SL 601 in 2022.

[ynp]

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I found my old 601 in a shop locally and bought it back. It’s in a pretty good shape and the price was irresistible. I am using it mostly with my S lenses. 

[jaapv]

I bought a well-used SL 601 as a body to use my 150-600 on. I cannot say that the colour rendition of the EVF sets my heart racing.  A bit yellowish and green too vibrant. But it may be due to the age of the camera.  However, for my use the camera is perfect. Excellent ergonomics, heavy enough to match the lens , rock solid and first-class files. 

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[Olaf_ZG]

I sold mine today: upgraded to the 2s and did not saw the need to keep the old one.

That said, the 2s is temporary as well…

[Ko.Fe.]

Plenty of loyalty for this camera here.

I chickened out, to me every hundred grams makes difference. 

Went for X2 for Leica and somewhat AF experience. And for bad weather beater added Pentax K-3 with couple of light weather sealed zooms. 

Both are not Leica FF pictures quality, but OK.

[Ken Abrahams]

My 601 has been relegated to the filing cabinet. I love this camera and the skin tones it produces. The SL2S is doing that now and I have the SL2 for sensor size and back up camera. I tried selling the 601 but got too many scammers on FB marketplace. Maybe I will give another go on E Bay?  

[jaapv]

What about our classifieds here? Or Fred Miranda?

[Jk1002]

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So I  use the SL and plan to do a little longer. I bought it for my M lenses and started with the 20-60 Panasonic to get autofocus. 
 

My idea was to built up the lenses first, got the Leica 24-90 and a Laowa Shift over time. 

I was actually not very happy with the Panasonic, it seemed to drain battery quicker compared to the original Leica lenses and pictures were OK but not great.

Unless you plan to invest into the Leica Lens system I would advise against the SL. No point without going after the Leica glas.

If you buy pre owned, watch the serial, you might get a 5 or 8 year old and with electronics and battery I would think that makes a difference.

 

 

[jaapv]

On 6/24/2023 at 2:47 PM, Jk1002 said:

electronics and battery I would think that makes a difference.

Electronics not at all, battery seems to be rather stable too.

[didier]

I like using my SL(601) from time to time, either with the ‘lux SL 50 as a rather universal combo, all weather and with stunning IQ, or with one of my fast M-Lenses (noctilux, ‘lux 75). 

I don’t see the urgency to update for those uses.

[wceide]

I upgraded to SL2s a few monthes ago but  I still prefer  SL 601 colors and general render better. It has a little more character and I match Kodak portra render easily. I find SL2 s has a more digital look. I also much prefer the ergonomics and haptics of SL with the 4 buttons. 
 

SL2s is also a great camera bringing a little more dynamic range, clean high iso, image stabilisation and incredible quality in video. 
 

I have the feeling M10 and SL 701 generation are the last of simple cameras with distinctive look. M11 and SL2 are excellent but less distinctive.

[Gazmo]

The SL is a great camera. I bought one used last year. A bargain. It is well built and feels comfortable in your hand. By comparison the Sony A7 feels small and difficult to grip. The SL and the 20-60 are a good combination but the 60 is a bit short when zooming. The SL will last me at least 10 years. 

[lx1713]

I still have the SL but its mostly relegated to portraiture in the studio. Its a great camera regardless

[Ken Abrahams]

Leica Update - firmware 4.0 for SL 601, now that is pretty good for a camera that is over seven years old. 

[dkCambridgeshire]

Firmware Version 4.0 just installed and SL24-90mm lens updated to Firmware Version 2.2 – latter took longer than the camera! 

My SL 601 continues to be an efficient & reliable workhorse and currently have no upgrade plans to a later SL model – especially as also use a Panasonic S1R which fulfils FF L-mount high megapixel imaging needs. 

Additional L-mount lenses are of more interest to me than a FF camera upgrade. 

Edited August 31 by dkCambridgeshire

[MediaFotografie]

vor 5 Stunden schrieb Ken Abrahams:

Leica Update - firmware 4.0 for SL 601, now that is pretty good for a camera that is over seven years old. 

yes! SL 601 is nearly eight years old, very good! And: it contains Profoto support for SL 601, really great

[shawn2nd]

Resurrecting this as my pristine condition 601 just arrived about an hour ago 🙂  As the OP mentioned weather sealing, I'm wondering does anyone have any links to anything from Leica on what the actual IP rating is? I know it's weather sealed, and apparently quite well, but up to what point should one pay attention to? 

My Q2M used to have the IP rating directly on the bottom of the body, but the SL doesn't and there's no mention of an IP rating in the instruction manual. I just wanna make sure I don't push it too hard by accident at some point 😅

I've downloaded the spec sheet from Leica and put a screen shot here, even here it just says "Sealing provided" lol. 

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!

[Stuart Richardson]

I think these things are usually about liability. They assume as little as they have to and still be able to say it is sealed. Is there something particular you are hoping to do? It should be fine in nearly all weather, but not the kind of system you would be able to submerge for any length of time. 

[shawn2nd]

54 minutes ago, Stuart Richardson said:

I think these things are usually about liability. They assume as little as they have to and still be able to say it is sealed. Is there something particular you are hoping to do? It should be fine in nearly all weather, but not the kind of system you would be able to submerge for any length of time. 

@Stuart Richardson the most hardcore I'd get is walking around with it in moderate to heavy rain for short bouts (of course with an appropriately sealed lens to pair) but I used to love putting on some rain gear and taking the Q2M out in the rain and taking shots and not having to worry about it. 

[Stuart Richardson]

My advice would be the same for all sealed, but non-underwater or action cameras. Use a waterproof camera bag and take the camera out to take your pictures, but avoid keeping it on your shoulder exposed to the elements the entire time. This may be overly cautious, but it is better to be overly cautious and not have to send the camera in for repair, or at least let it dry out in a dry area. At least in my use, the difference between having the camera in a waterproof shoulder bag and just uncovered on the shoulder is not a big one in terms of reaction time. If you want to be able to take pictures and keep the camera exposed to heavy conditions for hours on end, it is better to use a camera that has a clearly stated and robust weather sealing rating.

My personal experience with the Leica S cameras and the SL2 has been that they are fully usable in Icelandic winter weather conditions, which are not exactly gentle. Still, common sense dictates that a bag is a useful extra layer of security, if only to keep most of the water droplets off the viewfinder and lens surface.

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Hallo,

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[markc2]

I have an old Hasselblad 501cm and I had an R8 before that. The more I've been reading about the SL the more it intrigues me.  My guess is after coming from those camera's, the weight and bulkiness wouldn't be a big deal. Though I love having the big large viewfinder of the H.

Does anyone know if the sensor of the SL has gone to unatanium status? I was playing with the idea of an M8 but it went poof, and the price difference while higher for the SL it seems on the surface you get a lot more for the money. The people that use the M lenses do they perform just as well on the SL?