LEICA Visoflex 2, What do you think?

[Photoworks]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

The position change. the plus is that now you can see shutter times. the minus is that I am always cleaning RF or EVF from the nose touching.

Focus pecking is not accurate, but that is more the camera then the EVF

[lct]

The interest of focus peaking is not accuracy that much, better doing image magnification for that, but focus peaking is the best way to see at a glance what parts of the photo will be more or less in focus. Hard to do this with a rangefinder. Now the merit of the Visoflex 2 is that it allows to do both. I still would love to have an EVF-M but i'm not sure Leica will think alike. A compact or less bulky L-mount camera could well be preferred at Wetzlar. I have no info about that though.

[Advertisement]

The Leica Q3 is available for pre-order at B&H Photo Video and Adorama

[fsprow]

I had the new Visoflex for a few days and returned it. Maybe I’m too much a traditionalist but have used the M cameras for a long time. I found the Visoflex ugly, destroying the traditional M feel. I also had difficulty focusing with it and I’m not a fan of focus peaking. I got much more accurately focused images using the rangefinder.
 

My M lenses range only from 28 to 90 mm but perhaps for longer and wider lenses it would be useful. For such situations  I use a Nikon SLR. 

[Hans-Dieter Gülicher]

Am 21.1.2022 um 16:43 schrieb Photoworks:

There is a little more delay shooting over the M10R in EVF and Rangenfinder.

The black out time on M10R is painful , it is ok for single images. but if you doing portraits with a person that moves just a little, you will find that the closing and opening of the sugar and reactivate LV will give you a disappointing experience.....

I`m using the Visoflex 2 (after the older one) on my M 10-R over 4 weeks without any problems. I´t`s on the top of my M constantly. The design is matching the M clearly better. This is my way to get low distance shots.

By the way: Starting in Vancouver I will go to the West of Alaska-Canada for 8 weeks in August/September (3 weeks by shipp and 5 weeks by mobil home). The decission M 10-R vs. S3 has been taken in favor of the M accompanied with the small MS Surface Go 3 plus mobil router. It`s a handy and suitable solution for an old boy like me.

Regards Hans

Edited May 30, 2022 by Hans-Dieter Gülicher

[SrMi]

A reminder: if you have trouble focusing with Visoflex, make sure you are focusing wide open (narrowest DOF). With wide angle lenses that may not be enough, in which case RF is the best way to nail the focus.

[lct]

10 minutes ago, SrMi said:

A reminder: if you have trouble focusing with Visoflex, make sure you are focusing wide open (narrowest DOF). With wide angle lenses that may not be enough, in which case RF is the best way to nail the focus.

Thanks no thanks too slow for me but YMMV . When i need to nail focus i do it at working aperture with image magnification. No focus shift issues this way and no risk to shoot after the decisive moment.

[SrMi]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

6 minutes ago, lct said:

Thanks no thanks too slow for me but YMMV . When i need to nail focus i do it at working aperture with image magnification. No focus shift issues this way and no risk to shoot after the decisive moment.

I agree that it is slow. Therefore I apply it only when I have trouble finding the proper focus (there should be only one focus ring position that corresponds to the correct focus). 
On the other hand, Peter Karbe said we should be using M lenses wide open anyway :).
For those with skills, RF focusing is the quickest way to focus.

[Segal]

I find Visoflex 2 great for 75mm, especially wide open - I just can't see well enough to nail focus with RF at this focal distance. But 50mm and wider are easier with rangefinder, at least for me.

What helped me a bit is switching the camera to RAW+JPEG and setting JPEGs to monochrome. The camera shows everything in black and white, making it easier to focus using Visoflex 2, but I still keep all the color in my RAW files.

[lct]

I have sometimes the feeling that very few people make use of the image magnification function to focus in LV mode on this good forum. Leica M cameras are the only ones allowing to do this automatically with M lenses and even in manual mode they can do it faster that mirrorless cameras needing two clicks on the relevant button, instead of one click only with the M11. FWIW.

