TL lenses on an SL2-S?

[augustwest100]

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Does anyone have any experience using TL lenses on the SL2-S? I'm just wondering if that would be a practical setup for times where I want to travel light but still have autofocus. I'm interested in some of the TL zooms, or the 60mm macro. Not sure how big a print I can make from 10MB image. I'm assuming about 16x20. Just wondering if anyone has any good examples or any real world experience with this combo? Thanks for any input!

[TDK]

I don't have any samples to post right now, but can confirm they work fine, albeit in APS-C mode, so 12 megapixels only.

I have the 23mm and 60mm Macro TL lenses for my CL, but have tried them on my SL2-S.  The 23mm (35mm equivalent) makes for a small and light setup.

[jaapv]

2 hours ago, augustwest100 said:

Does anyone have any experience using TL lenses on the SL2-S? I'm just wondering if that would be a practical setup for times where I want to travel light but still have autofocus. I'm interested in some of the TL zooms, or the 60mm macro. Not sure how big a print I can make from 10MB image. I'm assuming about 16x20. Just wondering if anyone has any good examples or any real world experience with this combo? Thanks for any input!

I used to make prints from my M8 over 1 m wide. 10MP, with proper uprezzing they were just fine. The new Super Resolution feature of Lightroom should make printing large easy.

https://www.howtogeek.com/718002/how-to-use-photoshop-and-lightrooms-super-resolution-feature/

https://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop-lightroom/super-resolution.html

[Michael Markey]

I do .... most of the time actually .

Usually the 55 -135 but also the 23 ,35 and 60.

Perfectly happy with the results .

Edited November 5, 2021 by Michael Markey

[Shawn30]

Not the SL2-S but the SL2 with 35 Summilux-TL

The TL lens's are fantastic, this image is much sharper before uploading here and in DNG 

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Edited November 5, 2021 by Shawn30

[Shawn30]

Not SL2-S but SL2 and 60 APO TL

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[augustwest100]

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5 hours ago, jaapv said:

I used to make prints from my M8 over 1 m wide. 10MP, with proper uprezzing they were just fine. The new Super Resolution feature of Lightroom should make printing large easy.

https://www.howtogeek.com/718002/how-to-use-photoshop-and-lightrooms-super-resolution-feature/

https://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop-lightroom/super-resolution.html

Thanks for reminding me about this. I also remember printing 6 MP files fairly large with up-rez, with the only issue being how close someone could be before seeing the pixelation. Question: Can you use multi-shot with the SL2-S and a TL lens in crop mode??

[augustwest100]

5 hours ago, Michael Markey said:

I do .... most of the time actually .

Usually the 55 -135 but also the 23 ,35 and 60.

Perfectly happy with the results .

The 55-135 is one of the ones that really interests me. I like using M lenses for wide angle, and I think the 55-135 would serve a useful role as something relatively light weight but auto focus and zoom, the things I don’t have in my M camera. If you have some good images taken with that, I’d be happy to see them, thanks for the info!

[jaapv]

5 hours ago, Shawn30 said:

Not the SL2-S but the SL2 with 35 Summilux-TL

The TL lens's are fantastic, this image is much sharper before uploading here and in DNG 

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!

Sharp enough if you click on the preview...

[Michael Markey]

6 hours ago, augustwest100 said:

The 55-135 is one of the ones that really interests me. I like using M lenses for wide angle, and I think the 55-135 would serve a useful role as something relatively light weight but auto focus and zoom, the things I don’t have in my M camera. If you have some good images taken with that, I’d be happy to see them, thanks for the info!

Most of my photography is done walking across fields , climbing over walls and gates  and ( sad to say ) , I aint getting any younger .

The 55 -135 provides a bit of relief at times when that FL is appropriate plus it falls slap bang in what has been my user zone for some years .

Most of the time its the 70 -200 Pany that`s welded on the front of the SL2s.

[Driften]

I have tried my TL lens on my SL2-s and it's cool you get the APS-C crop factor just like on a CL. The dropping the Rez down to 10mp isn't bad as long as you don't need to crop. So be more careful with your framing and use your old lens when you want. 

[Photoworks]

On 11/5/2021 at 8:10 PM, augustwest100 said:

Question: Can you use multi-shot with the SL2-S and a TL lens in crop mode??

the function is disables with APS-C..

 

why not use the Panasonic 1.8 lenses. they are light.

[augustwest100]

I am shifting my strategy to lighter full frame lenses. Seems to make more sense with the SL2S. The new Panasonic 1.8’s might be just the trick!

[Stuart Richardson]

I was just coming in here to say that too. If you are concerned about using non-Leica lenses, these days you should not be, as Sigma in particular makes excellent lenses. Any loss in quality from using Sigma or Panasonic lenses is going to be dramatically less than the drop in quality from going from 24mp to 10mp. Sigma in particular has excellent and comparatively light lenses for the L mount, like this 45mm, 24mm, 35mm and 90mm lenses. The 65mm is a bit bigger, but still smaller than the Leica APO Summicrons. Many of the TL lenses are made in Japan to begin with, so Sigma or Panasonic might even be the supplier of the optics anyway...we know that Sigma sources the 24-70mm SL zoom.

