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Wanted - Full frame platform for MF legacy glass


newtoleica

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Thinking of moving the Q2 on and updating the old A7R I have been using as a digital platform for my Olympus OM lens collection. I have a number of OM film bodies and that is my preference for film rather than Leica. I also have an M10D with 4 lenses have recently been trying an OM-LM mount on the M10 with a visioflex. Its not as good a platform as the Sony as the corners of wides get a bit more smeared and the visioflex isn't the best EVF....

So sell on the A7R, the Q2, the Visioflex and get a SL2? Slightly bigger and heavier then the M10...

Thoughts? Or just get a Sony A7Riv?

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I’m thinking of doing something similar. I have a Sony A7 which works perfectly well as a digital back for my OM lenses, but to be honest I don’t really enjoy using it so it tends to stay at home. I don’t need the SL2 level of resolution (or cost) and I’m not concerned about image stabilisation, so am thinking about a used SL, as Gary suggested above. Probably won’t use it for M lenses as I have a M10 and a Monochrom 246 which are my favourite cameras.

My only reservation is the increased weight.

Best of luck with your decision 

Graham

 

 

 

 

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On 5/21/2021 at 11:29 PM, newtoleica said:

Thinking of moving the Q2 on and updating the old A7R I have been using as a digital platform for my Olympus OM lens collection. I have a number of OM film bodies and that is my preference for film rather than Leica. I also have an M10D with 4 lenses have recently been trying an OM-LM mount on the M10 with a visioflex. Its not as good a platform as the Sony as the corners of wides get a bit more smeared and the visioflex isn't the best EVF....

So sell on the A7R, the Q2, the Visioflex and get a SL2? Slightly bigger and heavier then the M10...

Thoughts? Or just get a Sony A7Riv?

The SL2 is a much faster camera than the a7r4. I like that, so for me the choice is clear. Part of that decision is also the superior colors of the SL2 and that M and R lenses can be used almost like native lenses.
Sony is the better choice if you insist on the fastest AFc (e.g. in A1). AFc in the SL2 is not great, but AFs is much better, so I almost always use that. Maybe it will be improved with the next firmware release (probably July).   I never had problems with AF, while many non-users keep on complaining about it.   Best will be you make your own test drive. (Ask your Leica shop). Sooner or later you will probably also buy an AF lens.

I was happy with the SL from day one (the first year I used it only with manual lenses), and even more so with the SL2 which is the first Leica with IBIS. If you can afford it, it is a great choice.

P.S. If you want to make your M lenses autofocusing, then you can use a Techart adapter. But it does not exist for L-mount, only for Sony. But it is a fiddly thing, I do not recommend it. But I wanted to give you the full picture.

Edited by caissa
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17 hours ago, grahamm said:

I’m thinking of doing something similar. I have a Sony A7 which works perfectly well as a digital back for my OM lenses, but to be honest I don’t really enjoy using it so it tends to stay at home. I don’t need the SL2 level of resolution (or cost) and I’m not concerned about image stabilisation, so am thinking about a used SL, as Gary suggested above. Probably won’t use it for M lenses as I have a M10 and a Monochrom 246 which are my favourite cameras.

The SL is perfect for that. The key feature is the great viewfinder which is perfect for manual focus, and the fact that it isn't limited to SLR lenses like other platforms are. Of course it doesn't hurt that the camera has proven to be completely reliable, and that it can be found at very good prices on the secondary market.

I don't find the SL to be too heavy, but I am comparing it to traditional film SLRs, and to the Canon 5D series. It's certainly a bit bigger than the Olympus OM series cameras that the original poster mentions.

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If you don't require dual card slots, maybe try an EOS R, it can be had for very cheap now. The highly criticized touchbar is actually really nice to magnify and get back very quickly. Works well with OM lenses (not so much with M lenses), feeling a lot smaller and lighter than the SL Leicas with a solid grip and an articulating screen that may be useful.
Just got an SL2 because I had hoped I could focus accurately without magnification, but it is still not quite there yet (maybe I just need to trust it more) and the experience of magnifying, changing the lens coding for the IBIS etc. is still a bit quirky, just like with many other mirrorless cameras and it feels much heavier than the M240, R or even the R5.

Maybe it is just a question of getting used to, but having tried others, there are some things that work better on them. The Leica may hold the trump card of providing the strongest basis with regards to image quality (but again, the difference may not be that significant with some lenses).

