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SL2-S and SL lenses for wedding photography - here's my take


hellobrandonscott

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Not sure if this is allowed or if it breaks some self-promotion rule. If the latter, apologies, admins feel free to kill this post. But if it doesn't, a bunch of you might find my take on using the SL2-S and the SL lens system for wedding photography helpful. I get asked about it a lot on Instagram and figured it would be better to create one big bulk answer to refer people to, hence the post. Here's the link: https://brandonscottphoto.co/gear/leica-sl2-s-for-wedding-photography/

Hopefully it's helpful! Really loving the entire switch (from Canon) almost exactly a year later. The current setup is a Q2, and then two SL2-S's with the 35, 75, and 90 SL lenses. 

Here are some samples from each of the SL lenses. Biggest difference... no more chromatic aberration. Incredible optics.

35mm:

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Edited by hellobrandonscott
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75mm:

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Edited by hellobrandonscott
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90mm:

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question to you is about flash photography.. using the SF-60's

My event are mostly at night and the flash is a must..

Do you use modifiers ?  I tent to use the Gery Fong on it, it it the softest one that I found. but the flash does not seam to hold up the weight to well, it often comes down. Second issue is that it need more power and occasionally the flash overheats and stops working..

 

Any suggestions?

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Nice images and write up, thank you! I only do a handful of weddings every few years and the few I did I still borrowed an FF SLR as my mirrorless bodies were not yet up to the task. The SL2(s) appears to be there for me, and it's nice to hear about the experience of others.

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12 hours ago, Photoworks said:

question to you is about flash photography.. using the SF-60's

My event are mostly at night and the flash is a must..

Do you use modifiers ?  I tent to use the Gery Fong on it, it it the softest one that I found. but the flash does not seam to hold up the weight to well, it often comes down. Second issue is that it need more power and occasionally the flash overheats and stops working..

 

Any suggestions?

I actually just use bare bulb, but it's a specific style/vibe I'm trying to achieve. Not for everyone, and definitely doesn't follow the rules of old school photography. Settings are usually something like f/4.5, 1/15 sec, ISO 400 and the flash zoomed to 70mm and on nearly its lowest output setting. This has a two-fold benefit. One, you don't blind people when the flash is on such a low power setting, and two, batteries last forever. Also the flashes don't get too hot and recycle time is pretty much instant. 

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I actually went a different route with the flash on the SL2 - I did get the (very average) rebranded sf60 flash but I struggled with AF in low light, so ended up getting a little fuji xt4 just for flash dance shots as it's an af demon in low light. I know it's silly to get a camera just for dancing but hey whatever works. Some dance floors they completely drop the lights and it's just a lottery to focus with the sl2 there. Other dance floors where there's a bit of ambient it's totally fine. 

When I did use the flash on the sl2 it was manual, zoom 70-105mm, 1/8th sec, 400 iso typically and do the little wiggle/pan of the camera body to get motion blur to give movement to the ambient, and the flash power to freeze the main subject. Adjust the power depending on the night.

The flash is pretty average though. If you keep getting issues, get another brand flash. You don't need a leica flash if running the flash manually. 

 

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9 hours ago, hellobrandonscott said:

I actually just use bare bulb, but it's a specific style/vibe I'm trying to achieve. Not for everyone, and definitely doesn't follow the rules of old school photography. Settings are usually something like f/4.5, 1/15 sec, ISO 400 and the flash zoomed to 70mm and on nearly its lowest output setting. This has a two-fold benefit. One, you don't blind people when the flash is on such a low power setting, and two, batteries last forever. Also the flashes don't get too hot and recycle time is pretty much instant. 

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Interesting setup and nice results - I must try something similar. Thanks Brandon.

John

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Forgot to mention that the SF 60 comes with a little snap on diffuser that some might find helpful. Sort of Gary Fong-ish. Never used it but a nice option if needed. Stores neatly in the little pouch too.

