Long lens for animals with SL2S

[Jox]

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Hello,

I have been using a 90-280 for some time for the close animal; but for the animalist from afar, what would be the lenses (doubled or not, Leica or not) most likely to provide beautiful images with beautiful renderings, even if the whole is MF (given the responsiveness of the SL2S's autofocus and the many obstacles in animal, the MF remains a safe choice)?
I would start to be good at 600mm and even better at 800.

Thanks in advance for your experiences.

Warmest Regards

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[dkCambridgeshire]

Maybe try visiting a nature reserve with a public hide where you can make better use of your 90-280mm ... 'beautiful images' do not necessarily require or depend on longer lenses ... your 90-280mm is adequate for many mammals if you conceal yourself ... I photograph e.g. bank voles and lizards with a short telephoto lens ... keep still and quiet and be amazed at the fauna visible at relatively close quarters. I have an 800mm lens ... seldom used because it's too heavy to cart around and requires a massive tripod. 

Edited April 3, 2022 by dkCambridgeshire

[Leicaiste]

The Canon EF 600/4.0 L IS USM II or III adapted thanks to the Sigma MC-21.

You may want to add the Canon EF 1,4X III Extender.

 

[Virob]

The Sigma 150-600 would be to the obvious choice. You could add the 1.4x TC to get you to 840mm.

[michali]

1 hour ago, Jox said:

Hello,

I have been using a 90-280 for some time for the close animal; but for the animalist from afar, what would be the lenses (doubled or not, Leica or not) most likely to provide beautiful images with beautiful renderings, even if the whole is MF (given the responsiveness of the SL2S's autofocus and the many obstacles in animal, the MF remains a safe choice)?
I would start to be good at 600mm and even better at 800.

Thanks in advance for your experiences.

Warmest Regards

I do plenty of wildlife photography with the SL2 & SL2-S.  The Leica 90-280mm is good for general wildlife, but a little too short for birding and for animals at further distance. I also use the Canon 400mm f4 USM ll & Canon 1.4X lll Tele Converter with the Sigma MC-21 adapter, it's an outstanding lens.

l suggest that you look at the Sigma 150-600mm L, it's an affordable, versatile, excellent lens that will give you very good image quality & you can add the Sigma 1.4X Tele Converter with no loss of image quality.

SL2-S & Sigma 150-600mm L @ 394mm 

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SL2-S & Sigma 150-600mm L @ 518mm 

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[Jox]

A big thank you Mike, again this time
Is it possible to use the SL2S with the Canon set (400 x 1,4 + MC21) in autofocus mode (with the limits of the SL2 that we know)?

[Jox]

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Oh ! Many thanks to all of you !!!

I continue with my wonderful 90-280, 180x2 APO R for just now, and off I go dreaming of your great suggestions;)

[michali]

3 hours ago, Jox said:

A big thank you Mike, again this time
Is it possible to use the SL2S with the Canon set (400 x 1,4 + MC21) in autofocus mode (with the limits of the SL2 that we know)?

With the Canon & MC-21 you have Single Auto Focus only no Continuous Auto Focus. I'm happy with the way SAF works with the Canon.

The Sigma works in both modes exactly the same as your VE90-280mm. 

[Jox]

Ok.

It's really a pity that we can't mount an X2 converter behind the 90-280... There really isn't a solution, is there?

[helged]

1 hour ago, Jox said:

Ok.

It's really a pity that we can't mount an X2 converter behind the 90-280... There really isn't a solution, is there?

The closest you get is to use the 90-280 on the CL 😉; this is a 1.5x factor body giving 420mm at the long end. Otherwise - and more reasonable, I would think - is to use the Sigma 150-600 in L-mount or the Canon 400mm f4 DO v2 with extender. For the latter, manual focus is pretty much required for subjects with (unpredictable) movements. Personally I don't have experience with the Sigma 150-600, but the Canon 400mm f4 DO v2 is about as good as it gets when it comes to sharpness and resolution. And size & weight are clearly on the positive side. The inbuilt image stabilisation is also very good, likely 4 stops or thereabout.

 

[Jox]

What a joy all these constructive shares...

I have just compared, with all the usual precautions
the 90-280 at 180mm F4
180APO2.8 R at F4
on the SL2S

The colorimetry and the 3D aspect (micro-contrasts) are excellent on both. But the 180APO2.8 R provided even better images than the 90-280, especially on these 2 parameters.
The sharpness is really very similar on the 2 lenses.
To go a little further into the unreasonable, I did the same test with the 180/M11 set;) incredible but true: the 180 (at F4), supplied, with honor, the M11 sensor!!!
(I specify that this is not the case with the APO doubler: resolution of the optical assembly much lower than that of the M11.)

All this leads me to think that the negative points for me on the 90-280 (a little short focal length for this animal use and impossibility of mounting a converter x1,4 or x2) could well make me switch to another more suitable solution .

First of all, I appreciate the colorimetric rendering and the 3D aspect, where Leica is one of the masters.

But wouldn't a Canon 400 x1.4 satisfy all these desires?
Does the lens stabilization work well with an SL2S?
The static auto-focus would suit me well for the rather rare times when I use it (given the obstacles in animal life and the pumping of the SL2S among others)

Well, there is still a very small price problem on this Canon...

[helged]

32 minutes ago, Jox said:

What a joy all these constructive shares...