Edited November 11, 2021 by Stuart Richardson

[Michael Markey]

11 hours ago, Stuart Richardson said:

I was just coming in here to say that too. If you are concerned about using non-Leica lenses, these days you should not be, as Sigma in particular makes excellent lenses. Any loss in quality from using Sigma or Panasonic lenses is going to be dramatically less than the drop in quality from going from 24mp to 10mp. Sigma in particular has excellent and comparatively light lenses for the L mount, like this 45mm, 24mm, 35mm and 90mm lenses. The 65mm is a bit bigger, but still smaller than the Leica APO Summicrons. Many of the TL lenses are made in Japan to begin with, so Sigma or Panasonic might even be the supplier of the optics anyway...we know that Sigma sources the 24-70mm SL zoom.

Interesting .

You  make some good points .

I must admit all this smoke and mirrors re origin of lenses (design and place of manufacture ) is beginning to get tiresome .

There should be no need for such obfuscation yet it seems to be a Leica hallmark .

I`m pretty sure that with other manufacturers ( Canikon ) the situation is more transparent .

I`m nostalgic for the days when I knew what I was getting for my money .

The added "value" isn`t always apparent either unless you consider weight to be an added value . 

 

[Stuart Richardson]

Hi Michael,

I don't think you should worry too much. Primarily because it does not seem to have any real effect on lens or manufacturing quality. Leica has been outsourcing for decades, as have other companies. It is just easier to see with Leica, as when things say "Made in Japan" it is more obvious than it would be with the Japanese manufacturers. In the case of Nikon and Canon, they are producing their less expensive lenses in other countries. Nikon, for example, is outsourcing all of its production to Thailand. All of it. https://petapixel.com/2020/12/21/nikon-is-ending-camera-production-in-japan-report/

The original CL was made in Japan by Minolta, the Leica tilt shift lenses have typically been made by Schneider, some of the R zooms were made by Sigma and others. When Leica outsources the lenses, they are still made to Leica's specification. Many of Leica's best lenses from the Mandler era were developed and made in Canada (under Leica ownership). Given the resources and formula, any of the lens manufacturers that they might contract would be able to build what is required. It is not all penny pinching. There would be no 24-70mm Leica zoom if it were not for Sigma. Leica would not have introduced the lens, as the design and manufacturing costs would make it impractical. It also allows the Leica factories in Germany and Portugal more bandwidth to produce other things.

I agree, however, that there is a moment when the added value for a brand is no longer worth it. Leica still produces top of the line lenses, but the cost is extreme. The biggest difference now is that the less expensive manufacturers have caught up to most of the quality and are offering it at a far more palatable price. While in certain cases the build quality might not feel as solid, that does not necessarily mean that it isn't.

For my part, my most used lens on the SL2 is by far the 50mm APO Summicron, as it is astonishingly good. But I also have the 24mm 3.5 Sigma, which is great and totally sufficient for my wide angle needs. It certainly lighter than the 50mm, but it feels in no way cheap.

[Michael Markey]

Hi Stuart ,

Thank you for the context . 

I was aware that Leica had a long history of outsourcing .

I bought some Trinovid  8x40`s back in the mid eighties which were made in Portugal so they`ve been "at it" a fair while .

Of course you`re correct in making the point that its often difficult to see just when that added value comes into play and how it manifests itself .

I think that`s the rub with me  .... don`t know why , its a part of everyday life .

As you suggest ,the gap has narrowed between Leica and the other manufacturers which seems perfectly reasonable given modern manufacturing methods and computer aided design .

To be frank most of what I do is for friends and I don`t print much these days  ... its web ... so I shouldn`t worry but somehow one gets drawn in .  

 

 

 

[BernardC]

1 hour ago, Michael Markey said:

I bought some Trinovid  8x40`s back in the mid eighties which were made in Portugal so they`ve been "at it" a fair while .

Just to be clear, the Portugal factory is fully owned and operated by Leica, and has been for almost 50 years. The Canadian factory was sold in 1990, but it was also a proper Leica factory until then.

[beewee]

The difference between a reputable brand and a run-of-the-mill company is that the reputable brands take their quality control seriously regardless of who actually makes the product. Do people differentiate between an iPhone made by Foxconn versus an iPhone made by Luxshare, or any other contract manufacturer that Apple uses? No, and iPhone is an iPhone.

I don’t see why Leica can’t do the same. Yeah, the lens is made in Japan by a contract manufacturer but it still has to pass all the quality control requirements that Leica first agreed to. If those quality control measures are identical to what’s in Germany but performed by a contract manufacturer, the end result is the same.

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica L-Mount

[thatkatmat]

The TL lenses work perfectly on my SL2-S. at 12 MP's they look great. I can't tell the difference when posting online or small prints.

The 35 Summilux and the 55-135mm are 2 that I use a lot lately. The Summilux is smaller than the SL primes (like 1/5th the size and weight of the SL Summilux, just a guess..lol) and draws like a.......... 50 Summilux, which is very cool. The 55-135 with IBIS is awesome, the lens has stellar optics, the bokeh is beautiful and is lighter and about the same size as the 35SL.

If I had an SL2, I would certainly buy a TL lens for a lighter kit, perhaps buy a travel kit, get the 11-23, 18-50 siggy, 55-135 and the summilux and throw it in a very small pack. I think it would save you 50-60% space and weight. But, I like having both, well, all 3 mounts, you can mix and match.