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Beautiful images and take, man! Also appreciate your encouragement of silent shutter during the wedding ;) Looking forward to seeing more posts and your insights in these settings.

Curious to know of your thoughts on the manual m-mount lenses for days like this. Although I'm mostly on the video side for weddings (which calls for manual focus), the odd wedding photography job I do take I have to wonder if I'm truly missing out on a lot because I'm manually focusing. I would suspect the only significant trade-offs are the size and weight of the SL lenses in favour of autofocus ability– if you have experience with the M's on a wedding, what are your thoughts between auto SL and manual M glass?

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On 4/29/2022 at 7:43 AM, Aaron Daniel said:

Beautiful images and take, man! Also appreciate your encouragement of silent shutter during the wedding ;) Looking forward to seeing more posts and your insights in these settings.

Curious to know of your thoughts on the manual m-mount lenses for days like this. Although I'm mostly on the video side for weddings (which calls for manual focus), the odd wedding photography job I do take I have to wonder if I'm truly missing out on a lot because I'm manually focusing. I would suspect the only significant trade-offs are the size and weight of the SL lenses in favour of autofocus ability– if you have experience with the M's on a wedding, what are your thoughts between auto SL and manual M glass?

Thanks for the kind words! I've never used M glass, but *do* use that Q2 in manual focus all the time and love it. Kind of impractical for most moments that need to get photographed at a wedding, but fun for sunset photos, party dancing, or that kind of thing. 

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I am a hybrid wedding shooter (photography and videography) and in the past two years I have used SL2-S and SL2 a lot for photos and Panasonic S1Hs for videos. As SL2-S is getting more mature for professional video use through firmware updates, I am transitioning my videography gears from Panasonic S1Hs to SL2-S. I found that manual focus using M lenses and SL lenses are both easy, although focus ring on SL lenses is much tighter. Regardless, SL lenses are much more manual focus friendly compared to many other mirrorless lenses from Sony, Canon, and Nikon. For autofocus, SL lenses are good enough for me even in low light receptions. I also use a couple of SF-60s and SF C1. They get job done and the light quality is pretty good. If you like to see my work please feel free to visit my instagram profile: @aaronliu.photography I am happy to follow back!

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  • 2 weeks later...

Personally if its for reportage or weddings, I would pick an M rangefinder to go with a 35mm f1.4. And the SL2S with the 24-90mm, 11-23mm. The SL would be for fast changing non repeatable situations and the M for picking the moments. And possibly an 18mm f3.4 M.  

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On 4/26/2022 at 9:19 AM, hellobrandonscott said:

How’s the CA with it wide open?

You can get some. It's not as pronounced as, say, a 50mm Sony Zeiss or the Sigma but you can get a bit. It also can be made to flare (a really really nice flare when used deliberately). The Summilux isn't a perfect* lens like the Summicron. It's a balance between sharpness and that look it has. At f2 though any CA is essentially gone. I shot over 100 weddings with it and I wouldn't leave it at home. Just a fabulous piece of glass.

It's a big lens though......

Gordon

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I tried (loaned) the SL2-S w/ the idea of using it for weddings, but it doesn’t earn enough trust for my ninja approach to shooting weddings. I like the EVF, the minimalism of the body, and of course, the output. Incredible colors. But I didn’t enjoy the weight and the AF more than anything. I found it slow and not accurate as other systems, including DSLR. For me, speed is crucial, and it’s not negotiable. I don’t shoot poses, family photos: 100% unscripted. The decisive moment is a must, and the camera needs to be very reactive. If Leica improves the AF in the future, I will definitely think about the SL system.

Meanwhile for weddings, I switch between DSLR and M10, with the latter being a smaller percentage. But the number is growing. But my hope in the long term is to use M-system for everything. Not just for daily life, travel assignments, and street photography. I’m working on it; I’m still a chicken. But it’s the system I love most and enjoy more to use, w/ a doubt.

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