[FrankX]

vor 58 Minuten schrieb lct:

I have sometimes the feeling that very few people make use of the image magnification function to focus in LV mode on this good forum. Leica M cameras are the only ones allowing to do this automatically with M lenses and even in manual mode they can do it faster that mirrorless cameras needing two clicks on the relevant button, instead of one click only with the M11. FWIW.

I often use the medium magnification which is selectable using the thumb wheel while in magnification mode. In most cases, this magnification is sufficient to focus with the EVF and I can still see everything important for me in most cases (i. e. subject aligned according to the golden rule or rule of thirds). 

Another trick which I found accidentally, but is very useful if you don't need the magnification occasionally, is to just half-press the shutter button. This suppresses any automatic magnification during focusing. 

However, using the SLX 35 FLE and the SLX 50 BC, I am still much faster and equally accurate using the rangefinder. That does not mean that every photo is perfectly in focus using the rangefinder, but the same is true for EVF focusing... Which is better depends on the specific situation.

[lct]

1 hour ago, FrankX said:

However, using the SLX 35 FLE and the SLX 50 BC, I am still much faster and equally accurate using the rangefinder. That does not mean that every photo is perfectly in focus using the rangefinder, but the same is true for EVF focusing.

True is you don't recompose but otherwise RF focusing can only be an approximation .

[tom0511]

vor 3 Stunden schrieb lct:

I have sometimes the feeling that very few people make use of the image magnification function to focus in LV mode on this good forum. Leica M cameras are the only ones allowing to do this automatically with M lenses and even in manual mode they can do it faster that mirrorless cameras needing two clicks on the relevant button, instead of one click only with the M11. FWIW.

Exactly one reason why I prefer manual focus with M lenses on the M over compared to SL2 - magnification starts when I turn the focus wheel on the lens. 

[FrankX]

vor 10 Stunden schrieb lct:

True is you don't recompose but otherwise RF focusing can only be an approximation .

I do use focus and recompose almost always as a portrait and wedding photographer. However, the focus patch is not that small compared to the 50 mm field of view. You can often use the 'right' edge of the patch to focus. And if you place your subject (finally) on a 1/3 line or using the golden rule (even less distance from the center), you are moving just about 1/6 away from the center. That is not that much! Finally, it is maybe also a question of your technique and a lot of experience. 

In practical situations, focus and recompose works well enough in most situations for me. Even if you use the EVF you might move a little bit, the subject might move a little bit. Maybe that is the reason why I get almost the same result (statistically) for both techniques. 

By the way, the movement argument is also valid for AF-S (SL2). If you really like to have a tack-sharp image of a slightly moving person (= living & not specifically posing), you have to use AF-C and Eye-AF in my opinion. At the end of the dayl, I think only we (photographers) will really see the difference. 😉 But that's just my humble opinion...

[lct]

5 hours ago, FrankX said:

I do use focus and recompose almost always as a portrait and wedding photographer. However, the focus patch is not that small compared to the 50 mm field of view. You can often use the 'right' edge of the patch to focus. And if you place your subject (finally) on a 1/3 line or using the golden rule (even less distance from the center), you are moving just about 1/6 away from the center. That is not that much! Finally, it is maybe also a question of your technique and a lot of experience. 

I don't disagree with you, that's what i've been doing for 30+ years. I was just reacting to your statement that "using the SLX 35 FLE and the SLX 50 BC, I am still much faster and equally accurate using the rangefinder". "Equally accurate" would not be my wording for the simple reason that the focus patch or the RF cannot move the same way as the focus point of the EVF but you know this much better than i do obviously .

Edited May 31, 2022 by lct

[cldp]

Has anyone found a way to add an eyecup to the Visoflex 2?

I had used a telescope eyecup on the old Visoflex that fit perfectly (a link was on a thread on this site). I’ve always preferred to use accessory eyecups, especially for shots when the sunlight sneaks past the finder and hits the eye. When that happens, the glare makes it difficult for me to see the image clearly. The eye ‘stops down’ and reproduces the effect of an ND filter in the eyepiece.