I have just compared, with all the usual precautions
the 90-280 at 180mm F4
180APO2.8 R at F4
on the SL2S

The colorimetry and the 3D aspect (micro-contrasts) are excellent on both. But the 180APO2.8 R provided even better images than the 90-280, especially on these 2 parameters.
The sharpness is really very similar on the 2 lenses.
To go a little further into the unreasonable, I did the same test with the 180/M11 set;) incredible but true: the 180 (at F4), supplied, with honor, the M11 sensor!!!
(I specify that this is not the case with the APO doubler: resolution of the optical assembly much lower than that of the M11.)

All this leads me to think that the negative points for me on the 90-280 (a little short focal length for this animal use and impossibility of mounting a converter x1,4 or x2) could well make me switch to another more suitable solution .

First of all, I appreciate the colorimetric rendering and the 3D aspect, where Leica is one of the masters.

But wouldn't a Canon 400 x1.4 satisfy all these desires?
Does the lens stabilization work well with an SL2S?
The static auto-focus would suit me well for the rather rare times when I use it (given the obstacles in animal life and the pumping of the SL2S among others)

Well, there is still a very small price problem on this Canon...

Cost: The Canon can be found used; still expensive, but far lower than a new one.

 

Quality with extenders: On SL2-S, you will hardly (read: not) see quality degradation when used with the 1.4x extender. (Possibly) Slight loss of quality with the 2x extender, but this is also a very safe combo. On SL2, the 1.4x extender works fune, but some image degradation are found with 2x extender. Given the resolution of the SL2 sensor, this inducates the excellent resolving potentual of the Canon. 

Regarding stabilisation: The optical stabilisation with the Canon is very, very good (4 stops or thereabout). With SK2/SL2-S, no IBIS, only optical stabilisation. But turn the stabilisation off when using tripod. 

Edited April 5, 2022 by helged

[caissa]

The problem is that you would need more resolution in the camera (for my taste). So a SL2, a S1R or a fp L (with 60 MP even better) could be a better starting point. Then you could simply switch the camera to APS-C mode and no need to buy a CL.

My combination is 150-600 plus 1.4x plus SL2.   (This results in the end at 600 x 1.4 x 1.5, but of course it is heavy and not easy to hold because 1260 mm is very long. Often I leave away the extender and use only aps-c as 900 mm equivalent is usually plenty long enough.)

So for me this is quite an affordable combination. Much less expensive than I had expected before Sigma released this excellent lens (the 150-600). (But of course I keep the SL 90-280.)

And if there will be another camera of even higher resolution like SL3 or maybe a Lumix S2R (I expect anything from 80 to 100 MP in a next generation that will arrive sooner or later) then the total solution improves even more without investing too heavily in lenses. Especially I do not want to invest in foreign lenses (though the EF 4/400 DO II is a temptation, but even more the latest Nikon 2.8/400 with built in extender and a Z9).

Edited April 5, 2022 by caissa

[Jox]

I am completely on the same thoughts as all of you, thank you.
Indeed, if we disregard this small price point, a Z9 with one of Nikon's modern long focal length solutions would be attractive.
I don't really know what gives in image beauty (Leica kingdom: colorimetry, 3D...) Nikon lenses with Fresnel lens...

[Jox]

Hello,

Leica announces that the x1.4 and x2 Sigma and Pana L-Mount converters are incompatible with the 90-280.
But in fact, are they really in all modes, even in MF?
If a few tests can come more concretely to clarify things...

Thanks in advance.

Jox

[michali]

3 hours ago, Jox said:

Hello,

Leica announces that the x1.4 and x2 Sigma and Pana L-Mount converters are incompatible with the 90-280.
But in fact, are they really in all modes, even in MF?
If a few tests can come more concretely to clarify things...

Thanks in advance.

Jox

The Sigma & Panasonic converters don't fit on the 90-280mm, the front element of the converters bumps into the rear element of the lens.

Edited April 9, 2022 by michali

[Stef63]

Leica APO  Telyt R 280 f/4 + 2.0x + 1.4x, that makes 560 mm at f/11.  You will need light and only MF but still excellent on an SL2.  Hard to find AND still expensive, but will hold value while offering a lot of fun.  Without the converters you will experience one of the best lenses Leica ever made. 

[beewee]

If money is no object and MF is an option, there’s the Leica modular R super-teles.

I personally prefer the 400mm focal length even though I own a Canon 300mm/2.8 IS EF (first gen) and almost always add a 1.4x extender on it. If I were to pair something with the 90-280, I’d probably go for the Canon EF 400mm f/4 II DO + Sigma MC adapter, as michali has, especially if I can pick up a used one in good condition at a good price. On my Canon 300/2.8 IS, AF is not as fast as on native Canon bodies when adapting Canon lenses with the Sigma adapter to L-mount but it’s useable for stationary wildlife. 

If I wanted to be more mobile, then the Sigma 150-600 DG DN would be high on my list.

With all that being said, if I was going to be shooting birds in flight and money is no object, or is weight, then I’d probably just get a dedicated Sony/Canon RF/Nikon Z mirrorless setup for wildlife. For me, it’d lean towards Canon, only because I have some EF glass already.

Edited April 9, 2022 by beewee

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[Jox]

Thank you for all those informations.
I look at the offers in 400mm Canon and in 280 APO Leica R ...
For the urgency of births and the first flights of our bird friends, I try to master the 90-280 in MF, and I also use the 180x2 APO R, but I am really faster with the 180x2 APO R. Of course there is no lens stabilization, but the MF is so nice with these R's

[beewee]

16 hours ago, Jox said:

Of course there is no lens stabilization, but the MF is so nice with these R's

You still have IBIS which does a decent job. Make sure you select the correct focal length to get the best performance from IBIS.