Leica 18-56mm or Sigma 18-50mm?

[Jay B]

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CL with Sigma 18-50mm F2.8 DC DN
1/60 @f/4.0
Sweet little lens!

 

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[Jay B]

With nice bokeh as well... even at f/4

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Edited June 22, 2022 by Jay B

[LouT]

On 6/15/2022 at 1:18 AM, rob_w said:

Just to report, I recently returned from a holiday in Portugal where I used the Sigma 18-50 exclusively on my Canon A7R4.  The result is severeral 100 excellent images, under all conditions and at all focal lengths, consistent with Michali's experience.  Even though I could have used a full-frame zoom the APS-C results were so good I doubt the extra weight and hassle would be worth the bother in IQ terms.  The sacrifice of cropping (to 26Mp in my case) was not relevant at all.

Slightly off-topic, rob_w, which company's adaptor did you use for L to Sony? BTW, thanks for all of your contributions to this forum. I'm a new member, and I enjoy reading your posts.

[rob_w]

Hi Lou, and welcome to the forum (although as you might guess I am somewhat an occasional visitor now I am leaving Leica shores!)

I did not use an adapter for L to Sony because I bought the Sigma 18-50 zoom lens in its native Sony E-mount version, having seen good reviews of the L mount version on this forum.  There is no adapter for L to Sony AFAIK.  I suspect the flange distance makes it impossible.  Fortunately almost all manufacturers make lenses in E-mount as well, which has the advantage of providing EXIF and IBIS interaction.  There are adapters for M lenses to Sony.  I don't own one.  Reports indicate they work well for focal lengths longer than about 35mm, but not so well for wide angle lenses.

[Brilliant Observer]

I used 18-56, then borrowed 18-50 from a mate, soon sold 18-56, bought a brand new 18-50, with the price difference, I added a sigma 56f1.4 to cover that missing 56 from 18-56 .

What a clever move! I think that is what every 18-56 user should do, LOL just kidding.

18-50 produces constant IQ, 18-56 with good and bad, on its 56mm can not compete with sigma's prime

sigma 56f1.4, a portrait lens that all the L mount APSC users should own. ( I do not recommend the rest 2 sigma DC lenses)

 

[wda]

I disagree. Owning both zooms, I regard the Sigma as my low light/winter lens, and use my more versatile Leica zoom for most of the year. If I need faster lenses, i use either of my Leica 23 mm or 35 mm prime lenses, which are superb. Furthermore,  they have withstood the test of time.

[Theory033]

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On 4/3/2023 at 6:37 PM, wda said:

I disagree. Owning both zooms, I regard the Sigma as my low light/winter lens, and use my more versatile Leica zoom for most of the year. If I need faster lenses, i use either of my Leica 23 mm or 35 mm prime lenses, which are superb. Furthermore,  they have withstood the test of time.

Good points, David, and I couldn't agree more. Currently, I am on a long trip visiting relatives and old friends in Asia and Oceania, and with me this time, I have the SIgma 18-50 zoom, as well as the Leica TL 23mm and 35mm lenses. I had the Leica 18-56 zoom in the past and now regret parting with it in favor of the Sigma.

While the Sigma zoom has been helpful in some situations, e.g., I have a few nice shots at a koala sanctuary that required the extra reach. However, in the Blue Mountains of Australia, I really could see the huge difference in the image quality of the Leica primes. It is simply not worth sacrificing image quality, so the Sigma zoom has not been out with me since and will be sold as soon as I am home. I am tempted to repurchase the Leica TL zoom, as it provided wonderful images on a long trip years ago. However, I think the Leica TL primes are unbeatable. To me, it makes no sense to have the TL/CL camera without a Leica prime or two (or more). 

[Shu_downunder]

I apologize for bringing this up again, but I'm curious if anyone has insights or feedback on the video performance of the CL when paired with the 18-55 or Sigma 18-50 lenses?