[hdmesa]

On 4/19/2022 at 3:06 PM, Photoworks said:

no way. it is like the q2.

this is 3.7mp and SL2 is 5.7.

night and day difference .

When you are in low light it is just  terrible.

when you preview the image you just taken it looks totally blurry. on the computer is actually fine..

so not the same, not even close..

We haven't talked Visoflex 2 in a while, and I just got one, so:

Blurry? No way. Trouble in low light? No way.

Turn off full-time exposure preview and set it to shutter-press – that will give you a brighter image when focusing in darker areas. And I think you had your diopter screwed up or had a defective unit – or we got a stealth update in firmware 1.4.0 that improved the experience. The diopter adjustments are smaller increments than previous Leicas, so I had to spin mine super far to get the screen perfectly sharp, and I only wear 1.25 readers. Adjust the diopter using the menu screen lettering and adjust until you can see the individual pixels that make up the letters. Adjust the diopter by only using/looking-at the center of the screen since the slightest movement of your eyeball toward the corner will change the focus in the corners. Never adjust the diopter to a live view image – always use the menu screen.

Even though the resolution is 3.7mp, the magnification seems crazy big. It feels like a drive-in theater versus the Q2. It feels like it's magnified to larger-than-SL2-S viewing size. I don't think the specs back that up, but that's just what it feels like. 

Regardless of how it compares to the Q2/SL2-S, it's leagues better than the Visoflex 020 on the M10 variants was. The 020 was just horrible (IMO), and the live view blackout on the M10s was atrocious. With the Visoflex 2, I can now use this like I did the SL2-S with M lenses but with the benefit of automatic zoom when focusing. This is faster. And with EVF Extended mode, the LCD stays off, and the EVF only activates when I put my eye up to it. And it doesn't activate when I'm looking through the rangefinder. Perfect, as I'm a right-eyed shooter.

And low-angle shooting? Easy. This is way better than low-angle shooting with the SL2-S where I have to get down in the dirt to get the shot. The tilt at full vertical makes the M11 feel like an old medium format film camera where I'm looking down at the ground glass. Chef's kiss. Just like my old GFX 50S with the tilt adapter. Magnet closure is genius, and the force of the closure is perfection. The bag it comes with is just fine, not sure why I'd want moisture-holding leather to hold the EVF. And what makes the provided bag even better is the base will hold onto the rubber protective bottom cover, so when I lift out the EVF, the rubber protector detaches and stays in the bag. Nice.

I wasn't going to get the Visoflex 2, but I saw it come in stock at Leica USA store, so thought I'd give it a try. Going to keep it. Really impressed.

//

Now that we have such a good external EVF, we need aspect ratio crop options in firmware. I would love to be able to look through the EVF and see a square, 4x5, or 16:9 and have those crop instructions written to the DNG for use in Lightroom.

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!

[JackieMac]

On 4/27/2022 at 1:11 PM, Max EPR said:

Of course the pouch (material) it comes with is a disappointment, but it works. Bottom-line, I'm glad I have the Visoflex 2

I replaced the pouch with a Domke 11"x11" wrap that closes with Velcro. It's much more secure in the bag and has some decent padding.

[jakontil]

Is the screen on visoflex 2 scratch resistant? Looks tempting 

[hdmesa]

48 minutes ago, jakontil said:

Is the screen on visoflex 2 scratch resistant? Looks tempting 

I can tell you the M11 LCD coating itself is not very scratch resistant – only LCD I have ever managed to scratch, even if faintly.

[Advertisement]

Hallo,

Look here: Interesting Leica gear

[jakontil]

14 minutes ago, hdmesa said:

I can tell you the M11 LCD coating itself is not very scratch resistant – only LCD I have ever managed to scratch, even if faintly.

You managed to scratch the LCD on M11 already? I m hurt… yeah using the gorilla glass, their strength is on not easy being scattered  but to compensate it, more flexible which is more prone to scratches…