, i-Leica said:

Do you see any difference between Porsche Cayenne and VW Touareg?..... 

Is the Cayenne a Touareg with Porsche design on top?!

[aksclix]

21 minutes ago, Jeff S said:

Not surprising... I didn’t need the tests to know how good my 24-90 is. But 90-280 is even better at 90 than the 24-90 at 90. In practical terms, though, for my own prints needs, all of these lenses are capable of terrific results, and  viewers wouldn’t be able to distinguish differences.  I might have purchased the 24-70 if it had been released first, but I won’t be adding it or selling the 24-90.  If the 24-70 didn’t telescope when zooming, however, that would be a different story.

Jeff
 

Jeff

 

Yea.. I am not tempted either.. I would’ve liked an internal zoom too.. or the f2 like in canon 

I would’ve liked a 14-24 f2.8 perhaps 

 

 

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica L-Mount

[NigelG]

9 minutes ago, setuporg said:

Is the Cayenne a Touareg with Porsche design on top?!

The VW group MLB-evo base platform is not just used for Touareg + Cayenne but also Audi Q7/8, Bentley Bentayga and Lamborghini Urus...🤫