I'm in search of a compact autofocus camera body that is R/M lenses friendly and capable of delivering quality video for travel and family use. Surprisingly, it appears that the 7-year-old CL is the only suitable option.

Regarding lenses, for family and travel video purposes, it seems the 18-55 or Sigma 18-50 are the only viable choices.

I'm particularly interested in the autofocus performance of both combinations. As an additional note, I have limited experience with autofocus systems and am somewhat concerned they might prove inadequate.

 

[mokona]

There is no manual video control on the CL so, the settings are changing on the go depending on the metering.
But the 18-50 makes an interesting lens on FF body like Pana S5ii/iix when filming in 4K60 since it's recording in crop mode.

For R/M lens friendliness, R lenses are super good on the S-line. For M lenses, it depends on the focal lens and your expectations.

[pf4eva]

I just got 18-56mm to try on SL2 and I must say it definitely doesn't worth the price.

1. Sharpness on wide angle in corners is baad, considering this lens is so slow aperture, I'd expect it to be sharp across the frame.

2. Focussing distance everyone is mentioned is also very limiting. Especially after using 24-90mm which can focus very close.

3. It looks like made from metal, etc, but feels kinda cheap. And zooming is not well dampened too.

[wda]

Why did you elect to buy a lens designed for a crop-sensor camera to be used on a full-frame camera. Despite it being possible, it's a mis-match.

[Le Chef]

3 hours ago, pf4eva said:

I just got 18-56mm to try on SL2 and I must say it definitely doesn't worth the price.

1. Sharpness on wide angle in corners is baad, considering this lens is so slow aperture, I'd expect it to be sharp across the frame.

2. Focussing distance everyone is mentioned is also very limiting. Especially after using 24-90mm which can focus very close.

3. It looks like made from metal, etc, but feels kinda cheap. And zooming is not well dampened too.

If you have a 24-90 why did you bother spending the money? Makes no sense at all.
 

The 18-56 works very well on the CL - mine is going nowhere.

[lct]

The SL2 can work in crop mode i guess. Why not using a TL lens with it? A good way to get a compact lens i would think.

[pf4eva]

1 hour ago, wda said:

Why did you elect to buy a lens designed for a crop-sensor camera to be used on a full-frame camera. Despite it being possible, it's a mis-match.

Yes, specifically to save on size and weight in travel, it is fully supported and there is absolutely nothing wrong with this scenario.

[pf4eva]

1 hour ago, Le Chef said:

If you have a 24-90 why did you bother spending the money? Makes no sense at all.
 

The 18-56 works very well on the CL - mine is going nowhere.

Size, weight, sometimes I do travel and don't want to carry 2Kg, when I can carry 1Kg. I'm happy to hear it works fine for you. I'm a bit more critical when it comes to the image quality.

[Le Chef]

22 minutes ago, pf4eva said:

I'm a bit more critical when it comes to the image quality.

Thankfully I spend my time shooting pictures and not pixel peeping.

[pf4eva]

3 hours ago, Le Chef said:

Thankfully I spend my time shooting pictures and not pixel peeping.

meh, to boring, I prefer pixel peeping, for you phone should work as well, save money

[tom0511]

vor 38 Minuten schrieb pf4eva:

meh, to boring, I prefer pixel peeping, for you phone should work as well, save money

If you prefer pixel peeping rather don't use a lens which makes a FF camera to crop to dx format. With a FF lens you can zoom in much better

[pf4eva]

1 hour ago, tom0511 said:

If you prefer pixel peeping rather don't use a lens which makes a FF camera to crop to dx format. With a FF lens you can zoom in much better

yeah, but as i said, i want to pixel peep when traveling light too

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Hallo,

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[tom0511]

vor 8 Minuten schrieb pf4eva:

yeah, but as i said, i want to pixel peep when traveling light too

phone is even lighter and has also more pixels 

 

Edited September 25, 2024 by tom0511