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5 hours ago, padam said:

If you don't require dual card slots, maybe try an EOS R, it can be had for very cheap now. The highly criticized touchbar is actually really nice to magnify and get back very quickly. Works well with OM lenses (not so much with M lenses), feeling a lot smaller and lighter than the SL Leicas with a solid grip and an articulating screen that may be useful.
Just got an SL2 because I had hoped I could focus accurately without magnification, but it is still not quite there yet (maybe I just need to trust it more) and the experience of magnifying, changing the lens coding for the IBIS etc. is still a bit quirky, just like with many other mirrorless cameras and it feels much heavier than the M240, R or even the R5.

Maybe it is just a question of getting used to, but having tried others, there are some things that work better on them. The Leica may hold the trump card of providing the strongest basis with regards to image quality (but again, the difference may not be that significant with some lenses).

Can the SL2 be set for focus peaking all ways on without magnification? This is the big thing for me. I love my M10D for size and the lack of a grip (I hate big grips and prefer none at all), but the Visioflex is laggy, not good resolution and you need to press the button on the front to get focus peaking (and it comes with magnification) - so in practical use its too slow.

 

Edited by newtoleica
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28 minutes ago, newtoleica said:

Can the SL2 be set for focus peaking all ways on without magnification? This is the big thing for me. I love my M10D for size and the lack of a grip (I hate big grips and prefer none at all), but the Visioflex is laggy, not good resolution and you need to press the button on the front to get focus peaking (and it comes with magnification) - so in practical use its too slow.

 

Yes, it can be set in the display mode settings. It is probably the best one out of all the cameras I've tried so far, but I still can't be sure it is as accurate as the rangefinder patch especially if I need to do it quickly or I am not focusing with the lens wide-open. My problem is the size and weight, they've really made it to use with SL lenses, it is a long way off compared to using a Leica M or a film OM body.

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I've used it now with a Canon 28/2.8 LTM and the Leica 75/1.4 and so far I still feel that I can't rely on the peaking for either of these lenses and I shortly tried the 35/1.4 as well, which of course is a newer lens with higher contrast, that seems to work somewhat better.
And when I magnify and move the area there is no diagonal movement, but also I haven't found a way to return to the center, it requires manually moving it back and that's very annoying.
On the R5 just tapping the joystick returns to the center (although I have to use the magnify button to get back to the normal view instead of the half-press on the SL2, which is much more logical). The good old swiping to magnify on the EOS R is still quicker than either of these cameras.

There are other little quirks, but despite all this, it didn't loose that "Leica feel", which I had felt initially.
The way the LCD screen is fixed with an overlay interfering with the stills framing really makes the viewfinder the preferred way to shoot with, like an M camera (and the LCD overlay is better for video or playback). And the EVF has a pleasing view, but I need to compare it more.
So overall, somehow, it still manages to share that Leica trait of demanding more from the user, it feels like the photographer's camera, which might have a positive effect on the end result, and it does work better with vintage lenses.

So despite all its foibles, the SL2 gets the thumbs up from me as a digital back, hopefully it will grow on me even more, the weight is fine, although I still wish for something smaller and lighter.
Hopefully, I will find a quality OM adapter as well for a reasonable price soon. Although I won't be able to "code" the highly sought after Zuiko 35-80/2.8 zoom, so the IBIS will be disabled, which is kind of silly.
 So for a lenses this or simply just for taking stills, the original SL might work just as well for a lot less, as others have suggested.

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Thanks,

Have been experimenting a bit more with the M10D and a new copy of the OM 24/2 and realised that the smearing in the corner of my original lens was because I dropped it lens down a few years ago and its got decentered. I hadn't noticed it with street photography (which goes to show!). The now copy is much better (but not as sharp as the 24 Summilux). So the M10D looks good image quality wise, but the EVF isn't great. Also I don't like having to switch to focus peaking WITH magnification rather than alone. In fact I'm toying with the idea of getting the new cheap Nikon Z5.....

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  • 1 year later...

Interesting to read this post from almost 2 years ago where I post the question about legacy lenses. With hindsight I think it’s a bit of a red herring driven by nostalgia for an old system. After this post I got a Nikon Z7ii and sold the M10-D and 35. However, I ended up shooting mostly film with 2 OM bodies and 3 lenses over the past couple of years. Used the Nikon only for copying with a slide copier/bellows! It was just too bulky and unwieldy. I miss the Leica look and the small cameras - plus film all the time is not cost effective. Will keep the OM for B&W, but thinking of getting a Leica again for colour.

Q2 or M10-P + a 35mm. I need to see how my more presbyopic and now slightly astigmatic eyes will cope with the M and what the Q3 brings. I do miss the M10-D and they seem rare as hens teeth on the used market…. 

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